PGCE Early Years Teaching (DL): Additional information

The UK’s Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) requires universities to put their courses through a strict approval process, involving external experts who ensure high academic standards and proper support. Each year, the quality of this course is reviewed through a report that includes feedback from an external examiner. Their role is to confirm that the degree meets its goals, maintains high standards, and compares well with similar courses. This PGCE has consistently met and exceeded these expectations.

No, this degree doesn't award QTS or EYTS.

You can study this course from over 50 countries, but each country has its own rules for awarding QTS or similar recognition. This degree is based on the UK Teachers’ Standards (Early Years), which are similar to those in many other countries. However, to gain QTS or EYTS for teaching in England, you must train in an English state school and complete your Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction for two years afterwards.

While QTS and EYTS are considered equivalent in terms of teaching quality, most international schools don’t require either, unless the school only employs teachers who've already taught in the state system and have QTS or EYTS. If a school does ask for it, they're probably expecting you to already be trained and state-registered in another country (which usually means England, the USA, Australia, or New Zealand). It’s important to check the specific requirements of the schools you're interested in.

This course isn't a direct route to QTS or EYTS, and while some countries may offer it, there’s no guarantee it would be granted. If you're aiming to gain QTS, please see our Assessment Only Route to QTS course page. Trainees on the PGCE Early Years Teaching course may be eligible for this route if one of their teaching placements is in the primary phase (typically ages 5-6).

No, you won't receive a DfE number. You'd only get a DfE number if your teacher training took place in an English state school.

This course is designed for both in-service teachers and those preparing to enter the profession, in international schools worldwide. The international teaching community is highly mobile, with teachers often moving between countries. While this qualification is widely recognised, we can't guarantee that every school will accept it – requirements vary by institution and country.

This course isn't a shortcut to English QTS or EYTS. It’s designed specifically for the international market, and all applicants must sign a declaration confirming they understand this.

Currently, the Assessment Only Route to QTS is the only option available after completing the PGCE Early Years Teaching. While we can’t guarantee this route will remain open indefinitely, it's still available. We’ve already supported international QTS assessments in countries such as China, Qatar, Kuwait, Dubai, Switzerland, Romania, Egypt, and Vietnam – and expect this list to grow.

To be eligible for this route, you must have at least two years of experience teaching whole classes in at least two different schools or settings, across the 3-7 age range. For full details, please visit the course page.

If you're enrolled on this course, it's your responsibility to find a school willing to host your placement. The school must understand what’s required to support your teaching practice. While we can’t arrange placements for you, we’re happy to provide information and speak with schools about the course and what’s involved. We'll also need the school to send us a completed proposal form demonstrating their agreement to host you during placement.

When looking for a placement school, we'd recommend the following:

• Make a list of all international schools/settings in your country that run a curriculum for the 0-5 sector (or part of this sector) that you'd be able to work in. It doesn't have to be the English Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum; it could be an American, French, Indian or any other one. It doesn't even have to be a 'Curriculum', but could be a system of education e.g. Montessori, Reggio Emilia, etc. However, it must be one that you feel comfortable working with. 
•  Email or telephone schools to see if they'd be happy to take you on as a trainee. Please ask if there's a central point for placement applications rather than contact individual teachers directly.
• A good way into schools is to ask if you can come in and observe some lessons – let the school know you're thinking of doing a professional teaching qualification – and then talk face-to-face about the possibility of completing a placement.
• You'll need to let the school know that you'll require access to mentor support. You'll have a mentor that we approve before the course begins, so it's crucial that you discuss this with the placement school early on.
• If you find a school that's willing to consider you as a placement trainee, you then need to discuss this with the University. It's possible to conduct the teaching practice element in different schools, but we'll need to agree this beforehand.

Yes, you can complete your two placements in different schools. Both must be in the Early Years phase, unless one of the placements is in the primary phase (ages 5-6), which is allowed.

The subjects and phase you’ll be teaching must be clearly stated in your School Proposal form – either during your application or before your teaching practice begins.

We've been offering international teacher training courses since 1999 when it began with three students in the United Arab Emirates. There are now over 600 students in almost 60 countries around the world, and the growth of the course is largely due to the reputation it has for producing skilled education practitioners and recommendation from those who've previously studied it.

This is a 36-week course available to graduates with appropriate degree qualifications, comprising two blocks of assessed practical teaching with supporting academic modules. It's taught via distance learning through our Virtual Learning Environment, overseen by University staff. The course has been developed from our on-campus teacher training courses and has been adapted so that it can be delivered to early years teachers internationally.

The degree has been regularly modified to accommodate TRA (Teacher Regulation Agency) and DfE (Department for Education) initiatives, and OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills). Quality assurance of UK courses is externally inspected by OFSTED, which has resulted in regular review of professional requirements and academic outcomes set out by the Department for Education.

The main aim of the course is to provide employed or aspiring teachers with the professional training and experience necessary to develop as an effective and reflective teacher. However, UK EYTS isn't awarded at the end of the PGCE, as EYTS and QTS is the state registration required by teachers working in the state sector schools in England. To achieve QTS, trainee teachers must do their training wholly or mostly in an English state school or complete the separate Assessment Only Route to QTS.

For classroom teaching to be purposeful and efficient, trainee teachers also require relevant theoretical underpinning and knowledge to inform and develop decision making on school and classroom practice. This enables teachers to engage with and participate in change and encourage an awareness of wider educational issues. This course includes graded academic modules and work-based learning modules (the observed practice element) which are pass/fail.

Most applicants are already employed as teachers, but a significant number are people who wish to become Early Years teachers. Schools/settings will often encourage this by offering a placement to a trainee. Many head teachers and principals have also found this course a good way of increasing the supply of teachers, allowing schools to see how someone develops as a teacher before offering them a full-time teaching post.

The PGCE has two assessed teaching experiences during the year, which is divided into two blocks, each of which is usually around 6-8 weeks long (to include holiday periods). These usually take place in October to December and February to April (for the September intake) and April to June and September to November (for the February intake). There is some flexibility over the exact days as we recognise local customs in international schools and settings dictate that holidays don't always match the academic year in England.

During this time, it's important that even though the required teaching – approximately 11 hours per week in TE1 and approximately 14 hours per week in TE2 –  doesn't take up the whole teaching week, as a trainee, you should be in school full-time for that period to absorb the full school/setting experience. You should be involved in all duties relevant to the setting and needs of the child, including care and support, and liaison with parents as seen to be appropriate by the setting and mentor.

It's also required that you have a mentor to observe your teaching at least once a week and provide written feedback based on these observations. You can find out more about the requirements of a mentor below.

To pass the course, you must consistently achieve the Early Years Teachers' Standards during the two teaching experiences, and evidence in support of this is presented in a digital file which is assessed by the mentor and University. Assessment of practical teaching is also carried out either through sample visits by University tutors or through video recordings of lessons.

A placement school/setting has no formal involvement or commitment to the course modules, which are delivered and assessed directly by the University. However, school staff may still give advice to you if they wish. It would be appreciated if the school or setting allowed you to carry out essential assignment-related tasks at least two days per week during non-teaching periods.

As part of the course, you’re required to find a mentor – this is your responsibility. Your mentor must be an experienced, qualified teacher with at least one year of post-qualification teaching experience (not necessarily a UK qualification). While prior mentoring experience is helpful, it’s not essential. The feedback and assessment of the placement is based on the English Early Years Teachers' Standards, therefore, having knowledge of these is important for the mentor.

Support will be available to guide them in their role, with an online module space to advise them on the process. In some instances, where there's a large cohort or a member of University staff is visiting the locality, we'll arrange face-to-face training. Specific details of the University's reporting process are provided prior to the start of the course.

The requirements of a mentor include:

• Getting to know the trainee and offering regular support
• Observing the trainee’s teaching weekly and giving constructive feedback
• Meeting with the trainee once a week to review progress and set targets
• Helping with lesson planning and preparation of teaching materials
• Introducing the trainee to key staff and encouraging wider support
• Sharing teaching materials and ideas where possible
• Advising on assessment strategies and lesson evaluations
• Discussing the trainee’s progress with relevant staff
• Actively listening and offering thoughtful, non-prescriptive guidance
• Completing interim and final reports on the trainee’s teaching
• Supporting the trainee in evaluating their evidence portfolio against the teaching standards.

Mentoring usually takes approximately 1.5 hours per week. The University makes a payment of £500 to the mentor for the two placements and their involvement in observing and writing an interim and final report. On occasion, you can have two mentors, one per placement, which would mean each mentor would receive £250.

Gaining experience across the full 0–5 age range is beneficial but not required. You’ll usually work with the same mentor throughout, but having different mentors for each placement is possible – especially if you complete one of your teaching placements in the primary phase (ages 5–6).

Practical teaching is full-time, with a goal of reaching 11 teaching hours per week in the first block and 14 hours per week in the second block, while being at school five days a week. This helps you experience school life fully – attending meetings, undertaking duties, observing lessons, meeting your mentor and staff, and collecting data for your studies.

If you’re already a full-time teacher, you’ll usually fit your practice hours into your regular schedule, though you still need time for meetings and tasks outside teaching. Many trainees are full-time, in-service teachers or teaching assistants, which can be challenging but doable.

If you're a teaching or educational assistant, you may work with classes already in your timetable, but this needs agreement with the school.

Less experienced trainees start teaching gradually with observations, one-to-one, small group, and team teaching in the first week before moving to whole-class teaching. The expectation in your second practice would be that most of your teaching would be whole-class, although this will differ between trainees, as some full-time staff will already be teaching full classes as part of their normal schedule.

Your PGCE will be focused on the phase (age group) you're working in during your training, and your assignments will usually reflect that. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to show a strong understanding of that phase. At least one placement must be within Early Years (0-5).

Some international schools may accept your subject knowledge from your degree and the teaching skills developed through the PGCE, and may consider you for roles outside your training phase – but this isn’t guaranteed. You’ll need to demonstrate competence in the phase you trained in, based on your teaching standards and academic work. If you’re aiming to teach a different age group in the future, it’s important to think carefully about how realistic that is.

To help you understand what we mean by phases (or Key Stages), please note the following:

Early Years

• Ages 3-4
• Ages 4-5 (Reception).

Primary

• Key Stage 1: ages 5-7, years 1-2
• Key Stage 2: ages 7-11, years 3-6

Secondary

• Key Stage 3: ages 11-14, years 7-9
• Key Stage 4: ages 14-16, years 10-11

Post-compulsory education

• Key Stage 5: ages 16-18, years 12-13.

As a postgraduate course, this PGCE requires a bachelor’s degree with honours. In some cases, we may accept alternative qualifications if they're considered equivalent in content and level. This isn’t automatic – we assess each application individually and make decisions based on the qualifications and background presented.

It's possible for you to send a copy of your degree certificate before applying so we can tell you what your qualification equates to. Please email pgceearly.tne@sunderland.ac.uk.

You're welcome to take part in our annual graduation ceremony. For the September intake, this is held in Sunderland around the second week of July each year after the course is completed. If you complete at a different time, you can still attend graduation.

If you're located in Hong Kong, you may attend graduation on our Hong Kong campus.

All students must provide proof of English language proficiency. If your degree was taught in English, you may be exempt – UK degrees are automatically accepted. Check whether your certificate or transcript confirms English as the medium of instruction. If it doesn’t, ask your university to provide a letter on official headed paper stating this clearly.

If you’re unable to provide this evidence, you may need to take the academic IELTS test. The required minimum scores are:

• Overall: 6.5
• Writing: 6.5
• Reading, Speaking, and Listening: no less than 6.0.

Other types of evidence we accept are GCSE/iGCSE in English language (as a first language) at grade C or above and Malaysian STPM at grade C or above, if completed within the last five years. If you have any questions, please email us at pgceeducation.tne@sunderland.ac.uk.

Fees can be paid via our Payment Portal, which is the quickest way for the University to receive your deposit. There are no charges to use this service. Payments can also be made via bank transfer, but there may be hidden charges.

Self-funded students

£1,000 will be due at least two weeks prior to the course start date. The full tuition fee will be split into three instalments (with your deposit being allocated to your first instalment) that will be due throughout the course. View our fee policies and payment notes for more information.

Sponsored students

The sponsored amount will be invoiced in one instalment. We'll require the following to be emailed to pgceeducation.tne@sunderland.ac.uk two weeks prior to the start of your course (if this isn't received by this deadline, you'll be invoiced for full fees):

• Name of school/company paying for the fees
• Your name and application number (e.g. 189095994)
• How much the school/company is paying for on your behalf, which must be in GBP
• Contact details of the school, which must include address, email, and telephone number
• Point of contact at the school/company who'll deal with any future enquires relating to this invoice.

Please note, the letter must be on official letter headed paper.

We’ll review your application as soon as possible, but it must pass certain checks first. In some cases, we may ask you to provide outstanding documents.

After review, you’ll get a conditional offer, pending payment of the £1,000 and/or proof of English language proficiency. Once all conditions are met, you'll be sent an unconditional offer.

You’ll be advised to enrol at least two weeks before the course starts – please note, your deposit becomes non-refundable at this point. After enrolling, you’ll get access to your student email, where the registry and academic teams will contact you about induction.

You can be accepted onto the course without a school or mentor in place, but you must secure both before you can fully enrol.

Application timeline:

• Submit application and documents
• Application reviewed
• If application is successful, conditional offer made
• Unconditional offer sent once conditions are met
• Enrolment details shared
• Induction information sent via email.

If you're new to teaching, any reading about education, teaching, or involvement with schools will be beneficial.

Make sure you have a computer suitable for multimedia use (at least 1GHz processor and 256MB RAM – though faster and more memory is better). Since all teaching is online, a reliable internet connection is essential.