School Direct (PGCE)

You’ll need:

• an honours level undergraduate degree 2:2 or above  
• GCSEs (minimum grade 4/C) in English language and maths 
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

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.

If your GCSE qualifications aren’t suitable, we offer equivalency tests in English and maths (non-transferable) which cost £50 each.

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.

Recognition of professional experience

If you don't have the exact entry requirements, but you have significant work experience in this sector we’ll assess your relevant professional experience, your subject knowledge and your aptitude for learning.

Your application will be considered on individual merit and you may be asked to attend an interview.

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 and Employability Service 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 £19,850

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 your postgraduate studies

A variety of additional scholarships, grants and bursaries may be available to help you fund your master’s study, both from the University and from 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

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for a postgraduate taught course.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees and is payable per application. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, or if you’re applying for certain scholarships, you will not need to pay the fee. Master of Research (MRes) degree applications and PGCE applications via UCAS are also exempt. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

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.

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.

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