Teacher Training
‘'Rated as Outstanding’ for all aspects of our Initial Teacher Education provision in 2011 and again in our April 2013 Ofsted inspection.
Welcome to Initial Teacher Education
You may wish to study one of our Initial Teacher Education programmes rated Outstanding by Ofsted in 2013. You can join us at either undergraduate or postgraduate level.
You may already be working in the education sector and looking for further training and development, or you may be new to the world of Education.
As part of our Initial Teacher Education programmes, we have excellent School Partnerships which have been developed over many years and represent an established relationship between local schools and ourselves. The Partnerships comprise of a number of schools in the North of England (from Northumberland to North Yorkshire).
While our standards are high, we have always welcomed students from all walks of life - those changing career direction or looking for further professional development, as well as recent graduates. We are based at two locations: the Durham City campus (which is the home of our Education Studies degree, PGCE degrees and postgraduate programmes), and the Queen's campus at Stockton (where our BA in Primary Education is currently based).
Whichever programme you choose, you can be assured of a warm welcome, knowledgeable and approachable staff as well as a strong research led ethos and culture.
We look forward to welcoming you to the School of Education, Durham University.
Through its ethos of research-led teaching, we provide trainee teachers with a challenging and rewarding education. We produce teachers with an in-depth knowledge of learning and education as whole, who are able to reflect on their experiences and adapt accordingly. Our trainees not only critically assess the latest research, but also utilise these theories to inform their own practice.
We offer three programmes that to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS):
Whether you wish to gain QTS by undertaking an undergraduate or a postgraduate qualification, our programmes will give you the opportunity to develop your skills and abilities. The support provided by both the mentors in our partnership schools and our own academic tutors is of the highest calibre and both the schools and the University work closely together to ensure that you become an effective and engaging educator.
Alongside classroom training you will undertake an intensive academic programme focused on understanding learning and on enriching your knowledge of either the broad Primary curriculum or your specialised secondary subject.
We are committed to excellence in education and to shaping the next generation of leaders in the field and in the classroom. We promote and instil in our students the importance of leadership, respect for others and a wider social and environmental responsibility.
We prepare our trainees for the rest of their professional lives as first class teachers.
All students undertaking a PGCE at Durham University have the option of obtaining a Master's level degree through our cutting-edge MA Education programme, which combines elements of the PGCE with further Master's level work. By completing a further week at the end of the PGCE year to take the "Enquiring Practitioner" module, you can upgrade your 90 credit PGCE to a 120 credit Postgraduate Diploma in Education (The PG Dip). This is what we call PGCE +. Then a further 60 credit dissertation earns you a 180 credit Masters' degree.
