PGCE Secondary (School Direct) with Qualified Teacher Status
Why choose this course?
- We were delighted to receive 'Outstanding' Ofsted results in May 2010 for our PGCE course - the highest results Ofsted can record. So you can ensure you'll receive an excellent teaching experience.
- At the end of the course you will receive 60 credits towards a masters degree, such as our MA Education.
- We're one of the major providers in the East Midlands for Initial Teacher Education with opportunities to extend and develop your role as a teacher in today's society.
- You'll be taught by a team of university and school based tutors who have a strong national and international reputation for the quality of their training and research.
Fact file
Start date: September
Course length: Full time: one year (with the possibility of study up to three years for those holding a 'flexible' place). Our Flexible Route allows students to complete approximately half their modules in Year 1 and half in Year 2, with one assessed placement in each year. For at least 12 weeks in each year (during induction and school placements) 'flexible' students are required to attend full time. During the remainder of the years, standard university weeks will demand the equivalent of 2 days attendance. Applicants are not required to express interest in our Flexible Route until and unless they are invited to interview. You will complete a training plan, which outlines the length and content of your programme (in most cases this will cover the full range of modules). If you take the flexible route, you will be able to tailor your programme within the opportunities offered at the University.
Campus: Mainly based in local schools with some study at the University's Kedleston Road site.
About this course
You're on the threshold of making one of the most exciting decisions of your life - to teach! Studying our PGCE Secondary (School Direct) course will prepare you for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) allowing you to move straight into a teaching career once you've graduated. You'll be fully prepared for the practical demands of teaching, including the teaching of your chosen subject. The course will also provide opportunities to enhance your subject specialism and study of school-related issues at masters’ level.
You will have the opportunity to develop your experience of teaching pupils from a wide range of backgrounds. All trainees will have the opportunity to gain experience in a Special School. School experience is a key element of the PGCE course and we work closely with our partnership schools in the East Midlands to provide you with effective and practical experience. You'll spend most of your time in schools where you'll be supported by our outstanding trained school mentors and link tutors.
Our course aims to be intellectually challenging whilst fully preparing you for the practical demands of teaching. It takes full account of current national developments in education.
What you will cover
You can study over one year or choose the flexible route which will take between two and three years. If you choose the flexible route, we will develop a personalised training plan for you. You'll take half the modules in one year and the other half the next, with one teaching block per year.
The following is an indication of the modules you will cover over the year:
Semester 1
- An Introduction to Reflective Teaching
- Effective Subject Learning and Teaching
- Developing Learning and Teaching in School
- Understanding the Pupil as a Learner
Semester 2
- Specialist Subject Enhancement
- Understanding the School as a Learning Community
- Reflective Practice in Action
Entry requirements
You will need an undergraduate honours degree (preferably 2:1) or an equivalent qualification where at least 50% will need to be in the subject you would like to teach. You will also need GCSE grade C or above in English Language and Maths, plus several week of recent experience in UK secondary schools. You will need to have successfully completed the Teaching Agency’s skills tests in literacy and numeracy.
How to apply
You will need to apply to schools through the Teaching Agency's School Direct application system. Visit the Teaching Agency's website.
Fees and finance
Full time UK/EU students
- This is a premium course and will cost £9,000 per year
For September 2012, TDA bursaries are to be re-introduced for all Primary PGCE programmes. Successful applicants with First class honours degrees will qualify for £9,000 whilst those with a 2.1 degree classification will be entitled to £5,000.
*These fees apply if you're starting this course between September 2013 and August 2014. We recommend you check fee details with us though, as they can change. Costs can increase each year.
How you will learn
You will spend most of your time learning how to teach in schools linked to our network of school partners and Teaching Schools. You’ll also spend time here at the university working in our excellent facilities with university and school-based tutors in order to develop your growing understanding of what it takes to become a great teacher.
All of your assessments will be related to your school placements. There will be in- depth project-based reports on school-based issues, plus the opportunity to reflect and discuss your developing knowledge of teaching your subject. You'll complete two assessed teaching placements and additional enhanced school opportunities, which will provide you with the challenging and exciting experience you need.
Careers and employability
By choosing teaching as a career, you’ll have chosen an important and satisfying profession as well as a challenging and rewarding journey through life. When you have completed this course you will have gained 60 credits at masters’ level, which means you can fast track to stage two of a masters’ degree, quickly progressing your professional development.
What our students say
“I needed a new challenge, this course certainly provides that. It is hard work but ultimately, very rewarding.”
Jo Stringer, graduate