PGCE Secondary Physical Education with QTS

Our one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) prepares you to teach across the secondary school physical education curriculum for the 11-16 age range.

When you’re at Manchester Met, you’ll look at aspects of practical physical activities and sports in the English PE curriculum throughout KS3 and KS4, as well as GCSE and A-Level PE.

You will engage with a range of teaching strategies to develop pupils’ physical skills and fitness, enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding of PE and health, support social development and create positive emotive experiences in an active learning environment. 

Throughout the course, you will learn how to organise, instruct, model, assess, and adapt teaching and learning in practical and theoretical PE lessons. The majority of the university sessions are delivered in a practical learning environment.

These sessions develop subject knowledge, competence and confidence in modelling and affinity within different pedagogical approaches in PE. Sessions will be taught at our world-class facilities at the Platt Lane Sports Complex and the Brooks Building in Manchester 
Through peer teaching, you can share experiences and learn from your fellow students in practical lessons, and by delivering theory topics. 

Through this PGCE, you’ll be expected to embed yourself in relevant, including child development, subject-specific pedagogy for PE, physical learning theory and engage with technology in PE.  

Through this PGCE, you’ll be expected to embed yourself in a range of relevant theory, including child development, subject specific pedagogy, physical learning theory and engage with technology in PE. 

Features and benefits

• Employability – You will have the knowledge, skills and experience to teach physical education at Key Stage 3, GCSE and potentially A/AS-level.  

• Teaching experience - You will spend at least the minimum Department for Education (DfE) required time in schools (approximately 120 days) on placements in schools, gaining experience in mainstream secondary schools.   

• Postgraduate credits - When you graduate, you’ll achieve 60 masters level credits (this is one-third of a masters degree). You can put these towards a masters degree to help you develop your new career. 

• Partnerships - We have partnerships with over 500 schools, colleges and educational organisations, meaning we are able to provide students with a range of school experiences. 

Research-led teaching - Our research centre, the Education and Social Research Institute (ESRI), ranks in the UK’s top 10 for research power in education (Research Excellence Framework, 2021). 

Application process - You can apply directly to Manchester Met or through one of our lead partner schools. 

Course information

On your PGCE, you’ll have lectures and seminars at Manchester Met and will typically spend a minimum of 120 days on two teaching placements across the North West.

At university, you will mainly study with students in your subject specialism. You’ll learn how to plan and deliver lessons through interactive, hands-on seminars. As part of the Manchester Met curriculum you will explore the fundamental theories of pedagogy, behaviour management, assessment, curriculum and professional behaviours.

In addition to this you will examine key themes such as research informed practice, career focussed teacher development, subject and age phase expertise and teaching for the community. 

You’ll develop research informed practice during lectures and seminars, where you’ll analyse the latest educational research and theories and use this knowledge in your practice.

In addition to your subject studies, you’ll have time to develop all aspects of your professional practice, as well as your ability to reflect critically on your learning. There is also an emphasis on personal tutoring and employability to ensure that you are well-prepared to become an early career teacher (ECT) after completing the course.

When you first arrive, we’ll give you a full overview of the year to help you to stay organised throughout the course and know what to expect and when.

During your first weeks in university taught sessions, you’ll explore subject pedagogies, professional responsibilities and expectations. You’ll work in groups as well as independently to update your subject knowledge and gain confidence before your first teaching placement.

You will go on your first placement in late September, where you’ll gradually put the skills you’ve learnt at university into practice and build your confidence in the classroom.

You will start your placement with a period of induction followed by two intensive training and practice weeks in both university and school where you will develop foundational key skills. You’ll be supported by a subject mentor and progressively take on the responsibility of whole class teaching.

This will include planning, teaching and evaluating your lessons, assessing the children’s progress, and contributing to other aspects of a typically busy school life. Your first placement will be followed by time in university before you start your second placement.

In this placement, with support and mentoring, you’ll progress to teaching an 80% timetable. During both placements you will develop your subject knowledge and understanding of subject specialist teaching.   

While you’re on placement, your subject mentor will support, guide and coach you. You’ll also receive support from your personal tutor at university and a university visiting tutor. 

When you graduate, you will gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in your subject, and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and can work at any level in schools and colleges.

You will also be awarded 60 masters credits (a masters degree is 180 credits), which you could put towards further study and career development. 

Year 1

Here are the core units you'll be studying:

Core units

Subject Pedagogy

The unit seeks to develop you as a student teacher. You will gain the ability to reconceptualise your knowledge and understanding of your subject and to apply this to planning, preparation and classroom teaching.

The unit runs throughout the programme developing and building upon individual and shared experiences gained in both the university and school. The unit forms the basis for, and is a part of, the research informed practice of school-based experiences. 

Secondary Professional Studies

This unit explores current and critical issues, educational theory and research connected to practice in schools. It also develops reflective practice and professional development based on key aspects of early practice.

Professional Development and Employability (Secondary Education)

This practice credit unit supports and challenges students to reflect upon and develop their professional practice and teacher identity. The unit supports preparation for both teaching placements and for progression into the ECT years. 

Placement A (Secondary PGCE)

This practice credit unit is one of two practice credit units that enable student teachers to demonstrate their progress toward meeting the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status.

It provides contexts in which students can put into practice their own learning, reflect on their actions, evaluate their role in relation to pupils’ learning and review their performance in supporting teaching and learning.

Placement B (Secondary PGCE)

This practice credit unit is two of two practice credit units that enable student teachers to demonstrate their progress toward meeting the Teachers' Standards for Qualified Teacher Status.

It provides contexts in which students can put into practice their own learning, reflect on their actions, evaluate their role in relation to pupils’ learning and review their performance in supporting teaching and learning in a more autonomous fashion.