Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Conversion Course – Primary (Taught)

The University of Buckingham is:

• Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020).

• We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses.

• Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford.

• Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors.

• As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money.

  The QTS Conversion Course is available to teachers who are currently employed in maintained or independent schools in England, and who have already completed the University of Buckingham’s Independent PGCE. This course is the accreditation that enables teachers to teach in state-maintained and special schools in England and Wales.

Course content

The Primary QTS Conversion Course is available via two routes – General Primary or Subject Specific Primary (available in Physical Education / Sport, MFL and Music). It is a 37-week school-based course during which time you will work under the guidance of a mentor and receive weekly tutorials to review progress and set targets. You will be assigned a University tutor who will visit twice during the course of the year to assess your progress against the Standards and guide your development.

You are expected to undertake a teaching placement in a second school which must be a non-selective state maintained primary school. The duration of this teaching placement is determined upon interview, but is likely to be for three weeks.