PGCE Primary (3-7) - PGCE

More about this course

This PGCE Primary course prepares you to teach three to seven-year-olds (Key Stage 1) and leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

You'll study at London Met and attend two placements at a partnership school of 11 and 13 weeks. We’ll extend your knowledge, develop your classroom practice and help you examine the underlying principles and values that inform current debates around educational issues.

At London Met, you’ll learn about teaching in urban, multicultural and multilingual schools and will address language, diversity and equality across the curriculum. Training within the framework and principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the unique London context, you’ll be well equipped to help maximise every child's development.

Your time at our partnership school will be supported by school-based mentors and University-linked tutors. The tutors will also deliver your University sessions, ensuring a continuity of support throughout the course.

Overall, the purpose of the course is to develop you into a teacher of the highest quality. One who is reflective, creative, imaginative and responsive to all children’s needs.

This approach led to positive reviews in our most recent Ofsted inspection:

"The Ofsted online trainee survey now indicates very high confidence rates... trainees are therefore pushed to reach the highest standards."
Ofsted, 2016

Assessment

Your assessment will consist of four elements:

• School placement A
• School placement B, where your teaching ability will be assessed in relation to the standard for Qualified Teacher Status
• a Professional Practice Portfolio which is compiled throughout the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience
• the Educational Research Assignment, which allows you to explore an educational issue

There are no examinations.

Professional accreditation

This PGCE course is accredited by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

Entry requirements

You will be required to have:

• a UK degree, preferably grade 2.2 or equivalent
• pass at literacy and numeracy tests, which are university-based tests that you will be asked to undertake at your interview
• a valid Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and Confirmation of Fitness to Teach (eg a London Metropolitan University Health Check) - you will be advised to apply for these after an offer is made
• GCSE English, Mathematics and Science grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent)*

If you hold a third class degree, you may still be considered, particularly if this qualification is supported by a completed master's degree or relevant work experience.

We do make conditional offers (with strict deadlines), so it is important that you include all pending qualifications in your application.

If you feel your qualifications are outside of the requirements you should contact us for further advice before applying. We highly recommend the one-to-one tailored advice on eligibility and equivalency offered by the Department for Education Get Into Teaching service.

*If you need to take an equivalency test for any of the required GCSEs, please sign up for A Star Equivalency or Equivalency Testing. They offer all three GCSE equivalencies. Please be aware that you may need to undertake study towards the exam, either with the equivalency organisation or independently.

Alternatively, you might want to sign up for a college course in the relevant subject, though this is likely to take longer and you may not have the chance for a re-sit, if required, prior to the start of the PGCE course.

Applying as an international student

The University will assess any overseas qualifications for equivalence using a number of resources including our own internal guidelines, the UK ENIC and the Overseas Degree Table.

Due to statutory requirements, we are not able to offer sponsorship under the Student visa route for this course. We will be happy to consider those falling into this category for an alternative suitable course on request. Overseas nationals who already hold an alternative visa in a suitable category or have been granted permission to remain in the UK indefinitely may be considered for admission, but please note that an additional international enhanced police check will be required.

Further details

Before you can be permitted to enrol on this course:

• you must not already hold QTS or be qualified to teach in another EU/EEA country

Prior to the interview for this course, London Met recommends you:

• have a minimum of 10 working days recent experience (within the past year) in a school
• prepare for your understanding of current teaching practice and issues in schools to be assessed
• have an awareness of multiculturalism and other contexts unique to urban schools
• you may be invited to interview based on information given in your application

Some offers may recommend further school experience if required.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

Modular structure

What our students say

“I really enjoyed my course at London Metropolitan University. There was a lot to learn, but the support and guidance from my tutor and mentors was excellent throughout. By the end of the course I really felt prepared to take on my first mainstream teaching assignment. The tutors and lecturers helped me set the right goals for my development as a teacher as well as giving me the tools to succeed. I had two great school placements arranged by the University and I feel these were key to building my confidence. I was really happy to be offered a job by one of these schools – my PGCE year couldn’t have ended better.”

Maira Rodrigues, London Met trainee and Year 4 teacher at Lloyd Williamson Primary School, Kensington.

Where this course can take you

This intensive PGCE leads to a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and enables you to teach either 3 to 7-year-olds and 5 to 11-year-olds. Our students have gone on to become teachers at Ambler Primary, Cleveland Road Primary School, New North Academy and many more.

Funding

Funding is available for many postgraduate courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Depending on your teaching subject and degree classification, you may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship of up to £30,000 through the teacher training bursary.

Additional costs

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Top tips for applications

• Ask somebody you trust to check your personal statement, both for accuracy of writing and for focused, relevant content.
• Ensure that your personal statement addresses your reasons for choosing the exact course, phase or subject specialism. Make sure that all potentially relevant experience is referred to in your statement – if you don’t tell us, we won’t know!
• Don’t wait until you have passed all relevant qualifications before applying (but make sure you tell us about them – otherwise, again, we won’t know).
• If your qualifications are from another country, you will have to get an ENIC statement of equivalence.
• Make sure you have read all the relevant course documentation and requirements before applying.
• If in doubt, ask!

When to apply

Please apply as early as possible to maximise your chances of securing a place. The application window opens in early October for courses starting the following September.

Do not wait until you’ve met all the criteria before applying.

If you’re not sure whether you meet the criteria, please do one of the following:

• Contact us to enquire about the eligibility of your qualifications and experience. We’ll be able to let you know whether the Level 2 Maths certificate that you have is accepted for teacher training, or whether your degree is considered relevant to the secondary course you’re applying for.
• Apply early and make it clear in your personal statement what steps you propose to take to get the relevant qualifications or experience.

Places are limited by the Teaching Regulation Agency and are offered on a first come, first served basis. We also operate waiting lists for these courses.