PGTA with SEND (Primary 5-11) with QTS and Professional Graduate Certificate in Education - PGCE Postgraduate courses

More about this course

On completion of this practical course, you’ll gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education at Level 6.

Many of our previous apprentices are still employed in local schools, with some going on to become mentors for new trainee teachers.

Our trainees attain high results with almost 100% passing the course, and very high rates of employment. Many of our trainees gain employment in their placement schools. We are well connected with a range of partnership schools and have excellent long standing relationships with diverse settings across London.

This apprenticeship offers you the opportunity to gain experience as a mainstream teacher, enabling you to gain QTS and give you the ability to choose where to work. You will receive expert tuition supporting you throughout both your mainstream and SEND placements. Teaching at London Met ensures that you are well equipped to develop your practice to teach the National Curriculum in addition to the skills and knowledge required to develop your specialism in SEND. You will explore the key pedagogies and theories in meeting the needs of individual learners with SEND and gain a deep understanding of specialist provision in a SEND setting.

You’ll be encouraged to reflect on your own practice and engage with research, policy and pedagogy, leading to a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education award with 60 Honors level credits and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Assessment

You’ll be assessed by practical work, portfolio and coursework, there are no final exams.
For your modules completed on placement, you’ll be assessed on whether you are meeting the Teacher Standards by the end of the second placement. This assessment is completed by your university tutor, in collaboration with the school mentors and yourself. The assessment is partly based on observations of your teaching and partly on your portfolio of evidence.

There are formative progress assessments at key points throughout the course, enabling you to see how well you are doing and what you need to do next. You will also receive constant formative feedback and guidance from your university tutor and from you school mentor, when on placement.

Your assessment will also consist of:

• Curriculum Studies: a Professional Practice Portfolio that is compiled across the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience
• Professional Inclusive Practice: the Educational Research Assignment, which allows you to explore an educational issue

You'll share feedback with your colleagues on the course, completing a weekly reflection and contribution to online discussions that will further develop your understanding of the secondary school teacher role.

Entry requirements

You will be required to have:

• a relevant degree, preferable grade 2.2 or above
• grade C/4 in English Language, Maths and a Science (either General Science or one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics)

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 (previously Tier 4) 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

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2026/27 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:

Curriculum and Pedagogical Studies (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Thursday

This module enables apprentice trainee teachers to develop the curriculum, pedagogical and subject knowledge required to become effective and reflective primary practitioners. Aligned to the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework, ITT Core Content Framework

the module supports trainees in developing the knowledge, skills and professional understanding necessary to plan, teach and assess learning that promotes engagement, inclusion and pupil progress across the primary curriculum. 
 
The module provides opportunities for trainees to deepen and evaluate their subject knowledge, ensuring confidence in teaching a broad, balanced and ambitious primary curriculum. Through a combination of diagnostic assessment, self-assessment, target setting, independent study and engagement in university-based learning, trainees will identify and address their own professional development needs. 
 
Trainees will develop a critical understanding of curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment and adaptive teaching, drawing on educational research and theory to inform classroom practice. Consideration will also be given to the principles of children’s rights, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf and how these inform equitable and inclusive teaching approaches. 
 
The module encourages trainees to critically evaluate evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning and to make informed professional decisions about planning, teaching and assessment that support the achievement, wellbeing and holistic development of all pupils. 

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Professional Practice for Inclusive Teaching (core, 30 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start) - Thursday

The Professional practice for inclusive practice module prepares teacher apprentices to meet the professional demands of primary school practice - through critical engagement with the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) and the Teachers’ Standards. The module develops the broader professional knowledge, skills and behaviours required for effective, reflective and inclusive teaching beyond subject-specific pedagogy.

Apprentices will critically examine the philosophical and theoretical foundations of education, drawing on principles of Education for Social Justice, Critical Pedagogy and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Through engagement with research, policy and evidence-informed practice, they will evaluate how these perspectives shape teaching, learning and curriculum decision-making.

The module explores teaching in diverse educational contexts, with particular emphasis on multilingual and multicultural schools. Apprentices will develop an understanding of adaptive and inclusive approaches that promote participation, belonging and achievement for all learners, while recognising the importance of collaboration with families, communities and multi-agency professionals.

Throughout the module, apprentices will develop their professional identity and capacity for critical reflection. Drawing on school-based experiences, they will analyse and evaluate their own practice, using evidence to inform professional judgements and continuous improvement.

By the end of the module, apprentices will be equipped to meet the Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), demonstrating the professional knowledge, ethical commitment and reflective practice required to contribute positively to inclusive, equitable and socially just educational environments.

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School Experience (core, 0 credits)

This module currently runs:

• all year (September start)

NB: Teaching Period (whole course) is a statutory period of currently 36 weeks, set by the Department of Education. Placement Module dates are set at 24 weeks minimum. Term dates are set separately to the standard university dates, with an earlier start and later finish than other postgraduate courses.

The module will be comprised of up to three school experiences placements in contrasting schools or other appropriate settings to support the trainee to:
• Develop their professional practice as a teacher.
• Gain the skills and understanding outlined in the Core Content Framework for ITT.
• Become a critically reflective practitioner inside and outside the classroom.
• Acquire the necessary skills, experience and understanding required to plan, deliver and evaluate the appropriate areas of the curriculum (for their route) by the end of the module.

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Where this course can take you

As a London Met trained teacher, you will be highly employable; the vast majority of our Apprentice trainees continue to teach in schools in London.  As a teacher with a PGCE and SEND specialism you will be well equipped to work in SEND specialist provisions or in mainstream schools that have additional resource units. Teachers who have trained at London Metropolitan University can be found on the staff in schools across London and beyond. As a very long-established provider of teacher training, we regularly meet alumni in all sorts of roles, from classroom teachers through to headteachers and every role in between. Many of our graduates develop further specialisms and can be found in a range of highly specialist roles, both in mainstream schools and in alternative provisions. As a specialist in SEND you would be in a strong position to become a SENDCO or Inclusion lead after passing your ECT 1 and 2.

London Met teaching graduates regularly find their first job in one of their placement schools, and many continue to work within the ‘London Met family’ across an extended career in education. The skills that you learn on the course will prepare you to meet all the challenges of teaching both in London schools and elsewhere, wherever your fancy takes you.

When to apply

The teacher training portal opens in mid-October; if you are thinking of undertaking the postgraduate teacher apprenticeship, you should apply early.
All of the training agreements and processes need to be completed by the end of June, before school break up for the Summer.