... a lively mix of PGCE students, from different backgrounds, cultures and parts of the country, who are committed to providing excellence within the UK state maintained school sector.

Entry Criteria

The UK government sets entry criteria for all applicants to initial teacher education courses.

The equivalence of any overseas qualifications is assessed by the European Network of National Information Centres (ENIC). In order to apply for a Cambridge PGCE it is a requirement that you secure the relevant ENIC certificate prior to application. Applications without the relevant ENIC Statement of Comparability will be rejected. This does not apply to qualifications from the Republic of Ireland. 

GCSE English Language and Mathematics

When considering your application, we have to:

• ensure that you have already achieved a standard equivalent to a grade 4 in the GCSE examinations in English Language and mathematics; and

• ensure that applicants to the primary PGCE course additionally have already achieved a standard equivalent to a grade 4 in the GCSE examination in a science subject.

You must provide an examination board certificate or certified statement of results. We are unable to accept or offer equivalence tests and unable to accept level 2 functional skills qualifications.

If you are an overseas candidate, and do not hold a qualification which is considered by ENIC to be equivalent to GCSE English Language at the point of application, we will accept a single Academic IELTS with 7 in every component as equivalent, but this must be complete prior to applying (for further information see https://ielts.org/). Please note, Academic IELTS are only valid for two years. 

If you are an overseas candidate, and do not hold a qualification which is considered by ENIC to be equivalent to GCSE mathematics or science at the point of application, there are no similar alternatives acceptable.

Degree

When considering your application, we have to:

• ensure that all entrants hold an undergraduate degree (usually a Bachelors degree or integrated Masters) from a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent overseas qualification (this must be an Honours degree for admission to Cambridge).

Please see Admissions Criteria for additional requirements of the degree qualification.

Health and capacity to train to teach

We are responsible for ensuring that only applicants with the health and capacity to train to teach (with reasonable adjustments) can be admitted to the PGCE course. You will be asked to complete a fitness questionnaire from our Occupational Health service, and possibly attend a consultation with a health care professional.

It is important that you are honest and open in this process. It is your professional obligation to declare any such conditions for the sake of your own wellbeing and for that of the children and young people you will be working with whilst on your teaching placements. Your placement schools will need to be made aware of any relevant health condition so they can put appropriate safeguards in place.

Suitability checks

We undertake additional suitability checks, including those listed in relevant parts of Keeping Children Safe in Education, in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Admission to the PGCE is conditional on satisfactory checks of identity; securing a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure Certificate with Children’s Barred List information; satisfactory references; satisfactory checks against lists of those prohibited from the teaching profession, those found guilty of serious misconduct but not prohibited from teaching, those who have failed induction or probation, and those sanctioned by the General Teaching Council for England; and absence of disqualification under the Childcare Act (2006) (primary PGCE applicants only). If you have lived overseas for more than 3 months in the 5 years prior to the start of the course, you will also need to provide a satisfactory criminal records check from the relevant country or countries. We may also conduct online checks if considered appropriate and necessary.

We cannot accept a volunteer DBS, even if this is on the update service.

Admissions Criteria

In addition to the entry criteria above, the University of Cambridge applies admissions criteria when judging whether to admit you to the PGCE. We use your application form and interview (including any tasks before or during the interview) to make judgements against the admissions criteria. These differ slightly between the primary and secondary courses, but are summarized below:

Please be aware that because competition is strong for places on the PGCE courses, meeting our admissions criteria does not guarantee selection for interview, or admission to the course.

Candidates should have an articulate rationale for their choice in career and for choosing this specific PGCE course

• Motivation to teach, knowledge of the demands of the profession, long-term career ambitions, how ambitions have been fostered, why a PGCE course, why Cambridge, why this age group?
• Think about why you want to be a teacher prior to completing the application form, and engage with, for example, the Times Educational Supplement (www.tes.co.uk) or Guardian Education Supplement to ensure you have an up-to-date understanding of the nature of the job.

Candidates should express authentic enthusiasm for working with children / young people and supporting their learning, making appropriate perceptive reflections about teaching and learning and demonstrating an awareness of the wider responsibilities of working as a teacher (including safeguarding)

• Recent experience working with children, reflections of experiences, experiences of exercising leadership and responsibility, understanding wider scope of teacher's role, reflecting on professional behaviours, understanding of safeguarding etc.
• We expect you to be committed to the education of all children, whatever their backgrounds, and to be committed to the safeguarding of children and young people.
• We recommend that you spend some time in school, if possible, prior to applying, to help you decide if teaching is right for you. You should consider how you might demonstrate your commitment and enthusiasm in your personal statement and be ready to discuss it during your interview.

Candidates should demonstrate good communication skills and be able to express themselves articulately, both orally and in writing, in an appropriate professional manner

• Coherence of personal statement, clarity of spoken English, social and oral communication skills
• Please see your application form and interview as an opportunity to demonstrate that you meet this criterion. We may set you additional oral, written or numerical tasks during your interview.

Candidates should have a strong academic background that will equip them to teach across the primary age phase and be willing to identify areas requiring revision or development

• Primary: Relevance of degree subject, confidence in own subject knowledge (including English, maths & Science)
• For primary PGCE applicants, we accept any degree subject.
• We expect you to have a minimum academic qualification of an upper second-class honours degree (or equivalent). We may interview applicants with lower second-class honours degrees, providing they also have a higher degree (in these circumstances, please contact pgce-enquiries@educ.ac.uk for guidance prior to application).

Candidates should demonstrate flexibility of ideas and the ability to analyse and reflect critically on their own experience and abilities. They should indicate an aptitude to undertake an intensive and intellectually challenging course at Masters level. They should be willing to consider and be receptive to alternative viewpoints and ideas

• Ability to reason, capacity for analysis and reflection, resilience when challenged, willingness to learn
• We expect you to be able to demonstrate at point of application and at interview your ability to reflect on your own experiences in schools and consider these in relation to current educational thinking. Ensure you have considered how you will manage the undertaking of the intensive PGCE at Masters level.

Candidates should demonstrate positive personal and professional qualities that are relevant to teaching, including organisational, interpersonal skills, and emotional resilience. They should demonstrate the ability to relate to others and to work collaboratively as appropriate with other individuals and within a team setting

• Interests and hobbies, dress, attitude, self-organisation, perseverance, demeanour, experiences of exercising leadership and responsibility
• The course requires you to have energy, emotional resilience and perseverance, to learn independently and collaboratively with others, to act upon advice, and to show flexibility and humour.