The PGCE Further Education is a postgraduate, pre-service course for teaching in the Further Education and Skills Sector. This course is delivered at the Canterbury campus of Canterbury Christ Church University (full-time) and at CONEL in north-east London (part-time).

The PGCE Further Education (Level 7) full-time course runs over a year, comprising five days a week of placement and taught sessions.

The PGCE Further Education (Level 7) part-time course runs over two years, comprising 2-3 days a week of placement and taught sessions.

This course is specifically designed for people who are not yet working as teachers. The course includes a placement in a Further Education and Skills setting, which will enable you to meet the practical requirements of the framework. On successful completion, you will be eligible to apply for professional formation, should you wish to, through the Society for Education and Training. This leads to Qualified Teacher in the Learning and Skills Sector Status (QTLS).

We are looking forward to working with you as you gain the experience, skills, knowledge and behaviours necessary for a career in the vibrant Further Education and Skills sector. Your studies will be challenging and hard work, but very rewarding.

You must arrange your Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks and Occupational Health Clearance before you start your course.

• Students must apply for an Enhanced DBS check through Gov.UK Disclosure and Barring Service See: Conditions of Offer at the bottom of this Course Essentials tile.
• Occupational Health Clearance checks are completed with Canterbury Christ Church University (full-time) and CONEL (part-time), respectively.
• Canterbury full time students will be placed in an appropriate subject specialist setting within a college following successful completion of your interview and assessment. The placement college will be within the Kent area, although trainees may be expected to travel up to one hour to their placement.
• CONEL part time students will be placed in an appropriate subject specialist setting within the college, or other appropriate provider following successful completion of your interview and assessment.

It would be very helpful to keep up to date with current news, stories and development within the FE sector over the summer. You will be provided with an updated reading list and tasks for each module.

Bursaries

Students who are registered on an eligible Teacher Training Course may be offered a Department for Education training bursary. To allow the University to assess your eligibility for the bursary could we please ask you to fill in the bursary eligibility declaration prior to starting your course.

For more information on the bursaries available and the eligibility criteria please visit the DfE website.

For queries, please contact education.bursaries@canterbury.ac.uk.

Your welcome and induction will be w/c 16th September 2024*

*Those studying at one of our partner colleges will receive further information regarding your welcome activities and teaching timetable directly from your colleges.

You will be given a detailed student handbook with reading lists for each module when you start your course. We recommend this new book, that addresses the content of the Education and Training Foundation framework that our course is based on:

Ann Gravells and Gavin Lumsden (2024) Achieving Your Diploma in Teaching (FE & Skills): Putting Theory Into Practice for the Qualification or Apprenticeship (SAGE Publications, ISBN 1529695708)

It is useful to note that the University Bookshop offers 10% discount on most titles in print and have some price-beating book bundles. They also price match Amazon on core texts recommended in the module handbooks you will receive when you start in September. UK deliveries are FREE for orders over £10 and are usually dispatched within 48 hours.