Course overview
Start date
September 2019
Subject area
Teaching and Education
Attendance
Full-time
Learning
On campus
Course summary
This primary teacher education course is designed for graduates who are committed to becoming primary school teachers. It trains you to teach children in the five-to-11 age range.
As a trainee you will learn how to teach the entire primary curriculum as well as choosing a particular route. The Primary PGCE with ICT and Computing route is designed to give you the additional expertise, confidence and skills to take on a leadership role in this subject in the future.
East London offers multicultural, multilingual and vibrant schools in which to learn, but your training at UEL will qualify you to teach anywhere in England or Wales.
Our PGCE team is made up of experienced practitioners who have worked in a range of primary and Early Years settings across London as classroom teachers, curriculum co-ordinators, advisory teachers and school leaders.
At UEL you will be part of a diverse community of students. We want to bring to east London a teacher workforce that reflects the local community and, in 2013-14, 24 per cent of our Primary PGCE trainees were men.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please contact our Applicant Enquiries team on +44 (0) 20 8223 3333 or email study@uel.ac.uk
Get in touch94%
of graduates working in teaching
Within six months of completing the course, 94 per cent of UEL Primary PGCE trainees have secured a teaching post.
QTS
Qualified Teacher Status
The University of East London has a particularly strong track record of supporting men and trainees from culturally diverse groups to gain Qualified Teacher Status.
30%
of newly teachers in Redbridge came from UEL
In September 2014, the London Borough of Redbridge recruited 132 Newly Qualified Teachers, its highest number to date. Of these, 30 per cent came from UEL.
Baharat Singh
Primary PGCE student 2014-2015
Studying at UEL has given me the opportunity to encourage, develop and support moments of creativity in children that I know I will remember throughout my career. Their approach in guiding their students is what has helped and inspired me throughout this year – something that I am eternally grateful for.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees, which will be paid directly to UEL. There are no up-front fees required. Repayment only starts after you finish your course and are earning over £25,000. If you haven’t finished repaying your loan after 30 years it will automatically be cancelled.
For information visit gov.uk/student-finance
Please note EU students can only apply for their funding using a paper application form.
To download a form visit www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms
- Apply for a Postgraduate Loan
- Take advantage of UEL scholarships and bursaries
- Ask your employer to sponsor your study
- Study part-time so you can work at the same time
- Look at Research Council Awards
• By telephone
• In person at our Docklands or Stratford campus
• Bank transfer
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate
your finances while you're a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and
university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
As part of the Tier 4 student visa requirements, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) estimate that you will need £1,265* per month to cover your living costs. It includes expenses for accommodation, food and drink, travel within London, text books, entertainment, clothing, toiletries and laundry. Most Tier 4 students are required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the first nine months of the course before they start- a total of £11,385- in addition to the tuition fees. You can find more information about the specific requirements of the Tier 4 student visa here. The amount that you will spend can vary depending on your lifestyle. The UKCISA International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money.
* Please note the Immigration Rules are subject to change and this figure is likely to be increased by UKVI year on year. Please therefore check our ISA page for more information at the time of preparing your visa application.International students are required to pay a deposit prior to being issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your remaining balance will be paid in five monthly instalments over your first term. The first of these instalments must be paid when completing your enrolment on arrival at UEL. Please follow the payment instructions here.
After the required payment has been made, you will be asked to complete the online International Student Reply Form to confirm your acceptance of our offer and of our terms of admittance and fees policy.
Our International team at UEL are available for advice and guidance on studying in London, fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
Email: international@uel.ac.uk
Entry requirements
All applicants MUST have GCSE English, Maths and Science grade A*-C.
INTERNATIONAL
(Including European Union)
We accept a range of qualifications from across the world. Please see our country pages for information on specific entry requirements for your country.
If you don’t quite meet the academic requirements for this course, you can apply with an additional foundation year. Read more about the International Foundation Programme. SEE YOUR COUNTRYThe entire interview process lasts about three hours. During the interview you will be asked to talk about a current educational issue. Please ensure you have done some research into current educational issues in advance of the interview. You could, for example, read recent editions of the Times Educational Supplement.
Our aim is to find out as much as we can about your attributes, skills, knowledge and understanding in order to shape training opportunities for you, should you be offered a place on the programme.
Your responses to these tasks and activities will be considered alongside all the other evidence to assess your suitability for the Primary PGCE programme.
During the individual interview you will be given the chance to talk with a tutor about the programme and any other issues that are relevant.
Please look at http://sta.education.gov.uk/ for more information.
- 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 Teachers’ Standards
The process of selection will involve:
- review of UCAS Teacher Training application form
- an English task
- a Mathematics task
- an assessed collaborative activity
Applicants are required to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for Regulated Activity.
As you will have close contact with children and/or vulnerable adults on the this course, you will be required to have a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure certificate.
You need to complete this process prior to starting the course. Failure to complete this process will impact you going on placement as part of the course.
You will also need to complete a Disqualification by Association Form.
Further information is available here
It is a legal requirement that you are assessed as fit to teach in order to be given an unconditional offer on our programmes. Teaching is a demanding activity and there are fitness requirements set by the Department for Education for applicants to teacher training.
Maitland Medical undertakes the screening process for physical and mental fitness to teach. An online questionnaire must be completed and a fee of £55.00 must be paid upon submission. You will need to contact Maitland Medical at mail@maitlandmedical.co.uk or phone 0208 295 8250 in order to apply.
Maitland Medical will notify UEL when an assessment has been made so that we can update our records. These records will be checked prior to your placements to ensure that you are fully cleared to attend.
Trainee teachers with special needs and/or disabilities are very successful on our programmes particularly when they disclose their needs before registration. If you do have a particular need or disability we strongly encourage you to disclose this as soon as possible so that we can assess the level of support you may need and to which you are entitled.
Non-UK qualifications
GCSE equivalent qualifications taken outside the UK will be assessed in line with UK NARIC and NCTL guidance.
What you'll learn
You will leave the course with outstanding subject knowledge across the curriculum. You will have an understanding of how to plan and deliver engaging and motivating lessons and how to support your pupils’ progress.
You will learn how to identify the strength and needs of your pupils and make sure that everyone in your class is included and challenged.
You will understand how to assess pupils’ learning, how to spot the gaps in their learning and how to plan to fill those gaps.
Everyone on the Primary PGCE learns how to teach the whole curriculum. In extra sessions, you will also enhance your knowledge, understanding and practice of ICT and computing.
You will learn to think critically about the role of computing in the classroom and the new technologies and resources that are available.
You will find out how to engage pupils in computational thinking and programming skills and you will explore how computing subject leaders can support their colleagues with the use of technology across the curriculum.
“You grow to expect the unexpected in east London. When the unexpected confronts you in your teaching career, you’ll be ready,” says Andrew Read, Head of Primary Initial Teacher Education. “You get a rich experience in east London, in particular working with pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and pupils for whom English is an additional language.”
What you'll study and when
We consistently review and develop our courses and modules to ensure they are up-to-date with sector and industry graduate skills demands. Course structure, modules and options are subject to change.
- Learning and teaching across the curriculum and effective pedagogy (core)
- Developing and extending understanding of a specific area/subject (Computing) (core)
- Professional practice: inclusive practice in multicultural urban settings(core)
- Developing Understanding and Skills in English and Mathematics (core)
- Managing Professional Change and Development : active inquiry leading to classroom intervention (option)
- Critical Incidents in Teaching (core)
- Technology-enhanced Learning (core)
How you'll be assessed
You are assessed against the Teachers’ Standards, leading to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You also have to complete assignments that contribute to your understanding of teaching and learning and carry academic credit, leading to the award of a PGCE.
You will complete two Level 7 (master’s level) assignments. For both of these you will need to read and understand literature about good practice and then think and write about your own practice. The 60 Level 7 credits will contribute to the PGCE award.
Course specificationHow you'll learn
There will be one keynote lecture per week, with follow-up seminars in which you will discuss aspects of teaching, such as behaviour management and pupil progress, with your fellow trainees.
During this initial period, you will spend Mondays in schools observing. Here, you will develop your understanding of learning and teaching by watching examples of good or outstanding practice.
In addition, you will spend 12 hours over the year developing your knowledge and understanding of ICT and computing.
Each session will have a specific focus and before each one there will be reading, tasks and research to complete.
You can also join a shared wiki space where members of the group will be able to keep in touch, upload tasks and share resources.
There are three blocks of full-time school-based training on the course, each eight weeks long. Your first teaching placement will usually start in the middle of October.
Your UEL tutors will decide where you go on placement and arrange for it to be as convenient as possible for you.
You will be teaching, not helping, on the placement. You will start off working with groups of pupils but your role is not to help the teacher – it is to support and increase the pupils’ learning.
You will have a school-based mentor (a teacher employed by the school) as well as a professional tutor from UEL who will visit you during each placement.
This is partly to moderate and assess the quality of your work, but also to give you support, guidance and feedback. In principle, your three placements will be in different schools. However, schools sometimes ask for trainees to return for a second placement.
Your future career
By working alongside schools and local authorities in our region, we are helping to meet the need for teachers in our local area and many of our students are offered posts by our partner schools. Some trainees have been offered jobs at schools where they have spent their placement.
Schools and local authorities have told us that they think our trainees are of a high standard. OFSTED’s 2012 inspection report quotes one school as saying, “They arrive in schools ready to start teaching and are well prepared for the rigours of the classroom.”
Backed by UEL’s excellent reputation, you will have a head start when it comes to securing a teaching post.
And when you are in a post and decide that you wish to take your academic qualifications further, we can help you to continue your academic and professional development.
Your PGCE will earn you 60 master’s level credits, which can count towards further qualifications on master’s courses at UEL.
