@McFamily
Alternatively would a full-time PGCE be a bit kinder than full-time School Direct?
Not much - many PGCEs (all?) have Masters-level modules attached, so you still get higher level assignments to do. Not all SD have M-level, I don't think.
If you want to do it full-time, then the SD and the PGCE would be fairly similar, probably, although with a salaried SD you'd obviously be getting the £8K a year they get, or however much it is now, but the PGCE you'd be paying.
Let me tell you my experience: I did my final PGCE placement full-time for 6 weeks. I got to school for 7:30am and left usually around 5:30pm. I got the bus home, had dinner, then worked from around 7:30pm-12am. I got the impression this was usual amongst both us part-timers and the full-timers. And I have seen SD students in my class do similar hours.
I think you need to get into a school (if that's possible next academic year) or at least talk to SD and PGCE students to get an idea of what it's like (obviously students from the last academic year, as this year they haven't had the full experience).
My apologies if I'm wrong, but you come across as though you want to train in the easiest way possible so you can qualify and go part-time, and there just isn't an easy way - teaching is hard and the training takes a lot of time and effort. I just don't know any full-time teachers (although I'm sure some experienced ones exist) who work 40 hours a week - even part-time (I'm part-time now) you end up working on your days off or at weekends to keep on top of everything. It's not get in at 8am and leave at 4pm and you've done your full day, especially if you're a job share.
Have you looked at tes.com? There are forums over there where other students will have posted from the last few years, so you can have a read or start a thread of your own. There's lots of great advice and you can hear directly from people who have done different routes in, often with small children, who can give you the benefit of their experiences.