Primary Education with QTS PGCE

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Train as a primary school teacher part-time whilst 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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Overview

This part-time primary teacher training course can be studied over two years and placements must be undertaken in England. The degree is taught online via distance learning with some focused on-campus learning sessions and classroom-based practice in school. The PGCE Primary Education course is designed to fit around your commitments whilst leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The part-time PGCE 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 years route or the 7-11 years route, leading to a PGCE in Primary Education with QTS.

Why us?

Gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in two years by studying for a PGCE part-time
All qualified teachers will have a starting salary of at least £28,000, and this will be higher for teachers working in London
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 over 650 schools, colleges and other educational establishments across the North East and beyond

Course structure

The part-time PGCE Primary Education course is taught through online and distance learning methods, 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 teaching placement in the school you currently work in, as part of your assessed placement, you will be required to complete six 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 six weeks.

Prior to starting this part-time PGCE 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.

Core modules:

Practice of Teaching (30 credits)

Immerse yourself in teaching institutions to develop professional knowledge about teaching and learning, to make judgements about the routines, skills and strategies that support effective teaching. Gain a variety of experience in a work-based learning environment to meet Professional Standards identified in Government legislation, consistently and over a sustained period of time.

Development of Learning: A Case Study (30 credits)

Gain an introduction to research methods, focusing on school policy and practice to address the individual learning needs of pupils. Use the knowledge you have gained from your experience in a school setting where you have identified the way in which the school addresses the educational needs of a particular group of individual pupils, and show how learning is developed over time or what could be done to enhance development.

Subject Studies (30 credits)

Investigate the content of subject areas taught within the curriculum. Consider the development of a variety of approaches to teach a particular subject or topic area. Formulate skillful questioning to reveal levels of pupil understanding. Examine ways of motivating pupils, including the provision of a challenging curriculum designed to foster problem solving abilities. Explore the setting of homework that is challenging, encouraging pupils to take responsibility for their own academic progress.

Negotiated Individual Study in Education (30 credits)

Undertake a piece of independent academic study related to your vocational/professional development and engage in intellectual challenge and dialogue. Develop both general and specific knowledge and skills, identifying the key skills that will enhance your ability to transfer learning to further study and to the workplace.

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

More about PGCE Primary Education with QTS at Sunderland

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You can access free Wi-Fi throughout the University campus, so you can work from anywhere. If you don't want to carry a laptop around, just use one of the University’s PCs or Macs. We have hundreds of computers for you to use in the Murray Library, St Peter's Library, and the David Goldman Informatics Centre. If you ever have any technical problems, just ask the friendly helpdesk team.
IT provision
As a distance learning student, you'll be able to remotely access online journals, articles and e-books. Opportunities are also provided for continual online support and tutorials from both qualified librarians and your course tutor.

The library team offer real-time online help through ‘Live Chat’ at various periods throughout the day and they also offer online tutorials to help you make the most of our electronic resources.

To find out more information, visit our University Library website.
Library Services - distance learning
University library services will be central to your study experience and are delivered at our two libraries on campus, as well as online. Our libraries offer a variety of study environments to meet your needs, including areas for groupwork, individual and silent study. You’ll also have access to desktop PCs, space to use your own mobile technology and printing facilities.

The library works closely with academic staff within each faculty to offer specialist, industry standard resources in your subject discipline. The Faculty of Education provides thousands of relevant books and e-books, with many more titles available through the inter-library loan service. You’ll also have access to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals which are always kept up to date, including the EBSCO Professional Development Collection, Community Care Inform, JSTOR and many more.

To find out more information, visit our University Library website.
Library Services - education
Map and directions

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 the 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.

Fees and finance

Fees are £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.

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 become a primary school teacher.

Good teachers area always in high demand. All qualified teachers will have a starting salary of at least £28,000, and this will be higher for teachers working in London. The amount you earn will then increase until you reach the top end of your pay scale, after which you can choose to progress into more senior roles, such as leading practitioner or head teacher.

The teachers’ pension scheme is also one of the most generous public sector pension schemes in the UK, one of the few guaranteed by the Government.

School placements

The University of Sunderland has partnerships with over 650 schools, colleges and other educational establishments across the North East and beyond. We’ll work with you to try and find you the perfect teaching placement – schools that can nurture and support your aspirations and interests, and help you become the best primary school teacher you can be. When you’re ready to start searching for a teaching job, you will already have valuable first-hand teaching experience, as well as a wide network of professional contacts who can help you find the right career opportunities.

Related courses

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: 13 March 2023

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