Primary Education (PGDE) Professional Graduate Diploma

When you successfully complete this course you will gain provisional registration as a primary teacher and be able to work with children from 3 to 12 years old.

This course combines two on-campus study modules with three school professional practice placements. You will gain vital classroom skills and experience while also learning the theory of teaching children.

Small class sizes mean you will benefit from a friendly and helpful community of staff and students. You will also receive individual support from an allocated tutor. They will be with you throughout the course, providing assistance through tutorials and one-to-one meetings. Your tutor will visit and assess you on each of your placements.

Teaching:

We provide you with short recorded online tutorials, followed up with more hands-on workshops. This gives you a rich learning experience and also means you can access materials online whenever it suits you most, including when you are on placements. You will also learn through group tutorials, peer learning, individual study and placements.

The two on-campus modules last for approximately 15 weeks in total, spread out across the academic year. The three school placements last for six weeks each. You start with time on-campus, followed by two study weeks and then your first placement. This format of campus time then placement is repeated twice more.

Careers:

On successful completion of this course you will gain provisional registration as a primary teacher, and all UK and EU participants are guaranteed one year’s employment in a Scottish primary school.

The majority of our students go straight into teaching after graduating. After a while they may then apply for promoted posts within school management teams. Some choose to enter other fields, such as learning support or outdoor education, or they may go on to further study, for example in educational psychology.

It is also possible to pursue a wide range of further careers, for example within Education Scotland, as advisors or directors within local education authorities, within GTCS or in initial teacher education in universities.