PGCE Primary 5-11 years

The University of Brighton is one of the UK’s largest teacher training universities, rated ‘outstanding’ in our last Ofsted inspection.This course covers the 5–11 age phase and you will engage in school-based training in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Passing the programme leads to the recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which enables you to be employed as a qualified teacher in primary schools in England and Wales.The programme would be suitable if you are a graduate with a good honours degree or equivalent, in an area that has some relevance to primary school teaching.Studying with us, you will have access to excellent resources and gain practical experience in two contrasting schools. We have partnerships with over 600 schools and colleges in the south east offering opportunities in large, small, urban and rural settings.You will be mentored by a successful teaching team with an outstanding national reputation and comprehensive research profile that informs course content.Students on this course can choose to progress to one of our Education MAs after completing the PGCE.Course structureThis is an intensive year, with two-thirds of the course based in partnership schools and the remainder in lectures, seminars and independent study. Inherent to this programme are the government’s national priorities and we will give you support while thoroughly addressing these issues.In line with government requirements, you will spend the majority of your course gaining experience in schools, where you will spend 24 weeks teaching under supervision. Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement. We will give you plenty of comprehensive feedback during this time, which will enable you to see what you are doing well and where you might need to improve.You will benefit from experiencing school-based training in two different schools and age-phases. The first phase of school-based training runs simultaneously to the University-based programme, which ensures that teaching theory is effectively integrated with practice.We believe in nurturing and facilitating your opportunities to discuss and critically evaluate effective teaching practices through small interactive seminar groups, which complement larger-group lectures.All students are enrolled onto the Postgraduate Certificate in Education but an alternative exit award, the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, which also includes QTS, is available if you do not achieve the masters-level elements of the postgraduate programme.Areas of studyYou will explore the subject curriculum areas for Key Stages 1 and 2, and practise the strategies and skills that encourage you to interpret the curriculum confidently and creatively. The programme is designed to encourage teaching practice that you can continually reflect upon and critique.You will study modules that investigate learning and teaching throughout the two Stages within the context of child development as a whole.CareersGraduates of the course are equipped with the skills and knowledge to become capable and confident primary school teachers.As well as gaining a PGCE, you will be assessed against the national Teachers’ Standards in order to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.Most graduates of this course begin their careers as primary school teachers where they work to make a difference in those important years of a child’s education. From your first post as a newly qualified teacher, your career could develop in many different ways. Some of our graduates go on to be special educational needs teachers or head teachers.