French / Spanish Extension Course (Higher Level)

This course has been introduced by the Training and Development Agency (TDA) to increase the pool of eligible trainees joining Modern Language Initial Teacher Training (ITT) secondary courses in September 2012. It aims to address the increasing number of PGCE/GTP applicants who have a range of linguistic experiences and potential.

This is an intensive 16-week summer programme aimed at enabling graduates with a single language background (French or Spanish) to refresh and develop that language to enable them to start an ITT course in September. The course is intended for participants who have a good A-Level or some degree-level in either French or Spanish. The purpose of the course is to update these candidates’ subject knowledge in order to prepare them linguistically for an ITT course.

Eligible applicants:

This course is intended for the following applicants:

Graduates with a good A-Level in either French or Spanish and some additional linguistic experience
Graduates whose degrees contain French or Spanish as a subsidiary e.g. Business with French, Media Studies with Spanish. The language element would typically consist of less than 50% of the degree
Graduates with significant/substantial experience of working and living in the target language country.

Please note, if you have limited or no French (typically up to GCSE Level) then the French Extension Course would be more appropriate.

Programme Format

The programme will take place at the University's North campus on Holloway Road, which is directly across the Holloway Road Tube Station (Piccadilly line).

The course will run from 14 May 2012 to 31 August 2012.

Integrated self-study, including London Metropolitan University's own online French or Spanish programmes, will be a vital component of the course.

During the course, compulsory attendance of an intensive language and cultural immersion programme in France or Spain is required of all participants.

There are no fees for this course and a bursary is paid to each participant (Home/EU students only). The course, including the study visit to France, is free. In addition, participants will receive a tax-free bursary of £150 per week for the duration of the course.

N.B. International students are not eligible for bursary funding and must pay a tuition fee for the course.

Applying for a place

The Subject Knowledge Extension (SKE) course is designed to qualify students to start a secondary modern foreign languages ITT course in London in September 2012. To participate in the course at London Metropolitan University, applicants must have an offer to do an ITT course in Modern Languages that is conditional on attending the SKE Course. We are unable to accept applicants without this condition to their ITT offers.

Applications can be made via two routes:

Apply to a London ITT course through the GTTR (or to the DRB if you are applying for a GTP programme). Applicants should indicate their willingness to attend the Subject Knowledge Extension Course (French or Spanish), if necessary, on their GTTR application form. Once an offer is made, conditional on attending the extension course, the ITT provider will refer the applicant to London Metropolitan University.
Prior to or while applying through GTTR, applicants may approach London Metropolitan University directly in order to be placed on a provisional list pending a conditional offer from an ITT provider. Once an offer is made, the applicant must inform the ELS (SKE) Department in order to qualify for an invitation to an assessment day.

In both cases, applicants must attend an assessment session

Please download the relevant application form to join the French/Spanish Extension Course (Higher Level) here:

French Extension Course Higher Level Form 2012-2.docx

Spanish Extension Course Higher Level Form 2012-1.docx

For further information & application submission, please contact:

Dawn Fernandez
SKE MFL Course Administrator
ELS Department
Learning Centre, Room LC1-04
London Metropolitan University
236-250 Holloway Road
London N7 6PP
Tel: 020 7133 4089
Fax: 0207 133 2461
E-mail: d.fernandez@londonmet.ac.uk

For further information on how to apply for a PGCE course or alternative ITT route, please visit:

The Graduate Teacher Training Agency website: www.gttr.ac.uk

or

The Training and Development Agency for Schools website: www.tda.gov.uk