PGCE with QTS Secondary Physical Education
Introduction
Study a PGCE that enables you to use your passion for sport to shape the lives of secondary school children. After graduating as a qualified PE teacher, you'll design your own lessons that bring sport and physical activity to life.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary Physical Education is a one-year course that leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You'll train to become a Physical Education teacher for the secondary age range (11-16). You'll gain 60 academic credits at master's level as part of the course.
Teaching is both a challenging and a rewarding career with a high level of job satisfaction. It is a great privilege, as well as a great responsibility, to play such a key role in young people's lives. We focus on supporting our trainees to thrive, and we do this alongside teachers and mentors in school. We also facilitate you to collaborate with your peers, and to graduate with a ready-made, supportive professional network.
All our courses are future-facing and underpinned by a strong values base. Our provision directly addresses education for sustainable futures. We equip you to be able to work thoughtfully, creatively and successfully with your learners. At UWE Bristol, we're committed to training reflective, innovative, and adaptable teachers for the future.
As time spent on campus is limited, many students choose to commute from further afield.
Find out why you should train to teach with us.
Studying a PGCE at UWE Bristol
PGCE students talk about the support they have received from the PGCE programme at UWE Bristol. This is the first of three talks. Find out more.
Structure
Content
The PGCE Physical Education course includes many learning opportunities led by experienced professionals to develop students' subject expertise.
To develop expertise in your specialist subject area you'll:
- learn through doing - integrating theory with practical experiences to unpick what meaningful Physical Education experiences truly entail.
- become innovatively responsive to evolving youth cultures, comfortable in challenging both your own and others' beliefs and teaching practices to make Physical Education relevant to every young person.
- reflect critically and constructively on national and regional priorities, policies and cutting-edge educational research.
- acquire subject knowledge on how to effectively plan and teach engaging Physical Education learning experiences that nurture pupil motivation, confidence, competence and knowledge and understanding.
- explore critical and inclusive pedagogies through instructional models in Physical Education to promote engagement and improve pupil progress.
- study a physical literacy-informed Physical Education Curriculum - 'learning to move' and 'moving to learn' to develop lifelong participation in physical activity.
You'll study the following modules:
- Curriculum, Pedagogy and Practice (Secondary)
- Becoming a Transformational Teacher (Secondary)
- Professional Practice A (QTS)
- Professional Practice B (QTS).
PGCE Physical Education with EBacc
We also welcome applications from candidates who wish to specialise in Physical Education but have a real interest in an additional subject at Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9). This route offers you the opportunity to cover everything within the standard Physical Education programme, whilst developing additional skills and experiences in your chosen EBacc subject. You'll be required to do a small amount of teaching in your EBacc subject, although this is not formally assessed. The EBacc route offers you a greater level of flexibility in your teaching and could be very beneficial in securing future employment.
The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we'll inform you.
This award leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The focus for achieving QTS is particularly in the practice modules. UWE Bristol has chosen Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) as our accredited provider for the QTS elements of the course. We work with SHU to provide high-quality courses and share excellent practice. Together, our teacher training will help you shape the future of children and young people.
Learning and Teaching
The PGCE courses are part of a broad range of specialist education provision in the School of Education and Childhood at UWE Bristol.
You'll be supported in school by a mentor, who liaises closely with your UWE Bristol tutor. You'll work with close support and encouragement to develop your understanding and skills, set targets, and evidence your progress. We'll challenge you to evaluate and improve throughout your course, and we'll help you to celebrate your achievements.
The PGCE course is designed so that your experiences on placement are complemented by university-based learning. You'll learn through lectures, seminars, directed tasks, school-based experiences, intensive training and practice opportunities, independent study, online learning and collaboration, subject-specific practical work, assessment tasks, reflection and debate. Research-informed practice underpins the course.
Throughout the course you'll be supported by your tutors, external specialists, and expert colleagues in early years settings and schools to apply your knowledge and understanding in school to equip you to meet the Teachers' Standards, to teach and assess in the Secondary Physical Education (11-16).
See our full glossary of learning and teaching terms.
Assessment
Assessment is based on professionally focused assignments and the final block school experience.
To gain the award of PGCE, you need to pass each academic assessment as well as pass classroom practice against the standards specified by the Secretary of State for the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Learn more about assessments.
Features
Placements
As a trainee teacher, you'll complete 120 days in school placement practice blocks in at least two different schools, plus further focused teaching experiences. You'll practise as a subject specialist teacher for the secondary age range (11-16), and gain experience of the 16-18 age range.
The schools and settings within our Initial Teacher Training partnership are geographically diverse, with placements in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and Wales. We work hard to match placements to trainee teacher needs, experience and locations.
At UWE Bristol, we'll support you to become an authentic, effective, thoughtful teacher. Towards the end of your course, your progress review will enable your entry to the teaching profession and your ongoing development as an Early Career Teacher (ECT).
Study facilities
Learn more about UWE Bristol's facilities and resources.
Take a personalised virtual tour of the Education and Teaching facilities and experience what a typical day could look like here for you.
Life
Postgraduate support
Our support includes access to fantastic facilities, study tools and career consultants, plus practical help to access everything from funding to childcare.
Bristol
A stunning city for student living with all the qualities to make you want to stay.
Sports, societies and activities
There is more to your experience here than study. Choose to make the most of it and try new things.
Health and Wellbeing
We provide support in the way you need it.
Campus and facilities
Discover our campuses and the wealth of facilities provided for our students.
Careers
Careers / Further study
PGCE courses include 60 credits assessed at Masters level.
As a trainee teacher, you'll be joining a modern and well-regarded course to train to teach across the 11-16 age range and gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Fees
Full time course
Indicative Additional Costs
Supplementary fee information
*The UK Government recently proposed that tuition fees for Home students will increase by 3.1% to £9,535 from 1st August 2025. This increase is subject to Parliamentary approval and the vote is expected to take place later this year.
Any tuition fee which is impacted by this change will be updated following approval.
Please see GOV.UK for further information.
The PGCE is financed as an undergraduate course. More information on fees can be found on our tuition fees pages.
For funding options, please see funding for PGCE students.
Entry
Entry requirements
- An undergraduate degree (typically 2:2 or above) or an equivalent qualification, in a subject relevant to the subject you wish to teach. Relevant subject experience can also be demonstrated at masters level.
- GCSE grade C/4 or above in English and Mathematics, or equivalent. We do not accept Level 2 Key Skills, Functional Skills or Certificates in Adult Numeracy and Literacy as alternatives to GCSEs. Candidates with pending GCSEs will be considered. Where applicants have achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English Literature only, we'll look for further evidence of achievement in English.
- To be eligible for the PGCE in PE with EBacc route, applicants must have an A level at grade C or above in an EBacc subject (English, Maths, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, Geography, History, Computer science).
We'll look at all applications against the demands of the course. If you have any questions about our entry requirements, please contact our Admissions team and we can discuss your application.
Our PGCE courses include a high level of placement-based learning and working with children. We would encourage all applicants to get as much relevant experience of working or volunteering with children to help prepare them for this crucial element of their course.
Selection process
Applicants who meet the entry criteria will be invited to an interview. We want to ensure you get all the information you need about the course and about studying at UWE Bristol, and that you can meet members of the course team. There'll be a group discussion and an interview, and you'll get plenty of opportunities to ask questions.
Here you can find top tips on how to write your teacher training personal statement.
Additional requirements (as mandated by the DfE)
- Health checks - for Fitness to Teach.
- A clear Enhanced DBS Disclosure including check of children's barred list.
- Satisfactory references including one from latest employer and/or latest role involving working with children.
- Verification of identity and right to work in the UK.
- Check for sanction, restriction or prohibition on teaching issued by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) (if in teaching role).
- Criminal records checks overseas. If you have lived, studied or worked overseas for five months or more in the last five years a Certificate of Good Conduct from the country of residence will be required even if you are a UK applicant or currently based in the UK.
The university will also check that candidates are not:
- subject to a prohibition order issued by the Secretary of State
- disqualified from childcare
- or have obtained a childcare disqualification waiver from Ofsted.
All information will be treated in confidence.
Further Statutory Guidance
- Supervision of activity with children
- Working together to safeguard children
- Keeping children safe in education
If you would like information regarding issues that could disqualify you from teaching training, please contact us on +44 (0)117 32 83333.
Standards and requirements
Following the review of Standards and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) by the Secretary of State in 2012 (revised in June 2013), our full-time courses have been designed to be compliant with the latest standards and requirements.
Find out further information about the national curriculum and subjects taught in secondary schools.
English Language Requirement
All International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 with 6.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
Due to a high level of placement based learning and working with children, all applicants should have an effective command of the English language and be able to use it appropriately, accurately and fluently in a school setting. International and EU students will be required to produce a certificate evidencing the necessary IELTS or approved equivalent*.
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you'll need in our English Language section.
How to apply
The deadline for Home applications is Monday 14 July, with final interviews being held on Thursday 24 July.
The deadline for International applications is Friday 13 June, with final interviews* being held on Thursday 26 June.
*From 1 June onwards, only applicants who have met academic conditions will be invited to interview. All applicants need to meet all their offer conditions and pay the deposit by 30 June to receive a CAS.
Please see the Department for Education pages for guidance on how to apply.
We encourage you to apply for our PGCE courses as early as possible in the cycle in order to be guaranteed consideration. The courses begin in early September and require sufficient time to review applications, process decisions and fulfil additional entry requirements as mandated by DfE. As a result we may be unable to consider applications received after July. In addition, many of our courses are very popular and will reach their capacity and be closed to further recruitment prior to this date.
Read more about international applications and key international deadline dates.
For further information
- Email: Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333