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Why study this course?
Our Secondary English PGCE is designed to provide you with the key expertise, skills and curriculum knowledge required to teach English confidently to students in Key Stages 3 and 4. We also aim to arrange experience in teaching sixth form, should you wish.
This course gives you a combination of learning methods including 9 weeks of university-based learning, across the year, which enables you to develop an understanding of the curriculum and how children learn. It also allows you to undertake low-stakes practices with 25 weeks of schoolwork placements, enabling you to immerse yourself in two different schools, building your expertise and confidence as a teacher of English.
The course will enable you to experience the diversity of educational settings within our partnerships, giving you an invaluable range of skills.
A Secondary English PGCE is an essential qualification for any aspiring secondary school English teacher. After completing our Secondary English PGCE, you'll be able to work in and adapt to a range of secondary school environments, teaching English to students aged 11 and up. Throughout the course, you'll learn how to facilitate effective, impactful classroom learning that allows young people to thrive.
You'll have the opportunity to take full advantage of our University's London location on this Secondary English PGCE course, exploring a wide range of resources that support the dynamic teaching of English in multicultural urban environments.
Boost your career prospects
Gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) on this course as well as a Master’s Level PGCE qualification
Take advantage of our London location
Learn to teach in diverse and multicultural schools, giving you good experience to take into your professional career as a teacher
Train in two different school placements
Immerse yourself in 25 weeks of placements and build your expertise and confidence as a teacher
Course modules
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2024/25 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year modules
Curriculum Studies
This module currently runs:all year (September start)
all year (January start)
(core, 30 credits)
NB: Teaching Period is a statutory period of currently 36 weeks, set by the Department of Education. Term dates are set separately to the standard university dates, with an earlier start and later finish than other postgraduate courses.
The Curriculum Studies module aims to ensure that all students have appropriate knowledge, skills and understanding to teach their chosen specialism as an effective practitioner, in fulfilment of all relevant aspects of the Core Content Framework.
To support the student:
● to develop an understanding of the curriculum knowledge and pedagogical knowledge that they will require as a teacher, including the ability to interpret this to plan, teach and assess engaging lessons which promote pupil progression.
● to develop their own subject knowledge to ensure they are confident to teach their chosen specialist subject and/or phase, through a combination of assessment, self-assessment, target setting, personal study and engagement with university teaching and learning sessions.
● to develop a critical appreciation of the relevant traditions in pedagogy, assessment and children’s rights related to the areas they will be required to teach, and to use this knowledge to make decisions about planning, teaching and assessment which promote pupil progression.
Professionalism and Inclusive Practice
This module currently runs:all year (September start)
all year (January start)
autumn semester
(core, 30 credits)
NB: Teaching Period is a statutory period of currently 36 weeks, set by the Department of Education. Term dates are set separately to the standard university dates, with an earlier start and later finish than other postgraduate courses.
The Professional Inclusive Practice (PIP) module aims to ensure that student teachers are prepared for all aspects of professionalism and professional thinking as a teacher. It aims to ensure that they are fully equipped to meet the broader knowledge, skills and behaviours beyond individual subject or phase specialist topics, in fulfilment of all aspects of the Core Content Framework.
To support the trainee:
• to develop a critical understanding of the key philosophies that underpin our curriculum, based on the principles of Education for Social Justice, Critical Pedagogy and the UNCRC.
• to teach in a range of contexts, with a focus on teaching in multilingual, multicultural schools, working closely with families, communities and other professionals and to develop a sense of professional identity which reflects this.
• to develop the full range of skills, competencies and attitudes needed to enhance their employability, by enabling them to attain the professional Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by the end of the course.
• to enable students to reflect upon, critically assess and research their own practice.
School Experience
This module currently runs:all year (September start)
(core, 0 credits)
NB: Teaching Period (whole course) is a statutory period of currently 36 weeks, set by the Department of Education. Placement Module dates are set at 24 weeks minimum. Term dates are set separately to the standard university dates, with an earlier start and later finish than other postgraduate courses.
The module will be comprised of two school experiences placements in contrasting schools or other appropriate settings to support the trainee to:
• Develop their professional practice as a teacher.
• Gain the skills and understanding outlined in the Core Content Framework for ITT.
• Become a critically reflective practitioner inside and outside the classroom.
• Acquire the necessary skills, experience and understanding required to plan, deliver and evaluate the appropriate areas of the curriculum (for their route) by the end of the module.
