Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) (top-up) PGCE Award (Primary/Early Years/Secondary)

Three terms over one academic year.

The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) (top-up) award enables candidates to achieve the University-accredited academic award of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

The programme is designed to enable academic study alongside full-time teaching. It consists of formal taught sessions with University tutors held at weekends, in mid-term breaks, or in the late afternoon after school. Candidates will also have access to University tutors via email and telephone and through individual tutorials arranged at mutually convenient times. Candidates will be enrolled by the University and thereby benefit from access to library resources, the academic community of the University, and to NILE, the University's virtual learning environment, which allows study at a distance and at a time and place to suit each candidate.

Successful completion of the PGCE programme of study enables candidates to 'top-up' their GTP to achieve the PGCE. The PGCE incorporates 60 credits at Masters level which allows progression directly towards the MA Education.

This award is designed to support successful GTP graduates in the further professional development of their practice towards Masters level, firmly embedding their academic work in the context of their professional teaching in their employing school. The study programme enables candidates to enhance their Qualified Teacher Status by gaining the PGCE qualification through further academic study at levels 6 and 7. This will provide candidates with a deeper understanding of teaching and learning which will enhance their practice and provide a stepping stone towards a Masters degree and beyond.

The award of PGCE may also enable those who wish to teach abroad where the GTP is currently not recognised, for example in the USA, Australia and New Zealand. 

The course of study takes place over one academic year and has three main components:

Level 6

An assessed professional portfolio

• For former NLMK GTP graduates with QTS, this has already been accredited as part of the new PGCE
• For those who completed a GTP with QTS with providers other than NLMK, presentation of their portfolio is required to assess its suitability for accreditation of prior learning

Level 7

Masters level Module A (30 credits): reflection on personal learning experiences, theories of learning and professional practice

Masters level Module B (30 credits): a smallscale action research project carried out in school

By providing a suitable professional portfolio, completing the taught programme and through successful assessment of the assignments for Modules A and B, candidates will be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (incorporating 60 Masters level credits, which is equivalent to one third of the MA Education).

Candidates who have successfully engaged with all aspects of the programme but not passed the Masters level assignments will be eligible for the level 6 academic award Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).