Fees and key information

Course type
Postgraduate
Course code
R9X1
Entry requirements
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Why study this course?

Begin a rewarding and fulfilling career in teaching with a PGCE in Secondary Modern Languages from London Met. 

This course covers the principles of modern language teaching, producing an effective classroom environment and how to work in the field of education.

Centred around the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child, this degree has a rigorous academic programme. There is a human element to the course which encourages individuality and communication. In recent years, almost 100% of our trainees have passed this course and we have a very high employment rate.

Department for Education bursaries are available for this course.

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.

This course will train you to teach 11 to 16-year-olds (Key Stages 3 and 4) and, by arrangement, 16 to 18-year-olds in a secondary school environment. This PGCE leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). 

The modern languages included are French, Spanish and German, and you will be developing pupils’ skills in speaking, reading, listening and writing the language they choose to learn.

At the University, you’ll study teaching methodology, pupil assessment and how children learn. There will also be collaborative and school-based projects with other trainees.

Based in London, this PGCE course will broaden your understanding of teaching in multicultural urban environments. Through your two school placements, you’ll learn how to help pupils develop their foreign languages effectively and fluently.

Join a group of high achievers

Trainees on our PGCE Secondary courses attain high results, with almost 100% passing the course

Get help with funding your studies

A Department for Education bursary is available for this course

Take your career prospects to the next level

This course provides teacher training in the 11 to 16-year-old age range (Key Stages 3 and 4), leading to Qualified Teacher Status

Student reviews

Our real, honest student reviews come from our own students – we collect some of these ourselves, but many are also collected through university comparison websites and other nationwide surveys.

I personally believe that London Met is an excellent PGCE course provider and the Modern Languages course prepares students very well for a teaching career in this subject. What I appreciated the most was the tutors and the relationships they were able to build with the students. The PGCE year can be a stressful one and it is very important for student teachers to feel supported. The tutors at London Met do this. They teach that in order to be a good teacher you have to encourage pupils and they do it with their student teachers as well. Excellent!

Student reviewer

London Metropolitan University not only teaches you 'what teaching is' but it also demonstrates and facilitates a way for you to become a great teacher.

Student reviewer

The course is well-structured and gives a solid grounding in the pedagogical disciplines needed for a career in teaching. However the highlight for me has been the quality of the subject tutors. All the tutors I have worked with have been highly knowledgeable, approachable and more than capable of pushing students to reach their potential as future teachers.

Martin Gadgill

I get so much support from my tutor, colleagues and the London Met team. The University itself has a great vibe, is highly social and very welcoming. I’m grateful to everyone at the University for all their help.

Zeinab Al-Ali

Choosing to complete my teacher training at London Met was the best career decision I ever made. Studying in the heart of London while being surrounded by a diverse body of staff and students was exactly the preparation I needed for teaching at inner-London secondary schools. London Met’s commitment to tackling the challenging issues surrounding modern urban education was, I believe, a key factor in my rapid progression to the position of head of department after just four years of teaching.

Having gained a unique insight into the value of teacher education throughout my undergraduate studies, I then embarked on a master’s in Education, again with London Met. After successfully completing this, I am now in my eighth year in the profession and currently considering application for a Doctorate in Education.

Rosie Walsh

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

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)

(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.

Read full details

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. 

Read full details

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.

Read full details

Join our next virtual open event on Thursday 23 January at 5pm

Book your place

Course details

Along with the University's standard entry requirements, you will be required to have:

You will be required to have:

  • a UK degree, preferably grade 2.2 or equivalent, in the language you want to teach. If you do not have a degree in that language but hold an alternative degree at the required level, then you should be a native speaker. You should also ideally have spent a significant amount of time in a country where the foreign language you intend to teach is spoken.
  • literacy and numeracy tests — these are university-based tests, which you will be asked to undertake at your interview
  • a valid Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and Confirmation of Fitness to Teach (eg a London Metropolitan University Health Check) which you will be advised to apply for after an offer is made
  • GCSE English and Mathematics grade C (grade 4) or above (or equivalent)*

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.

We do make conditional offers (with strict deadlines) so it is important that you include all pending qualifications in your application.

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. They offer all three GCSE equivalencies. 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 course in the relevant subject, though this is likely to take longer and you may not have the chance for a re-sit, if required, prior to the start of the PGCE course.

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

Some offers may recommend further school experience if required.

International students and English language requirements

Overseas nationals may be considered for admission who already hold an alternative visa in a suitable category or have been granted permission to remain in the UK indefinitely, but please note that an additional international enhanced police check will be required.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).

English language requirements

To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa (previously Tier 4) 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.

Your assessment will consist of four elements:

  • School placement A
  • School placement B, where your teaching ability will be assessed in relation to the standard for Qualified Teacher Status
  • a Professional Practice Portfolio which is compiled throughout the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience
  • the Educational Research Assignment which allows you to explore an educational issue

There are no examinations.

You'll share feedback with your peers and colleagues on the placement, completing weekly reflections and contributing to online discussions in order to further develop your understanding of the secondary teacher role.

This course is accredited by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

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

Our trainees have gone on to secure secondary teacher roles at schools including Ark Academy, Ralph Allen School, Bushey Academy and more.

If you've already studied your undergraduate degree with us, as a graduate of London Met, you'll be entitled to a 20% discount on any further study with us.
* exclusions apply

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 £27,000 through the teacher training bursary.

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.

  • 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.

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: R9X1

Please note, depending on availability, for your placement, you may be assigned to a school that is different to the one you entered the provider code for.

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.

Are you from outside the UK? Find out how to apply from your home country

Find out more

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