Secondary English with QTS - PGCE
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
Do you want to help pupils express themselves, to become critical thinkers and develop the vital skills they need to succeed, not just in English, but also in other areas of their education and beyond? Our PGCE in English will develop you into a teacher able to deliver the wide-ranging curriculum covered under English, including Language, Literature and supporting studies in Drama and Media ...
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time
- Award PGCE
- Start date September 2025
- Fees View course fees
- Subject
- Location City Centre
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
Do you want to help pupils express themselves, to become critical thinkers and develop the vital skills they need to succeed, not just in English, but also in other areas of their education and beyond? Our PGCE in English will develop you into a teacher able to deliver the wide-ranging curriculum covered under English, including Language, Literature and supporting studies in Drama and Media education.
What's covered in this course?
You’ll learn the teaching methods and strategies that will help your classes develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills so they become effective communicators. This course covers the 11-16 age range with post-16 enhancement.
Taught modules, assignments and School-Based Training are structured around the development of your progress against our ITE Core Curriculum. Our ambitious curriculum incorporates the ITT Core Content Framework (DfE, 2019) and the nationally agreed competences - the Teachers’ Standards, which all teachers must meet throughout their career.
Through our Intensive training and practice (ITAP), which we have designed to strengthen the link between evidence and classroom practice, you will consolidate your knowledge of key evidence-based principles for effective teaching. You will also gain and understanding of adaptive teaching for SEND learners via expert input.
We map your development as a subject specialist with reference to identified subject priorities appropriate to the needs of secondary teachers entering the profession. Our systems for continuous improvement, development and assessment of your progress will support your growing ability to take responsibility for your own professional development and ensure that you approach QTS with a sound understanding of research-informed pedagogies and practices.
After interview you may be advised you need to take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course, which we offer over 8, 12 or 16 weeks, before you start your PGCE.
Why Choose Us?
- We are a key source of new teachers to schools across the West Midlands region; a destinations survey of our 2021/22 Secondary Teaching graduates showed they were employed in nearly 100 West Midlands schools as Early Career Teachers.
- Our curriculum is designed by research-active subject experts to be integrated between university and school-based training with input from our partnership schools, ensuring you’re equipped to meet the needs of the teaching workforce now and in the future.
- We have partnerships right across the West Midlands and beyond so you can benefit from training in a range of schools and early years settings, preparing you for work in a wide variety of schools when you qualify. A destinations survey of our 2021/22 Secondary Teaching graduates showed that 76% of their employing schools were from within our BCU partnership.
- You will complete at least 120 days across a minimum of two placements, in line with Department for Education (DfE) requirements, supported by a subject mentor in your school and a personal development tutor at the University.
- Should you wish to take your development further, you'll gain Master's level credits gained as part of this course that you can then use towards a full Master's degree.
- You may be able to obtain financial support to help you during your studies. For more information visit the Department for Education's Get Into Teaching website.
OPEN DAY
Join us for an Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation. Booking isn't open for this event yet, register your interest and we'll let you know when booking goes live.
Next Event: 15 November 2025
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Applicants are normally expected to have a minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or a Master’s degree in a relevant subject from a UK higher education institution or equivalent.
Applicants without a degree in English may be required to take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course prior to starting the PGCE course.
Applicants will also need to complete the relevant safeguarding checks for this course.
All applicants will be interviewed; see 'interview arrangements' below.
Applying with international qualifications
See below for further information on applying as an international student.
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: PGCE
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
- £9,535 in 2025/26 ✱ Important note for this price
- Apply
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The Government is proposing to increase the cap on full-time regulated tuition fees to £9,535 for 2025/26 and the University is planning on increasing fees to that maximum level once legislation is enacted. Part-time fees are charged pro-rata, where applicable.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Application deadlines
We advise you to apply early to allow sufficient time for you to prepare to start your studies in September. Please apply by Friday 18 July to allow time to arrange accommodation, student finance and visas where required.
Late applications will be accepted where places are still available, but please note that teaching begins on Monday 1 September 2025.
To find out more, see our application timeline.
The way you apply for postgraduate teacher training has changed. The Department for Education (DfE) has developed a GOV.UK application service called ‘Apply for teacher training’, which you must use to submit your application.
Course code: 338J
We would like all applicants to make a fully informed decision about joining the teaching profession. As part of that decision making process, spending sometime in a school and considering the role of the teacher will prove to be invaluable.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Financial support
You may be able to obtain financial support to help you during your studies. For more information visit the Department for Education's Get Into Teaching website.
Course in Depth
Modules
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 60 credits):
This module, Professional Studies, provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to explore and understand in practical terms the meaning of professionalism in the context of education and being a teacher. It is well known that education is an ever-changing environment and the desire for improvement is strong from all stakeholders. This module helps you to understand that the best teachers are those who continue to learn themselves and that your continual development can positively impact the learning experience of your students.
This module, Subject Pedagogy, provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to explore the nature of your specialist subject in the context of learning and teaching in the secondary school. The module provides substantial support for your professional practice in school, assessed through the School Experience modules. This module provides a strong philosophical underpinning to your awareness of the importance of your specialist subject in the secondary school curriculum. By undertaking this module you will be shaping your own rationale for your approach to the teaching of your specialist subject, and to meeting the needs of the learners as they move through the secondary school phase.
This module, Professional Enquiry, forms an introduction to active examination of professional practice in the workplace and a reflective approach to personal development. It provides a foundation for future study modules and enables you to develop practice-based enquiry skills. Increasing importance is placed on evidence-based enquiry to inform professional development in education, most recently in The Carter Review of Initial Teacher Training (ITT).
This module, School Experience 1, provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to meet the professional standards and expectations of teaching through practical, school-based experience. You will have the opportunity to work alongside experienced teachers and other education professionals to develop your knowledge, understanding and skill in the classroom and the wider school environment. You will be able to implement theory and evidence-based understanding on an on-going and development basis into your teaching into the classroom. You will be assessed against the current statements of professional competence.
This module, School Experience 2, follows School Experience 1 and provides opportunities for you as a trainee teacher to enhance your achievement of the professional standards and expectations of teaching through practical, school-based experience. You will have the opportunity to work independently supported by experienced teachers and other education professionals to further develop your knowledge, understanding and skill in the classroom and the wider school environment. You will be able to implement theory and evidence-based understanding on an on-going and development basis into your teaching into the classroom. You will be assessed against the current statements of professional competence.
* School Experience 2 is dependent upon the successful completion of School Experience 1.
Download course specification
Download nowCourse structure
This postgraduate course takes place over one year full-time. Note that all PGCE with QTS courses commence teaching in the first week of September.
Your PGCE Secondary English aims to explore, test and develop the links between English in education theory and its practice. The University workshops and seminars facilitate a space for learners to conduct this, which is then supported by school placements.
This relationship, between theory and practice, alongside a variety of contrasting school experiences, ensures that you are offered a well-rounded teacher education. We believe that we are training English teachers to work in any school setting. Your course will feature a range of modules and the opportunity to get plenty of hands-on practice in local schools with support from colleagues in the school partnership and experienced University tutors.
Teaching Breakdown
A third of your time spend on the course will be spent attending University-based sessions and two-thirds will be spent out in a school on a school experience placement.
Lead school partners
The lead school partner approach enables multi-academy trusts, or groups of schools, to offer teacher education courses offered in collaboration with a university partner. You may prefer to apply to a lead school partner if, for example, the range of schools where you could be placed for your teaching practice, better suits your circumstances. You spend the same amount of time on school placements and will study on campus with us for most if not all your taught sessions. You will also have the same access to a personal development tutor and all the resources we offer.
Our lead school partners for this PGCE Secondary course are (see links for details such as location maps and contact details):
Placement locations
Our students are asked to complete some forms for placements around whether they will be living, access to private transport etc., however, you must be prepared to travel around 90 minutes. Where you have one placement that is around this 90-minute mark, we will always try to make your other placement much closer for you, depending on availability.
For PGCE Secondary courses, we have over 100 placement providers across 14 local authorities including:
- Birmingham
- City of Wolverhampton
- Coventry
- Derby City
- Derbyshire
- Dudley
- Leicester City
- Sandwell
- Solihull
- Staffordshire
- Telford and Wrekin
- Walsall
- Warwickshire
- Worcestershire
Employability
Placements
Two-thirds of your course takes place in school and we ensure that you are offered a number of placements in a wide range of educational establishments.
You will do work placements in at least two different schools and also visit others – including a primary school and or a post-16 setting where appropriate. This all helps you to see how teachers are working in practice and gives you a wealth of experience.
You will have subject and professional mentors in school who will guide and support your studies and provide you with feedback.
Facilities & Staff
Our facilities
This course is primarily based at our City Centre Campus, in the Benjamin Zephaniah Building (formerly University House), however, for some practical activities, such as sport, cookery or science lab sessions, you may be based at our City South Campus in Edgbaston, or the Alexander Stadium and Doug Ellis Sports Centre in Perry Barr.
About Benjamin Zephaniah Building
This freshly renovated building provides a dedicated teaching and learning space for our Education and Communities students and staff.
Spaces in the building include:
- Primary and secondary science labs
- Innovation and Lego teaching room
- Flexible space for Design and Technology
- Art room
As well as general teaching rooms.