English Secondary Education PGCE

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Encourage new generations to discover the beauty of literature. Teach young people how to use language to express themselves. Become an English teacher.

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Learning, teaching and assessment in 2021/22

Overview

English Secondary Education PGCE will qualify you to teach English at Secondary level in any state-maintained school in England and Wales.

This one year course blends theoretical knowledge with carefully supervised teaching experience. You will attend placements in a variety of educational settings, to gain a broad understanding of the realities of Secondary level teaching.

Why us?

‘World-leading’ research in Education, according to the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF)
You’ll spend at least 120 days on placement in schools or colleges

The starting salary of a newly qualified teacher is £22,000, and the average salary for a teacher is £37,400
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Course structure

Placements are an important part of this course. During that time, you will benefit from practical learning and be supported by school-based trainers and University-based tutors.

Your progress will be assessed with written assignments, case studies, and assessments of your teaching practice.

This course is a mixture of University-based learning and in-school training. You will spend at least 120 days on placement in a school or other educational institution.

September – January

Full-time teaching practice placement (school or college)
Master's Module 1: Development of Learning: A Case Study – you will identify an educational intervention and explore its use, impact and influence upon the learning of one or more pupils
Subject Studies related module

January – June

Full-time teaching practice placement (school or college)
Master's Module 2: Negotiated Individual Study in Education – you will undertake a piece of action research into an educational issue
Subject Studies related module

Some modules have prerequisites. Read more about what this means in our Help and Advice article.

MA modules

Modules may include:

Development of Learning: a Case Study (30 credits)

In this module you will identify an educational intervention and explore its use, impact and influence upon the learning of one or more pupils.

Negotiated Individual Study in Education (30 credits)

In this module you will create a plan, undertake and critically evaluate a piece of research on an educational topic of your choice.

Advanced Pedagogical Practice (30 credits)

You will critically examine your chosen subject, relating current practice to educational theory and appropriate literature.

Leading Organisational Effectiveness in Education and Training (30 credits)

You will study the principles of leadership, responsibilities of leadership in an educational establishment, tackling under-performance, and auditing performance.

Assessment Theory into Pedagogical Practice (30 credits)

You will examine educational assessment theory in relation to the current practice in your own educational setting.

Facilities

You'll be based at The David Goldman Informatics Centre, situated on the award-winning St Peter's riverside campus. The location benefits from dedicated library services and has superb transport links with the city centre and City Campus.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is:

Qualification	Minimum grade
a Canadian bachelor's degree	GPA 2.40
a USA bachelor's degree	GPA 2.5

If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.

If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.

If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.

You will usually need a 2:2 (or above) honours degree from a UK Higher Education institution or an equivalent qualification and be deemed suitable to train to teach by the School of Education at the University of Sunderland.

In addition to academic qualifications, you must also:

Have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
Complete a medical pro forma (based on DFEE Circular 8/92)

Your numeracy and literacy competency will be assessed continuously throughout the course, following the DfE’s removal of the Professional Skills Test.

If English is not your first language, you will also need International English Language Testing System (IELTS) at a score of 6.5, with at least 6.5 in writing, and no section below 6.0.

You will be assessed on your potential to learn and not your experience.

The way you apply for teacher training is changing.

The Department for Education (DfE) has developed a new GOV.UK application service, Apply for teacher training, for those applying for a postgraduate teacher training course. This new service will eventually replace the current UCAS Teacher Training portal for postgraduate teacher training.

Apply for teacher training is user friendly, simple to use and flexible. It will allow candidates from a wider and more diverse pool of talent to showcase their skills, experience and potential to be excellent teachers. The University of Sunderland is an early adopter of this new service; please use the Apply now button at the top of this page for more information.

All successful applicants will be invited to an interview. Interviews start early November, so we recommend that you apply as soon as UCAS opens, in October.

Please note, applicants with a foundation degree will need to supplement this qualification with at least 60 credits at level 6 (HE level 3) in order to attain an equivalent single qualification.

Is your qualification not displaying here? For international qualifications, search our full list of international entry requirements for this course.

Fees and finance

The annual, full-time, fee for this course is:

£9,250 if you are from the UK/Europe*
£12,500 if you are an international student

*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area) and Swiss nationals are classed as international, however 21/22 entrants will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the (postgraduate) home tuition fee rate for the duration of their studies. The discounted fee will be reflected on your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.

Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.

This information was correct at the time of publication.

Career ready

This degree awards Qualified Teacher Status, which means that when you graduate you’ll be qualified to teach in any state-maintained secondary school in England and Wales. Most graduates from this course go on to teach in secondary schools.

Good teachers are always in high demand. The average starting salary for a teacher is £22,000, and experienced teachers can earn up to £56,000 outside London, and £64,000 in London. Head teachers can reach a salary of between £42,379 and £112,000.

School placements

The University of Sunderland has partnerships with over 200 schools, in 12 local authorities. You’ll spend at least 120 days on placement. We’ll work with you to find you the perfect placements - schools that can nurture and support your aspirations and interests, and help you become the best secondary teacher you can be.

Meet the students

Studying at the University of Sunderland is the best thing I have ever done

Lorraine Jolley

Related courses

Contact

Contact the Student Helpline for further information about studying at the University of Sunderland:

0191 515 3000

student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk

View Programme Specifications for the Faculty of Education and Society.

Page last updated: 13 May 2021

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