PGCE Primary

Duration: 1 year full-time

Requirements:

Applicants must have a degree of class 2:2 or above and GCSE English, Mathematics and Science at grade 4 or grade C or above (or an equivalent qualification). You will have experience of working with young people.

UCAS code: X100

Fees UK students: £9,250

Fees for International students: £12,000

View Full Entry Requirements

It is not essential that candidates have school experience when they apply for PGCE Primary Education however, we recommend that candidates obtain some observation experience to ensure that teaching is the right career path for them; approx 10 days in a mainstream primary school should give you a good overview of primary teaching.
A DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is required.
We have a responsibility to ensure that trainees have the health and physical capacity to teach. Candidates must meet the Secretary of State’s requirements for physical and mental fitness to teach as detailed in ‘Fit to Teach’ by completing an on-line medical questionnaire
Candidates must take part in individual and group interviews with representative from partnership schools and the University.
The Skills tests no longer exist as an entry requirement however, all teachers are expected to be competent in fundamental English and mathematics. We will be assuring that trainees have these skills either during the selection process, or later during the training programme.

Course Overview

Plymouth Marjon University is one of the most long-standing teacher training institutions in the country; we’ve been training teachers since the 1840s.

If you want to train to teach whilst being an active part of a university, a PGCE is the right choice for you. On this course you’ll be supported as a trainee within the university, at the same time as having high exposure to classrooms in our huge range of partnership schools.

You will spend 24 weeks in placements at key stages one and two. Your classroom responsibilities will increase as your confidence and expertise grows. This experience will ensure you are comfortable with your skills and confident of what you are looking for when applying for your first role as a Newly Qualified Teacher.

If you join us, you will explore the kind of critical thinking that results in a reflective, flexible, caring, confident and knowledgeable approach to teaching, with outstanding results for pupils. Graduates from the Marjon PGCE achieve extremely high rates of employment with fast progression to leadership roles.

Why this course at Marjon?

Our trainees scored us 89% student satisfaction for postgraduate teacher training, this puts us in the top 25% quartile of all providers in England (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey, 2019).
93.9 % of our graduates are in further study, sustained employment or both five years after graduating, compared to a sector average for England of 88.2%. We are 1st in the South West and 6th in England (LEO, 2019).
We have relationships with around 300 primary schools to give you a wide choice of learning experiences.
We have been training teachers for 180 years. We understand education.
Our expertise covers many specialisms of education including childhood development, early years, literacy and wellbeing.

Perfect if you're curious about:

Are all classrooms inclusive in today’s schools and how do we address specific needs of learners?
Do children really learn through play?
How do we create deep learning rather than surface learning?
What are the pros vs cons of testing seven year olds?
Should we teach children that hard work can let them achieve anything?
Are teachers responsible for children’s wellbeing?

Book a virtual open day How to apply for this course

Modules

Alongside the assessed modules, you will have taught sessions to support your development of teaching and learning methods in the primary classroom.

Inclusion in the Primary Classroom
This module supports your understanding of the factors that contribute to an inclusive classroom, allowing you to recognise the impact of individual difference on teaching and learning. Placement A runs alongside this module.
Developing Knowledge for Planning, Teaching and Assessment
During this module you will learn how to critically assess and monitor progress to enhance children' s learning. You will also have opportunity to consider how children learn. Placement A runs alongside this module
Developing a Philosophy of Learning and Teaching across the Primary Curriculum
During this module you will consider different approaches to teaching and discover your own philosophy of teaching. You'll also reflect on the type of teacher you want to be and consider your future career plan.
Current Educational Issues for the Teaching Professional
This module will enable you to develop your understanding of current education policy. You will explore a range of strategies teachers employ to support diversity in the classroom.
Teaching Placement
Placement B (14 weeks) in which you will demonstrate progress against the Teachers’ Standards to meet Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

What might you become?

You will become a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) in a primary school. Most trainees start to apply for jobs from January ready for September start. Our Jobs Fair in late winter helps many trainees to get their first role. Our teaching graduates are highly sought after with over 90% employed in teaching jobs – above the sector and region average. OFSTED complimeted our partnerships noting an "effective use of local diversity and wider links which ensures trainees have breadth and variety in their training, so making them highly employable" (OFSTED, 2014).

“Teaching is a challenging but rewarding career where no two days are the same. At university, I was challenged and guided through the essentials which have allowed me to achieve my goal of becoming a teacher. The ‘family feel’ that Marjon boasts allowed me to ask for help and guidance without doubt or hesitation. This guidance ensured that my confidence and self-esteem grew during one of my most difficult years. Most of all, Marjon helped me to believe in myself.”

“I cannot fault the training I received from the team at Marjon during my PGCE course. The lecturers go above and beyond to support their trainees and were readily available if I ever needed any advice. My placement schools were carefully chosen to ensure that I was supported. The lectures throughout the course were informative, engaging and useful. The balance of placements and lectures on the PGCE ensures you have a breadth of experience to prepare you for a career in teaching.”

"My time at Marjon gave me a valuable and in-depth insight in to the world of teaching. Through meticulously planned and structured subject knowledge sessions, alongside a plethora of educational workshops, I feel that I was well equipped to become an New Qualified Teacher (NQT) with confidence and enthusiasm. The staff at Marjon were always on hand to help with issues, however big or small. Teaching is undoubtedly a challenge but a thoroughly rewarding one at that."

“Marjon helped me develop a sense of belief and confidence in myself that I have the ability to teach in both key stages. Alongside my placements, the active and engaging lectures helped me develop my own practice and philosophy of teaching and learning. Although the workload was intense, I do feel it prepared me life as a teacher. Teaching gives me a great sense of fulfilment, as I know I am in a place where I can help shape these young children’s futures.”

How will you be taught?

Includes lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical workshops and 24 weeks of placement experiences, in two 12-week blocks (one at Key Stage 1 and one at Key Stage 2). Teaching is intensive and akin to being in a full time job (9 to 5 Monday to Friday).

How will you be assessed?

Based on the same way you will be assessed when you are a qualified teacher and includes: teaching portfolios, assignments, presentations, observed teaching and case studies.

Current Students

“I don’t think I’ve ever needed to be so organised. But once the dust settles, the whole process starts linking together and you become a new, more efficient and productive person as a result. It’s challenging, but rewarding. You pick up small ‘wins’ every day by measuring your progression. I’m enjoying becoming the person that this course is developing me to be. The course demands a huge amount of focus, and when I get through each day successfully, it’s another layer of confidence.”

“This course offers practical subject knowledge sessions on every aspect of the national curriculum. These sessions are always engaging, current and give you great ideas for your own teaching practice. The lecturers are really knowledgeable and passionate about their own subject. It’s great to see the content that you’re taught at university being used in the classroom environment during placement. This course challenges you, provoking you to think critically about current educational issues.”

“I enjoy having the opportunity to engage in hands-on lessons within this course. Having these at the beginning, in the safety on the university environment really developed my confidence in my subject knowledge. All of the teaching staff are passionate and their previous experience in the classroom really comes across during lessons. This in turn has allowed me to transfer the knowledge acquired in the lessons to my own teaching experience.”

“I have been fully supported in transitioning between careers and made to feel very welcome by all of the staff, both at university and at my school. I started my school placement last month feeling well prepared and excited. This is thanks to the encouragement and support we have received from staff at Marjon which has made the whole experience so far enjoyable and exciting. Since starting my PGCE, my confidence in my academic ability and practical teaching skills has increased day by day.”

“I really enjoy the hands-on experience within the lectures; we are often asked to do group tasks which keeps me engaged. The variety of subject keeps the programme interesting; I quite like the fact that we have a structured timetable that provides us time at university and time within a school environment. This course is building my confidence by meeting new people and developing my time management skills. It is challenging but enabling me to reach my dream of becoming a primary teacher.”

Lecturers

Ruth Benton

Lecturer

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Victoria Brown

Senior Lecturer

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Caroline Colfer

Senior Lecturer

Caroline teaches aspects of the course related to how children learn and leads on Design & Technology teaching.

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Kate Firks

Lecturer

Kate specialises in special educational needs, disability support and inclusion, and also teaches Primary Foreign Languages. She is a qualified teacher of the visually impaired.

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Dr Tara Hollins

Senior Lecturer

Tara specialises in teaching primary mathematics and is also currently involved with an international project about making maths more accessible to primary aged children and their parents.

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Alexandra Parks

Lecturer

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More Info

We take your career very seriously. Head teachers are part of our assessment and interview panels and we will start to talk to you about your ambitions from the first moment we meet you.

Our jobs fair in late winter is an opportunity for many trainees to meet potential employers, practice interviews and to finalise an offer for their first role in September.

As you leave us, you will take with you a portfolio for your future career, clarifying your strengths and the areas you wish to work on. This will mean that your first employer will know you well immediately and be able to help you prove yourself quickly.

After you graduate we keep in touch. During your first year you will be invited back to our NQT conference to catch up with classmates, share your experiences and take part in continuing professional development.

You’ll join a huge network of Marjon education alumni who can help you in your future career; all recognising the extremely high quality of your training.

More Info

See our Primary PGCE and School Direct presentation.

Book a virtual open day How to apply for this course

Book now for our virtual open days

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