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PGCE Primary Early Years Education with QTS course preparation

We’re looking forward to welcoming you onto your PGCE Primary Early Years Education with QTS degree programme. On this course, you’ll learn how to become a leader of learning of children aged 3-7 years in a wide variety of early years settings, including primary schools, nursery settings and children’s centres. You’ll teach areas of learning and development of the Early Years Foundation Stage and all the subjects of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 1.

To help you get started on your journey into becoming a professional reflective teaching practitioner, there are a few activities you can complete before your course begins.

Student Allocation Profile Survey

The survey helps the Partnership Development Team (PDT) find an appropriate professional practice placement (PPP) for you. This is done by taking as many relevant details of your personal situation into account as possible.

If you’ve got strong links to a school where you’d like to undertake a PPP please let us know. You can do this by completing our Professional Practice Allocation Form (PPAF). We’re always happy to consider these schools and have a set process in place to do so.

Post interview targets

Following your interview, you may have been provided with feedback and/or targets by the interview panel. If so, it is essential that you are pro-active in responding to each of these prior to commencing the course as these will be referred to by your personal academic tutor. If you are not aware of any targets, please consider setting relevant targets around:

  • Understanding the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum content
  • Understanding the National Curriculum Key Stage One Curriculum
  • Demonstrating an understanding of the Teachers’ Standards (2013)
  • Becoming familiar with the Initial Teacher Training Early Career Framework

Download the Trainee Action Plan to record targets/conditions of your offer of a place on the course and list the actions you have taken in response to these targets.

Trainee Action Plan

Research job vacancies

The purpose of this activity is to help you recognise the demand for qualified Early Years Teachers and to identify any key characteristics that are common to the job vacancies that you may soon be applying for.

  1. Find at least two job vacancies and request the job and person specifications.
  2. Compare and identify any key characteristics in common between the vacancies.
  3. Identify which of the skills/knowledge listed within the job and person specifications you already possess and which you may need to work on (apart from the obvious one of gaining a teacher training qualification).

National priorities

As part of your training both at Edge Hill University and in school you will continue to receive training in both your subject knowledge and your pedagogical skills linked to the following national priorities:

  • Teaching pupils with SEN/D
  • Teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics
  • Mathematics
  • Behaviour and Discipline
  • Teaching pupils with English as an Additional Language
  • Assessment
  • Adaptive Teaching

Please spend some time researching these areas yourself in preparation for the start of your programme.

Use your Trainee Action Plan to record what actions you have taken.

Academic preparation

You have already shown at your interview that you have at least a good general understanding of educational issues, but it is now time to develop your knowledge further which will prepare you for the specific requirements of your course.

Below are some suggestions for academic reading, this list is not exhaustive, however it will allow you to choose the books/articles/documents to read in relation to your personal targets. Please note, we do not recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive, however you may be able to find some second hand or online.

  • Bryce – Clegg, A. (2017) Effective Transitions Into Year One. London. Bloomsbury.
  • Bates B. (2019) Learning theories Simplified. London. Learning Matters.
  • Coe, R. Waring, L. Hedges, J. and Arthur, J. (2017) Research. Methods and Methodologies in Education. London. Sage.
  • Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Department for Education 2021. London: Early Education.
  • England, L. (2018) Schemas: A Practical Handbook. London. Featherstone.
  • Garvey, D. Zeedyk, S. (2018) Nurturing Personal Social And Emotional Development In Early Childhood. London. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
  • Glazzard, J. Stones, S. (2020) The ITT Core Content Framework. London. Learning Matters.
  • Kanyal, M. (2014) Children’s Rights 0-8. Promoting Participation in Education and Care. London. Routledge.
  • Mortimer, H. (2017 ) Understanding Behaviour in Early Years Settings. London. Taylor Francis.
  • Newall ,R. (2021) Big Ideas in Primary Mathematics. London. SAGE.
  • Ruksana, B. (2020) Early Years Pedagogy in Practice. London. David Fulton Books.
  • National Curriculum in England

Timetable 2023/24 Ormskirk Campus

A breakdown of your schedule for the year ahead is now available to download.

Timings and days may be subject to change

Meet your pathway lead

Jackie Sumner
[email protected]