School Direct (PGCE)

You’ll need:

• a 2:2 degree (UK honours degree or equivalent) in in a relevant subject.
• GCSEs (minimum grade 4/C) in English language and maths 
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

If you don't have the required GCSEs we'll ask you at the offer stage to take equivalency tests. You'll need to cover the cost of the tests yourself.

Find the equivalent international qualifications for your country.

If you’re currently studying or waiting for any of these, any place offered would be conditional on a successful outcome of this, or of a Southampton University equivalency test.

For secondary subject courses, the normal expectation is that students will have at least 50% of their undergraduate degree in their chosen subject. Please see individual subject areas for their particular application requirements.

Before applying, you should read the UK National Curriculum for English and the standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

We do not accept IELTS in lieu of the English Language GCSE requirement.

English language requirements

If English isn't your first language, you'll need to complete an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) to demonstrate your competence in English. You'll need all of the following scores as a minimum:

We accept other English language tests. Find out which English language tests we accept.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000

This is a full-time course. You’ll study from September to June, with breaks at Christmas and Easter.

You’ll spend your time training in 2 placement schools.

The course consists of 4 compulsory modules. We assess 3 of them at master’s level, 1 at undergraduate level. You’ll need to pass the 3 master’s-level modules to gain your PGCE award.

Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.

Learning

In your school placements, you’ll have structured opportunities to observe experienced teachers at work and to discuss professional issues with colleagues. You’ll spend the majority of time learning from practical experience in the classroom.

Assessment

We'll assess you regularly to keep your progress under review and update you on your how you're getting on. Short, subject-based tasks will help you to develop an insight into effective teaching.

You'll need to demonstrate: 

• that your teaching meets the Teachers' Standards in order to gain QTS  
• your performance as a teacher  
• 3 assignments based on 
  • your curriculum area 
  • aspects of subject teaching 
  • a study of a whole-school issue

Your assignments are marked at master’s level and if successful in all 3, trainees will be awarded the Post-graduate Certificate in Education, as well as 60 credits towards a master’s degree. This course also leads to QTS, qualifying you to teach in school.

Academic Support

We’ll assign you a personal tutor, and you’ll have access to a senior tutor.

Successfully completing this course will give you Qualified Teacher Status in addition to your PGCE award. This means you'll be able to work as a teacher in state-maintained and special schools in England and Wales.

School Direct courses often lead to you working in the school you’ve been training in. We also have high employment rates from all of our PGCE courses.

If you choose to continue your studies, the credits you build up from your master’s-level modules can be put towards a future master’s degree qualification.

Careers services at Southampton

We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2022). Our Careers, Employability and Student Enterprise team will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:

• work experience schemes
• CV/resume and interview skills workshops
• networking events
• careers fairs attended by top employers
• a wealth of volunteering opportunities
• study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:

• our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
• a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
• our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared

Tuition fees

Fees for a year's study:

• Salaried UK trainees pay £4,352
• Training UK trainees pay £9,250
• Training and salaried EU and international trainees pay £22,136

Fees for a year's study:

• UK students pay £9,250.
• EU and international students pay £22,136.

Check fees for other versions of this course.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:

• accommodation costs
• living costs
• budgeting advice

Funding, bursaries and scholarships for teacher training

There is a variety of government funding available for teacher training, including bursaries, scholarships and other financial support.

Find out more and check your eligibility on the Department for Education website.

Other postgraduate funding options

A variety of additional funding options may be available to help you pay for your master’s study. Both from the University and other organisations.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

You must apply for this course on GOV.UK. You’ll need to create an account in order to submit your application.

Application deadlines

The deadline for applying for your course for the 2023 year of entry is midday UK time on 7 July 2023.  

The deadline for 2023 applications may still move to:  

• an earlier date if we have already received enough applications before the deadline  
• a later date if there are still places available on the deadline  

We receive many high-quality applications, so places for many of our courses are very competitive.  

Supporting information

GOV.UK processes applications for this course. When you apply, they’ll give you details of any supporting information or documents you’ll need to supply.

Academic and employment history

We require all applicants to provide a full breakdown of their previous employment and academic study, including career breaks, from age 16 (GCSE) up to the point of their DFE application.

Original documents

You'll need to provide copies of your original academic qualifications, for example GCSE, A Level and degree, during the application process.

If you join the course, you will also need to provide your original documents in person during induction. Please allow enough time to order replacement certificates if you no longer have your originals.

We will only accept certificates or a final official Statement of Results from the awarding body. We do not accept Candidate Statement of Provisional results and we are also unable to accept letters from educational establishments/schools or colleges as confirmation of results. For evidence of undergraduate education, we will accept a certificate and/or official transcript.

What happens after you apply

After applying through GOV.UK you’ll hear from us by email. We have 40 days to respond, but most applicants hear back much sooner.

If you get through to the next stage we’ll invite you to an interview with tutors, where we’ll assess your suitability for training and teaching. We’ll also ask you to give a short presentation and carry out a written task.

We’ll then decide whether to offer you a conditional place. The decision will be uploaded to your GOV.UK application within 5 working days.

All offers are conditional on enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and health checks. You will need to pay for these checks.

If you have spent time outside of the UK, you will also need to obtain criminal record checks from the countries you have lived in.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000