PGCE Primary: 3-7 years, General (5-11), General with Mathematics (5-11)

Welcome to the course

Welcome to the PGCE Primary course at the Department of Education, Kingston University. We hope that you will enjoy your year with us and find it stimulating and rewarding. The course has proved to be highly successful with a very high percentage of students gaining a first teaching appointment. 

The PGCE course consists of a challenging combination of modules designed to stimulate your thinking and develop your knowledge of the primary and 3-7 age range curriculum. It will prepare you to teach the Primary National Curriculum subjects or Early Years Foundation Stage framework depending on your chosen pathway, and consider how overarching themes, such as creativity, critical thinking, identity and cultural diversity are necessary components of a child's experiences at school. Specifically, you will develop your understanding of how teachers encourage children to be successful learners and confident individuals who can make positive contributions to the school and wider communities. 

The course is challenging as it combines intensively taught components with experience in school and wider educational contexts. In addition, there will be many opportunities to work collaboratively with your peers, tutors and teachers to help you meet the demands of post graduate study leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status. Working in this way reflects the high priority given in the teaching profession to working as a team with colleagues. 

There are further opportunities to develop your areas of interest through personal research and seminar discussions at masters level, supported by reflections of school experience. This work, together with fieldwork, visits and a course programme enriched with inputs from school colleagues and your tutors, should enable you to extend your knowledge and skills of innovative approaches to teaching and learning. 

This introductory material provides you with important information and also outlines some required activities, to be undertaken before you commence the course in September. This will start to prepare you for what will be a demanding year where it will be essential that you carefully organise your study time in order to maintain a healthy work-life balance. 

Your personal tutors are looking forward to meeting with you and will also play a key role in helping you to get the most from the course and realising your full potential. 

In the meantime, if there is anything further you wish to know or have clarified, please get in touch.

Claire Jackson
PGCE Primary Course Leader

Course checklist

 ActionWhen
1 Complete and submit your Occupational Health questionnaire Within two days of receiving HML email
2 Complete online DBS application and take original documents to Post Office for verification As soon as you receive the online DBS activation email from First Advantage Online Disclosures.
3 Sign up to the Update Service and submit completed form Within 19 days of your DBS certificate issue date
4 Obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct if you have spent time living overseas for more than 3 months in the last 5 years. Submit as soon as possible.
5 Upload outstanding qualification certificates to OSIS in order to meet offer conditions. As soon as possible.
6 Preparatory reading and complete pre-course tasks. May to September 2022
7 Complete the School Experience Placements form Within 10 days of receiving the pre-course website link.
8 Read and submit completed Placement Policy Form Submit completed form by 24 June 2022.

Term dates

TermTerm datesReading Week
Term 1 Monday 5 September 2022 to
Friday 16 December 2022		 Monday 24 October 2022 to
Friday 28 October 2022
Term 2 Tuesday 3 January 2023 to
Friday 31 March 2023		 Monday 13 February 2023 to
Friday 17 February 2023
Term 3 Monday 17 April 2023 to
Friday 23 June 2023		 Monday 29 May 2023 to
Friday 2 June 2023

These are provisional dates and may be subject to change.

You may find that your school half-term does not fall in the same week as the reading week, particularly in October. If this is the case, you will be expected to go into school during the reading week.

Please also note that although the course finishes on Friday 30 June 2023, you are advised not to book any holidays until after Friday 14 July in case you have to make up any missed days at school.

Induction: programme for your first week

Please note: this programme may be subject to change.

Monday 5 September 2022

All students are asked to arrive at the Kingston Hill Campus by 9.45am. 

Please go to the Lawley Lecture Theatre (see building 12 on campus map). Your first session will begin at 10am.

  • 9.45am: Arrival
  • 10am: The Induction Week Programme Course Structure and Timetable
  • 2pm: Group tutorials with personal tutors
  • 4pm: Finish.

Tuesday 6 September

This day will also take place at the Kingston Hill campus. Details will be provided at Monday's induction.

Wednesday 7 September to Friday 9 September

These Induction Week sessions will be delivered at the Kingston Hill campus.

Enrolment and other important information

Enrolment

Enrolment will take place at the University during your induction period. The exact date, time and details of your enrolment session will be confirmed at a later date. Please make sure that you read the information carefully and bring the necessary documents.

Car parking for campus sessions

If you are arriving by car, please park in Car Park D where there will be signs directing you to the relevant room. 

Parking restrictions are in place on site during term-time. You must obtain a temporary parking pass from Reception during the first week of term. You will be able to apply for a permanent Kingston Hill pass once you have enrolled.

Please note: car park G outside the Education Building is for staff and visitors only between the hours of 8.30am and 4.30pm. 

Bus

The 85 and K3 buses stop outside the Kingston Hill campus. The free Kingston University buses stop on the campus itself. 

Registered name

When you enrol, you should ensure that your name on our student record system is the same as your passport/photo card driving licence. Your details are sent direct from the University record system to the DfE following enrolment for allocation of your Teacher Registration Number (TRN). 

School Experience Placements

Please complete these forms for your School Experience placements:

Reading lists and tasks

Reading lists and tasks

You can download the pre-course reading list and tasks here.

Fees, funding and bursaries

Fees information

  • The UK (Home) tuition fee for the BA Primary course for academic year 2022-23 is £9,250.
  • The UK (Home) tuition fee for the PGCE is £9,250.
  • The EU/International tuition fee for academic year 2022/23 is £15,400.

If you are a UK student, you may be eligible for help with your tuition fees. Information is available on this government student finance website. Contact number of Student Finance England is 0300 100 0607.

You can also download an application form and guidance notes from the site.

Further information about student funding can be found on the Kingston University website or by contacting Student Funding on 020 8417 7312.

DBS and Occupational Health information

Please visit the DBS and Occupational Health page to complete your DBS, Update Service and Occupational Health information.

DBS and Occupational Health

Please visit the DBS and Occupational Health page to complete your DBS, Update Service and Occupational Health information.

FAQs: General information

When does my course start?

  • PGCE Primary, Secondary & School Direct PE: Monday 5 September 2022
  • BA Primary: Monday 19 September 2022

Please see respective course page for details on your first week and enrolment.

When will I receive an unconditional offer in UCAS or DfE (PGCE applications)?

When you have uploaded evidence of the academic requirements stipulated in your offer to OSIS.

Please email education@kingston.ac.uk to notify us when you have uploaded your qualifications so we can verify them as quickly as possible. Once we are satisfied your qualifications meet our requirements, we will change your offer status to unconditional.

Please note your offer will remain conditional until you have received DBS and Occupational Health clearance. You will only be able to begin your school placement once clearances for both checks have been obtained.

When will I receive my course timetable?

You should receive the timetable for the first week shortly before you start the course. Your full first semester timetable will be made available to you following enrolment.

FAQs: DBS and Occupational Health

Do I need a DBS if I already have one?

All students will need to undergo an enhanced DBS check in "Child Workforce" with Kingston University. The only exception is if you already have this in place and have subscribed to the Update Service. If this is the case, please complete the Update Service Form, giving us permission to check the current status of your DBS.

I have received an activation email from First Advantage Online Disclosures. What do I do with this?

You need to activate your account with First Advantage and then complete your DBS application. Once you have submitted your application you will need to take your identification documents (originals) and proof of address to the Post Office for verification.

I do not live in the UK and there is no Post Office ID verification service in my country. What do I do?

Don't worry. If you live abroad just organise a Certificate of Good Conduct for the time being from where you are living. However, do let us know when you arrive in the UK so we can give you guidance on what you need to do when applying for a DBS via First Advantage.

Why do I need to complete the Update Service Form?

You should only complete this if you have a valid subscription with the Update Service as we need your permission to verify your current DBS status. Please note you can only subscribe to this service within 19 days of your DBS certificate issue date.

Where do I find the Update Service Form?

You can find the Update Service Form here or on our DBS and Occupational Health page.

What is a Certificate of Good Conduct and why do I need to submit this?

A Certificate of Good Conduct is required if you have lived outside the UK for more than three months in the last five years. This is in addition to you having DBS clearance. It usually comes in form of a letter or certificate from an overseas authority confirming your character and that you did not hold a criminal record when you spent time in that country.

Click here for guidance on how to apply for a check.

I have received an activation email from Health Management Limited (HML). What is this?

This is the service we use to assess students' health and suitability for the course. You must activate your account and complete the questionnaire accurately so that if required, we can ensure reasonable adjustments are made for you while you are on course.

FAQs: Introductory Observation Days and School placements

Do I organise my school placement or will the University do this for me?

The Placement Team at the University will organise your school placement. It is important that you do not approach schools directly yourself. However, it would be helpful for us to know if you have past or present links with local schools. Please add these details to the School Experience Placement Form.

How far will I be expected to travel to my placement school?

The University does not, and cannot, guarantee maximum journey times and distances to placement schools but does take into consideration trainees' circumstances and requirements.

Students can anticipate being placed in a school, in some cases, that is within a two-hour commute from the University as this is where our partnership schools are located.

When will I find out what school I have been placed in?

The Placement Team usually notifies students of their placement approximately two weeks before their placement start date.

I have a disability or domestic responsibility (i.e. caring responsibility). I will need to be placed in a local school. Is this possible?

Although there are no guarantees, we will do our best to place you in a school as close to your home as possible. We need to be made aware of your circumstances so it is important that you complete the School Experience Placement Form fully and we will do our best to take your needs into consideration when placing you.

Support for students with disabilities or dyslexia

Who to contact for support

If you have a disability or dyslexia and require support while you are at University, you must contact the Disability and Mental Health Support Service.

The contact details are:
Kingston University - Disability and Mental Health Support
020 8417 7314
Email: disability@kingston.ac.uk

Full details of the support services and facilities are also available here.

You are also strongly encouraged to contact us in the Department of Education before you start the programme. We are committed to providing you support during your studies and if we are aware of your specific needs in advance, we can make provisions and have these in place for your course start.

Please email education@kingston.ac.uk with details of your specific requirements.

If you would like to speak with someone in confidence, please contact Nina Sohal, the Admissions Team Leader.

FAQs: PGCE bursary

Am I eligible for the PGCE Bursary?

The PGCE Bursary is only available for secondary students and is dependent on the subject you will be studying (NB: not all secondary subjects attract a bursary). You will need to be classified as a "home" fee-paying student to receive the bursary. Refer to the "Fees and funding" section on the PGCE Secondary page for more details.

Useful contacts

University departmentContact numberEmail address
School of Education 020 8417 5145 education@kingston.ac.uk
Main Switchboard 020 8417 9000  
Accommodation services 020 8417 7311 accommodation@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (undergraduate) 020 8417 7312 studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Fees and funding (postgraduate) 020 8417 7312 studentfunding@kingston.ac.uk
Student life advisory 020 8417 7312  
Disability and mental health support 020 8417 7314 disability@kingston.ac.uk
Contact details for external organisationsContact number
Kingston Hill  
Student Finance England 0300 100 0607
First Advantage Online Disclosures 0115 969 4600

How to find us

Your course will be taught at the Kingston Hill campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7LB.

View campus information, directions and public transport options on the Kingston Hill webpage.