Primary Early Years (3-7) - PGCE with QTS

Introduction

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Primary Early Years (3-7) is a one-year course that leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You'll train to become a Primary Early Years teacher for the age range (3-7). You'll gain 60 academic credits at master's level as part of the course.

Teaching is both a challenging and rewarding career with a high level of job satisfaction. It's a great privilege, as well as a great responsibility, to be one of the first teachers to influence a child. We focus on supporting our trainee teachers to thrive, and we do this alongside teachers and mentors in school. We also facilitate you to collaborate with your peers, and to graduate with a ready-made, supportive professional network.

All our courses are future-facing and underpinned by a strong values base. Our provision directly addresses education for sustainable futures. We equip you to be able to work thoughtfully, creatively and successfully with your learners. At UWE Bristol, we're committed to training reflective, innovative, and adaptable teachers for the future.

As time spent on campus is limited, many students choose to commute from further afield.

Find out why you should train to teach with us.

Studying a PGCE at UWE Bristol

PGCE students talk about the support they have received from the PGCE programme at UWE Bristol.

Find out more.

Structure

Content

On this course, you'll develop your skills in teaching three- to seven-year-olds across the Early Years Foundation Stage and all the subjects of the English National Curriculum at key stages 1 to professional standards. You'll engage with and use a range of evidence-informed strategies for effective and engaging teaching and learning. We'll support you to be creative, understand the perspectives of others, evaluate your practice and children's learning. You'll learn how to adapt what you do to enthuse the children you teach and to help them feel that they all belong in your class.

You'll study the following modules:

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Practice (Early Years and/or Primary)
Becoming a Transformational Teacher (Early Years and/or Primary)
Professional Practice A (QTS)
Professional Practice B (QTS).

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved we'll inform you.

This award leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The focus for achieving QTS is particularly in the practice modules. UWE Bristol has chosen Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) as our accredited provider for the QTS elements of the course. We work with SHU to provide high-quality courses and share excellent practice. Together, our teacher training will help you shape the future of children and young people.

Learning and Teaching

The PGCE courses are part of a broad range of specialist education provision in the School of Education and Childhood at UWE Bristol.

You'll be supported in your school by a mentor, who liaises closely with your UWE Bristol tutor. You'll work with close support and encouragement to develop your understanding and skills, set targets, and evidence your progress. We'll challenge you to evaluate and improve throughout your course, and we'll help you to celebrate your achievements.

The PGCE course is designed so that your experiences on placement are complemented by university-based learning.You'll learn through lectures, seminars, directed tasks, school-based experiences, intensive training and practice opportunities, independent study, online learning and collaboration, subject-specific practical work, assessment tasks, reflection and debate. Research-informed practice underpins the course.

Throughout the course you'll be supported by your tutors, external specialists, and expert colleagues in early years settings and schools to apply your knowledge and understanding in school to equip you to meet the Teachers' Standards, to teach and assess in the primary early years age phase (3-7).

See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.

Assessment

Assessment is based on professionally focused assignments and the final block school experience.

To gain the award of PGCE, you need to pass each academic assessment as well as pass classroom practice against the standards specified by the Secretary of State for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Find out more about assessments.

Features

Placements

As a trainee teacher, you'll complete 120 days in school placement practice blocks in at least two different education settings, plus further focused teaching experiences.

The schools and settings within our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) partnership are geographically diverse, with placements in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Wales. We work hard to match placements to trainee teacher needs, experience and locations.

At UWE Bristol, we'll support you to become an authentic, effective, thoughtful teacher. Towards the end of your course, your progress review will enable your entry to the teaching profession and your ongoing development as an Early Career Teacher (ECT).

Study facilities

Take a personalised virtual tour of the Education and Teaching facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.

Life

Postgraduate support

Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.

Bristol

A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.

Sports, societies and activities

There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.

Health and Wellbeing

We provide support in the way you need it.

Campus and facilities

Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.

Careers

Careers / Further study

PGCE programmes include 60 credits assessed at master's level.

As a trainee teacher, you'll be joining a modern and well-regarded course to train to teach across the 11-16 age range and gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Fees

There is currently no published fee data for this course.

Supplementary fee information

*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.

Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.

Please see GOV.UK for further information.

The PGCE is financed as an undergraduate course. More information on fees can be found on our tuition fees pages.

For funding options, please see funding for PGCE students.

Entry

Entry requirements

You should typically meet the following criteria:

An undergraduate degree, or a recognised equivalent qualification at 2:2 or above.
GCSE grade C/4 in English, Mathematics and Science, or equivalent. Candidates with pending GCSEs will be considered. We'll consider candidates who need to take a GCSE equivalency test. We do not accept Level 2 Key Skills, Functional Skills or Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy as alternatives to GCSEs. Where applicants have achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English Literature only, we'll look for further evidence of achievement in English.

Our PGCE courses include a high level of placement-based learning and working with children. We would encourage all applicants to get as much relevant experience of working or volunteering with children to help prepare them for this crucial element of their course.

Selection process

Applicants who meet the entry criteria will be invited to an interview. We want to ensure you get all the information you need about the course and about studying at UWE Bristol, and that you can meet members of the course team. There will be a group discussion and an interview, and you'll get plenty of opportunities to ask questions.

Here you can find top tips on how to write your teacher training personal statement.

Additional requirements (as mandated by the DfE)

Health checks - for Fitness to Teach
A clear Enhanced DBS Disclosure including check of children's barred list
Satisfactory references including one from latest employer and/or latest role involving working with children
Verification of identity and right to work in the UK
Check for sanction, restriction or prohibition on teaching issued by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) (if in teaching role)
Criminal records checks overseas. If you have lived, studied or worked overseas for five months or more in the last five years a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country of residence will be required even if you are a UK applicant or currently based in the UK.

The university will also check that candidates are not:

subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State
disqualified from childcare
or have obtained a childcare disqualification waiver from Ofsted.

All information will be treated in confidence.

Further Statutory Guidance

If you would like information regarding issues that could disqualify you from teaching training, please contact us on +44 (0)117 32 83333.

Standards and requirements

Following the review of Standards and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) by the Secretary of State in 2012 (revised in June 2013), our full-time courses have been designed to be compliant with the latest standards and requirements.

Find out further information about the national curriculum and subjects taught in primary schools and early years settings.

English Language Requirement

All International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

Due to a high level of placement based learning and working with children, all applicants should have an effective command of the English language and be able to use it appropriately, accurately and fluently in a school setting. International and EU students will be required to produce a certificate evidencing the necessary IELTS or approved equivalent*.

*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you'll need in our English Language section.

How to apply

The deadline for Home applications is Monday 14 July, with final interviews being held on Wednesday 23 July.

The deadline for International applications is Friday 13 June, with final interviews* being held on Wednesday 25 June.

*From 1 June onwards, only applicants who have met academic conditions will be invited to interview. All applicants need to meet all their offer conditions and pay the deposit by 30 June to receive a CAS.

Please see the Department for Education pages for guidance on how to apply.

We encourage you to apply for our PGCE courses as early as possible in the cycle in order to be guaranteed consideration. The courses begin in early September and require sufficient time to review applications, process decisions and fulfil additional entry requirements as mandated by DfE. As a result we may be unable to consider applications received after July. In addition, many of our courses are very popular and will reach their capacity and be closed to further recruitment prior to this date.

For further information

Email: Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333

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