ITE Office
University of Bristol
35 Berkeley Square
Bristol, BS8 1JA
Tel: +44 (0) 117 331 4492
www.bristol.ac.uk
Dear Student
Compulsory Primary School Experience PGCE Programme Component 2017 entry
Monday 4th September – Friday 15th September 2017
You will already be aware that for the first two weeks of the PGCE programme you are currently
required to undertake two weeks' school experience in a Primary School near your home. We will
notify you again if this results in a significant change). This experience must take place in the same
academic year as the one in which you undertake your PGCE so you should organise it for the
dates specified above.
Please choose an appropriate school, ideally in England, and approach the Headteacher as soon as
possible. Do not leave this until the last minute. ‘Appropriate school’ in this context should be
understood as a state maintained primary school, either a junior school, a middle school (deemed
primary) or an all-age 5-11 primary school. First schools and infant schools should only be used
where there is no alternative. Independent (private) Preparatory Schools are not recommended for this
experience. If your school is in Wales, this can go on to affect your secondary school placements.
Please note that Hotwells Primary School has informed us that they are unable to host students for
this part of the PGCE programme; please do not contact them.
A successful approach in the past has been to telephone a suitable school in the first instance, explain
the position to the Headteacher's secretary and ask for advice about how best to proceed. Schools
differ in the degree of formality with which they conduct their affairs with outsiders. We trust you in all
cases to be diplomatic and considerate in your dealings with schools, knowing that we depend on
them as a vital part of your PGCE programme. At the end, the Headteacher will be asked to send us a
written report of the staff's impressions of you as a future member of the teaching profession.
Enclosed are:1)
2)
A letter to the Headteacher from us endorsing and outlining the nature and purpose of the
request, for you to include with your letter.
‘Detailed Notes’ explaining the nature and purpose of requirements. You should retain one
copy and you should send one copy to the Headteacher, together with our letter addressed to
him or her.
Once you have organised your Primary School Placement, please complete the form at:
https://fssl.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/primary-school-observation-entry-17-18
so that we have all the details. We will email the school during the first week of your
placement with them – you might like to let the school know that they will not hear from us
immediately.
It is important that our letter and notes be presented to each Headteacher whom you approach. We
have asked that these be returned to you by any Headteacher who cannot accommodate you. We
hope of course that there will be no need for you to seek a school other than your first choice, and we
hope that you both enjoy and benefit from the experience.
Yours sincerely
and
Ruth Bailey
PGCE Programme
Director (University)
Jayne Prior
PGCE Programme Director
(Partnership)
Letter to student