Like a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) the Post-Graduate Diploma in Secondary Education (PGDipEd) is a teacher training programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) however it has the advantage of offering the equivalent of 120 credits which may be used towards our MA in Teaching Studies. Rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2013, this is a unique course which offers high quality training and support as well as excellent employment prospects.
Once you have completed your PGDipEd, you may return to study with us on a part-time basis to complete your Masters in Teaching Studies. Additionally, the School also offers a number of specialised Professional Development programmes which will enable you to further develop your career.
Subject Areas
The Secondary PGDipEd is available in the following subjects:
Additionally, we offer a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course in mathematics for those who do not meet subject entrance requirements.
The School of Education, also offers secondary programmes through the School Direct route. To help you decide which route to take, we have put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions
The School of Education at the University of Birmingham has a long tradition of delivering teacher training courses. Its teaching has been graded as 'outstanding' for the third consecutive time by Ofsted inspectors which reaffirms the University’s status as one of the UK’s leading institutions for excellence in teacher training.
The Initial Teacher Education course
The PGDipEd course lasts 36 weeks, of which 24 are spent in our partnership schools.
Teaching practice will take several forms: school placements and also team teaching while at the University. You will also get involved in small scale research projects for your assignments so that you can evaluate the theory in practice and integrate this learning into your own teaching.
Equal Opportunities
The School of Education is committed to equal opportunities in the access to and provision of education. For more information please see the following documents:
A variety of teaching styles and approaches to learning are used in the presentation of the themes. These include University-based lectures, small group seminars and workshops, school-based work with pupils and teachers, and work undertaken individually or with other groups of students.
The PGDipEd is divided into five phases:
The course includes the following areas of study:
Subject-based teaching methods
You follow one main method programme, each of which occupies at least three half-days a week for five weeks in each of the autumn and spring terms and two weeks in the summer term. In some subjects a field course, involving work with children, may replace a number of single days in the year. Assessment is based on coursework undertaken during the year.
School-based work
School-based work is an important part of the programme, with students normally spending 24 weeks in schools. The combination of block practice and other periods of work in schools enables you to benefit from both carefully supported introductory work in different schools and the experience of spending a significant length of time in one school.
The final assessment of teaching is based on the spring/summer term school placement. Assessment is shared between University tutors, staff responsible for students in schools, and external examiners. All aspects of your contribution to the life of the school are taken into account, in particular the teaching of your main subject.
Prior to the start of the autumn term you are expected to undertake a preliminary period of observation in a primary/middle school near your home or lodgings. During the course supervised experience and practice are arranged in schools of various kinds across the 11–18 age range. We are fortunate in being able to work with a wide range of partnership schools, including mixed comprehensives, single-sex schools and sixth-form colleges. Many of the schools offer opportunities to work with pupils from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.
Whole-school issues
This area of study is concerned with aspects of education that are of importance to all intending teachers, irrespective of their particular teaching subjects. It is designed to provide you with a breadth of awareness, depth of insight and development of skills through a range of themes studied by all students. Themes currently include Managing Inclusion, Monitoring and Assessment, and Pastoral Care and Citizenship.
Tutoring and support
You will personally be allocated a university tutor who will guide and support you throughout your PGDipEd (QTS), along with a dedicated school mentor when on placement.
Progression
Once you have completed your PGDipEd (QTS) and successfully passed your induction year you may return to study with us on a part-time basis to complete a 60 credit dissertation and obtain an MA in Teaching Studies.
As a student teacher you will want to learn about and practise the teaching of your own subject. This programme offers you plenty of opportunity for this and also addresses other important issues such as classroom management, equal opportunities, special educational needs and pastoral care. We will help you acquire the knowledge and skills needed to meet the other varied demands that are part of life in school. You will also receive guidance on how to gain a teaching post - our student teachers employment rates are consistently excellent and well above the national average.
Please note that applications for 2017 and 2018 entry are closed. The next intake will be 2019.
This course is available to UK/EU students only.
This Masters level professional training programme introduces you to the requirements for teaching Business Studies to the 14 -19 age range and leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status. You will be introduced to the principles and theories of secondary teaching through both subject studies and a developing professional practice course. Training is undertaken in partnership with local secondary schools.
We are looking to select trainees who:
The University of Hertfordshire is a leading regional provider of Initial Teacher Training. Consistently high achieving in its Ofsted inspections it is recognised as a very good quality training provider by local employers. Graduate employability is high.
The programme is structured to allow you to develop the skills required by a secondary Business Studies teacher, and to develop specific expertise for making a distinctive contribution to secondary practice.
The strengths of our PGCE secondary programmes are the high levels of pastoral care and support we offer trainees. We also have effective partnerships with schools which enhances trainees' subject knowledge and conceptual understanding of teaching and ensures our trainees achieve good levels of attainment.
Qualified Teacher Status
Level 6
Core Modules
Level 7
Core Modules
A wide range of teaching and learning methods are used. Tutor led sessions will include lectures, seminars and workshops, where active participation is encouraged. Twenty-four weeks of the programme are spent in local partnerships schools. This enables you to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a team of practising teachers who lead key sessions as well as support you in your school-based training where you develop your classroom expertise.
The programme includes opportunities to visit different educational contexts, including a primary school and a special needs school.
School experience is at the heart of the programme and during the thirty-six week programme you spend twenty-four weeks in school, and the rest of the time on campus. The school experience is made up of a number of serial day placements, including visits to a primary school and a special school and two block placements in partner secondary schools.
On successful completion of the programme you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status and be ready to start your teaching career.
Today's world is beset by problems, and yet as a society we are given few opportunities to consider the big questions of life. Religious Education gives learners this opportunity. The Religious Education PGCE programme supports students in developing the skills they need to help pupils explore what they think about life, the world and beyond.
This programme provides an understanding of why religious education is taught in schools and allows student teachers the chance to research how the subject has evolved and thus is just as relevant as part of the English curriculum today as it always has been. The Religious Education PGCE also enables students to reflect upon the aims of religious education and how different pedagogies can support learners to develop key religious education skills and be challenged and excited by the world today. The programme prepares religious education student teachers to teach the 11-16 age range.
Students undertake two level 7 (Master’s-level) modules of 30 credits each, totaling 60 credits. These can be carried forward onto full Master’s programmes at the IOE.
The Secondary PGCE consists of three core modules: two Master’s-level (level 7) modules, which are assessed through written assignments, and the Professional Practice module, which is assessed by the observation of practical teaching in placement schools.
Completion of the Professional Practice module and the two level 7 (Master’s level) modules (60 credits) will result in the award of a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Completion of the Professional Practice module and one or two level 6 (undergraduate/Bachelor’s level) modules, will lead to the Professional Graduate Certificate of Education (PgCE).
Core modules
Optional modules
Placement
You will spend most of your time (120 days) in schools, working with religious education mentors who support you through your two school placements. We are fortunate to have a good choice of schools with whom we work, with many outstanding mentors and strong religious education departments. The Professional Practice module is assessed through these placements, associated tasks and a portfolio.
Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered via keynote lectures, subject lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and directed study days at the IOE, as well as time spent in placements. Assessment is by practical teaching, assignments and portfolio tasks.
Students will also record their progress in a Career Entry and Development Profile statement. This will form part of an ongoing portfolio charting the student's continuing professional development.
Further information on modules and programme structure is available on the department website: PGCE Religious Education
Bursaries are available for some subject programmes to students who meet the eligibility criteria. To find out what funding may be available to you, please visit the Department for Education funding page.
For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the UCL Scholarships and Funding website.
Graduates of this programme are currently working in schools across London and around the UK as teachers, heads of departments and heads of year. A number of graduates continue with their Master’s level study on completion of the PGCE.
Employability
Graduates of the Secondary PGCE programme are highly employable and sought after by schools and colleges in London and beyond. Almost all graduates secure their first teaching post by the time they finish the PGCE programme. Graduates of the programme also have great career prospects, with many becoming Head of Department or a Head of Year within 2-5 years, often acting, in their schools, as mentors to new PGCE student teachers. Many of our graduates become senior teachers (such as Assistant Headteachers or Head of a Faculty) in 5-8 years of graduating, and some are now Headteachers. Others have developed their careers as subject specialist teachers and educators, both becoming lead teachers in the classroom and researching, writing and advising other teachers themselves. The Secondary PGCE Programme is a springboard into a rewarding career, not just as a skilled teacher, but as an educational leader.
This programme offers students unique opportunities such as visits to places of worship, national galleries and museums, as well as the chance to discuss religion with leading philosophers and people of faith and consider the impact of religion on society today. Current research at the IOE and elsewhere is drawn upon to inform a student's religious education teaching and encourage them to engage with recent debates and literature in the field.
Tutors on the Religious Education PGCE are skilled classroom practitioners with extensive experience in secondary schools and colleges as well as in school leadership, inspection, educational research and consultancy.
Students also benefit from the opportunity to develop strong peer networks both within the IOE and with religious education student teachers from other London providers to share ideas and resources.
Accreditation:
Students who successfully complete this programme will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
The History PGDipEd (QTS) course has been praised by both Ofsted and the external examiner for its innovative approach, our commitment to supporting student teachers as they develop and our close links with our placement schools. We are committed to the idea that teaching is more than simple craft knowledge; it is the synthesis of theories about learning and hands on experience in the classroom. Teachers equipped with this will be able to reflect on their experiences and develop as teachers throughout their careers. A bursary of £9,000 is currently available for those with a 1st degree/PhD and £4,000 for a 2:1 degree/Master's.
At the University of Birmingham we believe we should provide student teachers with the highest level of teacher training possible, and this is why we offer a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDipEd) rather than a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Both qualifications lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) but the PGDipEd also offers the equivalent of 120 credits at Master’s level (out of 180), which makes it a highly rewarding course by combining both theory and practice.
Following satisfactory completion of the History PGDipEd course, plus a successful induction year in school and references, you can return to complete an MA in Teaching Studies (data collection and a 15,000 word dissertation). Additionally, the School also offers a number of specialised Professional Development programmes which will enable you to further develop your career.
The School of Education at the University of Birmingham has a long tradition of delivering teacher training courses. Its teaching has been graded as 'outstanding' for the third consecutive time by Ofsted inspectors which reaffirms the University’s status as one of the UK’s leading institutions for excellence in teacher training.
The Initial Teacher Education course
The PGDipEd course lasts 36 weeks, of which 24 are spent in our partnership schools.
Teaching practice will take several forms: school placements and also team teaching while at the University. You will also get involved in small scale research projects for your assignments so that you can evaluate the theory in practice and integrate this learning into your own teaching.
Teaching is an inherently complex activity, and teachers choose their teaching strategies for a variety of reasons. Consequently we will equip you to analyse your ideas about teaching and understand the range of ideas that are behind all talk about teaching. You will be equipped to use the most up to date ideas about teaching but also to appreciate that these will in turn become outdated and replaced by new strategies.
You will teach classes in Key Stage 3 and 4 as well as post-16, and learn to select the most effective teaching methods. Our sessions model different teaching methods so you experience the methods you can use. Our close links with history departments in schools means we are not only able to use the 30 years of teaching experience of the tutors but get teachers in to talk about their experience of teaching too.
Ask our current students and alumni a question
These are experienced postgraduates who have previously studied, or are currently studying, at the University of Birmingham, and they offer help and advice from a student perspective.
Equal Opportunities
The School of Education is committed to equal opportunities in the access to and provision of education. For more information please see the following documents:
Details of our other PGDipEd subjects may be found on the Postgraduate Diploma Secondary Education (QTS) course page
A variety of teaching styles and approaches to learning are used in the presentation of the themes. These include University-based lectures, small group seminars and workshops, school-based work with pupils and teachers, and work undertaken individually or with other groups of students.
The course includes the following areas of study:
Subject-based teaching methods
You follow your specialist programme, working with your tutor and with peers in your subject, during University days which make up 12 weeks in total across the year. Assessment is based on coursework undertaken during the year.
School-based work
School-based work is an important part of the programme, with students normally spending a total of 24 weeks in schools. During the programme you benefit from both carefully supported introductory work in different schools and the experience of spending a significant length of time in two schools.
The final assessment of teaching is based on the spring/summer term school placement. Assessment is shared between University tutors, staff responsible for students in schools, and external examiners. All aspects of your contribution to the life of the school are taken into account, in particular the teaching of your main subject.
During the course supervised experience and practice are arranged in schools of various kinds across the 11–18 age range. We are fortunate in being able to work with a wide range of partnership schools, including mixed comprehensives, single-sex schools, sixth-form colleges and our own University Training School (http://www.uobschool.org.uk). Many of the schools offer opportunities to work with pupils from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.
Whole-school issues
This area of study is concerned with aspects of education that are of importance to all intending teachers, irrespective of their particular teaching subjects. It is designed to provide you with a breadth of awareness, depth of insight and development of skills through a range of themes studied by all students. Themes currently include Managing Inclusion, Monitoring and Assessment, and Pastoral Care and Citizenship.
Tutoring and support
You will personally be allocated a university tutor who will guide and support you throughout your PGDipEd (QTS), along with a dedicated school mentor when on placements.
Progression
Once you have completed your PGDipEd (QTS) and successfully passed your induction year you may return to study with us on a part-time basis to complete a 60 credit dissertation and obtain an MA in Teaching Studies.
The PGCE Secondary is the first phase of a career-long process of personal and professional development, which will equip you to become a secondary school teacher. The PGCE Secondary is a course in Initial Teacher Training which is accredited by the DfE, the successful completion of which will accord you Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Our course has recently been inspected by Ofsted which resulted in an “Outstanding” grading for all aspects of our provision.
Students who have successfully completed the PGCE at Durham in the previous academic year have the option to use 90 credits they have accredited towards a part time MA Education. These students only need to do the core modules, Education Enquiry and the Dissertation over 2 years, to complete the programme.
Subject pedagogy is explored in curriculum groups, examining techniques for making each subject accessible and stimulating in a classroom environment.
Integrated into the Course are university sessions, school experiences and OAA activities. An undoubted strength of the Course is the excellent partnership that exists between the university and schools. The course has been devised by the University Tutor and Physical Education specialists in local schools to prepare you to teach Physical Education to the full secondary age and ability range.
Whilst in University you will follow a structured PE programme which will involve sessions reflecting good practice. Sessions, therefore, feature discussion, collaborative work, experiential learning, the examination and analysis of materials but especially the active participation of members of the group. There will be an obvious focus on all PE activity areas (games, gymnastic activities, dance, athletic activities, swimming and outdoor and adventurous activities) throughout the course.
The design of the PE course also takes into account the simultaneous delivery of the PI lectures programme. It therefore complements and reinforces the generic and subject specific principles, skills and techniques required of the competent teacher. Through critical reflection on current teaching practices, as well as your own teaching and research, you will be given the opportunity to develop into a more effective PE teacher, progressively improving the quality of your preparation and classroom practice, to become a physical educationalist for the future.
As part of your course you will complete 3 Teaching placements (one of which you will arrange yourself) in a variety of local schools. This will comprise a minimum of 120 days to meet the minimum requirement for QTS.
The course is organised as three modules:
The Professional Issues in School Based Education relates to the Teacher Standards and is delivered in two parts, prior to each of the two extended teaching practices. The teaching is related to those classroom-based issues such as the psychology of learning, the law, curriculum groups, examining techniques for making each subject accessible and stimulating in a classroom environment and is followed up in subject groups and during school placements The block practices in the Autumn and Spring allow for practical opportunities for full professional development where there is a progression from observation, structured activities and group work to whole class work.
Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum and Self Directed Study are studied at Masters Level. The Teaching and Learning in the Curriculum Module draws on the international research expertise within the School of Education enabling student teachers to engage critically in issues relevant to the classroom and school, particularly those that impact on the success of children as learners. The Self Directed Study module draws on students’ experience during weekly visits to schools and their own small scale action research, and links this to critical engagement with published educational research.
These Masters modules provide an opportunity to explore, in a more theoretical way, the issues to do with teaching and learning through lectures and mixed subject and phase seminar groups taught as a conference week usually after Christmas. In addition to covering Teacher standards these modules will enable assessment work to be carried out for the award of PGCE.
On successful completion of the course, student teachers will have 90 credits and QTS.
Career opportunities in education are wide and include classroom teaching, educational leadership and management, administration and policy development.
This course will prepare you to become a teacher of business education across the 14 -19 age range. It combines master's level academic study of business education with a range of school and college experiences. Completion of the 10 month course leads to both a postgraduate qualification and qualified teacher status (QTS).
More than two-thirds of your time will be spent in our partnership schools and colleges, where you will develop practical teaching skills with the support of trained mentors and established teachers. You will have the opportunity to visit a range of educational establishments, in particular outstanding local sixth form colleges, to hone your skills and understanding of specific teaching theory and practice.
Collaborative learning and formative teaching will allow you to develop the knowledge and capabilities of students in your own classrooms in all aspects of business education, including business studies, economics, and accounting and key vocational business qualifications. You will be taught by a teaching team with a nationally recognised reputation for research, teaching and publications in business education.
For more details on interviews, please visit our PGCE website .
The University-based components of the course will enable you to reflect on teaching, learning and pedagogy, and encourages you to observe how children learn. Sessions will include:
In addition, you will be able to observe and discuss a number of `best lessons' which are planned and delivered by experienced practitioners. You will be encouraged to make the transition from subject specialist to outstanding teacher.
Support
Your University tutors will provide excellent support for your academic work and personal needs, whilst school/college mentors will provide advice and guidance whilst you are on placement. The culture of team working and best practice sharing amongst students provides you with a support network available when you need it the most. Across the academic year, individual tutorials can be used to raise any personal and professional needs or concerns.
The structure of our PGCEs includes both school-based and University-based learning. On our secondary PGCEs, around two thirds of your time will be spent in secondary schools, academies or colleges on placements. You will also need to undertake self-directed study in the evenings and weekends, such as background reading, creating lesson plans and completing written assignments.
The course is a partnership between the University and its partner schools and colleges which are drawn from a wide area, including Bolton, Bury, Cheshire, Deeside, Lancashire, Manchester, Merseyside, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Staffordshire, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington and Wigan. Each placement school or college has a designated business education mentor who has been trained by the University.
The usual placement pattern is a main school experience, followed by a contrasting placement, before returning to the main school/college in the final weeks of the course. As a trainee in a placement school or college you will observe and teach classes under the guidance of experienced subject mentors.
You will be given a significant amount of responsibility to develop your own teaching style, to set personal targets, to demonstrate initiative and to evaluate your work in planning, teaching and assessing. You will participate actively in your own professional development as a teacher through seminars, lectures, group discussion, practical workshops, reflection, trainee-led sessions, peer review and tutorials.
School and University-based experiences are formally assessed and your school/college mentors and University tutors will help you to record your achievements and to set targets.
During each placement, a University tutor will observe your teaching and at the end of each placement you will receive a report from your mentor. The report will grade you in the following areas: teaching; planning, differentiation and assessment; learning environment; and wider professional responsibilities. The grades are awarded by your mentor in conjunction your University tutor. These reports, together with your record of achievement and development, facilitate your progression as a trainee teacher.
You are also required to complete a number of written assignments which allow you to gain 60 master's level credits. Modules include: Teaching, Learning and Assessment, a School/College-based Enquiry (with supporting literature review), and a Reflection of Professional Practice. On-going guidance and support to complete these assignments will be available from your University tutors.
Home/EU students may be eligible for a repayable tuition fee loan. Home students in England may also be eligible for a repayable student maintenance loan. The loans support available to PGCE students is similar to what is available for undergraduate students and information about government financial support for undergraduate students is available here .
If you have graduated in the last three years from The University of Manchester with a 1st class honours degree, you may also be eligible for our Alumni Scholarship .
Information about additional funding options for September 2018 can be found on the Department for Education website
Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: [email protected]
This Masters level professional training programme introduces you to the requirements for teaching Chemistry to the 11-16 age range and leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status. Where appropriate, opportunities to experience post 16 provision will be available.
You will be introduced to the principles and theories of secondary teaching through both subject studies and a developing professional practice course. Training is undertaken in partnership with local secondary schools.
We are looking to select trainees who:
Funding for Home/EU students
Subject to eligibility criteria, bursaries of £26,000 are available for graduates training to teach in this subject.
A prestigious scholarship – which provides additional support and benefits throughout your training year, is offered to the best graduates in lieu of the bursary. Find further information on available funding.
The University of Hertfordshire is a leading regional provider of Initial Teacher Training. Consistently high achieving in its Ofsted inspections it is recognised as a very good quality training provider by local employers. Graduate employability is high.
The programme is structured to allow you to develop the skills required by a secondary Chemistry teacher, and to develop specific expertise for making a distinctive contribution to secondary practice.
The strengths of our PGCE secondary programmes are the high levels of pastoral care and support we offer trainees. We also have effective partnerships with schools which enhances trainees' subject knowledge and conceptual understanding of teaching and ensures our trainees achieve good levels of attainment.
Qualified Teacher Status
Level 6
Core Modules
Level 7
Core Modules
A wide range of teaching and learning methods are used. Tutor led sessions will include lectures, seminars and workshops, where active participation is encouraged. Twenty-four weeks of the programme are spent in local partnerships schools. This enables you to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a team of practising teachers who lead key sessions as well as support you in your school-based training where you develop your classroom expertise.
The programme includes opportunities to visit different educational contexts, including a primary school and a special needs school.
School experience is at the heart of the programme and during the thirty-six week programme you spend twenty-four weeks in school, and the rest of the time on campus. The school experience is made up of a number of serial day placements, including visits to a primary school and a special school and two block placements in partner secondary schools.
On successful completion of the programme you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status and be ready to start your teaching career.
This Masters level professional training programme introduces you to the requirements for teaching Mathematics to the 11-16 age range and leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status. Where appropriate, opportunities to experience post 16 provision will be available.
You will be introduced to the principles and theories of secondary teaching through both subject studies and a developing professional practice course. Training is undertaken in partnership with local secondary schools.
We are looking to select trainees who:
Funding for Home/EU students
Subject to eligibility criteria, bursaries of £20,000 are available for graduates training to teach in this subject. In addition, you could receive further payments of £10,000 after tax once in teaching.
A prestigious scholarship – which provides additional support and benefits throughout your training year, is offered to the best graduates in lieu of the bursary. Find further information on available funding.
The University of Hertfordshire is a leading regional provider of Initial Teacher Training. Consistently high achieving in its Ofsted inspections it is recognised as a very good quality training provider by local employers. Graduate employability is high.
The programme is structured to allow you to develop the skills required by a secondary mathematics teacher, and to develop specific expertise for making a distinctive contribution to secondary practice.
The strengths of our PGCE secondary programmes are the high levels of pastoral care and support we offer trainees. We also have effective partnerships with schools which enhances trainees' subject knowledge and conceptual understanding of teaching and ensures our trainees achieve good levels of attainment.
Qualified Teacher Status
Level 6
Core Modules
Level 7
Core Modules
A wide range of teaching and learning methods are used. Tutor led sessions will include lectures, seminars and workshops, where active participation is encouraged. Twenty-four weeks of the programme are spent in local partnerships schools. This enables you to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a team of practising teachers who lead key sessions as well as support you in your school-based training where you develop your classroom expertise.
The programme includes opportunities to visit different educational contexts, including a primary school and a special needs school.
School experience is at the heart of the programme and during the thirty-six week programme you spend twenty-four weeks in school, and the rest of the time on campus. The school experience is made up of a number of serial day placements, including visits to a primary school and a special school and two block placements in partner secondary schools.
On successful completion of the programme you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status and be ready to start your teaching career.
