This course is designed to develop innovative and highly skilled teachers who wish to inspire young people through music. Throughout the secondary PGCE course, we aim to develop your music teaching expertise in a variety of contexts, equipping you to plan and teach engaging and meaningful musical experiences for your school students. The course is designed to support musicians in coming to an understanding of what it means to be a highly effective and successful music teacher, introducing you to the broad scope of music as a curriculum subject across the 11-16 age range. Our priority is to develop your teaching expertise in a variety of situations, by exploring a range of approaches to teaching music. For example, we will offer a broad range of perspectives on the principles of syllabus design, evaluation and assessment in the field of music education. We aim to develop your teaching through engaging practical music workshops, lectures, seminars and tutorials and through critical reflection of teaching and learning with expert musicians and music educators. You will also benefit from the expertise of a music teacher mentor throughout your two school placements, all based within our partner schools.

Graduates of this programme are currently working across a broad range of areas, including: classroom music and instrumental teaching, workshop leaders and consultants in National Music Hubs and local authorities, learning and participation programme leaders for professional orchestras / ensembles, and resident composers in schools.

Graduates of the Secondary PGCE music 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 excellent 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 aims to provide a springboard into a rewarding career as a skilled teacher and future educational leader.

Students who successfully complete this programme will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).