Primary Education with QTS PGCE

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Train as a teacher while continuing in your current job or placement in a school. Inspire young people and use your skills to give something back. Ensure every pupil gets access to a quality education and the opportunity to succeed.

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Learning, teaching and assessment in 2021/22

Overview

This part-time course can be studied over two years and placements must be undertaken in England. Following a blended format, the course is taught online via independent distance learning (IDL) with some focused on-campus learning sessions and classroom-based practice in school. The course is designed to fit around your commitments while leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The course covers the development of teaching and learning across all National Curriculum subjects and Professional Learning – including safeguarding, behaviour management and overcoming barriers to learning. You will complete Practice of Teaching modules where you will develop your theoretical understanding in practical situations in early years and/or primary classrooms to prepare you for achieving QTS. You will have the opportunity to specialise in the 3-7 year olds route or the 7-11 year olds route, leading to a PGCE in Primary Education with QTS.

Why us?

‘World-leading’ research in Education, according to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in two years by studying part-time
The starting salary of a newly qualified teacher is £24,373, and the average salary for a teacher is £37,654
Accredited by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL)

Graduate from a university which has been training teachers for over 100 years
The University of Sunderland has partnerships with more than 200 schools
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Course structure

You will be taught through online and distance methods including lecture casts, chat rooms and blogs, face to face lectures and workshops, and online forums with personal tutors. You will also engage in work-based training through bespoke teaching placements. Assessment is through a range of methods including electronic assignment submissions, case studies, observations, presentations, and production and evaluation of learning resources.

You will be expected to study approximately 16 hours a week. You will spend two weekends on campus, one in Year 1 and one in Year 2. In order to be eligible for the award of PGCE with QTS, you must also spend a minimum of 120 days in school.

Although you can complete your placement in the school you currently work in, as part of your assessed placement, you will be required to complete 6 weeks in a different school setting during your second year of study. You will need to be able to negotiate time away from your current employer for these 6 weeks.

Prior to starting the course, you may wish to carry out a five-day pre-programme placement, assisting and observing in a primary school of your own choice, with a focus on your elected route. This ensures that all students starting the course have recent and relevant experience in school settings, which will subsequently be built upon during lectures at the University and in the Teaching Practice that follows. During the pre-programme placement, you will complete a pre-placement handbook, which is used as a record of the tasks carried out and a starting point for discussion with your personal tutor.

Level 6 modules

Subject Studies (30 credits)

Learn subject knowledge in the core subjects in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum. This subject knowledge will inform planning, teaching learning and assessment across the subjects with the chosen specialist phase of primary education. You will complete subject knowledge audits in each subject area to identify your individual learning needs and action plan for subject knowledge development alongside subject tutors in order to meet professional standards for QTS.

Study pedagogical approaches and gain knowledge of what constitutes effective planning for children’s learning. Gain experience of subject planning which will be complemented by your learning in Negotiated Curriculum Study in Education which will focus on cross curricular and creative pedagogies. Apply this subject knowledge to planning during your Teaching Practice.

Practice of Teaching (30 credits)

You will be immersed in teaching institutions to develop your professional knowledge about teaching and learning and to make judgements about the routines, skills and strategies that support effective teaching. You will be provided with a variety of experience in your specialist phase in a work-based learning environment to meet professional teachers’ standards identified in government legislation current at the time of study, consistently and over a sustained period of time.

Development of Learning: A Case Study (30 credits)

Gain an insight into the nature of teaching and learning generically and within the educational context. Reflect on your current knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning and to continue to develop these through observation in your placement, reading and investigation, analysis, and discussion. Cover the areas of behaviour management, safeguarding, planning and assessment.

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

Level 7 modules

Subject Studies (30 credits)

Learn subject knowledge in the core subjects in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 of the National Curriculum. This subject knowledge will inform planning, teaching learning and assessment across the subjects with the chosen specialist phase of primary education. You will complete subject knowledge audits in each subject area to identify your individual learning needs and action plan for subject knowledge development alongside subject tutors in order to meet professional standards for QTS.

Study pedagogical approaches and gain knowledge of what constitutes effective planning for children’s learning. Gain experience of subject planning which will be complemented by your learning in Negotiated Curriculum Study in Education which will focus on cross curricular and creative pedagogies. Apply this subject knowledge to planning during your Teaching Practice.

Practice of Teaching (30 credits)

You will be immersed in teaching institutions to develop your professional knowledge about teaching and learning and to make judgements about the routines, skills and strategies that support effective teaching. You will be provided with a variety of experience in your specialist phase in a work-based learning environment to meet professional teachers’ standards identified in government legislation current at the time of study, consistently and over a sustained period of time.

Development of Learning: A Case Study (30 credits)

Gain an insight into the nature of teaching and learning generically and within the educational context. Reflect on your current knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning and to continue to develop these through observation in your placement, reading and investigation, analysis, and discussion. Cover the areas of behaviour management, safeguarding, planning and assessment.

Negotiated Curriculum Study in Education (30 credits)

Structure and undertake a piece of independent academic study related to your particular enhancement choice and primary phase. Engage in intellectual challenge and dialogue. Develop both general and specific knowledge and skills, which will vary according to your chosen project. Study foundation subjects within the National Curriculum while studying this module. Negotiate and agree a project with your supervising university tutor. Identify and develop key skills that will enhance your ability to transfer learning to further study and to the workplace.

Facilities

To study this course, you must have access to a computer with internet access. The two on-campus weekends will be taught in lecture theatres and teaching classrooms at Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's.

Entry requirements

We don’t currently display entry requirements for United States. Please contact the Student Admin team on studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk or 0191 515 3154.

You will usually need a 2:2 (or above) honours degree from a UK Higher Education institution or an equivalent qualification and be deemed suitable to train to teach by the School of Education at the University of Sunderland.

You must have a grade C or above in Mathematics, Science, and English Language, or equivalent qualifications. If you have studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade then you will need to achieve a grade 4 or above. We will only accept equivalencies from equivalencytesting.com.

In addition to academic qualifications, you must also:

Have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Complete a medical pro forma (based on DFEE Circular 8/92)
If English is not your first language, you will also need International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 6.5, with at least 6.5 in writing, and no section below 6.0.
Secure your own placement. A completed placement form will be a condition of the offer. All placements must be in England or Wales.

Your numeracy and literacy competency will be assessed continuously throughout the course following the DfE’s removal of the Professional Skills Test.

You may have work experience in a mainstream primary school to gain knowledge of Key Stage 1 and 2, but this is not essential. You will be assessed on your potential to learn and not your experience.

All successful applicants will be invited to an interview. Interviews start early November, so we recommend that you apply as soon as UCAS opens, in October.

Please note, applicants with a foundation degree will need to supplement this qualification with at least 60 credits at level 6 (HE level 3) in order to attain an equivalent single qualification.

The way you apply for teacher training is changing.

The Department for Education (DfE) has developed a new GOV.UK application service, Apply for teacher training, for those applying for a postgraduate teacher training course. This new service will eventually replace the current UCAS Teacher Training portal for postgraduate teacher training.

Apply for teacher training is user friendly, simple to use and flexible. It will allow candidates from a wider and more diverse pool of talent to showcase their skills, experience and potential to be excellent teachers. The University of Sunderland is an early adopter of this new service; please use the Apply now button at the top of this page for more information.

Fees and finance

The annual fee for this course is £4,625.

Please note, this course is not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK. If you are not sure whether you qualify as a UK, EU or international student, find out more in our Help and Advice article.

Tuition fees for this course are eligible for funding through the Student Loans Company (SLC). Please apply through the SLC’s website; or contact our Student Financial Guidance team here at the University of Sunderland.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

Use our scholarships calculator to see what you may be entitled to.

Scholarships calculator

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

This degree awards Qualified Teacher Status, which means that when you graduate you’ll be qualified to teach in any state-maintained primary school in England and Wales. Most graduates from this course go on to teach in primary schools.

Good teachers are always in high demand. The average starting salary for a teacher is £24,373, and experienced teachers can earn up to £62,735 outside London, and £70,540 in London. Head teachers can reach a salary of between £46,457 and £114,060.

Rewarding teaching

You will earn a competitive salary and have access to a wealth of other benefits – from a generous pension to up to 13 weeks of holiday allowance so you can look forward to a career that is both personally and financially rewarding.

Meet the students

Sunderland has made me realise that, with hard work, anything is achievable

Craig Remmer
The staff and students made me feel very welcome at an open day

Harriet Behan

Meet the team

Related courses

PGCE Education (Independent Distance Learning)

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society.

Page last updated: 24 February 2021

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