Education - Primary (School Direct Route)

Entry requirements

You must possess or expect to achieve a degree; please see department web pages for subject-specific requirements.

Successful candidates will receive an offer from their School Direct lead conditional upon successful medical and criminal record checks. The latter is carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service and full instructions on how to apply for a DBS Disclosure will be provided.

We strongly encourage you to register for the DBS Update Service, which lets you take your certificate from one employer to another without having to apply for a new check. Please note, all DBS Enhanced Disclosures for our Students must be applied for through Durham University unless you have applied to the Update Service.

Months of entry

September

Course content

Welcome to our exciting and innovative programme for Primary teachers at Durham University, Centre for Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

The PGCE Primary provides a course in Initial Teacher Training which is accredited by the Department for Education. It will equip you to become a primary school teacher (ages 5-11) and will provide training for Key Stages One and Two. Successful completion of the course will provide you with a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), awarded by the Department for Education and a PGCE (awarded by Durham University).

The Course

We pride ourselves on offering a well-planned blend of research and experience in the classroom to start you on your successful career as a reflective practitioner. Our course gives you the opportunity to evaluate the strengths of new initiatives in teaching, with the creative knowledge to put them into practice.

From the start of the course during our Induction Conference, we set high standards and place strong values on research-related professional practice (RRPP) for our teacher educators. We also encourage a love of life-long learning to equal the passion we share for working across all subjects in the primary age-phase of education.

At Durham, we believe in developing the skill set you will need to be an outstanding teacher, through a blend of university and school-based input. The university-based sessions focus on a weekly specific pedagogical theme, that reflects our committed approach to supporting you. This theme is introduced at the beginning of the week, through an in-depth thematic Research Related Professional Practice (RRPP) resource.

There are also sessions devoted to the Core Subjects of English, Mathematics and Science. Your own subject knowledge and understanding will be enhanced as well as improving your subject-specific pedagogy. All three subjects are delivered by subject specialists. You will choose one of the Core Subjects as a specialism, by focusing on it for your Self-Directed Study assignment.

Similarly, you will learn about primary Foundation Subjects (Art, Computing, Design and Technology, Geography, History, MfL, Music, Physical Education, PSHE, or Religious Education), and each subject is led by a specialist in that area. You can also choose a Foundation Subject Masterclass to attend in one of these subjects.

Information for international students

If you are an international student who does not meet the requirements for direct entry to this degree, you may be eligible to take a pre-Masters pathway programme at the Durham University International Study Centre.

Fees and funding

For further information see the course listing.