PGCE enquiries

Vacancy status

Vacancy status on all our courses can be found on the GTTR website under the Course Search facility. Some of our courses are offered at more than one campus, ensure you check on our course search listing to see which campuses have vacancies for the course you are enquiring about.

How do I apply?

Applications are made online through the GTTR website at www.gttr.ac.uk. 

When is the closing date?

Primary courses

To guarantee consideration you must submit your application by 1 December 2011 for 2012 entry. We will consider applications received after this date only at our discretion and where demand is less intense.  The full-time programme at Lancaster is very popular and we almost always close on the deadline date. Applicants wishing to apply for the PGCE DLP Shorter Routes should also aim to meet this deadline date.

Secondary courses

There isn’t a closing date as such for the Secondary courses. The University will stop considering applications when it has enough applications to fill the course. For popular courses such as English with Media, History and Art and Design it is essential that you apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

What information should I include on the application?

Email address – almost all our correspondence will be via email. Please use a personal email address rather than a work/university address. It will also help if you ensure our email is saved as a safe recipient in your email profile.

Reference – if you are in your final year or have completed your degree within the last 3 years you must provide an academic reference as the principal reference on your application.  If your degree was studied over three years ago provide a professional reference from your current/previous employer.  You can also indicate as your second referee the school in which you completed your primary school experience.

Qualifications – you should provide details of all your qualifications, including GCSE’s and A Levels and include a module breakdown of your degree.  This helps us to assess your breadth of subject knowledge.

Personal statement – your personal statement should be clear and concise and with a good standard of English language.  Use paragraphs and check your spelling/grammar.  You should explain why you want to teach in your chosen age group and demonstrate your enthusiasm and commitment to your subject and also your understanding of the role of the teacher.  Your personal statement is important, we are looking for evidence of your commitment to primary school teaching, your potential to meet the academic demands of the course and your professional suitability to the role of a primary school teacher.  You should detail the experience you have done and tell us how you think you demonstrate this potential through example and critical reflection on your completed school experience.

We will not consider an application for interview where this experience is not detailed on the application form or is yet to be completed.

What is the application process and what are the interview arrangements?

Applications will be sent to the University each week from early October onwards. Your application will be sent to the tutor for initial decision and tutors are given five days to respond. You can monitor the outcome of your application online via GTTR Track. If your application is unsuccessful this decision will be sent to the GTTR immediately and your application will go to the next choice. If you are selected for interview your application will be scheduled for interview in line with other applicants, interviews are scheduled according to the date of application. Due to the influx of applications there may be some delay in communicating this to you but we will do our best to schedule as quickly as possible.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions - PGCE

Supplying additional information

Applicants are generally considered once for your choice of course during the GTTR cycle. There are times when you can apply to us again, but that will require additional information for consideration.  For example, if you are unsuccessful in your original choice and make a subsequent choice for an alternative course you will need to supply a revised personal statement.  You can do so by completing our Additional Information Form and emailing this to us. 

This form is for use in the following circumstances:

  • where your application was originally for a Primary PGCE and you are now applying for a Secondary PGCE or a different Primary course (not the same course at a different campus) or
  • where you have applied for a Primary PGCE but were unsuccessful because you had not completed your school experience but have now completed this and want to reapply for the same course.

Applicants making a repeat application to a Primary course will only be considered in the following circumstances:

  • there are vacancies and you were previously unsuccessful only because of lack of essential experience (and for no other reason)
  • because the course had closed when you originally applied and has now reopened. 

Your repeat application will be treated as a fresh application.

Contact us

Course enquiry centre

Telephone: 0845 606 1144

Email: enquirycentre@Cumbria.ac.uk