Postgraduate Certificate in Education
PGCE Secondary English
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Overview
Course overview
- We're ranked in the top ten universities in the UK for Education (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025).
- Become an outstanding secondary school English teacher with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
- Our Ofsted (2024) inspection report noted that “through exceptional centre-and school-based training experiences, trainees are fully equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need to successfully develop and refine their classroom practice. Trainees across all routes thrive.
- Enjoy extensive periods ofclassroom experience supported by outstanding tutors and mentors.
A study experience that makes a difference
We place social responsibility at the heart of your learning which means you can take advantage of unique ways to make a difference while studying with us, through your course or through extra-curricular activities.
- Complete our Ethical Grand Challenges to learn how you can create a better world and become more socially responsible.
- Work with an external organisation to tackle real-world sustainability problems through our University Living Lab.
- Discover subjects that broaden your horizon with our interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
Explore how you'll make your mark
Every course at Manchester contributes towards the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, so no matter what you're studying you'll be playing an active role in the protection of people and planet.
You will explore the following goals in your course:
- Goal 4: Quality education
Open days
If you’re considering studying Teacher Training at The University of Manchester, there are a range of ways you can connect with us to find out more, such as:
- Live virtual events hosted by PGCE academic staff
- Get Into Teaching events
- Guided campus visits
- Please see our virtual event registration form for available dates
The form will be updated regularly throughout the cycle with the event schedule. For more information on guided campus visits, please visit our meet us page.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Environment, Education and Development
- Contact name
- ITT Admissions Team
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 306 0970
- pgce@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/education/pgce/
- School/Faculty overview
-
See: The School .
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
- Minimum 2:2 honours degree in English Literature, English Language, Linguistics or a joint honours degree with at least 50% of these subjects.
- Applicants who do not have a substantial amount (50% minimum) of English / English Literature in their degree may be eligible for aSubject Knowledge Enhancement course provided they have an A-level in either English Language or English Literature at grade B or above.
- Minimum 104 UCAS points at A Level, including at least a B in an English subject. C grade will be considered if you can demonstrate sustained academic progression since your A Level awards.
- Minimum grade C or 4 at GCSE (or equivalent) in English language and mathematics.
English language
- IELTS 6.5 overall, 6.5 in writing, no sub-section below 6.0, or
- TOEFL iBT overall score of 90 with a minimum score of 22 in writing and 20 in the other sub-sections, or
- Pearson PTE overall score of 62 with a minimum score of 62 in writing and 59 in the other sub-sections, or
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) overall score of 176 or above, with 176 in writing and no sub-section below 169.
English language test validity
Relevant work experience
Professional entry qualification
Fees and funding
Fees
For entry in the academic year beginning September 2026, the tuition fees are as follows:
-
PGCE (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £9,535
International, including EU, students (per annum): £24,700
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive for the course tuition, administration and computational costs during your studies.
For general fees information, please visit postgraduate fees
Additional expenses
Travelling to placement will incur additional costs for trainees. Significant effort is made to place trainees so as to minimise these costs. In addition, travel bursary payments covering part of the cost are available to all trainees who do not have a government bursary.
Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- tax-free bursary or scholarship;
- tuition fee loan and maintenance loan;
- extra financial support if you're a parent or have an adult dependant or a disability.
Depending on your circumstances you could receive all three. Learn more on the Department for Education website .
You can also find out about scholarships and bursaries on our funding page .
Application and selection
How to apply
Advice to applicants
You must apply through DfE Apply .
Applications or CVs sent directly to the University will not be considered.
You must submit the following with your completed application form:
- contact details for two referees who can provide a written reference supporting your suitability for teaching
-
a personal statement which should be between 500-1000 words in length in a good standard of written English. Here are some examples you could write about (they are just a guide, you do not need to write about all of them):
- skills you have that are relevant to teaching
- any experience of working with young people
- for secondary teacher training: your interest in the subject you want to teach
- your understanding of why teaching is important
- your reasons for wanting to train to be a teacher
- any activities you’ve done that could be relevant to teaching like first aid courses, sports coaching or volunteering
We recommend that you submit your application as soon as you are able to, once applications open. It is possible that we may need further evidence of qualifications in order to make a decision on your application, so please ensure that all relevant documents are available on request.
Before submitting your DfE application, please make sure that the information you enter regarding your qualifications is correct and accurate. We have the right to cancel your application if we determine (having carried out any necessary checks), or have reasonable belief, that your application contains false information. If you have any reason to believe that the information we hold about you is untrue, incomplete or inaccurate, you must tell us immediately.
Interview requirements
Interview requirements
Your application will be assessed by our admissions team and if successful, we will invite you to an online interview. All universities interview candidates for PGCE courses. The interview process includes the following:
- Identity and qualification checks - please have available photographic ID (such as your passport or driving licence)
- An introduction from University lecturers
- A personal interview with one of our tutors and possibly a representative from our school partnership
- You may be asked to prepare short presentation or plan a teaching episode. Details of will be given when you are invited for interview.
Maths and English skills
You will need to demonstrate your comprehensive knowledge and skills in Maths and English by the end of the programme.
Fitness to practise / health requirements
If your application is successful, we will require you to comply with a confidential health screening check as advised by the Department for Education. We ask that you return this as quickly as possible.
Health screening will be undertaken by the Student Occupational Health Service, who will advise on any follow-up vaccinations or other intervention which may be indicated.
Aptitude test requirement
Fitness to practise / health requirements
If your application is successful, we will require you to comply with a confidential health screening check as advised by the Department for Education.
Health screening will be undertaken by the Student Occupational Health Service, who will advise on any follow-up vaccinations or other intervention which may be indicated.
Disclosure and Barring Service check
If your application is successful, we will require you to comply with an enhanced check through the Disclosure and Barring Service as advised by the Department for Education.
You must also meet the University's suitability requirements for the safeguarding of children.
Re-applications
If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry.
In your new application, you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course.
Course details
Course description
PGCE Secondary (English) will train you to teach secondary English in the UK across the 11 to 16 or 11 to 18 age range, including the National Curriculum, GCSE and A-level.
It also includes drama, media and information and communication technology.
Completion leads to a postgraduate qualification and recommendation for qualified teacher status (QTS).
University-based sessions will enable you to reflect on teaching methods and are taught by tutors with expertise in teaching in schools and colleges and examining KS4/GCSE and AS/A-level English.
We will help you to transform your subject knowledge into teaching skills and educational theory into practice.
We also use the expertise of experienced teachers from our partnership schools to complement the teaching of University-based sessions.
This includes sessions led by subject mentors, who will help you develop your subject knowledge and provide advice about teaching methods.
Your English tutors are Hannah Strickland, Simone Burton and Jo Heathcote. Find out more about our PGCE staff .
Aims
You will:
- develop a critical awareness of lesson and curriculum planning, spending time on each with school-based mentors and University tutors;
- develop skills and knowledge in inclusive English teaching, considering how to include marginalised narratives in the curriculum;
- develop pedagogy and gain an understanding of a range of different teaching strategies in the English classroom, and in activities beyond the classroom;
- develop subject and curriculum knowledge for KS3, KS4 and KS5 English.
Special features
- We have links with more than 200 schools, academies, and colleges, and you will benefit from significant school-based teaching experience.
- Our leading experts in education have trained more than 5,000 teachers in the last 15 years.
- Our students come from all over the globe and are from a variety of backgrounds - from recent graduates to mature learners.
- Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Quality Education by helping to expand access to high-quality learning and inspire future generations.
Teaching and learning
Important notice: factors affecting fieldwork and placements
The School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED) recognises the value of fieldwork and placements. However, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff remains our priority.
The School will assess on a regular basis the viability of any travel and fieldwork and communicate any significant changes to our students at the earliest possible opportunity. SEED will consider:
- changes to the rules and guidance on travel and activities implemented and published by the UK and overseas governments;
- a risk assessment conducted by or on behalf of the University identifying unmanageable risk;
- changes that enhance the educational value and student experience of the activity;
- changes to the situation of a placement provider (for example, which cause them to be unable to accept students);
- the unavailability of appropriate insurance cover;
- the unavailability of appropriate travel and accommodation and any significant changes to their financial costs;
- where fieldwork and placements are a compulsory element of the Programme, they will be replaced with something academically similar;
- where a trip or placement is not a compulsory element of the Programme, it may not be replaced.
We will consult with affected students at the earliest possible opportunity and explore the options available to them.
The duty of students
Preparation, attendance and conduct
Attendance at preparatory classes is a compulsory pre-requisite of the fieldwork and placements to ensure safety and learning outcomes are met.
Students who do not attend the compulsory preparatory classes may be prevented from participating in the fieldwork or placement. It is the duty of students to discuss any attendance issues with the field course or placement convenor.
Students are representatives of the university during their fieldwork or placement. Behaviour deemed by the convenor to be unacceptable may result in students being sent home.
Where a student is unable to attend or complete the fieldwork or placement (e.g. due to mitigating circumstances), is prevented from attending due to absence from compulsory preparatory classes, or due to poor conduct, a suitable alternative assessment will be offered (as appropriate) to ensure that the programme ILOs are met, and that the student is not academically disadvantaged.
The University accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred by the student in relation to the fieldwork or placement.
Coursework and assessment
Your school and University experiences are formally assessed. Both your mentors and tutors will help you to record your achievements and set targets from week to week and from placement to placement.
During each placement, a University tutor will observe you teach and discuss your progress with you and your mentor.
At the end of each school experience, you will receive a progress report from your mentor. The report will provide clear feedback and targets in the following areas:
- subject and curriculum knowledge;
- planning and teaching;
- assessment;
- wider professional responsibilities.
These reports, together with your record of achievement and development, facilitate your progression as a teacher.
The written assignments will allow you to gain a maximum of 60 master's-level credits, and guidance and support to complete these assignments will be available from your University tutors.
Facilities
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Completing a PGCE is one route to becoming a fully qualified teacher. This form of teacher training is recommended for anyone with an undergraduate degree who is looking to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
You need QTS to teach in a state-maintained or special school in England and Wales. Whilst other routes to gain QTS exist, they do not all come with the postgraduate qualification of a PGCE.
A PGCE from The University of Manchester is a valued qualification regionally, nationally, and internationally.
When you study a PGCE with us, we help you prepare for a successful career in education. You will be given clear direction, advice and support when making applications for teaching posts and our employment rates are consistently high.
In addition to this, a PGCE qualification can count as 60 of the 180 credits required for a master's degree, and The University of Manchester offers a range of postgraduate Education courses should you wish to continue your professional development as you progress further in your career.
Visit our careers and employability page for more information.
Careers support
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .
Global networks
The University of Manchester is proud to have the largest global alumni community of any campus-based university in the UK. International alumni groups are a great way to keep in touch with fellow Manchester graduates in your country and provide an opportunity to build professional and social networks.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.