About this course
Inspire the next generation by becoming a qualified teacher for 5 to 11-year-olds. You'll develop into a confident teacher who can improve the progress and outcomes of the children you teach. Our PGCE Primary courses also give you the opportunity to gain credits towards a master’s degree. This will strengthen your career prospects and progression even further.
Our PGCE Primary programme gives you a strong overview of the National Curriculum at Key Stages 1 and 2 and non-National Curriculum subjects such as religious education.
Through this course you’ll:
- learn about the National Curriculum, current policy, and safeguarding
- develop skills for planning, teaching, assessing, and managing a classroom
- conduct research such as a small-scale classroom investigation
- have the chance to work in Kenya for two weeks, if the COVID-19 pandemic allows
- explore positive attitudes to health and well-being of children and teachers
You’ll have 2 different school placements within Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire or the Isle of Wight. You’ll be placed as close as possible to home, but allow for up to 1 hour for travel (self-funded). The rest of the time you’ll be in University, other settings, and independently studying.
Related pathway
You can choose the following specialism as part of your general primary training:
- Primary mathematics
You'll develop the specific skills you need to be a primary maths specialist through focused university sessions, carefully selected school placements and a programme of additional experiences.
Course lead
Ian Campton is a senior teaching fellow in mathematics education. He has a lot of experience teaching in rural and inner-city primary and junior schools, both as a teacher and an assistant head teacher. He was also the mathematics coordinator for most of these schools. His research interests include mathematical subject knowledge of primary school teachers, realistic mathematics education, conceptual and procedural learning. Read Ian Campton's staff profile.
Related pathways
You can choose the following specialism as part of your general primary training:
- Primary mathematics
Focused university sessions, carefully selected school placements and a programme of additional experiences will help you develop the specific skills you'll need to be a maths specialist in school.
“I have been put in great schools for my placement and this has really set me up for my future career as a primary teacher. I was also lucky enough to travel to Kenya and teach over there. This was an incredible experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Course location
This course is based at Highfield.
Awarding body
This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.
Download the programme specification
The programme specification sets out the learning outcomes of this course and details how the course is taught and assessed.
Entry requirements
You’ll need:
- an honors level undergraduate degree 2:2 or above
- GCSEs (minimum grade 4/C) in English language, maths and science
- the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written and spoken English
- basic numeracy and ICT skills
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 degree where they can demonstrate particular strengths.
Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.
You don’t need classroom experience before you start this course, but we do recommend you to arrange time in a school to improve your understanding of the role of a classroom teacher.
To follow the maths specialism route, you’ll need to have GCSE maths at grade A or A* (or equivalent) and an A or AS level (or equivalent) would be desirable. We’ll also consider mathematical elements of your degree or significant work experience involving Mathematics.
If your qualifications aren't suitable, we offer equivalency tests in English, maths and science (non-transferable).
Other areas of relevant experience may also support your application, for example, coaching, playgroups, voluntary work overseas.
As part of the application process you’ll have a formal interview, give a short presentation, and carry out a written task.
Got a question?
Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
Course structure
This is a full-time course. You’ll study from September to June, with breaks at Christmas and Easter.
You'll divide your time between the University, 2 main placement schools and visits to other schools.
The course consists of 4 compulsory modules. We assess 3 of them at master’s level, 1 at undergraduate level. You’ll need to pass the 3 master’s-level modules to gain your PGCE award.
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
For entry in Academic Year 2021-22
Year 1 modules
You must study the following modules:
Learning and assessment
Learning
Learning activities for this course include:
- workshops and seminars
- tutorials
- group activities
- directed study
- focused observation and reflective activities in school
- independent study and research
- conference days
- guest speakers
Assessment
We'll assess you on your:
- progress towards meeting the standards for QTS
- professionalism, knowledge and understanding, and practical teaching in schools
- successful submission of all University assignments and coursework
Academic Support
We’ll assign you a personal tutor, and you’ll have access to a senior tutor.
Careers
Successfully completing this PGCE Primary qualification will give you Qualified Teacher Status as well as your PGCE award. This means you'll be able to work as a teacher in state-maintained and special schools in England and Wales.
We have high employment rates from our PGCE courses, with many trainees going on to work in our partnership schools. Successful completion of the maths specialism route will also put you in a strong position, both when applying for jobs and career development.
If you choose to continue your studies, the credits you build up from your master’s-level modules can be put towards a future master’s degree qualification.
Careers services at Southampton
We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
- work experience schemes
- CV/resume and interview skills workshops
- networking events
- careers fairs attended by top employers
- a wealth of volunteering opportunities
- study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:
- our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
- a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
- our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared
Fees, costs and funding
Tuition fees
Fees for a year's study:
- UK students pay £9,250.
- EU and international students pay £19,850.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams.
Find out how to pay your tuition fees.
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Extra costs you might have to pay
Travel costs to and from school placements.
Funding your postgraduate studies
A variety of additional scholarships, grants and bursaries may be available to help you fund your master’s study, both from the University and from other organisations.
Funding for EU and international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
How to apply
PGCE course applications are processed through UCAS. When you apply, you'll be taken to the UCAS website where you'll need to register an account with UCAS to submit an application.
Once you've registered with UCAS, you'll be invited to apply to several courses by including their course code in your application.
| PGCE course | Course code |
|---|---|
| Art and Design | 32HL |
| English | QX31 |
| Geography | F8X1 |
| History | V1X1 |
| Mathematics | G1X1 |
| Modern Languages (French) | R1X1 |
| Modern Languages (German) | R2X1 |
| Modern Languages (Spanish) | R4X1 |
| Physical Education | X9C6 |
| Sciences (Biology) | C1X1 |
| Sciences (Chemistry) | F1X1 |
| Sciences (Physics) | F3X1 |
| Physics with Mathematics | F3GX |
| Primary | X100 |
| Primary with Mathematics | 2DXB |
Application deadlines
UK students
Applications must be received no later than 4 weeks before the start of the course. You must supply all supporting documentation at least 2 weeks before starting your course.
International students
We recommend you apply at least 6 weeks before the start of the course to ensure you're able to meet our requirements and apply for a visa in time.
We cannot guarantee students who do not meet these deadlines will be able to begin their course.
Application assessment fee
We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for any postgraduate taught course that starts in or after September 2021.
This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.
If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, or if you're applying for a Master of Research (MRes) degree, you will not need to pay the fee. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.
Supporting information
UCAS process applications for this course. When you apply, they'll give you details of any supporting information or documents you'll need to submit.
Learn more about how to apply with our postgraduate application guide.
What happens after you apply
Following application through UCAS you'll hear back by email from the University. The University has 40 working days to respond to your application, but you'll almost always hear back much sooner than that.
If you get through to the next stage of the process we'll invite you to an interview. This will include a chance to find out more about the course and to ask questions. You'll give a short presentation, complete a short written task and have an interview with tutors. Following the interview, we'll make a decision on whether or not to offer you a conditional place. The decision will be uploaded to UCAS within 5 working days of the interview date.
Interviews will take place online if they are not possible in person. You'll receive an email from the admissions tutor if we'd like to talk to you before offering you a place.
All offers are conditional on enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and health checks.
Equality and diversity
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.
Got a question?
Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.
Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000
