Initial Teacher Education Offer Guide - University of Birmingham

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.

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 DfE of your decision through the DfE Gateway service.

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.

Fitness to Teach Health Assessment	All ITE applicants are required to complete an online Fitness to Teach Health Assessment form which is deemed satisfactory by the University’s Occupational Health team. Should you decide to accept your offer with us you will be sent further details by email on how to complete this via the University’s Occupational Health portal. Please do remember to check your spam/junk folder for emails from us and make the sender as safe to receive emails into your inbox. 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 form
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check	All ITE applicants are required to complete an enhanced DBS check. Applicants who accept their place through the DfE will be contacted by the University via email with further information about completing the online DBS process. Applicants will be contacted in early 2024.
Prohibition order check	All ITE applicants are required to have a Prohibition Order check. 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 providing evidence of academic achievement, you will need to make sure that you use an acceptable means of verifying your qualifications. You should upload your certificates/transcripts via your University of Birmingham applicant portal. Guidance on verification of documents
Fitness to practice	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. Fitness to practice
Photographic ID check	All ITE applicants are required to provide a form of photographic identification, such as a passport or driving licence. Please upload a scanned copy of your photographic ID via your University of Birmingham applicant portal.
References	All ITE applicants are require to provide two satisfactory references from a professional/ work/ academic email address. The DfE will contact nominated referees directly if an offer of a place is made, and the referees will be asked to submit their references directly to the DfE. The DfE will then notify the University that references have been received so they can be reviewed accordingly.

Term dates and Holidays

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

All PGCE programmes begin on the 9^th September 2024

All PGCE programmes end on the 4^th July 2025

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.

Accommodation

Full-time international and non-UK nationals are guaranteed University postgraduate accommodation if they submit the online accommodation application form by 31 July 2024.

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

Living in Birmingham

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.

Disability support

How to register

If you have accepted your offer, met the conditions and received your unconditional acceptance notification 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 our registration pages.