The Primary PGCE is designed to meet the standards required for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The programme aims to do this in the context of east London schools where the skills of educating children in a multicultural, multilingual urban environment are paramount.

In order to fulfil these aims you will:

1. develop your knowledge, skills and understanding of what it means to be a professional in school;
2. engage in practical and theoretical enquiry as a key element in your development as a teacher;
3. reflect on and take responsibility for your own professional development;
4. have the necessary experiences to meet the standards for Qualified Teacher Status;
5. be able to respond proactively and positively to change and thus enabled to make informed contributions to education.

The Primary PGCE is a partnership programme. This means that it has been written and developed in collaboration with Schools and Local Authorities. Much of your time will be spent in schools, observing teaching and learning, considering how the theory of education and the practice observed work with each other and, of course, working with children in classroom settings. You will be studying in a diverse community of students, and. you will have the opportunity to develop your experience of working with children in a range of settings, including the inner city environment. Many themes such as equal opportunities, multilingualism, meeting the needs for children with special educational needs underpin most modules.

Application is through the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR). You will need to demonstrate through your GTTR form and at interview that you:

• can read effectively and are able to communicate clearly and accurately in standard English;
• possess the appropriate qualities, attitudes and values expected of a teacher;
• have the intellectual and academic capabilities needed to meet the required QTS standards;
• have achieved a standard equivalent to Grade C in the GCSE examinations in English, science and mathematics;
• hold an honours degree, 2.2 or above, from  a  United Kingdom Higher Education Institution or an equivalent qualification;
• have had a minimum of five days work experience (voluntary or paid) with children in a mainstream primary school.

The process of selection will involve:

• scrutiny of the GTTR form;
• an English task;
• a mathematics task;
• an interview.

UEL is also required to ensure that potential applicants:

• have met the Secretary of State’s requirements for health and pysical capacity to teach;

undergo a background check to ensure that they do not have a criminal background which prevents them from working with children or young people or that they have not previously been excluded from teaching or working with children. Applicants with non-British qualifications.

If you hold a degree or qualifications from a non-UK institution, you must verify their equivalence through the National Recognition Information Centre for the UK (NARIC). Tel: 0870 990 4088.

Applicants who do not hold English, mathematics or science GCSE Grade C

If you do not hold a GCSE in English, mathematics or science Grade C or above (or an equivalent qualification), at UEL we provide English Language, mathematics and science tests. A pass in these tests will be acknowledged by UEL as being equivalent to Grade C at GCSE/GCE O-level.

The tests are usually held in May and there are no resits. A small fee is payable.

The programme runs over 38 weeks from September to July. Eighteen weeks is spent in partner schools- generally split into three separate placements. The remaining time is spent in seminars, lectures, tutorials and assignment activities, designed to support your professional development.

Effective learning requires a range of teaching strategies so within the course of the year you will be engaged in seminars and workshops as well as attending lectures. These activities will be supported by web-based learning. Practical sessions will be taught in specialist space at UEL and in schools. School experience is supported by mentors in schools as well as by visiting tutors.

For the award of PGCE all of the required assessment needs to be passed. In order to be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) you have to demonstrate that you have met all of the the QTS standards. To this end there is continual assessment of your QTS file. School experience is assessed by observation carried out by school based staff and visiting tutors.

A variety of assessment methods are used:

• written assignments;
• presentations;
• posters;
• directed school-based tasks;
• professional portfolio of subject knowledge development;
• subject knowledge audits;
• QTS file detailing evidence towards the QTS standards.

During school experience trainees have an assigned mentor as well as a UEL tutor.

The programme is designed around the QTS standards. These are nationally agreed as being the basis for effective teaching. All of the assessment is professionally based and designed to assess aspects of the QTS standards as well as your level of academic engagement. The role of your mentor in school is to support, monitor and assess you.

N/A

Recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Successful completion of the programme enables you to apply for teaching posts. There is a very high success rate for our trainees in securing teaching posts, the vast majority in local schools. Many go on to become members of School Management teams, as Advanced Skills Teachers, Assistant Headteachers, Deputy Headteachers or Headteachers. Other careers include Educational Psychology, Director of Play and Learning, Education Consultant, Hospital Schoolroom Co-ordinator, Museum or Gallery Lecturer, Education Project Manager and Manager of resource provision for children with special educational needs.

• You receive mentor support in schools as well as visits from UEL tutors. Tutorial support is negotiated around your individual development needs. The programme is designed to support you in meeting the QTS standards through focused seminars, lectures and assignments.

Trainees who successfully complete the programme are highly sought after for employment in local schools. It is not uncommon for trainees to secure employment in their placement schools. This is because Headteachers of local schools realise that the programme provides trainees with the skills and confidence to work effectively in the context of east London. The skills and knowledge that trainees gain during the programme are also highly portable.Trainees are promoted relatively quickly. A number of local primary Headteachers trained at UEL.