New primary and secondary teacher training programme at Aberystwyth University

Aberystwyth University has been training teachers for 125 years

Aberystwyth University has been training teachers for 125 years

02 July 2018

A pioneering teacher training progamme at Aberystwyth University has been granted accreditation for five years by the Education Workforce Council.

From September 2019, the University’s School of Education will be delivering a new Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) offering two pathways to Qualified Teaching Status (QTS).

Student teachers can choose to follow either a Primary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Secondary Enrichment, or a Secondary PGCE with Primary Enrichment.

Professor Malcolm Thomas, Director of the School of Education at Aberystwyth University, said: “This is a pioneering, integrated programme which responds to the needs of teacher education in the 21st century, and which educates and develops student teachers to teach across both primary and secondary sectors. This ideology is in keeping with the Welsh Government’s National Mission and the new Curriculum for Wales, as well as with the increasing emergence of All-Through schools not only in rural authorities but also urbanised areas. We look forward to working with the Education Workforce Council on our accreditation in the coming months and meeting their specified criteria.”

The PGCE programme has been developed in partnership with the local education authority -Ceredigion County Council – as well as primary and secondary schools in Mid Wales.

Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said: “Aberystwyth has a long history of training teachers and we are delighted to have been granted accreditation for five years by the Education Workforce Council to deliver initial teacher education from September 2019. We couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate 125 years in teacher training since the start in 1892/3, the year when the University of Wales was established.

“Not only does this programme strengthen our secondary teacher training offering, it also brings back primary teacher training to Aberystwyth. As a University, we would like to thank members of the Aberystwyth ITE Partnership Working Group inclusive of Ceredigion County Council and partner schools who have worked with us on these innovative proposals to develop teacher education for the future.”

Applications for the PGCE programmes starting in September 2019 are now open. For further information, please email education@aber.ac.uk or visit the website www.aber.ac.uk/en/education.