From a press release issued by the OU today:
The Open University (OU) is to withdraw from the PGCE qualification that is available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the associated PGDE qualification in Scotland.
The decision will come into effect following the January and March 2014 intake dates.
… Instead the OU will focus on sustaining and building on the strengths of its education and schools-targeted curriculum. The University will continue to offer undergraduate degrees in Early Years and Primary Teaching and Learning and a Masters in Education. Further developments in the Education curriculum will be investigated as well as the provision of OERs (open educational resources) in the coming months.
More details about the decision and the OU’s plans are available directly from their website. Fortunately, it appears that current students and applicants for the January and March 2014 start dates for these courses from a provider rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted are unaffected.