Primary Education PGCE

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Train to be a primary school teacher in just one year. Share your love of learning. Help young children get the very best start in life.

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Overview

The PGCE Primary Education will qualify you to teach at primary level in any state-maintained school in England.

This one year PGCE teaching course blends theoretical knowledge with carefully supervised teaching experience. You will attend placements in a variety of school settings to gain a broad understanding of being a primary school teacher.

Why us?

The University of Sunderland has partnerships with over 650 schools, colleges and other educational establishments across the North East and beyond
Graduate with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and be eligible to teach in any state-maintained primary school in England

All qualified teachers will have a starting salary of at least £30,000, and this will be higher for teachers working in London
The course is designed to enable you to spend 120 days in a school or other educational institution

Course structure

In-school training is an important part of the PGCE Primary Education. During your time on your teaching placement, you will benefit from practical learning and be supported by mentors in school, University tutors and your peers. By the end of the PGCE course you will have knowledge and experience of working in primary schools and settings.

Your progress throughout the Primary Education course will be assessed with written assignments, case studies and assessments of your teaching practice. Your subject knowledge will also be monitored with subject audits. This will allow you to identify your strengths and areas of development, and then work with your subject specialist tutors to improve your knowledge and confidence.

This degree is a mixture of University-based learning and in-school training. You will spend at least 120 days on placement in at least two educational settings. The PGCE Primary Education is unique in its design and as well as assessed placements, we provide our students with additional theory linked practice days in schools. We are committed to providing our trainees with the richest and broadest opportunities. These practice days have been specially designed to enable students to research and experience practice in important aspects of education introduced in University sessions. These include days in the Early Years Foundation Stage, KS3/4, experience of Diversity and Inclusion in school, EAL, and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Course 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 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
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

You'll be based at the recently refurbished Wearside View, situated on the award-winning Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter's. This stunning riverside location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

You'll 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've studied for a GCSE which has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above. We'll 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).

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

If English isn't your first language, you'll 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.

You'll 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.

This course is subject to revalidation to meet the requirements for Initial Teacher Training from 2024.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

Fees are:

£9,250 if you're from the UK/Europe*
£16,000 if you're an international student

*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area), and Swiss nationals who don't qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme are classed as international, however, for 24/25 admission, you'll receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at 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. 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 £30,000, 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: 28 March 2024

We aim to provide clear, accurate and timely information to prospective and current students. We continuously review and enhance course content in consultation with our students and the information provided on our website is the latest available. If you have received an offer from us to start a course, we will communicate any important changes to you in writing. We will always seek to ensure that our prospective students are fully aware of the basis on which they are accepting an offer.