Application Process and Course Requirements
Please select a course
General Guidance
Applying for PGCE
To apply to the PGCE course, you can either use the GTTR application process or, as we are a SCITT, you can apply to us directly using our application form. If invited for an interview you will need to provide detailed information about your past experience and education. You will be required to provide evidence of your qualifications.
During the interview process we will talk with you about what you can already do and what further training you would need in order to meet the standards required for entry onto the PGCE course.
You will be interviewed by a representative from the West Midlands Consortium and a subject specialist from one of the Consortium schools.
In order to undertake a teacher training course you must meet the minimum requirements.
Applying for GTP
Applicants to the Consortium, do not need to find their own Training School.
Details of the Consortium Schools can be found on the WMC Schools page.
Due to the closure of the Teaching Agency GTP Application Portal, you should apply to the GTP course directly using a WMC PGCE application form. Clearly mark your application GTP.
If invited for an interview you will need to provide detailed information about your past experience and education. During the interview process we will talk with you about what you can already do and what further training you would need in order to meet the standards required for QTS. You will be required to provide evidence of your qualifications. You will be interviewed by a representative from the West Midlands Consortium and senior staff from the proposed Training School.
-
If you apply for an advertised place we will inform you if you have not been successful.
-
If you make a general application the West Midlands Consortium will hold your application on file and contact you when a vacancy occurs in one of the Consortium’s schools to see if you would wish to be considered.
The West Midlands Consortium allocates GTP places across the schools based on the opportunities to provide appropriate training. These places will therefore vary from year to year and the intention is to recruit for September intakes.
In order to undertake a teacher training course you must meet the minimum requirements.
Writing your Personal Statement
When applying for Initial Teacher Training, you will be required to complete a personal statement. In your statement, you should explain why you wish to join the teaching profession and specifically why you wish to teach your chosen subject. Include your aspirations and the qualities and skills you will bring into teaching. Try to explain why you want to study the course you are applying for and include any relevant experience you have of working in schools and/or with young people. If you mention your personal interests and hobbies, try to link these to the skills and experience required for the course.
The personal statement may be used as the basis for an interview so be prepared to answer questions on it. Make sure it is organised and literate. Get the grammar, spelling and punctuation right. A statement filled with errors will give a negative impression of your skills and the effort you have put in to being accepted. Your statement must be written in English.
Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
Although the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act often enables those with a conviction for criminal offences not to disclose them after a period of time, this does not apply to members or intending members of the teaching profession. Applicants must detail all convictions / cautions / reprimands or final warnings given by the police for any criminal offences. WMC reserves the right to withdrawal an offer should there be any instances of non-disclosure at the point of initial application.
Trainee General Requirements
The West Midlands Consortium's admission process looks to select individuals with outstanding potential and a passionate commitment to teaching rather than those in possession of a particular set of academic qualifications. For instance, we welcome mature entrants with experience of commerce/industry closely related to their chosen subject area, should their degree not be a strong match.
Nevertheless, there are academic standards required by the Teaching Agency, which all applicants must have achieved. In order to apply for Initial Teacher Training:
-
You should have at least a 2:2 degree or equivalent in your chosen subject area
-
You must hold GCSE grade C (or better) in Mathematics and English
-
For PGCE Primary, you must hold GCSE grade C (or better) in Science
-
Your previous education must provide a sound foundation for work as a teacher in the phase and subject you are to teach
Some courses have additional requirements. See course sections for further guidance.
Please note, in order to take up your training place you must first pass both the TA Professional Numeracy and Literacy skills tests.
Equivalent qualifications
If you have qualifications from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), the National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC) will be able to advise you on whether your qualifications are equivalent to the minimum requirements set out above, and they may also provide certification where appropriate.