PGCE Secondary - Level 7 (University of Roehampton)

This course is accredited by University of Roehampton.

Do you want to inspire young people and help change lives? Would you like a great starting salary and a rewarding career? Teaching offers all of this. Being able to educate and inspire future generations, and seeing young people grow and develop with your help is unlike any other job.

This PGCE course for teaching at Secondary schools is taught by the University of Roehampton at the Victoria Centre of Westminster Kingsway College. With this course, you can become a qualified teacher in the following subjects:

• PGCE Secondary - History
• PGCE Secondary - Mathematics
• PGCE Secondary - Business with Economics

Based in Victoria, you will be taught by the University of Roehampton staff, and you will graduate with a degree from the University of Roehampton. 

The Victoria Centre of Westminster Kingsway College is in central London, and you will be in the heart of the capital, a short walk from both Victoria and St. James’s Park underground stations and the Victoria mainline train station. The centre has excellent facilities including an onsite library, canteen, and dedicated teaching space for these PGCE programmes.

Watch one of our former teacher trainees talking about her PGCE Secondary year at Roehampton.

As one of the UK’s leading and longest-running providers of teacher education, The University of Roehampton offers you the best foundation for a successful career in the profession. Completing this Postgraduate Certificate in Education will provide you with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from one of the highest-rated providers in the country.

If you study PGCE Secondary at Roehampton you will be taught by a supportive, passionate and driven team of academic staff. Our experienced team strive to ensure you receive the best training and will encourage you to become a confident and successful teacher. We will organise suitable placement schools for you to offer contrasting experiences and your mentors in schools are also trained to ensure you achieve your full potential. In addition to our academic staff, we also have a range of support departments to help you with everything from dealing with money matters, to support with your studies. Your course will provide a holistic view of the profession; you will look at the child, the curriculum and the teacher. 

The University of Roehampton delivers this course. In a 2023 report, Ofsted rated Roehampton's secondary-age PGCE courses as "Good". You can read more here. 

The PGCE Secondary taught by the University of Roehampton at the Westminster Kingsway Victoria Centre are in the following specialisms: 

• History
• Mathematics
• Business with Economics

You will develop your subject knowledge and knowledge of the curriculum in your chosen specialism. You will learn how to take a research-informed approach to key pedagogical skills, including lesson planning, resource design, and assessment, as set out in the current Department for Education's Teachers' Standards. The module should be taken in conjunction with the Teaching Experience module to allow student teachers to practice these emerging skills.

Throughout the module, students will be encouraged to think critically about aspects of the curriculum and pedagogy to help them to become confident, autonomous professionals.

As well as spending time with a dedicated subject tutor, you will also undertake sessions in Professional Studies. 

Professional Studies covers the wider knowledge skills and attributes required to be a teacher. The course will involve days of intensive training and practice in foundational elements of teaching such as behaviour management, adaptive teaching for different learners, questioning, and feedback. For more information on the course visit us here.

You will develop your expertise in the classroom through two blocks of school placements:

• Foundation placement for 17 weeks in the autumn and first half of the spring term, and
• Development and Consolidation placement for 15 and a half weeks at a contrasting school during the second half of the spring term and during the summer term

Your school experience and your university-based learning together form a coherent curriculum, covering key areas of professional learning. We use an online system called Abyasa to record your progress throughout the course. At the end of the programme, a final profile will show how you have met the Professional Standards for the award of QTS. Abyasa record-keeping is a collaborative exercise involving you, your Roehampton subject tutor, and your school mentor. The final profile will draw on a wide range of evidence, including university- and school-based activities, your school experience file and, of course, the teaching carried out in the classroom.

Your placement experiences will be assessed by your mentors in school. You will need to demonstrate that you can meet the Teachers’ Standards in order to gain Qualified Teacher status.

The PGCE Secondary course is also assessed by means of three assignments. These are closely linked to your work in schools and are designed to encourage reflection on practical and theoretical perspectives underpinning effective and reflective teaching and learning. There are no exams on this course.

Adults - Higher Education

You must pay fees to study a Higher Education (HE) course. If you have not studied one previously, you may be eligible to apply for an HE loan. Other financial support such as maintenance loans and disability support are also available.

Please see here for the documents you will need to show us.

Some courses will have other associated costs, such as for specialist materials and trips. Many of our students are eligible for financial support, see here for details.

Domestic students - £9,250 per year

International students - £17,350 per year

This course is delivered by the University of Roehampton. Find out more about their fees and fees policies here.