University of Buckingham

University of Buckingham

Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Qualified Teacher Status

The Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Qualified Teacher Status in Education is offered by University of Buckingham.

Program Length: 37 WEEKS.

Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Qualified Teacher Status online offered by the University of Buckigham at the School of Education

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


This course is available to teachers who are currently employed in maintained or independent schools in England, or those who have a training placement under the School Direct Scheme, but do not yet hold a teaching qualification. You will be expected to undertake a teaching placement in a second school which must be a non-selective state-maintained school. The duration of this teaching placement is determined upon interview and is usually for 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, such as mixed ability teaching or differentiation, 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.

Course content
The PGCE is a 37-week school-based course during which time you will work under the guidance of a mentor and receive weekly tutorials to review your progress and to set targets. There are four courses (nine days overall) to attend and these are supplemented by a weekly programme on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). You will be assigned a University tutor who will visit once per term to assess your progress and guide your development. You will be assessed against the Standards by both your mentor and your tutor and there are three assignments to complete.

For teachers undertaking their first year of teaching we highly recommend your participation in our Ab Initio course as an addition to the PGCE. This will provide you with some basic knowledge and skills to start teaching.

Your subject specialism
Different school subjects demand different teaching methods and resources, so part of the residential course will be taught by a subject specialist.  Our subject specialists this year include Art, Music, Design Technology, Business Studies & Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Computer Science, English, Drama, Classics, Modern Languages, Geography, History, Religious Studies, Psychology and PE.



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