Secondary Route to QTS for School Based Employees - PGCE Postgraduate Certificate in Education - PGCE

If you are a graduate working in a Secondary school but currently do not hold a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), this course is for you. The PGCE Route to Qualified Teacher Status for School Based Employees will enable you to gain QTS while continuing to teach in your own school. You will have a minimum of 3 years of sustained teaching responsibility to enable you to build on your current experience.

This specialist PGCE is designed for experienced, non-qualified Secondary teachers, providing a structured pathway to achieve QTS while continuing to teach in your school. Combining practical, school-based learning with academic study tailored to the individual, the course will enable you to gain 40 master’s-level credits alongside QTS. Its unique design ensures that you will develop professionally without stepping away from your role.

This PGCE is particularly suited to:

* FE-qualified teachers in schools (e.g., those holding PGCE PCET)

* Unqualified teachers already employed in schools

* Individuals with international teaching qualifications / experience not currently recognised as QTS in Wales

* HLTAs who have been teaching in the absence of a qualified teacher

This PGCE for School Based Employees addresses a critical gap in the Welsh education system. It will provide a vital pathway for experienced non-qualified Secondary teachers to attain QTS, aligning with the Welsh Government’s broader goals for educational excellence. By recognising and developing the existing skills of practitioner teachers, this programme aims to ensure a more equitable, skilled, and motivated teaching workforce.

You will follow a full-time one-year course, combining university provision and school-based learning. The PGCE is unique to you as it revolves around an individual learning and development plan (ILDP), which is agreed within the first phase of the course. You will develop as a teacher through a research-informed clinical practice approach.

We will welcome applicants from all subject areas.