Course Info

The Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education with QTS is the accreditation that enables teachers to teach in state-maintained and special schools in England.

This course is available to teachers who are currently employed in maintained or independent schools in England. You will be expected to undertake a teaching placement in a contrasting school. The duration of this placement is determined upon interview but is usually for 30-hours over a period of three weeks.

What is the point of doing a PGCE if I am already working in a school?

1. A doctor does not simply learn to recognise symptoms and the best-known response to those symptoms. He/she knows the deeper causes of each illness and the way such an illness might impact different people. In the same way, a teacher should know the deeper theoretical background to different teaching strategies, something which will enable them to teach with professional confidence. To achieve this, they need to read and evaluate recent research and texts.
2. Although part of a teacher’s ability depends on their subject knowledge and force of personality, there are specific skills (the ‘craft of the classroom’) which need to be grasped if they are to be truly effective. All teachers, for example, need to know about pupils with special needs. All need to know about the most effective ways of maintaining good behaviour. All should know about the best ways of ensuring pupils capture what you are teaching them in their long-term memories.
3. Having taken the trouble to gain this qualification will show your employer and future employers that you are a serious, professional employee.
4. The PGCE with QTS will enable you to apply for jobs at the many schools that require teachers to have qualified teacher status.
5. The PGCE at The University of Buckingham is a Level 7 course and is therefore designed to be intellectually stimulating. It leads on to an MA for those who wish to take that more advanced qualification.