Congratulations on being offered a place on our PGCE Primary University-centred programme.

Key Programme Dates

Induction Day: Saturday 20th June 2026 – 9.00am

First day of the programme: Thursday 3rd September 2026 –10.00am –

(Come to our Holgate Dining Room Extension at 9am with photo ID to pick up your Student ID Card)

As you prepare to start your PGCE, please make sure that you have met all of the conditions attached to your offer by the stipulated deadline.

ID Checks

This will include:

• DBS documentation
• GCSE confirmation or equivalency tests 
• Degree confirmation 

• Please note there are drop in sessions for your ID checks to be done on campus in our De Grey building between 1pm & 3pm on the following dates:
• 
  Date: Thurs 14th May 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 27th May 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 10th June 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 24th June 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 8th July 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 22nd July 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 5th Aug 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 19th Aug 26
  Room: DG 014
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  Date: Wed 2nd Sept 26
  Room: TBC
  Time: 1.00 – 3.00
• 
  If you have any questions relating to your conditions, please do contact our admissions department at pgce@yorksj.ac.uk
  Please also note that our admissions team will be available on our face-to-face induction day which will be help as York St John University on Saturday 21st June. Please do bring your certificates to this day if they have not already been checked. There will be more information about the university induction day to follow but do save the date in your diary.  

If you have any questions in relation to your conditions, please do contact our admissions department at pgce@yorksj.ac.uk

Please also note that our admissions team will be available on our face-to-face induction day on Saturday 20th June. There will be more information about the university induction day to follow; for now, save the date in your diary.  

Course Calendar 2026-27

The calendar below indicates your placement dates for 2026-27. When not in school, you will be on campus for your university-based training or engaged in independent study including during some of the school half-term holidays. A detailed timetable will be shared with you on the first day of the course. 

The Importance of Reading for Pleasure

Reading is a fundamental skill that unlocks learning across the whole curriculum. As primary school teachers, it is essential that we promote the joy of reading, as research shows that those children who choose to read develop academically and socially. Therefore, you must become a role model for the children in your class and promote the value of reading across the whole curriculum. To support you with this, we have provided you with the following list of recommended texts. Please select the age range that you will be teaching and spend some time over the summer enjoying examples of children’s literature. There is no need to buy these texts but I would recommend visiting your local library and accessing the children’s section. Happy reading!

100 best books

There is no deadline for this task – start building your knowledge of children’s literature now and continue throughout your course (and career!)

Professional Expectations

Professionalism is a fundamental aspect of the role of all teachers. Each and every one of us must uphold the highest standards and demonstrate the core values of acceptance, respect and kindness at all times. 

Part Two of the Teachers’ Standards outlines expectations, and you will be assessed against these expectations throughout your programme.  These professional expectations focus on how you communicate with other, present yourself in a professional capacity and how you adhere to school values and policy.  

The transition to a professional programme can be a challenge for some student teachers, but to support you, the following PowerPoint outlines expectations as well as giving you a range of case studies for you to consider. Please access the PowerPoint from the link below and make notes/reflections on the scenarios given to you. Further reading is also offered for those who wish to read more around the focus of professionalism.  Please download the PowerPoint and save this electronically as access is time sensitive is set to expire on 8th August 2026

Professionalism Powerpoint 26-27

Critical Reading and Thinking

This Powerpoint is designed to support your understanding of criticality. Please work through the activities outlined.  This workshop will be followed by a critical writing Powerpoint and your formative writing activity which should be completed over the summer holiday.

Critical Reading Powerpoint

Critical Writing Powerpoint and Task

This Powerpoint has been designed to support your critical writing skills.  Criticality is an essential component of M Level study and this workshop will highlight the academic expectations of your PGCE as well as support your understanding of how to plan and compose a piece of critical writing.

Please ensure you have completed the critical thinking and reading workshop before engaging with this workshop as this will support your understanding.

The written outcome from this workshop will be submitted early in the programme. Please ensure you have completed the written task before 3rd September. You will receive feedback from your writing from your tutors whiuch will support your first submission proper in January 2027.

Please ensure you take this opportunity to receive formative feedback on your academic writing as this will help ensure you are successful with your module assessment.

Critical Writing Presentation

Developing your General Knowledge

As a primary school teacher, you are required to teach the full range of National Curriculum subjects and areas of the EYFS Framework, and although we acknowledge that each teacher will have curriculum strengths, all teachers need to develop a secure grounding across all subjects. To support you with your broader curriculum knowledge, we request that you spend some time reflecting on those areas where your general knowledge is weak and begin to gain experience.

To facilitate this, you should visit local museums, art galleries and places of worship as these are rich sources of curriculum knowledge.

The following is a useful website to locate museums and galleries in your area.

https://www.great-days-out.co.uk/museums-galleries/yorkshire-and-the-humber/

Subject Knowledge Audits

The following audits have been written to ensure you are aware of the level of subject knowledge required to be a primary school teacher. The audits are a formative tool and enable you to reflect and identify areas of personal need. The audits cover key aspects of the English, mathematics and science curriculum content and to ensure you are prepared to teach these, revision in weaker areas will be needed during the summer.  

Please access the audits via the links contained within the following word documents. Once completed, record you scores on the same tracking document and record any revision work you have done as preparation for your start in September. Please note that these audits will be repeated before you begin your final placement to demonstrate progress. You should be prepared to show your subject knowledge audit scores with your school-based General Mentor in September as areas of development will inform your early targets. Please also save your completed subject knowledge trackers electronically because you will need to upload these onto your electronic portfolio (Pebblepad) at a later date.

Suggested reading and resources have been provided to support your revision and again these can be found in the documents below. These should be a starting point and not a definitive list. Please be as proactive as you can be and use the time over the summer to revise and build confidence in areas where develop is needed.

We would suggest that you complete the audits before your face-to-face induction day (Saturday 20th  June) as we will be holding subject knowledge taster events on this day and you can select the most appropriate workshops that will support areas of development

Resources to support your subject knowledge

Resources-to-support-your-English-subject-knowledge-1

Resources-to-support-your-mathematics-subject-knowledge-2

Professional Competency Test

The professional competency test has been devised to allow you to demonstrate the required knowledge and skills in essential literacy and numeracy that have been identified by the DfE. All teachers are required to be effective communicators and to be able to interpret data and, therefore, you need to demonstrate a minimum level to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status. 

To help you demonstrate competency in these essential areas, you should take the following test which can be accessed via the link below. Please note that for this test, there is a minimum pass mark that must be met to show competency. That pass mark is 70%. If you reach the required pass mark, you will not need to take the audit again. If you do not reach a pass mark of 70%, please do not worry as there will be a further opportunity to re-sit this. There is no need to record this score anywhere as we will track who has passed and who needs to re-sit at a later date. However, do remember to include your full name when completing the test. The deadline for completion of this audit is 4th September 2026.

PCT Test A

Prevent Training

Please note that the remote module (Prevent Awareness – Course 1 only) must be completed before your September start date and you MUST present your certificate to your school as proof of completion on the very first day of attending school. Please do keep electronic copies of any certificates as these will need to be uploaded to your online portfolio at a later date. Even if you have undertaken this training previously, this must be renewed before your September start date.

Prevent Training

FGM Training

FGM recognition and prevention is an important aspect of your safeguarding training and the Home Office remote training module can be accessed from the link below. You will need to register to access the training but you can simply do this by following the link.

Please ensure that you have completed the remote module by 3rd September and you have a copy of the certificate to show to your school on your first school-based day. An electronic copy of your certificate should be saved to allow you to upload this to your online portfolio later in the year.

FGM Training

York St John Student Charter

York St John University is a vibrant learning community of students and staff. We work together to create an environment in which we can all fulfil our academic and personal potential. We all have rights and responsibilities and we will all benefit if we actively respect and protect the rights of others. Please access the Charter below and explore the links to other useful information. This will help you to make the most of your time at York St John University.

YSJ Student Charter

Induction Day – 20th June 2026

9am – 2pm

The induction day has been designed to ensure you can make contact with your programme team before you begin in September, begin to develop your subject knowledge and meet representation from this year’s cohort. It is also an opportunity to see our admissions team who can check off any certificates and other further support with meeting any outstanding conditions.

The timetable for the day is below and we will give you access to the day’s PowerPoints after the day. You will also find a copy of your induction handbook below which should be used in the first weeks of your programme.

Campus Map

Student C.V. 

As part of your induction, you are asked to complete and save an up to date CV. This will, once you have received training, be uploaded onto your electronic portfolio (Pebblepad). For now, please just complete the below template and save this electronically. Once you have enrolled onto the programme and received Pebblepad training, you will be able to share this with your school-based mentor. 

CV Template 26 27

Pre and post key stage placements 

As you will have seen on the course calendar, student teachers need to arrange and complete their own pre and post key stage placements. 

• Lower Primary student teachers: Pre & Post placement  

• 2 days in a setting where there are children aged between 0 to 3 years old, e.g., a day nursery, crèche or playgroup (early learners). This should be a setting not part of a school.  

• 2 days in a Key Stage 2 class (any or all from Year 3 to Year 6)  

• Upper Primary student teachers: Pre & Post placement  

• 2 days in Key Stage 1 (Year 1 and Year 2). If the setting you visit also has an EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) unit, it would be advisable to spend half a morning here too.  

• 2 days in a Key Stage 3 school (from Year 7 to Year 9)  

There are four days set aside within the programme to do these:  

Tuesday 22^nd – Friday 25^th September 

You should aim to arrange these placements as soon as possible – ideally before schools close for the summer in July. They could be undertaken in any order. You may already have links to some schools or settings that you can use to organise your placements. There may be other student teachers also contacting the same settings and schools and it is advisable that you organise your placements as early as possible.    

Please note, the university placements office will not be able to support with these placements. Keep trying! 

The Induction Handbook 26-27 PGCE Primary UC MOODLE .docx  has further details about the placements.  

The Student Information Form

Please see the information below from the YSJ Placements Office. You should click on the link and complete the form as soon as possible to allow the team to begin making progress towards securing a compliant placement for 26/27.

Student Information Form 26 27

When you submit this form, it will not automatically collect your details like name and email address unless you provide it yourself.

Introduction

All students undertaking professional placements in Academic Year (AY) 2026/27 are required to complete this Student Information Form to assist the Placement Team in making appropriate placing decisions.  Please consider:

• The more information you give us, the easier it is to allocate the most appropriate placement for you. Please give full details of any circumstances that will affect your travel to and from your hosts, i.e. direction of travel via childcare etc. 
• Securing sufficient placements to meet the compliance requirements of the different programmes is a challenging task. Placements are situated across the whole of Yorkshire (rural and urban areas) and it is common for placements to be in areas such as Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hull, Leeds and Doncaster. There are very few placement opportunities in central York.
• York St John University values its partnerships with all its hosts and the positive relationships that have been built over a number of years. Therefore, you must not approach any hosts to organise your own placement.
• Ensuring all students are placed in accordance with the compliance requirements of the programme can be extremely complex and is dependent on the offers provided by hosts.  Completion of this form helps the Placement Team in its decision making but it does not mean any preferences stated will be met.

Safeguarding Basic School Certificate 2026/7

You need to successfully complete the certificate prior to going into school on school experience. You will need to score 75% (over 15) or above to pass – there are 16 questions but some have multiple answers so the final score is out of 20.

To do: 1. Watch the Powerpoint video: https://youtu.be/e70WFMjL_g8

2. At points in the video you are asked to complete the questions on Qualtrics https://yorksj.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5b9lrnqO7CjzWL4

3. You will need to upload a screenshot of the email you receive when you have passed onto PebblePad. Make sure you upload this not the mark screen as the email has your name on, which schools require.

4. Forward a copy of the email confirmation to Sarah Trussler s.trussler@yorksj.ac.uk so she can keep track of everyone who has taken the certificate for university and as a register for schools.

In addition to this certificate there are two other elements to your safeguarding preparation before going into school:

· Attend the lecture on safeguarding

· Read Keeping Children Safe in Education 2026 Part 1

Code of Conduct

Please take the time to read through our Code of Conduct before starting the course next week.