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Summary:
Course Code: X100
Course Code: X100
Where Are You Applying From?
How Would You Like To Study?
When Do You Want To Start Your Studies?
Which Campus Would You Like To Study At?
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Why choose the School of Education
A practice-led approach to gaining Qualified Teacher Status, with 80% of your time spent on placement.
We are consistently sector leaders for employability and our courses have excellent retention (University of Bedfordshire student data, 2023).
Our teacher training courses rank in the UK top 20 in their subject field for academic support (NSS, 2024).
About the course
This PGCE course is designed to give you a secure understanding of primary teaching and learning (5-11 age group). It develops the skills you need to teach core and foundation subjects using a variety of teaching approaches, with the opportunity to put theory into practice in the classroom on your placements. Your University-based sessions focus on developing your professional role, subject knowledge and principles of learning; the National Curriculum; and aspects of teaching such as lesson planning and assessment.
There is the option to take this course part time over two years, making it easier to balance study with your other commitments.
For further course information, contact Julie Darmody at julie.darmody@beds.ac.uk
Course accreditation / industry endorsement
We are a Department for Education-accredited provider of Initial Teacher Training (ITT). This course meets the requirements for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Teacher Education Centre with realistic mock classrooms to develop your practice in a non-threatening landscape
- Specialist Forest School
- Large outdoor spaces for developing the extended classroom
- Specialist sensory suite for teaching SEND and early years classes
- Recently refurbished science labs
- Multimedia space for webinars and podcasting
- Wide range of sports facilities including a sports arena, multiuse games areas and sports pitches
Industry links
We have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations across the eastern region, a network that puts us ahead when it comes to national priorities, issues and developments in educational practice.
Your student experience
The University of Bedfordshire is one of the largest providers of teacher education in the region with a long, successful history of teacher education going back to 1882.
Gain real-world experience on a practice-led teaching course where you complete your training in the classroom at placements in our partner schools around the region.
All University-based staff teaching our QTS courses were previously employed as teachers, senior leaders and/or head teachers. All staff are evidence informed and up to date with current practices in education through regular practice in school settings or research activities at higher education and national level.
Practice your teaching skills in the classroom with guidance from an expert or lead mentor who is a subject specialist; your mentor is fully trained and may often be a former University of Bedfordshire student teacher so you are joining a large, life-long community of teachers.
Benefit from a PGCE course that has wellbeing embedded throughout, with specialist sessions and placement support from our placement coordinator and wellbeing coordinator.
Within the enrichment arm of the course, explore areas of your choosing, such as autism or school leadership, with some choices leading to additional qualifications.
Expand your knowledge via talks from wider curriculum specialists as well as conferences, TED-style masterclasses and cross-curricular discussions, taking place on campus as well as online.
Extend your wider understanding through regular visits by professionals from schools, local organisations, community partners and professional bodies including primary and secondary teachers, senior leaders, SEN schools and local education authorities.
University-based sessions take place at our Bedford campus, a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well and provide individual academic support.
Experience field trips to locations you would be likely to take your pupils.
On graduating, you can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), enabling you to work as a teacher in a primary education setting.
Course Leader - Peter Virnuls
I graduated with a Chemistry degree in 1995. During my ‘sandwich’ degree, I completed an extended 15-month placement researching the use of Ozone to remove pesticides and other organic waste matter from drinking water with a one of the largest water treatment providers in the country. Additionally, as part of my final year dissertation, I undertook a research project exploring the potential of Bentonite Clay to absorb radionuclides leached from radioactive waste repositories.
Course Leader - Peter Virnuls
I graduated with a Chemistry degree in 1995. During my ‘sandwich’ degree, I completed an extended 15-month placement researching the use of Ozone to remove pesticides and other organic waste matter from drinking water with a one of the largest water treatment providers in the country. Additionally, as part of my final year dissertation, I undertook a research project exploring the potential of Bentonite Clay to absorb radionuclides leached from radioactive waste repositories.
What will you study?
Studying our Primary Education PGCE course will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills around primary school education, teaching and curriculum. You will start by building your understanding of teaching and learning, as well as how to apply that knowledge into practice in our Evidence Informed Primary Teacher (Level 7) unit.
Based on key literature, you will focus on developing evidence-informed teaching and subsequently be critical of your own practice in The Reflective Primary Teacher (Level 7) unit. This will help you prepare for work within complex and unpredictable early years classroom settings that demand innovative thinking and actions.
In areas of practice, you will have the opportunity to undertake a school placement where you will build your experience to independently plan and deliver lessons based on your observations and learning in our School Experience 1 – The Primary Early Years Teacher unit. You will learn to apply useful management strategies in a school context while aligning with behaviour management policy.
In the second part of this unit; School Experience 2 – The Primary Early Years Teacher; you will continue to develop and apply your experience from the first unit while also learning methods to adapt teaching, effective use of assessment and to promote good progress.
The Reflective Primary Teacher (Level 7)
This unit will provide you with an understanding of the importance of critical self- reflection in becoming an effective early years and primary teacher. You will be working within complex and unpredictable primary and early years’ classroom contexts, demanding innovative thinking and actions, which involves exploring the current limits of education knowledge. You will work towards becoming autonomous in the planning and managing of your learning process and in reviewing and meeting your own learning needs by reflecting critically. You will develop personal responsibility and professional codes of conduct in an educational context, and be supported to formulate solutions to classroom based issues.
Evidence Informed Primary Teacher (Level 7)
This unit aims to encourage you to build on your knowledge about learning and teaching and the application of that knowledge in practice. Key to the unit is a focus on the development of evidence informed teaching, through an extended systematic study of literature to inform your own practice.
The unit is underpinned by a belief that evaluation of theoretical perspectives as they apply to your own teaching is an intrinsic element of best teaching practice. Within the unit, therefore, you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about the learning in primary and early years education, and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context.
School Experience 1 - The Primary Teacher
As part of this unit, you will undertake a school placement designed to enable you to observe and practise the procedures which support effective preparation for beginning to demonstrate the teaching and learning in respect to achieving the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2012) by the end of the programme. This placement’s teaching pattern is designed to ensure that you successfully make the transition from observing and supporting lessons to independently planning and delivering lessons during the placement as outlined by the expectations of our curriculum.
Our curriculum prioritises the development of the positive classroom climate, adaptive teaching and understanding of core subject knowledge, adapting to local need as appropriate.
School Experience 2 - The Primary Teacher
As part of this unit, you will undertake a school placement designed to enable you to demonstrate the teaching and learning in respect to achieving the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2012). The unit ensures you continue to develop and apply your experience from School Experience 1 and develop the integrated additional elements of promoting good progress, effective use of assessment, adapting teaching to suit groups of pupils and fulfilling wider professional expectations.
How will you be assessed?
The assessment strategy is based on the premise that critical evaluation of theoretical perspectives as they apply to your own teaching is an intrinsic element of best teaching practice. Throughout the course you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about teaching and learning and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context.
Sound subject knowledge is a fundamental quality of an effective teacher and you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to on-going development of that knowledge throughout the course. Also key to the course is a focus on the development of research informed teaching culminating in an extended systematic study of your own practice. By embedding the professional requirements for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) within the academic requirements of a Post Graduate Certificate the course supports you in developing the qualities which define the University of Bedfordshire graduate teacher: an independent reflective creative innovative collaborative and resilient professional who is committed to on-going personal and professional development.
You will identify, analyse and evaluate the links between theoretical perspectives and practice in relation to inclusion and other areas of pedagogical theory and practice, ensuring progression for all pupils’ learning and behaviour across the curriculum. You'll synthesise and apply an understanding of inclusion and other areas of pedagogical theory and practice by assessing the strengths and needs of pupils in order to adapt planning and adopt appropriate strategies to take children forward in their learning and behaviour.
The Teachers Standards (2012) descriptors are included in Introducing the Primary School Teacher and The Primary school Teacher units assessment information. Formative use of assessment is embedded throughout the course and is a principle which we would expect you to adopt in your own teaching. You will be supported to become familiar with self- and peer-assessment approaches and to make effective use of feedback on both academic and practice-based aspects of the course to identify targets for your on-going development and plan actions to address them.
Careers
On graduating you can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) enabling you to work in a primary education setting. Many of our graduates go on to rewarding employment in local schools.
There are also opportunities to progress to further study at MA/MSc MPhil PhD and EdD levels.
Entry Requirements
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Entry Requirements
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Fees for this course
UK
You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for PGCE tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
A limited number of bursaries are available for Primary PGCE courses.
See www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
Scholarship Available
The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.
The Department for Education (DFE) Bursaries and Scholarships
Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).
Receiving a bursary or scholarship depends on:
- highest relevant academic award
- ITT subject
- Full information and Terms and Conditions
Fees for this course
UK
You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for PGCE tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
A limited number of bursaries are available for Primary PGCE courses.
See www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
Scholarship Available
The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.
The Department for Education (DFE) Bursaries and Scholarships
Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).
Receiving a bursary or scholarship depends on:
- highest relevant academic award
- ITT subject
- Full information and Terms and Conditions
