Secondary English - PGCE with QTS - UWE Bristol: Courses

Introduction

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary English is a one-year course that leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You'll train to become an English 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.

This course may be eligible for a Government bursary. For funding options, please see the Government's scholarships and bursaries page.

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

On this course, you'll be encouraged to investigate how you can help young people to learn. You'll analyse the dynamics of what happens when students talk together about an issue that concerns them and how they use talk to advance their own thinking. Furthermore, you'll investigate strategies to scaffold this happening in your classroom. How best to monitor and assess the learning that takes place and identify targets to support your students' development will be important areas for discussion.

You'll be asked to read and to understand, analyse and evaluate a wide range of texts.

To develop expertise in your specialist subject area you'll:

build your subject knowledge of literature and drama from the UK and across the globe
read and discuss both influential and cutting-edge research to develop criticality
experience and practise a range of effective and empowering pedagogies
take part in workshops with expert teachers, academics, and practitioners across the field of English and Drama.

You'll be encouraged to develop your own subject knowledge for teaching supported by experienced university tutors with many years' classroom experience. We focus on principled practice, deep and rigorous subject knowledge, and purposeful playfulness.

You'll be supported to create an inclusive, energetic, exciting classroom environment targeting a diverse range of students.

You'll study the following modules:

Curriculum, Pedagogy and Practice (Secondary)
Becoming a Transformational Teacher (Secondary)
Professional Practice A (QTS)
Professional Practice B (QTS).

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 English (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

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 master's level.

As a trainee teacher, you'll be joining a modern and well-regarded programme to train to teach across the 11-16 age range and gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Fees

There is currently no published fee data for this course.

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 the Government's scholarships and bursaries page.

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. If you need to improve your subject knowledge, you may be asked to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course before starting your PGCE (deadlines apply).
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.

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 will 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

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 Tuesday 22 July.

The deadline for International applications is Friday 13 June, with final interviews* being held on Tuesday 24 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.

For further information

Email: Admissions@uwe.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 (0)117 32 83333

Book an open day Open day Order a prospectus Prospectus

PGCE with QTS Secondary English