The Primary PGCE course provides a popular route for high-quality graduates wishing to achieve Qualified Teacher Status. This is an intense, stimulating and challenging course, designed to develop and extend professional skills and understanding.
Delivered in a creative mix of university and school-based modules, students gain a deep and broad knowledge of learning and teaching across the primary age range.
Course Overview
The Primary PGCE pathway are designed to prepare students for a career in teaching.
The PGCE is a full-time, intensive vocational programme, suitable for those wishing to train to teach, inspire and enthuse primary aged children, helping them to make excellent progress in learning. The course offers rich opportunities for personal development, as student-teachers embark upon the first stages of a professional journey which is challenging, fulfilling and rewarding.
The sessions both in school and at the university are intended to involve student-teachers in a range of experiences, which are carefully planned to increase understanding of learning and teaching across the Primary curriculum. There is a focus on developing personal reflective skills, and in engaging with current educational research in order to develop students as knowledgeable, effective and evidence-based practitioners.
The university element adopts a modular structure and teaching takes a blended learning approach including lead lectures, group seminars, tutorials, independent study and directed activities using the virtual learning environment (Moodle).
Professional Teaching Experiences take place in a variety of educational contexts. Student-teachers build confidence and expertise, culminating in taking responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing a class of children in their chosen phase for a sustained period of time.
In our most recent inspection, Estyn (the Welsh educational inspectorate) praised the good progress made by trainees towards achieving the standards for Qualified Teacher Status and the wide variety of challenging and stimulating learning experiences provided in both university and school settings.
Our PGCE Primary programmes are extremely popular and do attract a large number of applications, for this reason, we advise you to apply as early as possible to ensure that we are able to consider your application (ideally before Christmas). Due to the demand for this programme and the limited number of places we have to offer, we usually have to close the application process in the Spring of each year, sometimes as early as January.
Assessment
Modules are carefully designed to integrate theoretical and practical knowledge and are mostly delivered during the university-based period.
Career Opportunities
The university provides opportunities to prepare for a career in teaching including a recruitment fair and related sessions. Students regularly gain employment in the local area, England and abroad.
