Fees and key information

Course type
Postgraduate
Course code
J847
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

Our Primary (7-11) (Key Stage 2) PGCE will equip you to become a specialist teacher of seven to 11-year-olds.

Join a powerful partnership of diverse teachers and schools that focuses on teaching in multicultural environments, which is ideal if you want to become a teacher in a city.

Interested in finding out more? Sign up for one of our information events – online or in person – a chance to meet the tutors and get your questions answered. See below.

This course leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which will allow you to work as a teacher in primary education settings.

Our modules will develop your understanding of the role of a teacher. During your lectures and seminars you’ll adopt a critical approach to evaluate pedagogical traditions, as well as the curriculum and children’s rights. You’ll also learn about how you can use and undertake research to engage with issues in education.

This knowledge will be supplemented by practical experience as you’ll undertake school placements of 11 and 13 weeks, allowing you to reflect on theory and see its development in the real world. During these placements you’ll receive continuous support from your tutors and school-based mentors.

On completion of this course you’ll acquire the necessary understanding and experience required to become an effective teacher and to plan, deliver and evaluate the curriculum.

Accredited by the TRA

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

Boost your learning with work experience

This course will be supplemented by practical experience as you’ll undertake school placements of 11 and 13 weeks

Take your career prospects to the next level

This course will equip you to become a specialist teacher of 7 to 11-year-olds

Course modules

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2024/25 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 modules

Curriculum Studies

This module currently runs:
all year (September start)

(core, 30 credits)

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

The Curriculum Studies module aims to ensure that all students have appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding to teach their chosen specialism as an effective practitioner, in fulfilment of all relevant aspects of the Core Content Framework.

To support the student:
● to develop an understanding of the curriculum knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that they will require as a teacher, including the ability to interpret this to plan, teach and assess engaging lessons which promote pupil progression.
● to develop their own subject knowledge to ensure they are confident to teach their chosen specialist subject and/or phase, through a combination of assessment, self-assessment, target setting, personal study and engagement with university teaching and learning sessions.
● to develop a critical appreciation of the relevant traditions in pedagogy, assessment and children’s rights related to the areas they will be required to teach, and to use this knowledge to make decisions about planning, teaching and assessment which promote pupil progression.

Read full details

Professionalism and Inclusive Practice

This module currently runs:
all year (September start)
all year (January start)
autumn semester

(core, 30 credits)

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

The Professional Inclusive Practice (PIP) module aims to ensure that student teachers are prepared for all aspects of professionalism and professional thinking as a teacher. It aims to ensure that they are fully equipped to meet the broader knowledge, skills and behaviours beyond individual subject or phase specialist topics, in fulfilment of all aspects of the Core Content Framework.
To support the trainee:
• to develop a critical understanding of the key philosophies that underpin our curriculum, based on the principles of Education for Social Justice, Critical Pedagogy and the UNCRC.
• to teach in a range of contexts, with a focus on teaching in multilingual, multicultural schools, working closely with families, communities and other professionals and to develop a sense of professional identity which reflects this.
• to develop the full range of skills, competencies and attitudes needed to enhance their employability, by enabling them to attain the professional Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by the end of the course.
• to enable students to reflect upon, critically assess and research their own practice. 

Read full details

School Experience

This module currently runs:
all year (September start)

(core, 0 credits)

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 two 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.

Read full details

Course details

You will be required to have:

  • minimum of a 2.2 UK degree or master’s (MA/MSc)
  • 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) which you will be advised to apply for after an offer is made
  • GCSE English, Mathematics and Science grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)*

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

We 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.

We highly recommend the one-to-one tailored advice on eligibility and equivalency offered by the Department for Education’s 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.

Professional requirements

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, we recommend:

  • you have a minimum of 10 working days, recent experience in a school
  • you are prepared for your understanding of current teaching practice and issues in schools to be assessed
  • you have an awareness of multiculturalism and other contexts unique to urban schools
  • you're aware you may be invited to interview based on information given in your application

Some offers may recommend further school experience if required.

International students and English language requirements

If you’re an overseas national who already holds an alternative visa in a suitable category or have been granted permission to remain in the UK indefinitely, you may be considered for admission, but please note that an additional international enhanced police check will be 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 (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.

Your assessment will consist of:

  • school placement A
  • school placement B, where your teaching ability will be assessed in relation to the standard for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
  • a Professional Practice Portfolio, which is compiled across 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.

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

Our Primary (7-11) (Key Stage 2) PGCE leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which qualifies you to teach seven to eleven-year-olds.

If you've already studied your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on any further study with us.
* exclusions apply

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.

How to apply

You can apply for all teacher training courses, apart from the assessment-only route, through the Department for Education’s “Apply for teacher training” service.

You have the option to apply to London Met or one of our partner schools. To apply to us, select London Metropolitan University as the training provider and then choose the relevant course. You can also use the following codes:

Training provider code: L68
Course code: J847

When to apply

You are advised to apply as early as possible as applications will only be considered if there are places available on the course.

Are you from outside the UK? Find out how to apply from your home country

Find out more

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