We are in the process of finalising our postgraduate taught courses for 2026/27 entry. In the meantime, you can view our 2025/26 courses.
Gain experience and knowledge of teaching in the early years or Key Stage 1. Benefit from our outstanding facilities and well-managed placements, and qualify as an early years teacher with our PgCE Primary (3-7).
Our Primary Professional Graduate Certificate in Education with QTS (PgCE) (3-7) pathway leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), giving you the experience, the opportunity, and the knowledge to work in both Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) settings and infant/primary school settings.
This course is suited to those who would prefer not to undertake the master’s-level academic work associated with a PGCE and who would prefer to focus solely on the practical elements of the course and achieving Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
The EYFS is a unique phase of education which involves learning through play and first-hand experiences both inside and outdoors. This phase leads into Key Stage 1, where children really start to engage with learning to read, applying their mathematical knowledge, and making sense of how the world works.
Choose the early years pathway if you are interested in early learning and early child development. By choosing this pathway, you will experience both the EYFS and Key Stage 1 phases, and will therefore be highly skilled in two curricula. If you are interested in the rewards and challenges of being an early years expert teacher, choose this pathway.
Your tutors are internationally or nationally renowned experts, and their research regularly has a direct impact on school curricula and learning techniques, both in the UK and abroad. As experts in their field, their research also directly informs the focus and content of your course.
Learning takes place through a series of lectures, practical seminars and workshops, where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge. Sessions may include:
Alongside your University tutors, you will be taught and guided by a team of committed and experienced University-trained school mentors.
The Institute of Education is based on our historic London Road campus, which has undergone a £30m refurbishment of the classical Oxford-cloistered quadrangle to create a dedicated, world-class education centre.
We have created dedicated spaces for the teaching of specialist subjects such as music, PE, drama, the sciences, ICT, and art, including:
Alongside these fantastic facilities you will also find places to eat and drink as well as plenty of green space.
Climate and sustainability education
Visit Partnering for the Planet to find out more about the University of Reading’s world-leading work in climate science.
Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers. You will build your confidence in the classroom, and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.
You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your PGCE to apply your developing skills to real-life settings. We have strong partnerships with over 300 local schools and are renowned for our relationships with these partner schools.
It is a testament to the strength of our partnerships, and the regard in which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.
We have an incredible collection of teaching resources housed in the Learning Hub. A treasure trove for teachers, the Learning Hub contains an extensive selection of teaching aids for loan or reference, from big books to puppets. A printing and binding facility, and technical equipment library are also available for your use.
The quality of our research was recognised in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021), the system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. 98% of our research is of international standing (REF 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Education).
For more information, please visit the Institute of Education website.
