Question Concerning Studying a Postgraduate teaching course in Scotland

Hi, this may be a long post but I want to be super clear since I have asked SFE on twitter and wasn't given a clear answer.

I am going to finish my first degree soon at a Scottish University (I have only lived in Scotland whilst studying). My permanent residence has always been in England.

I want to study a PGDE (Scottish equivalent of a PGCE) which is a 1 year postgraduate teaching course taught in Scotland.

Whilst studying I will live in Scotland during term time, and during non-term time in England. Hence England will be my permanent residence while studying.

AFTER studying I will most likely continue to live in Scotland, as it is a Scottish teaching qualification.

My question is, am I eligible for a maintenance loan from SFE? If so, how much can a postgraduate receive ?

Many thanks.

Hi, if you normally reside in England then you should apply to SFE. A Professional Graduate Diploma in Education course is eligible for student support if you are on an ITT course that leads to Qualified Teacher Status. If it has been confirmed that the course leads to QTS then you may be eligible for student support, subject to other qualifying criteria such as residency and course eligibility.
Thanks, Isaac

So as long as my permanent (non-term time) address remains in England for the duration of the course, I am eligible for the same amount of finance if I study a PGDE in Scotland as I would be eligible for if I studied a PGCE in England? Is this correct?

So I am eligible for both a tuition fee loan and a maintenance loan if I study a PGDE?

Many thanks.

Yes as long as you will be achieving Qualified Teacher Status for the first time.
Thanks, Isaac

Hi, if you normally reside in England then you should apply to SFE. A Professional Graduate Diploma in Education course is eligible for student support if you are on an ITT course that leads to Qualified Teacher Status. If it has been confirmed that the course leads to QTS then you may be eligible for student support, subject to other qualifying criteria such as residency and course eligibility.
Thanks, Isaac

Sorry just two more questions.

1- How much of a maintenance loan would I be eligible for as a PGDE student? (what is the maximum I could get)

2- Would a tuition fee loan cover the full £9,250 cost of the course?

Sorry another question. What do you mean by "leads to QTS" ?

The Scottish education system does not have QTS, they have something I think is equivalent but it isn't called QTS. So if a course leads to a qualification whereby I could study in Scotland is this eligible for funding?

Also , if I live in Scotland AFTER gaining a PGDE will this be okay?

Many thanks.

Hi, I will answer your queries in order.

1. That depends on your circumstances, you can use our calculator to estimate this https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator
2. You should ask your university about this as I don't know what fee they are charging.

QTS is Qualified Teacher Status, when I say lead to QTS, I mean that at the end of the course you will have gained Qualified Teacher Status, if you don't then you may not be eligible for funding.

Yes you can live in Scotland afterwards.
Thanks, Isaac

There is NO such thing as QTS in Scotland so no course in Scotland will lead to QTS.

"QTS as such does not exist in Scotland or Northern Ireland.[6] However, as is the case in England and Wales, all teachers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are required to register with either the General Teaching Council for Scotland or the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland; the General Teaching Councils will consider only graduates with teaching qualifications (such as a BEd, PGCE or PGDE) for registration." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualified_Teacher_Status

So it HAS to be QTS, nothing equivalent?

(Sorry if this seems picky, it's just really important that I know whether or not I can get funding.)