PGCE Secondary Modern Languages

Program Overview

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About our foundation years

Our Foundation Year courses are perfect for you if you...

• are returning to education after a long time, or you don't have the qualifications for direct entry into our degree programmes
• are thinking of re-training and would like an introduction to the area
• are an international student wanting an additional year to adapt to the UK academic system
• are still evaluating which degree pathway at UEL is the right one for you

Please note: Foundation years can only be studied full-time. However, you can transfer to part-time delivery once you have completed your foundation year. Please apply to the full-time option if you wish to study in this way.

Secondary Modern Languages PGCE

Overview

This course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for the 11-to-16 age range, which qualifies you to be a teacher in secondary schools in England and Wales. Where possible, we also give you the chance to gain experience in the 11-to-18 age range.

UEL offers the following combinations of language specialism:

• French
• French with German
• French with Italian
• French with Spanish
• Spanish with French
• German with French
• Community languages

It is of the utmost importance that all young people get the chance to learn at least one language to a high standard.

That's why schools will always need highly skilled language teachers to help pupils develop valuable, lifelong skills – and why trainee language teachers can benefit from the highest range of training bursaries.

The three most commonly taught languages in East London schools are French, German and Spanish. Others include Italian, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, Urdu and Bengali.

Your teacher training at UEL will help you discover how to open young people's eyes and ears to the beauty of the language by exploring its uses in business, everyday life and culture.

There are three elements to secondary training at UEL: subject studies, general professional studies and school-based training. It differs from courses offered by other universities in that it is very much subject-based.

Our ethos is based on collaboration, not competition. We encourage you to work collaboratively just as you will when you qualify and start working in a school.

Entry Requirements

Academic requirements

• Bachelor's degree with minimum Second Class (2:2) or equivalent in the subject applicant plans to teach.
• GCSE English and Maths grade A*-C/9-4.
• Satisfactory references.
• Satisfactory personal statement.

International Qualifications

We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit our International page for full details.

Interview

An interview is required with a member of the academic teaching team. Further information will be provided on receipt of an application.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Applicants for this course are required to complete a Student Suitability Declaration and an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. You need to complete this process prior to starting the course.

Health check

Applicants for this course are required to complete an occupational health check.

Fees, funding and additional costs

Fees

EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals starting a course from September 2021, will no longer be eligible for Home fees. However, such nationals benefitting from Settled Status or Citizens' Rights may become eligible for Home fees as and when the UK Government confirms any new fee regulations. Further information can be found at UKCISA.

Tuition fees are subject to annual change. Fees for future years will be published in due course.

Funding

Home students

• Postgraduate Loans Scheme: £10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme
• Postgraduate Scholarship: Apply for a 50 per cent discount on your tuition fees!
• Alumni Discount: up to 15% fee waiver (exclusions apply)
• Early Payment Discount: 5% fee waiver
• Asylum Seekers scholarship: 100% fee waiver
• Civic Engagement: £1,000
• Hardship Bursary: up to £2,000
• Sport Scholarships: Up to £6,000

International students

• Living costs for international students: £1,265* per month to cover living costs
• How to pay your fees: Deposits and paying by instalments

Additional costs

• Textbooks
• Computer equipment
• Printing
• Travel

Course modules

Year 1

• Active Enquiry and Intervention: Impacting upon Learner Progress Core Module
• School-Based Learning: Reflections on Practice (Mental Wealth) Core Module
• Developing Subject Expertise and Subject Specialism Core Module

What we're researching

At the University of East London we are working on the some of the big issues that will define our future; from sustainable architecture and ethical AI, to health inequality and breaking down barriers in the creative industries.

Your future career

The Secondary PGCE course at the University of East London was designed in 2001 in conjunction with the local authorities to address the secondary education teacher shortage in East London.

Industry links

The partnership works with input and support from the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Redbridge.

Further study

You may also decide to undertake further study at the University of East London, either at the end of your course or after gaining teaching experience, perhaps specialising in Special Educational Needs or taking our MA Leadership in Education.

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

• Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work
• Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts
• 1-2-1 career coaching services
• Careers workshops and employer events
• Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

How you'll learn

The university-based training initially consists of weekly lectures on themes that are then developed in seminar groups. You will work both in subject-specific groups and in mixed-subject groups.

Class sizes

We organise our training so that it feels like a school. We teach students mainly in small groups of 30 rather than in large lecture halls of 150 or 300 because you must have plenty of time in your subject groups.

Placement

Your subject tutor will be like your form tutor at school. We believe that we should model good practice to you so that you can learn by example.

You will undertake two long placements in contrasting schools, totalling 24 weeks. We work in partnership with over 100 schools and colleges to provide a high-quality programme of support.

How you'll be assessed

To pass your PGCE and be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status, you have to demonstrate that you have met the Teachers' Standards.

While the course is modular, the emphasis is on the whole process of your development as a teacher. So, rather than a fragmentary approach, there is ongoing assessment, charting the often subtle transformations in your knowledge and understanding, and your practical skills.

Campus and facilities

Stratford Campus, London, E15 4LZ

Our historic Stratford campus is located in one of the best-connected areas of London: close to Stratford's thriving town centre, the 2012 Olympic Park, just 15 minutes from London's West End and 20 minutes from Canary Wharf.

Stratford’s facilities include a state-of-the-art library and learning centre, the majestic great hall and specialist laboratories and computing services. The School of Childhood and Social Care, and Centre for Clinical Education in Podiatry, Physiotherapy and Sports Science are housed in new buildings. There is also a campus restaurant and bookshop, and a Students' Union café-bar.

Westfield Stratford City - Europe's largest indoor shopping mall - is just one of Stratford's attractions, alongside many other shops, cafés, bars, restaurants and cinemas. Stratford is fast becoming London's new cultural quarter, with Sadler's Wells East and V&A East moving in.

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by the School of Childhood and Social Care

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

• Course leader

Natalie Earl

Department of Education, School of Childhood and Social Care

Related courses

This course is part of the Teacher Education and Training subject area.

• PGCE Secondary Mathematics
• PGCE Secondary Computing