PGCE Early years (3-7)

This full-time, one-year course is designed to train you to apply your knowledge flexibly to a variety of contexts and to model good practice while teaching. You will focus on teaching and learning in the Early Years and Key Stage One and the course will prepare you to take up a teaching position in either nurseries or schools.

The course runs from September to July and you’ll spend most of this time (at least 24 weeks) on placement in schools or early years settings.

We also offer two other routes:

PGCE Primary route prepares you to teach children aged 5-11

PGCE Primary Modern Languages prepares you to teach all subjects to pupils aged 5-11 but also includes sessions to prepare you to specialise in teaching a foreign language

The course enables you to develop your skills of critical analysis and engage with educational research at the same time as developing practical classroom skills through school experience. It is taught at master’s level which will allow you to gain up to 60 credits towards a master’s qualification in the future. By the end of the course, you’ll be a reflective practitioner equipped to continue your professional learning throughout your career.

Teaching and Assessment

In order to qualify for the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), you must pass all school experiences and pass a 12,000-word portfolio at master’s level.

The portfolio consists of several tasks that you will complete during the year and share with your Academic Adviser, a member of university staff who will support you throughout the year. They will provide feedback on your work and support you to achieve. Each of the tasks is designed to support your development as a teacher and is directly relevant to your practice in the classroom.

Where this can take you

This programme will enable you to achieve Qualified Teacher Status and work as a class teacher in a primary school or in an early year setting. While the vast majority of PGCE graduates will choose to work in a primary school, some students may be employed in special schools or the wider education sector. Many of our previous PGCE students have progressed in their careers and now hold senior posts in their schools.