​Secondary Courses Overview

Secondary
QTS and PGCE
Age Range
11 to 16
Course Length
1 year - full time
Teaching in secondary is a rewarding and valuable career.
​As secondary teachers we have the ability to shape the futures of our young people and offer them experiences that they will remember for a lifetime. Being able to shape young minds through the knowledge and passion you have for your subject is invaluable and what makes teaching at secondary the best job in the world.
Kelly Armstrong  | Deputy Director Secondary
We offer a range of one year, full time, Secondary PGCEs with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
These courses also offer the option to gain experience of Post-16 teaching,
if appropriate to your subject.

Flexible Delivery Options

Click here to see our provisional locations for secondary delivery, there are 2 options available.
PLYMOUTH SECONDARY OPTION
Plymouth Secondary Option
 
Core Sessions
25 days:
In-person | 9 days | University of Plymouth
Online | 16 days ​
Subject Sessions
14 days:
In-person* | 9 days | venues across Devon depending on subject
Online | 5 days 
*For some practical subjects there will be more in-person sessions
Placements**
In campus area | 120 days
Intensive Training and Practice School
In campus area | 4 x 4 weeks | 20 days
PGCE
University of Plymouth| 2 days
​Online | 2 days
** Where possible / or reasonable travelling distance
EXETER SECONDARY OPTION
Exeter Secondary Option​
 
Core Sessions
25 days:
In-person | 9 days | Exeter Future Skills Centre
Online |16 days​
Subject Sessions
14 days:
In-person* | 9 days | venues across Devon depending on subject
​Online | 5 days
*For some practical subjects there will be more in-person sessions
Placements**
In campus area | 120 days
Intensive Training and Practice School
In campus area | 4 x 4 weeks | 20 days
PGCE
Exeter Future Skills Centre | 2 days
​Online | 2 days
** Where possible / or reasonable travelling distance
TAUNTON SECONDARY OPTION
Taunton Secondary Option​
 
Core Sessions
25 days:
In-person | 9 days | Orchard Grove Primary School
Online |16 days​
Subject Sessions
14 days:
In-person* | 9 days | venues across Devon depending on subject
​Online | 5 days
*For some practical subjects there will be more in-person sessions
Placements**
In campus area | 120 days
Intensive Training and Practice School
In campus area | 4 x 4 weeks | 20 days
PGCE
Exeter Future Skills Centre | 2 days
​Online | 2 days
** Where possible / or reasonable travelling distance
You can view the weekly Secondary Curriculum here:

The programme comprises of the following fully integrated activities:

Pedagogy Core Sessions
A combination of seminars and workshops introducing theories, supporting evidence and approaches to teaching and learning.
More than 150 hours
Subject Sessions
Exploring teaching and pedagogical approaches through a phase and subject specific lens.
More than 85 hours of subject knowledge training.
Professional Studies days in school
An induction to your placement schools that develops your understanding of the wider aspects of teaching, including behaviour management, safeguarding, curriculum, assessment and inclusion. 
School Placements
  • Minimum of 24 weeks in school.
  • Two main school-based placements.
  • Short placement – Autumn Term.
  • Long placement – Spring and Summer Terms.
  • You will be in school for the full working day.
Enrichment Days
An opportunity to gain experience in a focused area of education that is particularly important or relevant to you.​
Mentoring
Using an instructional coaching approach, you will have weekly mentor meetings during school-placements, with an expert teaching colleague.
Four Intensive Training and Practice (ITaP) Weeks
Four focused weeks of intensive, granular training across the year, exploring key areas of teaching such as procedural routines, questioning, the gradual release of responsibility and oral language. ITaP is designed to extend your knowledge base, deepen your understanding and accelerate your practice in these key areas of teaching.
Conference and Graduation Ceremony
The final day of the course combines a conference on 'The Future of Education' and a formal Graduation Ceremony.

Course Structure

  • We deliver our programme over 39 weeks, to enable you to maximise your training year experience.
  • Our model sequences learning through three phases, covering six themes at Secondary.
  • These broad themes form the basis of our subject knowledge sessions where you learn through our evidenced based approach to teaching.
  • This in turn informs the structure of our subject knowledge curriculum for all secondary subjects, delivering over 100+ hours of expert subject specific teaching.  
  • Through these sessions you will explore how evidence-based knowledge and practice is applied through each subject lens.
Phases of Learning (Pedagogy)
Subject Themes
Phase 1 Autumn
  • Creating a positive environment where all pupils can flourish
  • Understanding how to maximise all pupils' learning
​1. The Subject Curriculum
2. Creating a powerful environment to teach Subject
3. Effective teaching of Subject
Phase 2 Spring
  • Establishing effective classroom practice
  • Assessment and feedback; encouraging all pupils to excel
4. Assessment and feedback in Subject
Phase 3 Summer
  • Empowering all pupils to succeed
  • Transition - Trainee Teacher to QTS
5. Adapting Subject
6. Enriching Subject
Weekly blocks of core and subject teaching is integrated with school placement days to allow you to embed theory with practice. These lead into a set number of weeks in school when you will be allocated a timetable of classes that you will be involved in teaching.

As a new trainee you will have significant support and scaffolding during the early stages of the programme, observing lessons and teaching small episodes in class or to groups. Through the course your confidence, knowledge and understanding will grow and you will become more independent; moving to planning and  delivering individual lessons and then sequences, increasing in complexity and meeting a range of student needs.