Primary PGCE Teacher Apprenticeship (QTS)

What makes Primary PGCE Teacher Apprenticeship at Worcester special?

‘Trainees benefit from an exceptional learning experience at the 蜜桃直播. This experience instils in them a deep-rooted commitment to making a difference to the lives of children and young adults in the communities they serve’. (Ofsted, 2023)

The Teacher Apprenticeship provides a salaried route into gaining Qualified Teacher Status, with an optional PGCE. As an apprentice, you will earn as you learn, and your training fee will be paid for by your employer.

All Teacher Apprentices engage in our exceptional ITT curriculum, rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in March 2023. As an apprentice at the 蜜桃直播 you have the option of following a QTS only route or you can follow the PGCE programme and gain an additional 60 PGCE credits at Masters level (with recommendation for QTS).

We also offer a PGCE SENDI pathway and a PGCE PE pathway while training as an apprentice. Please note that both these pathways are PGCE programmes and not offered as QTS only routes. You can read more about the PGCE programme on our PGCE Primary (QTS) webpage.

This course will give you qualified teacher Status accredited by the Department for Education (DFE).

PLEASE NOTE: You must be employed by a school to apply for this programme.

Overview

Key features

Be employed by your school on an unqualified teachers' salary
Benefit from the outstanding features of our ITT programme while earning on the job
Become a qualified teacher with the opportunity to gain 60 credits at Masters level*
Work with experts in school and at University
Your fees will be paid for by your employer
Experience a contrasting placement in an alternative setting
You must be employed by a school and the school be willing to support you throughout your training

*Those apprentices following the SENDI or PE pathway will be required to study for the 60 credits at Masters level.

Entry requirements

Honours degree (normally 2:2 or higher) from a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent qualification. Applicants with a 3^rd class degree will be considered on an individual basis
A standard equivalent to a grade 4 (formerly grade C) in the GCSE examinations in English Language or English Literature, Mathematics and Science (applicants must have these qualifications by the start of their course). Equivalency tests will be accepted to start the course and obtain QTS with the 蜜桃直播

Other information

If you take an equivalency test to meet the entry requirements, you will also be required to evidence that you hold a level 2 qualification in Maths and English
An enhanced DBS check. Your employer will be responsible for paying for this. You may already be part of the DBS update service through your employer. As part of the DBS process you will be checked against the Children’s Barred List

For any apprenticeship application, we must meet with the employer prior to progressing any application from an individual. This is to confirm that:

the applicant is employed in an appropriate organisation to undertake the Teacher Apprenticeship
they are eligible for apprenticeship funding and
their employing organisation is fully aware of the commitment required from them to fund and support the apprenticeship

Course content

As a Teacher Apprentice a large amount of your training will be spent with experts in your employing school. During the Spring term you will complete a minimum of 5 weeks training in an alternative setting where you will develop your skills teaching in a different key stage.

For a minimum of 20% of the programme, you will be engaged in ‘off the job training’. During this time you will develop new skills, knowledge and behaviours through University training, shadowing mentors in school and completing tasks for your ePortfolio training plan.

Teacher Apprentices opting to follow the PGCE Level 7 route will follow the PGCE programme design. Those Teacher Apprentices opting to apply for the QTS only route would not complete the two assignments to gain 60 credits at Level 7. Instead, they would be required to develop individual knowledge, skills and behaviours through engaging with specific aspects of the course content.

Level 6	The Developing Teacher The Learning Child Life in School
Level 7	The Developing Teacher The Learning Child

Teaching and assessment

The University places emphasis on enabling students to develop the independent learning capabilities that will equip you for lifelong learning and future employment, as well as academic achievement. A mixture of independent study, placement, teaching and academic support through the personal academic tutoring system enables you to reflect on progress. You will build up a profile of skills, achievements and experiences that will enable you to flourish and be successful.

Teaching

The Teacher Apprenticeship course enables all apprentices to become autonomous learners. The course is designed to support apprentices 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 while training.

You are taught through a combination of:

School experience in your employing school and an alternative setting
Studying all areas of learning and teaching across all EYFS and Primary National Curriculum subjects
Explore 3 key areas of the ITT Core Content Framework
Tutor-led workshops, lectures, seminars, fieldwork 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 including access to our first class鈥�Firstpoint services

In addition, there are regular opportunities throughout the year to meet with your personal tutor, where you will have the opportunity to talk about your academic progress, school experience, support with careers and applications.

Contact time

All apprentices will complete two modules (the Developing Teacher and the Learning Child), with specific hours dedicated to contact time. This is indicated in the module specifications. In addition, apprentices opting to undertake a PGCE qualification (with 60 credits at Masters level) will be required to complete the PGCE Level 7 programme content. Apprentices will also receive individual academic support from a Personal Academic Tutor.

During the Initial Needs Assessment and before the commencement of the programme, apprentices have the opportunity to discuss any recognised prior learning with their employer and university tutor. If evidence of specialist knowledge and experience in a particular area of learning indicates RPL, the apprentice may be allowed to not attend specific taught content. Instead, they will be required to complete additional off the job activities to support their training plan.

The apprenticeship programme is designed to last for a minimum of 12 months (excluding the EPA), during which time apprentices will engage in both on and off the job training and have experience in a minimum of two placement schools. This is in line with requirements from the Regulatory Body

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time and your off the job hours you are expected to undertake around 9 hours of personal study time per week. Typically, this will involve researching areas of teaching and learning related to areas of the National Curriculum, SENDI, EAL and other key areas of interest relating to the primary setting as well as working on individual and group projects and preparing assignments (if opting for the PGCE credit bearing route).

Independent learning is supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Location of teaching

The Teacher Apprenticeship programme will normally be delivered in person with some asynchronous learning (learning at your own pace) and online synchronous sessions (engaging in real time). In person teaching will be held in the St. John’s campus at the 蜜桃直播. If you apply through a regional training hub, some in person taught sessions will also be delivered at your regional training hub.

Duration

As an apprentice you will train for a minimum of 12 months to gain QTS status. This will be followed by up to 3 months for the End Point Assessment (EPA).

Timetables

Timetables are normally available one month before registration. Please note that whilst we try to be as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week.

Teaching staff

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics and school practitioners with expert knowledge and experience. You can learn more about the staff by visiting our staff profiles.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of subject audits, formative assessments, tasks completed during lectures and enhancement activities.

For those teacher apprentices opting to study for a PGCE with 60 credits at Masters level, assessment methods will include an assignment for both Level 7 modules, the Developing Teacher and the Learning Child.

Those Teacher Apprentices opting for QTS only will be required to complete a reflective commentary in their ePortfolio as part of the PGPR3000 Life in School module.

While in school, you are formatively assessed against our 蜜桃直播 Curriculum. You will work with school colleagues alongside University tutors to complete reflections and activities in school to support your formative assessment. This will build towards your assessment against the Teachers’ Standards at the end of your course.

On successful completion of QTS, you will be recommended for your End Point Assessment to gain your Apprenticeship qualification.

Throughout your course, you will be supported to prepare for your transition into your early career teacher years through the Career Entry Profile, as part of your Continuing Professional Development.

Feedback

You will receive feedback on practice assessments and on formal assessments Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We will provide you with feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and how these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please download the latest .

Careers

On successful completion of the teacher apprenticeship you take with you a Career Entry Profile to start the process of your continuing professional development as a teacher. You will liaise with your employer about employment after you complete your apprenticeship.

Costs

Fees and funding

Tuition fees	This is covered by the Education and Skills Funding Agency via the apprenticeship levy. Note for Apprenticeships: No additional charge can be made for re-takes once Apprenticeship fee is agreed at the start of the programme.
Course-related costs included in the fees	Please discuss with your employer to find out any course-related costs included in the fees.
Additional costs	Every course has day-to-day costs for essential books, stationery, printing and photocopying. As an apprentice, you may be able to claim expenses from your employer via the organisation’s travel and expenses policies. Travel costs to your employing school will vary depending on the location and your mode of transport. As an apprentice, you may be able to claim expenses from your employer via the organisation’s travel and expenses policies. The DfE requires all trainee teachers to obtain an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. This will need to be discussed and obtained with your employer. If you have lived overseas for three months or more in the last five years a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country of residence will be required. More information and guidance on costs are available from the鈥�. You will also be subject to the usual prohibition list and criminal record checks. You will need clothing suitable to be worn in a school setting and access to a laptop with reliable internet access.
Sources of financial support	Apprentices are employees and receive a salary from their employing organisation.

How to apply

Applications should be made through DfE Apply.

Read our How to apply pages for more information on applying and to find out what happens to your application.

Apply for September 2025 entry

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Caroline Thomas Meredith

Primary Lead for School Based Provision

c.thomas-meredith@worc.ac.uk

01905 855473

Helen Bayfield

Apprenticeship Administrator

h.bayfield@worc.ac.uk

01905 855073

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk

01905 855111

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