Why study this course?

This Secondary English with Media course leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and the master's level PGCE qualification.

On this inclusive and engaging programme course, you will develop the skills and confidence to be able to facilitate learning, promote progress and make a real difference to the lives of the students you teach. You’ll learn the principles of effective English teaching and how to foster a love of literature alongside strategies for successful Media teaching.

A dedicated tutor will provide you with support throughout your training, while school placements will provide you with hands-on practical experience in the classroom.

Interested in finding out more? Sign up for one of our information events – online or in person – a chance to meet the tutors and get your questions answered. See below. 

More about this course

This PGCE in Secondary English with Media degree trains you to become a fully-qualified teacher. You'll train to teach 11 to 16-year-olds, but experience teaching at post-16 level can also be arranged on request.?This course qualifies eligible applicants for a bursary of £10,000. (Current bursary for 2024-2025 study).

You’ll learn to equip pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word, and to promote high standards of language and literacy. This will also help develop and promote a love of reading texts.

This PGCE course benefits from our London location and will broaden your understanding of teaching in multicultural and diverse urban environments. Through study, discussion and teaching you’ll gain insight into and understanding of how children learn and the methods you can use to help them develop their English and media skills.

We place great emphasis on sharing feedback with your peers and colleagues. Reflection, critical thinking, evaluation and discussion will shape your developing practice in order to understand fully the role of a secondary teacher.

Initial Teacher Education at London Met is dedicated to broadening the diversity and inclusivity of our teaching profession, welcoming applicants from all backgrounds, and supporting you to work in often challenging urban schools. We actively work towards a model of Education for Social Justice and explore the key issues facing teachers today.

Assessment

Your development will being assessed formatively throughout the course, with regular feedback and feed-forward on next steps for progress. Towards the end of the course your teaching will be assessed in relation to the Teaching Standards for QTS.

In addition, you will complete two major assignments:

  • a Professional Practice Portfolio which is compiled across the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience
  • an Educational Research Assignment, which allows you to explore a key educational issue of your choice.

There are no written examinations.

Professional accreditation

This PGCE with QTS course is authorised by the Department of Education (DfE) and accredited by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

Fees and key information

Course type
Postgraduate
Course code 38CQ
Entry requirements View

This course is subject to validation.

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Entry requirements

You'll be required to have:

  • A UK degree, preferably grade 2.2 or equivalent, in a relevant subject or with a considerable proportion of the content in the subject
  • GCSE English grade B/6 and GCSE Mathematics grade C/4 or above (or equivalent)*
  • Literacy and numeracy tests — these are university-based tests, which you will be asked to undertake at your interview
  • A valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate which you will be advised to apply for after an offer is made
  • Confirmation of Fitness to Teach through a London Metropolitan University Health Check
  • Acceptable academic and/or professional references

If you hold a third class degree, you may still be considered, particularly if this qualification is supported by a completed master's degree or relevant work experience.

If you feel your qualifications are slightly lower than our requirements, contact the Admissions Office for further advice before applying.

We are looking for dynamic, energetic, enthusiastic and caring trainees. As a teacher you will need to be passionate and enthusiastic about your work, as well as the desire to make a real difference to young people's lives and futures.

The University will assess any overseas qualifications for equivalence using a number of resources including our own internal guidelines, the UK ENIC and the Overseas Degree Table.

We highly recommend the one-to-one tailored advice on eligibility and equivalency offered by the Department for Education Get Into Teaching service.

*If you need to take an equivalency test for any of the required GCSEs, please sign up for A Star Equivalency or Equivalency Testing. Please be aware that you may need to undertake study towards the exam, either with the equivalency organisation or independently. Alternatively, you might want to sign up for a college GCSE course in the relevant subject, which will give a more thorough grounding in the subject.

Selection requirements

In addition to the entry requirements above, London Metropolitan University will undertake a rigorous selection process to ensure that you are suitable and ready to train to teach with us. This process will include:

  • Face to face interview in the university (online interviews may be available in certain circumstances)
  • Presentation of a text and related possible teaching activities
  • Group work assessment task
  • Maths and English skills (assessed as part of the interview)

Professional requirements

Before you can be permitted to enrol to this course:

  • you must not already hold QTS or be qualified to teach in another EU/EEA country

Prior to the interview for this course, London Met recommends:

  • you have a minimum of 10 working days recent experience in a school
  • you are prepared for your understanding of current teaching practice and issues in schools to be assessed
  • you have an awareness of multiculturalism and other contexts unique to urban schools
  • you're aware you may be invited to interview based on information given in your application, which you may need to discuss with the interviewer.

Some offers may recommend further school experience if required.

International students and English language requirements

In most cases, we are not able to offer sponsorship under the Student visa route for this course. We will be happy to consider those falling into this category for an alternative suitable course on request.
Overseas nationals who already hold an alternative visa in a suitable category or have been granted permission to remain in the UK indefinitely may be considered for admission, but please note that an additional international enhanced police check will be required.

English language requirements

This course has English language requirements over and above those normally required (see Entry Requirements and Selection Process above). 

To study a postgraduate degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements. 

If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require. 

Modular structure

This course is a blend of taught sessions at the University and school-based training. The course includes lectures, seminar sessions, workshops, educational visits, face-to-face discussions and on-line interactions. You'll also have individual meetings with your personal group tutor to review progress and set personalised targets.

Modules in Year 1 include:

  • Curriculum Studies (CS) is a taught module, assessed by a synoptic essay. Curriculum Studies is where you'll learn about the specific requirements and methods of teaching in your subject or phase.
  • Professional and Inclusive Practice (PIP) is the second taught module, assessed by an Education Research Project, which you'll undertake towards the end of the course.
  • School Experience A is a school-based placement, which introduces you to the practicalities of teaching in a secondary school environment. It runs from October to December and is assessed on your progress towards meeting the Teacher Standards.
  • School Experience B is the second school-based placement, in a different setting, during which you'll hone the skills and attributes necessary to succeed in the classroom. It runs from late January to the end of May, including a two-week window for the completion of the Research Project. It is assessed on your ability to meet the Teacher Standards.

What our students say

“London Met was very proactive in providing support and guidance for my new teaching post. The team educated me on everything necessary to prepare me for my forthcoming role; they are highly skilled professionals who were able to support me through my interview process as well as answer any queries regarding the teaching industry. With regards to course content, I felt everything covered during lectures and the professional studies sessions was relevant to my development and future prospects as a teacher.”
Jatinder Chohan, London Met trainee and Year 5 teacher at Rosedale Hewens Academy, Harlington.

“I really enjoyed my course at London Metropolitan University. There was a lot to learn, but the support and guidance from my tutor and mentors was excellent throughout and by the end of the course I really felt prepared to take on my first mainstream teaching assignment. The tutors and lecturers helped me set the right goals for my development as a teacher as well as giving me the tools to succeed. I had two great school placements arranged by the University and I feel these were key to building my confidence. I was really happy to be offered a job by one of these schools – my PGCE year couldn’t have ended better.”
Maira Rodrigues, London Met trainee and Year 4 teacher at Lloyd Williamson Primary School, Kensington.

Where this course can take you

This intensive PGCE School Direct course leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which enables you to teach 11 to 16-year-olds.

London Metropolitan University’s students have an excellent rate of finding teaching positions within six months of graduating, with some having gone on to work at schools including Ark Academy, East Barnet School and Kingsford Community School.

Funding

Funding is available for many postgraduate courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Depending on your teaching subject and degree classification, you may be eligible for a bursary or scholarship of up to £15,000 through the teacher training bursary.

Additional costs

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Top tips for applications

  • Ask somebody you trust to check your personal statement, both for accuracy of writing and for focused, relevant content.
  • Ensure that your personal statement addresses your reasons for choosing the exact course, phase or subject specialism. Make sure that all potentially relevant experience is referred to in your statement – if you don’t tell us, we won’t know!
  • Don’t wait until you have passed all relevant qualifications before applying (but make sure you tell us about them – otherwise, again, we won’t know).
  • If your qualifications are from another country, you will have to get an ENIC statement of equivalence.
  • Make sure you have read all the relevant course documentation and requirements before applying.
  • If in doubt, ask!

How to apply

You can apply for all teacher training courses, apart from the assessment-only route, through the Department for Education’s “Apply for teacher training” service.

To apply to us, select London Metropolitan University as the training provider and then choose the relevant course. You can also use the following codes:

Training provider code: L68
Course code: 38CQ



When to apply

Please apply as early as possible to maximise your chances of securing a place. The application window opens in early October for courses starting the following September.

Do not wait until you’ve met all the criteria before applying.

If you’re not sure whether you meet the criteria, please do one of the following:

  • Contact us to enquire about the eligibility of your qualifications and experience. We’ll be able to let you know whether the Level 2 Maths certificate that you have is accepted for teacher training, or whether your degree is considered relevant to the secondary course you’re applying for.
  • Apply early and make it clear in your personal statement what steps you propose to take to get the relevant qualifications or experience.

Places are limited by the Teaching Regulation Agency and are offered on a first come, first served basis. We also operate waiting lists for these courses.

This PGCE course will operate different term dates from the standard university dates, following closely to the pattern of the English school year. It will normally start in early September and run until early July.

As this is a full-time (5 days per week) course, you will need to ensure that you are available for this time period.

To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.

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