The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Early Years Birth to 5) offers a unique route into achieving Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).
The course promotes flexibility in your own career pathway and provides opportunities to achieve a recognised birth to 5 teaching qualification. It enhances the professional requirements for EYTS by giving you extensive experience in a variety of work based settings including children centres, pre-school, and nursery.
This offers a holistic experience of the developing and learning child from birth to aged 5. The course focuses on the importance of teaching and learning at this critical stage of a child progressing through the Early Years Foundation Stage to their primary school provision.
In addition, the PGCE provides you with skills, knowledge and understanding in developing yourself as a leader in high quality early years settings.
This is an exciting PGCE leading to Early Years Teacher Status. You will develop as a highly qualified, effective and confident early years teacher, able to lead in a variety of Early Years settings. You will develop skills, knowledge and understanding in child development; early literacy and mathematics; and the Early Years Foundation Stage. You will be taught in lectures and seminars (including the integration of the University’s own Forest School and outdoor learning environment); and Early Years placements from birth to age 5.
Course Leader
Applicants should have a good undergraduate degree at Honours level, or equivalent.
To apply for a place on a postgraduate course (MA/MSc/MBA) at the University of Bedfordshire you should have a good first degree and the required English language qualification
Find out more about specific entry requirements for your country
To apply for a postgraduate degree (MA/MSc/MBA/LLM) at the University of Bedfordshire you should have a good honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in an appropriate subject from a recognised university or HE institution.
We will also consider candidates with other relevant qualifications or appropriate work experience.
You also need to have the required English language qualification
Contact your country’s International Admissions Team for more information.
You will take part in a selection process designed to assess your suitability to become a teacher of young children from birth to 5. All applicants for an EYTS programme are interviewed as part of the admissions process. Anyone admitted to an early years ITT programme, must be deemed suitable to become an early years teacher. Prior to the start of the course you will need:
Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) is a new nationally recognised Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme. This course will place you at the forefront of the profession. The course enables you to become an outstanding practitioner in an early years setting qualified to teach young children from Birth to age 5.
In addition, the course equips you to aspire to becoming a leader in the field more broadly, and in future roles. Accordingly, you will be encouraged to present your learning to peers and other professionals. You will present studies and develop improvement projects that you may use as evidence in future applications.
An integral part of the course is giving you opportunities to develop your practice in a range of Early Years’ and school settings. This will provide further opportunities to make contacts that will help you with finding work at the end of the course.
This course is fully funded subject to eligibility.
Course fees of £7,000 are covered by a training grant from the DfE paid to the training provider.
Trainees with high academic achievement may be eligible to receive a training bursary.
Scholarship Available
The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.
You will need to pay for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and travel costs to placement.
Find out more about additional costs while studying at Bedfordshire. Click here
The Gateway Building located at the entrance of the Bedford campus holds a wide range of facilities including the main reception, student information desk, a café on the ground floor, large lecture theatres as well as a range of study rooms & breakout spaces on all floors.
Part of the University's 'greening of the campus' initiative, the £25m investment in the Gateway includes a number of sustainable and low carbon technologies such as rainwater harvesting. The project team are aiming towards a BREEAM sustainability rating of 'excellent'.
The Bedford Campus Centre holds the large 280 seat professional theatre on the ground floor and the 80 seat studio theatre on the first floor as well as a box office just inside the entrance where students, staff and the wider community can get tickets for the variety of student performances that are held by our School of Media & Performance
Also on the ground floor is the main campus café which offers a wide variety of tasty food & drink and is a great social space for meeting friends and group working.
The University guarantees accommodation to all new students.
Choose from Liberty Park's en-suite study bedrooms or the Student Village which offers standard rooms with shared bathroom facilities, and en-suite rooms with a private shower. All have fully-equipped kitchens.
Our rooms are on-campus and have easy access to the town centre and train station.
Our specialist labs give students a fantastic environment to develop their research skills and expertise, where a student can explore the biology of an elite athlete who could be performing simultaneously within the sports hall.
Few Sport Science courses in the country offer students such unique discipline leading research experience and skills, alongside intimate access to world leading researchers within their field. Students are regularly offered the opportunity to be involved within discipline defining Sport, Health and Exercise Science research
Our state-of-the-art laboratories are purpose built for research and teaching in the fields of exercise and nutrition science. This includes specialised equipment and facilities for assessing human health risk and delivering exercise and diet interventions for health promotion.
Set within the Campus Centre is a 260 seat professional theatre on the ground floor with industry-standard lighting, media desk, roll-down screen, full backstage comms system and large dressing rooms with en suite showers. On the first floor there's also a well-equipped 80 seat studio theatre.
Our theatres welcome new and existing audiences to see a range of student work including contemporary dance, theatre and performing arts; holding regular performances. The performance facilities are designed to emulate professional working conditions.
The Aspire Gym has state of the art cardiovascular equipment with smart phone compatibility.
There is also an extensive range of fixed resistance machines and a small free weights area.
Changing rooms with showers and lockers are available for members to use.
The teacher education centre is set out over a number of blocks on campus containing realistic mock classrooms for students to learn and train within.
As part of this our Forest School also provides the opportunity for teachers to be trained in outdoor learning and the educational benefits of outdoor play.
We have a long-established history in teacher training and education with over 500 partnerships with schools, colleges and other organisations.
The sports hall is an integral space in the School of Sport Science and Physical Activity, complementing discipline leading Sport and Exercise Science and modern biological analysis laboratories, all co-located on the Bedford campus.
The sports hall is proud to host all Bedfordshire Bulls students' sports matches as well as national standard sporting events including British University College Sports championships – one of the few indoor sporting venues in the county to host prestigious tournaments all year round.
The facility also plays host to a number of University promoted Get into Sport activities which are open to all University students and staff.
Alongside the large sports hall the campus is surrounded by sports fields and a multi-use games area for the University's Sport and Physical Education degree students.
The Bedford campus is located just outside the centre of town within easy walking distance. For students and staff travelling by train we also run a free regular bus service from Bedford Station to the Campus. Bedford has excellent transport links to the rest of the UK as it sits between the M1 and the A1. The town connects by train to Luton (20 minutes) and London (40 minutes).
UK students applying for most postgraduate degrees at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form
International students applying for a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form or via our representatives in your home country. You can also apply online
Find out more about how to apply as an International student
International students applying for a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire should apply direct using our admissions form or via our representatives in your home country. You can also apply online
Find out more about how to apply as an International student