Secondary Qualified Teacher Status and PGCE

September 2024 arrangements: the university has been accredited to deliver the Qualified Teacher Status course by the UK government.

When asked, 99% of students either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement “I am confident that I am prepared to meet the demands of my next years in teaching”.

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

If you work in a Prep School you should normally do the Prep PGCE with QTS course.

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 minimum period of three weeks (15 days).

This course is also available to Teaching Assistants with a degree who wish to qualify as teachers.

It is available for only £600 if you take the Apprenticeship QTS/PGCE course instead.

We train teachers from Special Schools as well as SEND teachers in all schools. If you teach children a curriculum which is normally accessed by older children (e.g. you teach pupils aged 11-14 a Key Stage 2 curriculum) you will need to do a second school placement in a mainstream school where you can teach an age-appropriate curriculum.

“I feel that I have become a better teacher as a result of this training, especially thinking intentionally and consciously about pedagogy and educational theory and being encouraged to apply it to my practice. Thank you!”

“Leaders have developed an ambitious, coherent and challenging ITE curriculum. Based around five curriculum themes, the well-structured course is informed by the core content framework and underpinned by a wealth of pertinent academic research. Together, heads of cohort, subject leads and mentors ensure that trainees foster a deep subject knowledge and rich range of pedagogical skills. Trainees typically become very well-informed and highly reflective practitioners.” Ofsted, 2021

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.

“The course introduced me to teaching techniques and classroom strategies that I was able to implement immediately.”

Patrick Shacklady, PGCE

2024/2025 Residentials draft dates

PE only residential 1: Monday 21 October 2024, Tuesday 22 October, Wednesday 23 October

Others: 23-25 October

PE only residential 2: Monday 10 February 2025, Tuesday 11 February

Others: 12-13 February 2025

PE only residential 3: Tuesday 27 May, Wednesday 28 May

Others: 28-29 May 2025

You must be employed as a teacher in a secondary independent or state school and be teaching your subject for a minimum of twelve hours across two consecutive Key Stages.

Every year some of our applicants have arranged to work in a school for the specific purpose of gaining this training, others have worked in the school for a year or two, some for longer than that.

You will be expected to have the following qualifications:

• UK degree. For equivalent qualifications, contact education@buckingham.ac.uk to confirm that your qualification meets the University entry requirements
• GCSE in English Language, Maths at grade 4 or above or equivalent. For equivalent qualifications, contact education@buckingham.ac.uk to confirm that your qualification meets the University entry requirements.

In addition, you must:

• Demonstrate competence in literacy and numeracy.
• Attend an interview.
• Provide a reference from your headteacher supporting your application to undertake a PGCE.
• Obtain the commitment from your school to release you for the second school placement and to provide a suitable mentor.
• Provide a satisfactory criminal record check and show the physical and mental fitness to teach.

The employing school must be able to fully support a candidate through the course, enabling them to demonstrate all of the Teachers’ Standards across the full age and ability range of training, and cannot be graded as inadequate.

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. You must teach for a minimum of 13 hours a week.

There are seven days of residential training and two days of online learning which include subject-specific content. Trainees will participate in lectures, workshops, seminars and discussion groups led by experts in their field. The course encourages reflective practice, focusing on the subjects being taught, the craft of the classroom and the underpinning educational values of the teacher.

You will cover five key topics using Intensive Training and Practice. As a part of this you may be required to attend a live but online talk on twenty Thursdays 8.30 to 9.30am.

You need to be available to attend residential courses.

You will also be assigned a University tutor who will visit you once per term to assess your progress and guide your development. You will be assessed against the Teaching Standards and Core Curriculum Framework, which is embedded in the PGCE curriculum, by both your mentor and your tutor. The Buckingham tutor and the school mentor will jointly assess the student’s competence as a teacher during and at the end of the course. There are three essays to complete, carrying a total value of 60 Level 7 (Master’s) credits. If successful, trainees will be qualified to teach in both independent and maintained schools in England.

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 course will be taught by a subject specialist. We can teach all school subjects including Art, Music, Design Technology, Food Technology, Business Studies & Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Computing, English, Drama, Classics, Modern Languages, Arabic, Geography, History, Politics, Citizenship and PSHE, Religious Studies, Psychology, PE and Mandarin.

“The vast range of support in place ensures you grow throughout the course.”

The University reserves the right to increase course fees annually in line with inflation linked to the Retail Price Index (RPI). If the University intends to increase your course fees it will notify you via email of this as soon as reasonably practicable.

Course fees do not include additional costs such as books, equipment, writing up fees and other ancillary charges. Where applicable, these additional costs will be made clear.

Applicants must also pay a £300 non-refundable Registration Fee.

Fees are invoiced at the beginning of the course.  Instalments can be arranged directly with the Finance department upon receipt of the invoice.

IAPS members are eligible for a reduced fee.

Please select ‘IAPS’ on the partnership section of the application form. For further details please get in touch using the contact details above.

Bursary funding

If you need financial assistance for a course, please contact Shonali Mathur at: pgce-support@buckingham.ac.uk. You will be asked to fill in a means-test form.

Please use the ‘Apply’ button at the bottom of this page.

For further information contact the Faculty of Education on +44 (0)1280 820222 or email: education@buckingham.ac.uk.

Before we can accept you, you will need to supply:

copy of your degree certificate
copy of your English and Maths GCSE (or equivalent) certificates
copy of passport photo page (and visa/work permit where necessary)
head and shoulder style photo for your University identity card

Closing date for applications: 28 June 2024.

It can take at least 6 weeks to process applications. Please do not leave applying until the last minute. If you or your school are inaccessible in the summer holidays, your application will not be complete before the course begins.