Initial Teacher Education Offer Guide

Congratulations on receiving your offer to study one of our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. The admissions process for ITE programmes is different from other postgraduate courses. This offer guide will help you with your next steps.

Pupil using a whiteboard with teacher

Student Contract

If you decide to accept your offer, a contract will be formed between you and the University. It is important that you read the information contained in the student contract. It contains your rights and obligations to the University and the University's obligations to you.

Important information about your offer

Accepting your offer

Now that you have your conditional offer, you need to inform the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) of your decision. Using the UCAS Track service, you can firmly accept your offer of a place. If you do not reply by the deadline set by UCAS, your offer will be declined by default.

Conditions of your offer

There are a number of conditions attached to your offer of a place to study an ITE programme. All applicants are required to meet DBS and other suitability conditions, set out below.

Conditions of your offer
Fitness to Teach Health Assessment All ITE applicants are required to complete a ‘Fitness to Teach Health Assessment’ form which is deemed satisfactory by the University’s Occupational Health team.  A link to the online ‘Fitness to Teach Health Assessment’ form will have been sent to you in your offer contract, along with a reference code in order to create the necessary online account to complete this form.  Guidance notes to help you complete the form are available within the online form.  Please ensure that you complete and submit the ‘Fitness to Teach Health Assessment’ form as soon as possible and well in advance of the programme start date.
Declaration of Suitability for Teaching

All ITE applicants are required to complete a Suitability Declaration so that their suitability to teach can be assessed by the University. Please ensure that you complete and submit the suitability declaration form as soon as possible and well in advance of the programme start date.

Complete the suitability for teaching form 
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

All ITE applicants are required to complete an enhanced DBS check. Applicants who firmly accept their place through UCAS will be contacted by the University via email with further information about completing the online DBS process. This should not be completed before January 2021 to avoid the DBS disclosure becoming out of date.

Applicants on a Salaried School Direct programme will be contacted directly by their lead school.
Prohibition Order and EEA Sanction checks All ITE applicants are required to have Prohibition Order and EEA Sanction checks. Applicants are not required to take any action as the University will carry out the checks via the Teaching Regulations Agency's Teacher Services.
Academic conditions

If your offer is conditional upon obtaining a degree, the offer letter will state the level required. When your degree results are known please provide evidence of the certificate or a transcript. If you have already obtained your degree we will also ask for verification.

If your offer is conditional upon providing evidence of GCSE English and/or Science and/or Maths at GCSE grade 4 (or equivalent), you will be required to email us the certificate.

You should not send your supporting documents to the University in the post. We can accept verification of your results via email but you will also need to bring the original certificate or transcript or certified copy with you when you register for your course.

Read our guidance on verification of documents
Fitness to Practise

All ITE programmes are subject to the University’s fitness to practise regulations. You will be expected to sign a programme specific code of conduct when you register upon your course. 

Read the Code of Professional Conduct and Fitness to Practise

Term Dates and Holidays

Term dates will be in line with the University of Birmingham timetable.

PGCE School Direct programmes begin on 2nd September 2021
PGDipEd School Direct programmes begin on 2nd September 2021
PGDipEd Core programmes begin on 21st September 2021

All programmes end 24th June 2022

 Holidays may not be taken during term time. Please note that school half terms are not holiday weeks. It is also not advisable to book holidays very close to the end to the end of the academic year.

See University term dates

Accommodation

Full-time international and non-UK nationals are guaranteed University postgraduate accommodation if they submit the online accommodation application form by 31 July 2021. 

UK nationals studying on a postgraduate programme are also welcome to apply for University accommodation, however we cannot guarantee a place. 

For more information on Accommodation and living in Birmingham, please visit our Living in Birmingham pages.

Disabilities

Disability can mean different things for different people. It may include you, even if you don’t consider yourself to be disabled.

If you have study support needs related to a physical or health condition; dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties; mental health difficulties; autism; or Asperger’s Syndrome we are here to help you. If you would like to find out more about what we offer, please see our website.

How to Register

If you have accepted your offer, met the conditions and received your unconditional acceptance notification from UCAS you will receive a communication from the University before the start of your programme. Information regarding registration (such as where and how to register) and other important details will be included in this communication. 

If you have received your unconditional acceptance communication, are shortly due to be arriving at the University and have not yet received information on how to register, please visit the registration pages on our website.