r/PGCE

Hi does anyone know the best way to gain my maths equivalent course? Where did you guys go?

I’m due to start my art and design PGCE for secondary years in two weeks. I’m very scared and have massive imposter syndrome.

I studied Graphic Design for my undergraduate degree.

I am worried about general gaps in my knowledge, does anybody have any advice for this? Will the university have a bit of a guide for us?

Do you get bursary for part time pgce?

Hi all,

I'm starting my Primary PGCE with Greenwich in September, however I've heard nothing from the uni about registration or my DBS application. There's also been no communication about placements, is this normal or should I chase the uni as I'm due to start on the 2nd of Sept

I wanted to ask for some advice on what subject to do for my PGCE. I know it is a bit late, but I've decided to pursue the course in either Maths or Computing, and I don't know which one to do. Due to how late I am applying, there aren't any vacancies for any of the top universities, and I am most likely going to have to settle for whatever is available near me. I graduated in Computer Science in 2025 and I've been told that Computing jobs are much more in demand than Maths, but I feel like Maths might be more fulfilling and fun to teach.

Any advice or insights into either role and the experience of doing the PGCE would be much appreciated.

Or is it just ‘too formal’? From what I’ve read online, there isn’t really a consensus for primary.

My suits are all comfortable and I have no issues with sitting down on the floor/ kneeling over to speak to students etc. that wouldn’t bother me.

I mean could I come across as supercilious to the members of staff? I just feel as though consistently wearing one would give me the added boost of confidence and authority. Also I just really love tailoring, and own a few I hardly wear.

Any anecdotes would be amazing :-)

(Obviously on messier days, such as Art or DT I would dress much more casual, to prevent my clothes getting ruined, I’m quite pragmatic.)

Does anyone know when you are supposed to find out where your school placements will be as I have had basically zero information from the University of Cumbria about this and I am supposed to start my PGCE with them in 3 weeks time ??

My placement is starting in 2 weeks and I feel myself feeling a cocktail of excitement and anxiety! I'm doing Business with Economics so my classes will be KS4 (GCSE) and KS5 (A levels and BTEC). I feel like they'd give me more Y10 and Y12 classes since Y11 and Y13 are exam years and more high stake, would that be a correct assumption?

Could anyone tell a bit about how their first weeks went, and what things they did day-to-day? Approximately when did you start teaching your first classes? Did your department give you lots of resouces to use or just a SOW and left you to you prepare on your own? How much downtime did you have during the day? Were you able to make any friends at school?

I've known I was going to do a PGCE for years now and originally planned on doing it in my home city, but after some time running it over in my head and reading through this sub the importance of location keeps popping into my mind.

I'm not opposed to travelling, especially if it means a good environment to work in while teaching, different opportunities to work etc. I've always found my home city a little dull, and not sure what doing the PGCE would be like here. Will look into it. Transport is decent here though so a major pro (especially as time management is everything for a PGCE).

I have some time to think about where. I was just wondering how worth it / how often people travel for it? Did you? Or did you stay where you live? What influenced your decision, any advice, etc etc?

Today I applied to the courses as I saw the deadline was the 15th, is it still possible to get a space for september intake?
Anyone else applied recently and how long was the time from applying to getting approved?

I started training to teach Secondary Spanish (PGCE with QTS) for 2/3 of the academic year. I didn't receive enough support from my first placement so I was better off leaving. luckily, I started my second placement a bit earlier and managed to complete it.

I was supposed to complete my training at the first placement. However, due to a lack of support, I left, and my training provider has asked me to find another school to host me as a trainee for the last few months of teacher training.

I have sought the help of agencies, and I sent emails out to various schools in and around Leicester

Apart from contacting schools directly, is there anything else I can do to find a placement and complete my training by October 2028?

Hey all, hope you're well.

I realise it's incredibly late since the deadline on gov.uk seems to be September 15, but is it possible to apply at this point? I see four courses for chemistry in my area on the gov.uk website that are apparently still open for application.

Hi all,

The only thing that has been holding me back from applying for a PGCE is that I haven’t got work experience in a school

I've only ever been at a Uni so just wondered? I've seen one locally that does a Sen specialism I want to do. Is it hard to get into a SCITT?

My first placement starts in 2 weeks (Lead Partner Route) and I'm wondering if I should buy an insulated lunch bag and container to bring to school. How was lunch usually handled during your placements? Did you have a staff kitchen where you could place your lunch in a fridge, or were you able to buy lunch at the cafeteria? Is there usually enough time for a proper lunch break? Thank you!

I'm starting my PGCE with teach first at a secondary school in September and they haven't contacted me all summer about my timetable or the plan for when we start. I currently don't have a staff log in and only a handful of contact details. I've been to a staff orientation day and signed a contract but...do they usually leave it until the last week of the hols to tell us what we're doing in September?

Hi so I'll try keep this short but any advice is greatly appreciated because the exeter deadline is tomorrow lunchtime:)

I have the option to choose between Exeter uni and St Mary's, Twickenham for my english pgce. I'd be relocating for either provider.

I went to Exeter for my undergrad a few years ago and enjoyed it very much. It's a nice city and I think I matched well with it in terms of the small but active arts/cultural/sports scenes. Importantly, I really enjoyed my interview day experience and the teachers/cohort left great impressions. I think I can predict what my life would look like and I would probably find it quite manageable, just maybe not super exciting.

I applied to St Mary's thinking I'd be able to do London whilst I am in my 20s. I am just wondering whether this is realistic - will I find a London social life too challenging to build/sustain on a pgce year where my time and budget are so limited. Worst case is that I end up just feeling isolated. My interview was online and I didn't get a chance to meet the teachers, but I liked the look of the course and understand that it is a historic teacher training college.

Anyway, let me know if any of you have experience doing a PGCE in London (esp St Mary's or another suburban provider), and whether it was an isolating or exciting experience. Conversely, if anyone has thoughts on Exeter as a pgce destination then let me know.

TL;DR Exeter (familiar, compact, cheap, probs fun!) vs St Mary's (expensive, potentially isolating but also exciting)

Hi everyone,

I recently received a phone call from Occupational Health regarding the medical check form I submitted for my upcoming Primary PGCE course. They mentioned that something was flagged and have booked me an appointment with a nurse to discuss it.

The only box I ticked "yes" to was my BMI. While I personally feel BMI is an outdated metric, I am open about being overweight. I have PCOS, which makes weight management exceptionally difficult, though I am actively working on it.

I’m feeling quite anxious that this might affect my place on the course or my ability to start. However, I’m not inactive at all—I’ve just finished a geology degree where I regularly completed intense fieldwork, including weeks of hiking in remote areas.

Has anyone else experienced an Occupational Health recall just for BMI? What should I expect during the appointment? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

I’m due to start my PGCE in September and my excitement is quickly turning into terror lol. I keep second guessing myself about subject knowledge (I have a degree in illustration so I know that I do have experience in a wide range of areas - painting, drawing, animation, digital art, risograph, narrative illustration/comics, children’s illustration, perspective, colour theory, lino print, relief print, cyanotype, marbling, craft, making sketchbooks etc), but I’m always worried that it isn’t enough. Are there any areas you would advise me to brush up on? I don’t have much history of art knowledge in truth, maybe I should start there?

Also, is there any advice you can give with regards to note taking/observation/placement etc?

I'm only getting around to getting the fitness to teach form done by the GP as have been super busy with moving and other stuff. I called them up today to ask what might a good time be to bring in the form and the receptionist mentioned that there was a fee of £175 for the GP to do the form. For context I've just moved to London and registered to a new local GP. Just a bit worried because I probably can't afford this at the moment. Is this standard price for getting it done? If not I might just register to a new GP again to be honest and try my luck.