Secondary English with Drama PGCE

Learn how to bring characters, scenes and plots to life so pupils become gripped by the power of literature and language.

You’ll explore the use of dramatic techniques to help young people engage with learning and explore texts such as novels, plays and poetry. Our Secondary English with Drama PGCE will also equip you with strategies to become a confident and successful teacher across KS3 and KS4.

You’ll spend time in local schools, plan lessons, cover behaviour management techniques and discover how pupils learn. On campus, we’ll help you reflect on your teaching from a subject-specific perspective and give you one-to-one support.

But you’ll get far more than just a teacher training qualification with us. As part of our Institute of Education, you’ll have access to the latest research on what works in the classroom and other evidence-based approaches.

On the PGCE, you’ll get hands-on experience on placement and will discover creative ways to teach English, with guidance from our experienced staff. Trainees also get to spend a day training with the New Vic Theatre. You will delve into the history of drama education too.

The course is designed to support you to use a range of tools to teach language, literature and drama, alongside the skills to integrate these effectively in both English and drama classrooms.

From getting the most out of your induction to tips on teaching your first lesson, your personal tutor will be there to support you every step of the way. We have also developed a close partnership with school-based mentors for your placements.

As well as teaching pupils, you’ll have the chance to get them involved in our poetry and visual arts project. It will culminate in the students’ creative pieces being published in an anthology.

After you pass your PGCE, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). But the support doesn’t stop there - we’ll even offer you a mock interview in a school to prepare you for job applications.

Work placements

Our PGCE Secondary English with Drama takes 36 weeks to complete. This school-led course includes a three-week induction to prepare you for your placement and weekly sessions to develop your knowledge of the curriculum. To give you experience in the classroom, you’ll spend at least 120 days working in two local secondary schools as well as visiting a local primary school. But, don’t worry, you won’t have the pressure of teaching an entire lesson straight away.

Your training will begin with observing a teacher and helping with group work. Then you’ll share the classes with the teacher and work towards teaching lessons independently. Alongside teaching, you’ll join in with day-to-day life at the school. Each school has a professional mentor to help you understand the ethos, pastoral care systems, legal and social framework, and supporting services. You’ll also have weekly meetings with your subject or class mentor to help you prepare for teaching, review lessons, and develop your subject knowledge.