This course will equip you to make a real difference in children’s lives through varied school placements, interactive subject sessions, and tailored tutor support.
Overview
Study with the Somerset Centre for Integrated Learning (SCIL), in a close-knit training community. You will benefit from expert support, excellent facilities and strong partnerships with schools across the region.
Our PGCE Primary with Mathematics combines recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a postgraduate qualification worth 60 Master's-level credits, helping you build a strong foundation for your teaching career and future study.
This specialist pathway is designed for those who want to become confident primary teachers with enhanced expertise in mathematics. Alongside developing your knowledge across the full primary curriculum, you’ll deepen your understanding of how children learn maths through a series of specialist sessions.
You will explore curriculum design, sequencing learning and lesson planning, gain insight into the schemes used in schools, and observe mathematics specialists in action to inspire your own practice. There are also opportunities to work directly with the Boolean Maths Hub and Five Counties Teaching School Hub, helping you connect with leading practitioners in mathematics education.
Throughout the year, you will complete placements in a range of school settings across Somerset and the surrounding area, with additional opportunities to plan and deliver mathematics lessons. When not on placement, you will learn through lectures, workshops and interactive subject sessions where tutors model effective teaching and classroom management strategies.
There are no exams. Instead, you will complete two written assignments and a digital portfolio linked to the Teachers’ Standards required to qualify as a teacher.
School placements
School placements are a key part of the course. You will spend 120 days in at least two schools, gaining experience across a range of settings through Somerset SCITT's partnership with more than 100 schools across four local authorities.
As a Mathematics specialist trainee, you will benefit from placements with experienced maths leaders, including opportunities to observe specialist mathematics teaching and lead maths lessons yourself. You will observe expert practitioners in action and learn from schools involved in the Education Endowment Foundation and Somerset Counts projects. Throughout your placements, you will receive regular support and feedback from mentors and tutors to help you develop as a confident and effective teacher.
Course details
School experience is a substantial and integral part of the course and you will have school experience visit days and block placements in terms 1, 2 and 3.
Indicative themes explored through the course content are outlined below, although regular updates mean that exact content may differ.
Careers
This course will qualify you to teach in primary schools in England and Wales. Most of our students quickly find jobs after graduation, thanks to the confidence they’ve gained on the course, the connections they make on placement and our excellent reputation with schools in the region.
Many of our graduates pursue leadership roles within schools, as Mathematics leaders, special educational needs coordinators, key stage leaders, deputies, or head teachers.
The PGCE is an internationally recognised teaching qualification and can widen your opportunities for a career overseas. You’ll be able to seek work in countries such as America, Australia, and Canada.
The 60 credits you gain at Masters level mean our course is also an ideal springboard for those seeking further postgraduate study. These credits can be put towards a full Masters qualification, such as our multiple pathway Education MA.
Course highlights
Teaching and assessment
A mixture of independent study, teaching and academic support enables you to reflect on progress and build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.
Teaching and assessment contents
The PGCE course enables all trainees to become autonomous learners. The course is designed to support trainees of varying experiences, needs, and background; to develop key/transferable skills and to disseminate good practice in learning and teaching. To achieve this, we closely monitor the quality of your experience in university and placement.
- School experience in a range of settings
- Studying all areas of learning and teaching across all EYFS and Primary National Curriculum subjects
- Tutor-led workshops, lectures, seminars and guest lectures, primarily to introduce underpinning knowledge, theoretical argument, practical skills, central issues, key texts and inter-professional fields of study
- Participation in high level professional discussion, peer presentations and debate, to encourage you to actively engage with and critically challenge the field
- Directed studies and problem-solving tasks provide opportunities to develop approaches that will deepen levels of understanding and professional judgement; development of practice-based competence and skills of critical reflection through guided individual mentoring during placements
- One-to-one academic and personal tutorial support
Entry requirements
Honours degree, normally 2:2 or higher from a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent qualification, in a relevant subject area. Applicants with a 3rd class degree will be considered on an individual basis.
GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or English Literature, Mathematics and Science, or equivalent qualifications. We do offer an equivalency test if you don’t have the required GCSE grade to apply for our courses.
Trainees who begin courses before providing evidence of the required GCSE standard (or equivalent) will not be eligible for financial incentives, such as bursaries or grants until they achieve the required standard.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about entry requirements, please call our Admissions Office on 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk.
Fees
Fees contents
UK students
The standard tuition fee for full time UK students enrolling on a PGCE in the academic year 2027/28 is £10,050 per year.
Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase each year for both new and continuing students.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
International and EU students
The standard tuition fee for full-time international and EU students enrolling on a PGCE in the academic year 2027/28 is £18,900 per year.
*Please note that for EU students who are not in receipt of a UK government bursary/scholarship package, the fee for the academic year 2027/28 is £10,050 per year.
Tuition fees are reviewed annually and may increase each year for both new and continuing students.
For more details on course fees, please visit our course fees page.
How to apply
How to apply contents
How to apply
Applications for PGCE courses, both Primary and Secondary, should be made online through the government's Find Postgraduate Teacher Training website.
For detailed information on how to apply for a PGCE visit Get Into Teaching.
Contact
If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.
Somerset SCITT
scil@somerset.gov.uk0300 123 1967More to explore
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