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iQTS Primary Early Years PGCE (3-7)


Course code

Full-time: TBC

Qualification
PGCE Primary 3-7 iQTS

New! We are hoping to offer this route in 23-24 pending approval

Duration
1 year

Start Date
TBC

Department of Study
Centre for Teacher Education

Location of Study
Distance Learning


The iQTS Primary PGCE (3-7) is a high-quality programme of professional education designed for candidates teaching outside of the UK, leading to International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) and Master’s level credits. Our course aims to develop you into a highly reflective practitioner, able to adapt and respond to changes in settings and international educational contexts, and able to take responsibility for your ongoing professional development in preparation for future leadership.

 Having delivered Initial Teacher Training for 75 years we are known nationally for the quality of our training. Our involvement with schools internationally began with our involvement in the PGCEi programme and we now delighted to have been selected by the DfE to offer iQTS following a successful pilot year.


Course overview

This one-year, 90-credit Post-Graduate course with iQTS (International Qualified Teacher Status) is a teacher training course designed for students embarking on a teaching career internationally with a focus on combining theory and practice across all course aspects through a blended learning programme. 

The course provides a well-integrated blend of online and school-based learning opportunities that develop a values-based and evidence-informed approach to classroom practice in an international school setting.  The course is designed to fully cover the iQTS Core Content Framework, as appropriate for the Primary Phase, age range 3-7 and will take account of the local context in which students are teaching.  

Trainees will be supported to understand the complexity of evidence and established views on effective learning in schools. Taught sessions and assessments will encourage critical engagement with evidence and the implications for personal teaching practice.  

The Centre for Teacher Education is the University’s global-service provider for high quality teacher training and professional education. At it’s most recent inspection, the University of Warwick’s Centre for Teacher Education has been awarded “Outstanding” provider status by the British government standard (OFSTED).  


What is iQTS?

iQTS is a UK Government-backed international teaching qualification which will be recognised by the Department for Education as equivalent to English Qualified Teacher Status. 

iQTS is suitable for candidates who wish to train to teach and qualify outside the UK, including:

  • UK citizens currently working abroad who wish to start teacher training or develop their teaching career
  • Non-UK citizens who wish to begin teacher training or build on existing teaching experience
  • UK and non-UK teachers without QTS who wish to improve their employability in England and internationally with a UK government-backed and approved professional qualification

Why Warwick?

At Warwick, we’ll help you find your own path to success. We understand that teaching is more than just a job. We also know that you are more than just another applicant. That’s why our approach is tailored around your needs. We have a long history of providing students with the best access to the contacts, resources and facilities needed to fulfil teaching promise. You’ll also benefit from our research-informed teaching, delivered at an acclaimed university with a reputation for excellence. That teaching will come from people who truly understand about the journey that you’re taking.

There’s lots to take in when you think about becoming a teacher. That’s why we ensure that support is available whenever you need it. As well as having a personal tutor and your school based mentor, who will support you throughout the time you’re at Warwick, you can rely upon the friendship and guidance from your fellow trainees. We also have online resources dedicated to giving you the help and support you need.

So choose Warwick, and give yourself the ideal start for that journey. Be somewhere which believes your teaching career can be as long, rewarding and enjoyable as you want it to be. Be somewhere that trusts you to follow a more personalised teaching path, but will be there for you wherever that path takes you.


Contact us

Admissions questions: pgcei@warwick.ac.uk 

Placement School

  • You are responsible for securing your own school placement of at least 120 days. You will need to provide evidence of your placement prior to submitting a formal application.
  • You will need to provide a complete school statement of support confirming among other things that they will provide you with an experienced school mentor.
  • Once you receive a conditional offer, your school must also sign a Partnership Agreement

Minimum Academic requirements

  • UK Bachelors degree with Honours at 2:2 or above, or equivalent level.

  • At least Grade C or the new Grade 4 in GCSE Mathematics and Science*

Equivalency Tests

For the 2023/24 cohort only, we will be accepting 3rd party equivalency tests in place of GCSEs. The current providers that have been approved are as follows, with details of the current discounts that are available. If you are intending to use another equivalency testing company, we recommend you contact our admissions team prior to doing so to ensure that they meet the entry criteria. 

Equivalency Testing

  • Why choose Equivalency Testing? 
  • Long standing company 
  • Excellent student support 
  • Secure testing 
  • Good and quick feedback 
  • Significant discount available for PGCE offer holders, please email cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the code.

A Star Equivalency**

Why chose A Star Equivalency? 

  • Excellent student support 
  • A clear outline of required material in each exam 
  • Rolling programme of live online subject specific support sessions. 
  • An extensive range of free support material 
  • Practice papers and marking schemes 
  • Discounted from £165* to £139 (saving £26). Please contact cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the discount code. 

If you are intending to use another equivalency testing company, we recommend you contact our admissions team prior to doing so to ensure that they meet the entry criteria. 


English language requirements

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your native language, you will need a minimum score of 6.5 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Find out more about English language requirements at Warwick.


Documentation

You will need to provide two appropriate references in support of your application. Both must be received directly from the referee from a business email address that can be verified.

At least one of your references should be from your current employer, and if you have ever worked with children, you should provide a reference from that employer.

It can take a while for a referee to complete and submit a reference on your behalf, so the sooner you get in touch with your referees, the better – you might want to send your referee a description of the course and what you’d like to get out of it to make it easier. You can learn more about what a reference should include here.

You will be required to provide original documents or attested copies of all your qualifications to evidence that you meet the qualification entry requirements set out above. Information on who we will accept to attest your qualifications can be found here.Link opens in a new window

If your qualification certificates are in a language other than English you must also provide an official translation of your certificates to allow us to ascertain equivalency.


Classroom Experience

Although it is not a requirement for entry, we recommend that you have some experience in the classroom before applying. This experience will give you a flavour for your potential future career and will help you write your application.


 Safeguarding checks

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff, enrolled trainees and offer holders to share this commitment.

Your placement school will need to complete a 'Partnership Agreement' that confirms they have carried out the local safeguarding checks that they would perform for any other employee. These could include:

  • in-person ID checks
  • local police checks
  • obtaining a local version of a DBS certificate
  • checking the local equivalents of the Prohibited List and the Children’s Barred List

If you have ever lived or worked in the UK, you will be required to apply for an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC)Link opens in a new window. Upon securing a conditional offer, you will be asked to provide evidence of this.

Completion of the above to confirm your suitability for the profession is a condition of any offer to study on the iQTS programme with CTE. Disclosure does not automatically make you ineligible to enrol onto our programme, each application will be considered on a case by case basis.


PGCEi Entry Requirements

If you don't think you meet the entry requirements for the PGCE iQTS programme, please take a look at our PGCE International PrimaryLink opens in a new window Programme to see if this might be a better fit.


*The new grading system for those receiving their results for GCSE English, Mathematics and English was adopted in 2017. The grading system is now 9-1, with Grade 9 awarded to those students in the very top tier. Grade 4 is considered equivalent to the old Grade C.

**Special offer for the University of Warwick students. Maths exams are available in Foundation or Higher. English, Science and Biology are untiered
If students require further support, we offer a range of low cost options.

Core Modules

Phase Studies 

This module is designed to heighten your awareness of the pedagogical approaches related to each subject/phase specialism. This will help you adopt a range of approaches and strategies to ensure your teaching is sufficiently diverse to challenge or support as appropriate in an international education setting.   

You engage critically and analytically with a range of theories and models which underpin effective teaching and learning. You'll develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to be an effective teacher. You'll understand the impact this has on pupil progress in their subjects, building towards a vision for outstanding learning and teaching in your area of expertise that will underpin your practice on teaching placements.  

Professional Enquiry 

You will develop the skills, knowledge and understanding required to be an effective teacher and understand the impact this has on pupil progress in a range of international contexts.  

You'll also be introduced to skills and techniques to support your development as a reflective practitioner, gaining access to a wide variety of pedagogic styles and innovative methods for learning and teaching in international settings. Throughout the course, links between critical reflection and your subject specialisms will be emphasised, helping you to embrace the concept of a connected curriculum.  


Professional Practice
 

This module is concerned with ensuring that you are able to teach children a broad and balanced curriculum giving consideration to the ways children learn best including learning through play. It will develop your subject knowledge as well as provide you with a wealth of teaching approaches and activities for each subject. This module includes regular meetings with your school mentor, as well as evaluations of professional practice through mentoring conversations on placement following lesson observations.  


Assessment

You will be assessed through written Master’s level assignments, which are aimed at assessing your professional and subject-specific learning. 

The current assessment methods consist of the following, however, CTE reserves the right to change these as appropriate in line with the requirements of regulatory authorities such as the DfE. 

Professional Enquiry (Master's level) 

Summative Master's level assignment. 

Phase Studies (Master's level) 

Summative Master's level assignment. 

Professional Practice (Honour's level) 

There are 2 components for the assessment of this module, both of which must be passed for the module to be completed.  

  • Supporting evidence of your professional practice including reflections which detail your progress towards the UK Teachers’ Standards which are evidenced in the Professional Digital Portfolio (PDP) – equivalent to 3000 words (pass/fail)  
  • All practical teaching in the classroom must also be assessed against all the UK Teachers’ Standards (pass/fail) culminating with a summative lesson observation by a Warwick Link Tutor.  

Fees and Funding

Route    

2023-24

PGCE Primary 3-7 iQTS (In Person Assessment) Full Time EU/Overseas/Home £9950
PGCE Primary 3-7 iQTS (Fully Online Assessment) Full Time EU/Overseas/Home £9250

Additional Costs

  • Study costs

There may be extra costs on top of the tuition fee, such as set books, a computer and internet access.

  • Safeguarding Check Costs

The entry requirements for this programme includes various checks.

Attestation and translations of any ID and qualification documents, as well as any local regulatory or police checks, will be at your own cost.  If you have ever lived or worked in the UK, you will also be required to apply and pay for an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC)

  •  Computing requirements

A computing device with a browser and broadband internet access is required for the course. The university provides central guidance on the recommended specification for any device you use to undertake your academic work.


*The tuition fee payable for each subsequent year of your programme will increase annually by the relevant inflation, which has ranged 4% to 6% in the last few years. Fees will be invoiced in advance of the presentation of the module each year. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.

For up-to-date information concerning fees, funding and scholarships for Home/EU and Overseas students please visit Warwick's Fees and Funding webpage.

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To be considered for one of our International Programmes, you will first need to complete the following self-assessment form (Stage 1 application).Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window Your submission will be received by the Centre for Teacher Education, and if we determine that you meet the entry criteria, set by the University of Warwick and the Department for Education, you will be invited to submit a formal Postgraduate Application Form (Stage 2 application).

What is the difference between the in person assessment route and the online assessment route? 

When you submit your Stage 2 application form, you will be asked to select which route that you would like to apply to.

If you select the in person assessment route, the University of Warwick will arrange for one of its tutors to visit you during your placement to assess your teaching practice. To account for this visit, this route will attract a higher course fee. If upon reviewing your application for this route we identify that it will not be viable to visit you based on your location due to prohibitive costs, we will advise you to apply for the online assessment route. 

If you select the online assessment route, the University of Warwick will arrange to observe your teaching practice remotely. The assessment will be undertaken in one of two ways: 

  1. You will upload a recording of your lesson to a secure online platform where this will be accessed asynchronously by your assessor.  
  1. The University of Warwick will assess your lesson via a pre-arranged live stream of your lesson. Please be advised that if you selected this option, the lesson would need to take place during the working hours of our UK based tutors. The lesson will not be recorded. 

If you select the online assessment route, your placement must confirm that they agree to the recording or streaming of your lessons. 

Please only complete the self assessment formLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window if you have reviewed the entry criteria for this programme and have determined that you are a suitable candidate.

If you are successful at the Stage 2 application, you will be invited to take part in an online university day.