PGCE Mathematics: post interview information

Many congratulations on gaining a conditional place on the PGCE Mathematics course here at Loughborough University. Your application and interview clearly indicated your suitability to teaching and that you met or are on track to meet all entry requirements prior to the start of the course.

Below you will find some guidance and important information to support you in preparing for the PGCE course. Please take careful note of this and begin to action what you can as soon as possible. This will help to ensure a smooth start to your teacher training year.

Conditions

Your place on the PGCE course is subject to you meeting the following conditions:

  • A satisfactory Fitness to Teach Assessment
  • A satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
  • Evidence of achieving Maths and English (Language or Literature) GCSE Grade 4/C or above, or equivalent qualification. Please note: In accordance with the Department for Education ITT criteria for entry for initial teacher training, qualifications in key and functional skills at level 2 are not equivalent to GCSEs.
  • Evidence of achieving A-level Mathematics, or equivalent qualification.
  • Evidence of achieving an undergraduate degree, or equivalent qualification. This should be an honours degree (Third class or above), or equivalent.

Please read and follow the guidance below carefully in order to satisfy these conditions. To avoid any problems or delays, it is important that you begin to action as many of these conditions now, or as soon as you are in a position to do so.

To begin the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application process you must first pay the £51.50 fee, using the University's payment portal on the online store. Please choose the PGCE DBS to add to your basket in the online store.

Once the payment is received, you will get an email from the PGCE@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk email address regarding the DBS check, and one from an organisation called Verifile, who are the University’s DBS processing partner. Please check your junk email folders for these, read them carefully and follow the instructions contained in them. 

You must begin the DBS application process no later than Friday 24th July 2026. If you wait to apply for your DBS certificate after this date there is a chance you may not be able to start the programme and /or you will not have access to student finance and/ or bursaries once the course begins.

The DBS certificate will be sent to the address you provided as your current residence during the DBS application process. Once your DBS certificate arrives, we highly recommend that you subscribe to the DBS update service, you can find more information about that on the Gov.UK website.

Notes for completing your DBS application:

If you have lived overseas since your 18th birthday, for a period of six months or more, you are also required to provide an overseas criminal records check covering any such period, following the information/guidance available through the DBS website . It is essential that you request the overseas check in good time, so it can be obtained prior to the PGCE course starting.

Identity check

Your identification documents were checked on the day of your interview. If for any reason you did not provide the three documents requested, you may be asked to provide them before your DBS application can be progressed. We will contact you if this is the case.

If you have previously held an enhanced DBS and have subscribed to the update service, please contact us at PGCE.Mailbox@Lboro.ac.uk to confirm this and attach a scan of the certificate.

The Department for Education requires all entrants to initial teacher training to be ‘fit to teach', i.e. not to have any physical or mental condition which could create a risk to their health and safety or that of the children they teach, or prevent them from carrying out their teaching duties effectively (with support as appropriate).

This assessment involves completing the Fitness to Teach Questionnaire, which will be reviewed by Loughborough University’s Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service.

A payment of £15 for the assessment must be made first using the Online Store.

Once your payment is processed you will be sent an email from our Occupational Health Department’s software called OPAS, with a link in to complete an online questionnaire. You must complete this no later than 24th July 2026. An OH Adviser (a registered nurse) will check your responses and may be in touch via telephone to discuss some of the information you have provided.

You have most likely already presented your GCSE Mathematics and English Language or Literature, and your A level Mathematics certificates on the day of your interview.

We recognise that you may not yet have completed your undergraduate studies at this stage. If this is the case, please arrange to present your honours degree certificate in person as soon as you receive it and by Friday 24th July 2026 at the latest. You can email PGCE@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk to arrange this.

We require some important personal details from you in order to be able to arrange your PGCE school placements. For example, details of where you will be living during next year.

Please therefore complete the Student Personal Details form as soon as you are in a position to do so, and ideally by the end of July at the latest.

Personal development

At interview, recommended areas of personal development will have been discussed with you which you are strongly encouraged to address prior to the start of the PGCE course. These will be revisited throughout the year where you will have the opportunity to outline the action(s) you have taken and the progress you have made in these areas.

The recommendations made to you will have been one or more of the following, as applicable:

  • Develop your subject and/or pedagogical knowledge (e.g. via talking to teachers, helping or assisting teachers (either in a paid or voluntary capacity), reading Higher GCSE or A level text books, listening to education podcasts such as Mr Barton Maths Podcast or via other appropriate means). There is also a series specifically about mathematics education research in Loughborough.
  • Familiarise yourself with the content of the Mathematics National Curriculum and A level Mathematics syllabi.
  • Undertake independent reading of some key teaching texts such as:
    • Foster, C. (2013) The essential guide to secondary mathematics: successful and enjoyable teaching and learning. Abingdon: Routledge
    • Prestage, S., & Perks, P. (2013). Adapting and extending secondary mathematics activities: New tasks for old. David Fulton Publishers.
    • Boaler, J. (2009) The Elephant in the Classroom: helping children learn and love maths. London : Souvenir
    • Willingham, D. T. (2021). Why don't students like school?: A cognitive scientist answers questions about how the mind works and what it means for the classroom. John Wiley & Sons.
    • In relation to the academic writing, and communication people often find Barbara Sarnecka’s book helpful: https://osf.io/z4n3t
  • Gain as much experience as possible of working with young people of secondary age (e.g. via assisting teachers in schools, involvement in summer camps, or youth work).

Further information and guidance

Please do not worry or think you need to know everything before you start the PGCE course. You will receive a great deal of support and guidance throughout from sympathetic, knowledgeable, and very experienced staff.

Nevertheless, ensuring you meet the conditions of your offer in plenty of time and preparing as well as you can in advance will put you in the best possible position to enjoy and ultimately succeed on the course.

Please note that the offer of a place on the PGCE course is for the 2026-2027 academic year. We only defer places once under exceptional circumstances; and this still requires candidates to re-apply through the DfE MyApply system the following year.

That said, please only accept the place if you can fully commit to the course next year. Accepting the offer and then withdrawing prior to the start may deny other potentially worthy candidates of a place.

You should notify Student Finance England of your acceptance of a place on the course. It is important that you do this as soon as possible in order for your eligibility for funds to support you during your PGCE year to be assessed.

Please note that the PGCE course starts earlier than most courses and you should make Student Finance England aware of this.

They may be contacted by telephone on 0300 100 0607 or you may register on the GOV.UK website.

Because of the extended PGCE year, campus accommodation in student halls is not available to student teachers.  However, a wide selection of privately owned, university approved, and independently accredited accommodation is available, providing you with peace of mind. Our Studentpad website is the best place to look to start your search for private accommodation. This is the only place to find University approved accommodation.

More information about living off campus can be found on our accommodation website.

Student Services are here to support all students throughout their time at Loughborough. Their mission is to help to ensure all students have a positive university experience and achieve a positive outcome from their studies.

If you have not already done so, please share details about any physical or mental health condition you have prior to starting the course with the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service on the Disability and Health Portal.

The sooner you can do this the better. This will allow the Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity team to confidentially review your requirements and arrange support to be put in place, as necessary, to assist you during the PGCE year.