PGCE - Primary (Taught)

Originally founded as an emergency teacher training college after World War II, we've been training highly skilled, inspirational primary teachers for over 75 years.

Overview
Our Ofsted Outstanding course offers you the opportunity to gain a postgraduate qualification alongside Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). With 60 credits at Masters level, the PGCE Primary can open doors to further study and other employment opportunities.

At Worcester, you’ll gain experience through multiple placements in a variety of school environments throughout the year, which will prepare you for a successful transition into teaching.

When not on placement, you’ll be taught through a mixture of lectures, workshops and interactive subject sessions covering the full spectrum of National Curriculum subjects. In these interactive sessions, our tutors will model effective teaching and classroom management strategies. Specialist facilities, such as our DT room, gymnasium, music room and art studio, are designed to replicate the school environments you’ll be teaching in, allowing you to learn in authentic settings.

There are no exams on this course. Instead, you’ll be assessed through two written assignments and a digital portfolio that you’ll complete during your school experience placements. This portfolio contains several tasks linked to the Department for Education’s Teachers’ Standards, which you must meet to qualify as a teacher.

Choose your pathway
The pathway you choose will determine the focus of your learning, on campus and on placement. You’ll choose from:

• Early Years (ages 3 to 7) – you’ll cover the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 (KS1), with school experience taking place in EYFS and KS1 settings.

• Later Years (ages 5 to 11) – you’ll cover the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2, with school experience taking place in KS1 and KS2 settings.

No matter which pathway you choose, you’ll be qualified to teach across all primary stages, giving you flexibility in your future career.

Placements
School placements are a key element of the course. You’ll spend 120 days in at least two different schools, ensuring you experience a range of key stages and environments. For example, you may be placed with a mixed-age class in a small village school and then move onto a large, culturally diverse school with multiple classes per year group.

We work hard to maintain strong relationships with over 260 schools across 25 local authorities and will organise placements for you in supportive environments. While on placement you’ll be supported by your class teacher and lead mentor, in addition to your university tutors. They will regularly observe you teach and give live feedback, so you can continually reflect on and improve your classroom practice.