Confirmed offer - what next?

They'll contact you with everything you need to do. My university sent me various forms and other things once I'd accepted the offer, then once I had an unconditional offer (I was finishing my degree in the summer) they sent me some more forms. In the early summer they sent out the summer tasks/pre reading lists to everyone. I imagine they'll just send things to you when they've got them ready, I wouldn't worry.

The QTS skills tests are taken during your PGCE year. Your uni will register you for provisional registration with the GTC (General Teaching Council) and you then get a reference number to be able to register to take the tests. You need the reference number for every job application you ever do. We got our GTC numbers in October, then you've essentially got the entire PGCE year to take the tests. You can redo them as many times as you like and they're free. You sit them at a Pearson Test Centre, which are the same places that you do driving theory tests. You can not gain QTS without passing the tests, so if you're at all worried its worth trying to get them out of the way as quick as possible. There are example tests online to practice with, although a lot of people have said they're harder than the actual ones at the test centre. A lot of people worry about them more than you should. If you did fine at GCSE in English and maths then you've got nothing to worry about, the ICT one is basically a test on following instructions and is really pointless as it uses a fake operating system.

When you start the PGCE you'll do a subject knowledge audit (similar to the QTS tests) in English, maths, science and ICT. People who scored below 60% (I think) at mine had to attend booster lessons during the year then the people who got less than 75-80% have had to retake the audit at the end of the year. Again, its nothing to worry about, its more a way of showing you what work you need to do before doing the QTS tests and raising your confidence to teach the subjects in the classroom.

Thanks, that's really helpful advice. I'm relieved about the audits/tests... think I'll try and get mine out of the way asap

They're really not worth worrying about. Some people on my course have got ridiculously worked up about them due to inbuilt fear relating to maths then got there and found that they could actually do it! Given people can enter a PGCE course with a C at foundation GSCE maths, it isn't going to be any harder than this, which is the equivalent of around a 5a/6c on the National Curriculum levels and some children hit this in KS2 SATS. In short, they've got to be sure that you can teach and understand the upper end of KS2 maths but as long as you've got a decent understanding of maths, which given you're on the course you clearly do, then you'll be fine There's also a mental maths section which catches a lot of people out because you've only got 10 or 20 seconds to work out the answer but they're the sort of questions where there's a really long/complicated way to work it out or a simple way which takes a few seconds.

I'd recommend doing a practice one for the ICT because the hardest part about that is understanding their weird program. Its supposed to be to see how you can do things like spreadsheets but because its a made up program its nothing like MS Office so even if you can use that well you're still caught out by it!

There's some example oneshere.

I have a place on a course in September and was just wondering about the audits that we need to do at the start of the course... does anyone know what level they will be? It makes sense to test us on KS1 & 2 as that's what we will be teaching but someone of the online primary tests I've seen have a lot of KS3 content as well, so will we be tested on this

I've tried speaking to the uni department but no one seems to be picking up or calling back...

Thanks in advance

I've just 'firmly accepted' an unconditional offer from Greenwich... Probably a silly question but will they send me though a starter pack, info about accommodation, etc. or do I need to chase this up

Also, does anyone know when we take the QTS skills tests and when the audits are (and what they entail, i.e. are they in maths, english, science, etc.)

Any other info would be great as well!

Thanks x

Hi,

I just wanted to know how your Maths PGCE at Greenwich is going?

Kind regards,