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Programme & How to Apply

About this Training Programme

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) trains graduates to be qualified teachers. The course lasts for one academic year.

The PGCE programme has been designed to train teachers in either early Years (3-7); primary (5-11) or secondary (11-18).  Whichever phase you are training for, you will gain experience in two different settings and two, consecutive, key stages.

The schools within the STTP also offer the opportunity to observe teaching in different settings. For example, specialist behavioural units, special educational needs units or different educational phases, if that interests you.

During your school placements you will take on the role of a teacher with a timetable of around 10 hours teaching in placement 1 building to around 15 hours in placement 2.

You will be assessed against the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS); you will work with your tutors at University of Reading and your in-school mentors to build a portfolio of evidence based on lesson observations, assignments and wider school activities, to show that you are consistently meeting the standards by the end of your second placement.

Primary Brochure 2024

Secondary Brochure 2024

Working with the University of Reading

Alongside your teaching placements you will complete assignments for the academic aspects of the course (for example, theories of learning and subject pedagogy) some of which are completed at Master’s level. You will also be required to collect evidence to show that you can meet the Teaching Standards. Your subject knowledge training will take place at the University of Reading alongside other trainees in your subject.

Personal Support

The Swindon Teacher Training Partnership has the flexibility to offer a truly tailored training programme for each individual. As with all aspects of learning, trainees will develop skills in different areas and at different speeds and the teaching load and mix of classes can be designed to best meet your personal needs. With the STTP, you will get the best of both worlds; involvement in a large trainee cohort when meeting centrally at the University of Reading for academic support and central training; smaller group sessions when working with the trainee cohort across the partnership and, individual sessions with your subject mentor. While teaching is a very rewarding career, we recognise that it can also be tough and schools are fast-paced environments. Our commitment is to support all trainees to ensure that they are as successful as possible in their training year in order to create excellent teachers for the future.

Careers/Further Study

There is huge scope for career development within education whether you choose to take an academic route, focusing on your subject specialism with roles such as head of department or opt for a more pastoral focus with roles such as head of year. Taking on additional responsibility should be something that you aim to do once you have established yourself in your new role as a teacher and opportunities such as head of key stage, head of house, literacy coordinator exist in all schools.

Find out further information on your career in teaching, including salary scales and case studies of current trainee teachers.

How to apply

Apply for our post graduate teacher training programme