Overview
Entry to the 2025/26 PGCE programmes is now open.
Deadlines:
Home students:
Application screening: Thursday 17th July 2025
Last date of interview: up to Friday 25th July 2025
International students:
Application screening: Wednesday 2nd July 2025
Last date of interview: up to Friday 11th July 2025
The Brunel University London ITE Partnership Curriculum is an ambitious curriculum which has been developed with our Partnership Schools, and our accredited provider, Bath Spa University. It is a carefully sequenced and integrated curriculum which comprises 8 components:
- Professional behaviours and responsibilities
- Subject, pedagogical and curricular knowledge
- How pupils learn
- Planning for Learning
- Adaptive teaching and inclusion
- Assessment of pupils
- Managing behaviour and the environment for learning
- Pupil health and wellbeing
Throughout the programme you will gain, apply and refine your knowledge of teaching, pedagogy and classroom skills. A blended approach to learning has been adopted which provides face to face teaching as well as time to access key materials online and opportunities exist for you to meet and learn from current classroom practitioners.
As part of your academic award, you will undertake assignments which will contribute 60 credits towards a Masters award. These assignments are informed by the relevant research literature and theories that will complement and enrich your professional practice whilst enabling you to develop your subject and phase expertise.
School teaching is an intensely rewarding yet challenging profession. The opportunity to help shape children’s futures is both a privilege and a responsibility.
An English teacher today needs more than a solid grounding in the study of literature. You need to be aware of the ways in which children read wide-ranging texts in a variety of media and to understand how speaking and listening skills are developed.
Whether it is helping someone to have the confidence to analyse more challenging texts, inspiring a budding writer or engaging communicator, or enabling your pupils to look beyond the surface and become increasingly knowledgeable and critical readers, your English teaching will leave a strong legacy.
A high-quality and coherent curriculum has been designed with oversight by Bath Spa University and across the partnership with Brunel University London. It is underpinned by the same foundational concepts and principles, taking account of the Quality Requirements from 2024 and Core Content Framework components. The focus of your studies will be on the principles and methods of teaching and learning delivered through core modules, together with compulsory, practical school-based teaching placements. Your progress will be assessed in both areas.
Your placements will typically take you into partner schools or other educational settings in and around London for at least 120 days in block placements in two or more different contexts working with a school-based mentor with an additional 20 days of ‘Intensive Training and Practice’ in line with the DfE 2024 ITT Criteria.
A Brunel PGCE with recommendation for QTS (made through Bath Spa University) is a recognised symbol of high-quality Initial Teacher Education. You'll benefit from our partnerships with educational institutions and local schools. Many of our students go on to work in our partner schools and many more are employed in schools where they undertook a placement. Our department is ranked 1st in London for graduate jobs and further study (LEO 2023). As well as excellent feedback from partnership schools and student-teachers, additional significant external validation of the strength of initial teacher education provision at Brunel, came from Ofsted in June 2023. There is wide recognition of the positive impact our provision has on the teaching careers our alumni and the schools they work in
Upon successful completion of your course, you will receive both the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and recommendation for the Qualified Teaching Status (QTS) through Bath Spa University.
You can explore our campus and facilities for yourself by taking our virtual tour.
Course content
The PGCE in Secondary Education (English) will equip you with a critical understanding of the issues that impact upon the education of children and young people as well as theory and practice in teaching, learning and assessment as you learn to specialise in the teaching of English.
The taught part of your course will be structured around three core modules which share generic General Professional Education (GPE) and subject specific teaching components:
- Education Studies I
- Education Studies II
- Education Studies III
The course is structured to balance the taught elements with independent professional learning activities (PLAs) of which your placements will be a key part in relation to the Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teacher Status.
Compulsory
- ED55019 - Education Studies IThis module aims to enhance students’ understanding of reflection as part of professional practice, considering particularly the concept of the ’Reflective Practitioner’, to develop students’ ability to analyse their own values, beliefs and ideologies and the influences that have shaped these, to enhance students’ understanding of a range of general professional issues connected with schools and their communities, the curriculum and teaching and learning, to develop an awareness of the importance and implications of safeguarding needs within the remit of statutory provision, including knowledge of E-safety, and to understand various aspects of the school curriculum, including the National Curriculum.
- ED55020 - Education Studies IIThis module aims to develop a research proposal suitable for a small scale enquiry which demonstrates knowledge and understanding of appropriate ethical implications, to gain an understanding of the importance of accurate data when monitoring planning for pupil progress, to share and further develop strategies for behaviour for learning, to reflect upon the needs of EAL learners and begin to develop an understanding for how to plan to meet their needs, and to gain an understanding of creative and innovative approaches to planning, teaching and assessment to meet the needs of the more able.
- ED55021 - Education Studies IIIThe aims of this module are to develop critical knowledge and understanding of teaching methods as appropriate to the subject/phase of focus, to reflect critically on issues of inclusion and its role within the wider curriculum, to consider theories about learning styles, their differences and how these impact on the management of individual learning as appropriate to subject discipline, and to develop a critical knowledge and understanding of key documents and policies which inform teaching in an inclusive classroom.
- ED5622 - PGCE Secondary Education Teachers’ Standards for Qualified Teachers StatusThe main aim of this module is to ensure that the content, structure, delivery and assessment of training enables student teachers to demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards required for the Recommendation for the Award of Qualified Teacher Status [QTS]. The Teacher’s Standards are decided by the government. Higher education tutors, school-based mentors and classroom teachers are involved in the ongoing assessment of the student’s progress toward meeting the Teachers’ Standards, which happens at different times, in different contexts and draws upon evidence from a range of sources collected over time.
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This course has a placement option. Find out more about work placements available.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel
Careers and your future
A Brunel PGCE with recommendation for QTS through Bath Spa University, is a recognised symbol of high-quality Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This is demonstrated by Brunel’s outstanding employment rates over time and feedback from Brunel alumni student teachers, our partnership schools and Ofsted inspectors.
Brunel PGCE graduates have gone on to work in our partnership schools, and many in schools where they undertook a placement experience. This allows the department to retain links with former students and often they become school-based mentors for Brunel PGCE students. The department also has a network of alumni in positions of responsibility in schools across the country.
After you graduate, your relationship with Brunel doesn’t stop there. As alumni, you can remain involved in the Partnership in a range of ways including mentoring, and can also sign up to receive invitations to Brunel public lectures, Department of Education research seminars, events and steering groups, to ensure you continue to develop through a community of professional practice within, and beyond the school in which you work.
If you decide to pursue further study after your PGCE course, (perhaps an MA, a taught Doctorate of Education or a research-based PhD), you will be warmly encouraged by the department with the opportunity of discounted fees as a Brunel graduate.
UK entry requirements
2025/6 entry
Our conditions of entry to the PGCE Secondary Education (English) programme require that applicants have:
- An undergraduate or postgraduate degree in the intend field to teach – must contain at least 50% subject content. Normally this should be a 2.2 classification or above in preparation for Masters level professional study.
- A Masters or Doctorate in the field is acceptable if applicants do not hold a 2:2 undergraduate degree
- A-level or equivalent in an English subject: English Literature, English Language or Creative Writing
- English and Maths Grade 4 (C) or above, or equivalent at GCSE level. Applicants would normally be expected to meet the GCSE requirements at the point of application.
To further strengthen your application, we also recommend that applicants have:
- An informed personal philosophy on the aims of secondary education, drawing on relevant reading and research;
- An understanding of statutory requirements for secondary education within the state school sector;
- An awareness of recent government policy or initiatives in education;
- Recent and relevant experience of secondary school education in England, either team teaching or observing with experienced teachers. This should normally be pre-professional teaching experience where you have had the opportunity to develop relationships with a group(s) of pupils over a sustained period of time;
- The ability to communicate effectively in both spoken and written English. If selected for interview, you will be expected to interact effectively with university tutors and school colleagues, and demonstrate the potential to form positive and productive relationships with colleagues and pupils in schools and in professional learning contexts;
- An awareness of the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2021);
- An enthusiastic and energetic approach which communicates clearly your commitment to teaching and working with young people.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), Childcare Disqualification and Prohibition Orders
As a provider of Initial Teacher Education we have to have regard to the Department for Education’s statutory guidance Keeping Children Safe in Education, when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
We ensure that all student teachers have been subject to an Occupational Health check and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks, including a check against of the children’s barred list. The Department for Education has published statutory guidance on the application to schools of the Childcare (Disqualification) Regulations 2009 and related obligations under the Childcare Act 2006.
We undertake our responsibility to ensure that the student teachers are not, therefore, disqualified from childcare or that the student teacher has obtained a childcare disqualification waiver from Ofsted. We also check that candidates are not subject to a prohibition order for teaching issued by the Secretary of State.
More information about the Occupational Health check, DBS application, costs and further guidance can be found here, alternatively email DBS@brunel.ac.uk for more information. Detailed information about DBS costs can be found in the Required equipment section below.
EU and International entry requirements
If you require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK, you must prove knowledge of the English language so that we can issue you a Certificate of Acceptance for Study (CAS). To do this, you will need an IELTS for UKVI or Trinity SELT test pass gained from a test centre approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and on the Secure English Language Testing (SELT) list. This must have been taken and passed within two years from the date the CAS is made.
English language requirements
- IELTS: 7 (min 6 in all areas)
- Pearson: 64 (59 in all subscores)
- BrunELT: 68% (58% in all areas)
- TOEFL: 98 overall (min 20)
You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.
Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.
Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.
Fees and funding
2025/26 entry
UK
£9,535 full-time
International
£20,400 full-time
Funding your teacher education programme
Whether you’re a UK or a non-UK citizen, you can check your eligibility for bursaries on the Get into Teaching website.
More information on any additional course-related costs.
Fees quoted are per year and are subject to an annual increase.
See our fees and funding page for full details of postgraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.
Scholarships and bursaries
Teaching and learning
The ITE provision for both Primary and Secondary will be delivered through blended learning; the majority of the university teaching will comprise in-person on-campus practical sessions, with some sessions and seminars being delivered online where this is of benefit.
Materials for each lecture will be posted on the virtual learning platform, where recordings of lectures will also be stored. Students will be expected to attend all sessions, irrespective of whether they are in-person or online, due to the nature of the programme as a professional course.
All in-person on-campus teaching will be on the Uxbridge campus. For ITE students, approximately two-thirds of the course are spent in school placements. These placements will be allocated by the university, and will generally follow a school academic year structure with half-term and term breaks. A timetable and calendar will be made available to students at the start of the programme.
Returning students will be resitting the placement module which is entirely school based. There will be no university teaching planned, unless an abeyance period resulted in some taught sessions being missed. Link Tutor visits will be arranged during the school placement, and any outstanding assignment conversations can be arranged with a student’s subject or personal tutor.
Travel costs to placement schools can vary considerably with personal circumstances, including where student teachers live. The highest travel cost seen during the last academic year was as high as £30 per day for a student living a long way out of our partnership area; for most students, it is considerably less. There are approximately 120 days of school placement plus 20 days of Intensive Training and Practice (ITAPs), some of which takes place in school. Occasionally school placements may be extended if additional school time is deemed to be of benefit.
The monthly training bursary, for students in receipt of it, is intended to offset the cost of these out-of-pocket expenses. Primary PGCE and some Secondary PGCE students do not receive a training bursary so travel will be at their own expense.
Enhanced DBS check:
For Home fee-paying students completing the application in the UK the DBS costs: £46.17 - ID check: There is no charge for the ID check if carried out on Brunel campus, there is a £12.80 charge if the ID check is carried out at a Post Office.
EU and Overseas fee-paying students, or anyone completing the application outside of the UK: DBS application costs £57.17 – ID check: The ID check is completed by a professional verifier who may charge a fee for this service.
These amounts may be subject to change and the University will send further instructions as part of the admissions process. Further guidance can be found here, alternatively email DBS@brunel.ac.uk for more information.
Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.
We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.
Education at Brunel offers an unrivalled experience for developing you as an education professional. Brunel has one of the longest established education departments in the country and is a leading research centre for work in education that receives high ratings from the UK’s leading benchmarkers such as Ofsted.
You'll be taught by a team of enthusiastic academic staff who are active researchers on a variety of education topics. Your learning will take place in groups of different sizes and compositions to provide a variety of experiences as you get to know and interact with a group of like-minded students from various walks of life.
Brunel PGCE courses encourage you to research and investigate a range of broad and subject specific educational themes and issues and bring your findings back for discussion in interactive lectures, workshops and seminars.
In addition to PGCE taught modules, your school-based professional learning is a compulsory element leading to a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through Bath Spa University. The opportunity to experience placements in schools and alternative settings, such as special schools, Early Years settings and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) will help you to build up valuable specialist skills for the future.
Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.
Assessment and feedback
The PGCE Primary Education course carries 60 master’s level credits and requires you to successfully complete three formally assessed pieces of academic work during the year supported by a portfolio of evidence.
You will be assessed through various teaching and learning methods which typically include lectures, seminars, workshops, group work, portfolio preparation and simulation of classroom practice.
Qualified Teacher Status is achieved by meeting the government’s Teachers’ Standards. During both the school-based work and university provision you will build your knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a teacher and put this into practice. You will work with your tutors and school-based mentor to develop an evidence-base for this in line with the Teachers’ Standards, which will be assessed.
The master’s level credits you earn on your PGCE will provide an excellent foundation for future academic and professional study.