Fees and key information

Course type
Postgraduate
Course code
Q992
Entry requirements
This course is subject to validation
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Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship in Primary with SEND (5 – 11) with QTS - PGCE

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Why study this course?

This Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship (PGTA) in Primary with SEND (5-11) will allow you to develop your career with confidence in the SEND specialist provision where you are currently employed. This rewarding course prepares you to teach five to eleven year olds. It combines a successful ‘on-the-job’ approach within your current school with the best aspects of a university training route.

To enrol on this apprenticeship you will already be employed in a SEND specialist school and will be looking to develop your career further. This is a nationally recognised route into teaching, which offers a professional qualification with no tuition fees, suited to those who have a good understanding of what it means to work in a school and have built up some experience as a teaching assistant or similar role.

On completion of this practical course, you’ll gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and the master’s level PGCE. Many of previous London Met apprentices are still employed in local schools, and many have progressed on to act as mentors, supporting newer trainee teachers.

Our trainees attain high results with almost 100% passing the course, and very high rates of employment. Many of our trainees gain employment in their placement schools. We are well connected with a range of partnership schools and have excellent long standing relationships with diverse settings across London.

This apprenticeship offers you the opportunity to gain experience as a mainstream teacher, enabling you to gain QTS and give you the ability to choose where to work. You will receive expert tuition supporting you throughout both your mainstream and SEND placements. Teaching at London Met ensures that you are well equipped to develop your practice to teach the National Curriculum in addition to the skills and knowledge required to develop your specialism in SEND. You will explore the key pedagogies and theories in meeting the needs of individual learners with SEND and gain a deep understanding of specialist provision in a SEND setting.

We have strong partnerships with schools across London, many that we have worked with for decades these include a range of specialist provisions

Benefit from three school placements, including one in a special school, you’ll gain a lot of practical experience teaching

We celebrate Diversity and Inclusivity – we are a very diverse course, with a huge variety of backgrounds and ages, including many career-changers

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Course details

You will be required to have:

  • a relevant degree, preferable grade 2.2 or above
  • grade C/4 in English Language, Maths and a Science (either General Science or one of Biology, Chemistry or Physics)

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements.

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.

You’ll be assessed by practical work, portfolio and coursework, there are no final exams.
For your modules completed on placement, you’ll be assessed on whether you are meeting the Teacher Standards by the end of the second placement. This assessment is completed by your university tutor, in collaboration with the school mentors and yourself. The assessment is partly based on observations of your teaching and partly on your portfolio of evidence.

There are formative progress assessments at key points throughout the course, enabling you to see how well you are doing and what you need to do next. You will also receive constant formative feedback and guidance from your university tutor and from you school mentor, when on placement.

Your assessment will also consist of:

  • Curriculum Studies: a Professional Practice Portfolio that is compiled across the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience
  • Professional Inclusive Practice: the Educational Research Assignment, which allows you to explore an educational issue

You'll share feedback with your colleagues on the course, completing a weekly reflection and contribution to online discussions that will further develop your understanding of the secondary school teacher role.

As a London Met trained teacher, you will be highly employable; the vast majority of our Apprentice trainees continue to teach in schools in London.  As a teacher with a PGCE and SEND specialism you will be well equipped to work in SEND specialist provisions or in mainstream schools that have additional resource units. Teachers who have trained at London Metropolitan University can be found on the staff in schools across London and beyond. As a very long-established provider of teacher training, we regularly meet alumni in all sorts of roles, from classroom teachers through to headteachers and every role in between. Many of our graduates develop further specialisms and can be found in a range of highly specialist roles, both in mainstream schools and in alternative provisions. As a specialist in SEND you would be in a strong position to become a SENDCO or Inclusion lead after passing your ECT 1 and 2.

London Met teaching graduates regularly find their first job in one of their placement schools, and many continue to work within the ‘London Met family’ across an extended career in education. The skills that you learn on the course will prepare you to meet all the challenges of teaching both in London schools and elsewhere, wherever your fancy takes you.

If you've already studied your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on any further study with us.
* exclusions apply

How to apply

Use the apply button to begin your application.

If you require a Student visa and wish to study a postgraduate course on a part-time basis, please read our how to apply information for international students to ensure you have all the details you need about the application process.

When to apply

The teacher training portal opens in mid-October; if you are thinking of undertaking the postgraduate teacher apprenticeship, you should apply early. 
All of the training agreements and processes need to be completed by the end of June, before school break up for the Summer.