PGCE Early Years References
As part of our training provider safeguarding responsibilities, we need to check that you are a suitable candidate for our PGCE Early Years programme. One way that we do this is by asking you to provide the details of two people who can provide references in support of your application.
Who should I ask to be a referee?
You references will need to come from named individuals, and you will need to confirm how you know your referees. They must not be a friend or family member.
Your referees will need to give a detailed response confirming how they know you, how long they have known you and be able to comment on your suitability for working with young children.
Please note that you must be able to provide a professional or institutional email address for your referees. We cannot accept references submitted from gmail, hotmail, yahoo or similar accounts.
Your referee should be able to provide a detailed response of up to 500 words.
Types of references
There are 4 types of references you can provide:
- academic (for example, from your university tutor)
- professional (for example, from your manager)
- school/nursery experience (for example, from the headteacher of the early years setting or school you’ve been working in)
- character (for example, from a mentor or someone you know from volunteering)
If you already work in a school, one of your references should be from your headteacher (your second reference can be any of the other 4 types).
PGCE Early Years reference form
Please complete the PGCE Early Years reference form giving the contact details of the two people we can approach for a supporting reference.
When will my references be contacted?
We will not contact your referees until after you’ve accepted an offer for a place on a course but you must complete the PGCE Early Years reference form before we can continue with the assessment of your application for the Early Years programme.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the teacher training admissions team.