Developing the next generation of teachers and school leaders​

We offer PGCE with QTS, along with Senior Leadership qualifications and tuition-led PGCE and MA programmes that put your school at the heart of staff training.

With full and part time courses as well as flexible start dates across the year, now is the time to find out more.


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Developing the next generation of teachers, school staff and leaders

Our qualifications

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Teacher Training
Qualifications

Teacher Training
Qualifications

View our full range of Teacher Training qualifications below


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Leadership Development
Qualifications

Leadership Development
Qualifications

View our full range of Leadership Development qualifications below


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Teaching Assistant
Qualifications

Teaching Assistant
Qualifications

View our full range of Teaching Assistant qualifications below


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iPGCE with iQTS

2023 Entry
Study options1 year full time
2 years part time
LocationDelivered online
StartingSeptember 2023

The international Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS) is a new accreditation issued by the Department for Education (DfE) to enable trainee teachers based outside England to gain qualified teacher status (QTS).

Our course is designed and delivered by some of the world’s leading teachers and educators who know what it takes to successfully teach in schools today. Underpinning our programme is the best available evidence of ‘what works’ to improve teaching and learning. In school, you will have significant time to observe colleagues in action and to practise and develop your teaching within a planned timetable of lessons which increase in number as your skills develop.

The course curriculum covers everything you require to become a first-rate teacher. You will develop your knowledge of how to teach your subject at secondary level or across the subject range at primary level. You will learn how to manage behaviour in a classroom and gain a deep understanding of how different children learn and the psychology underpinning this. You will also learn to adapt your teaching to different contexts and to children of different abilities. Assessment throughout the course is varied, engaging and designed to stimulate learning through oral presentations and written assignments.

MA in Educational Leadership

2021/22 Entry
Study options2 years part time
StartingJanuary 2022
April 2022
LocationIn schools

Our MA in Educational Leadership is a taught Master’s course which is delivered either entirely online or via a blended delivery model (online and in-person). The blended version includes two 3-day residentials at our campus near Silverstone each term.

The course is designed for current or aspiring senior leaders. You will have at least five years’ experience in schools and be in an existing leadership or management position in primary or secondary schools in the UK or internationally.

The aim of the course is to improve the quality of leadership in schools. The course materials have been written by successful head teachers who have combined their experience in leading schools with extensive research into the literature on leadership theory. The result is a taught course, which will expose you to real leadership expertise. It aims to give you a comprehensive understanding of the principles that define effective leadership and the personal skills to implement them. Our course maintains that:

  • the skills of effective leadership can be learnt and improved.
  • there is no single and exclusive inherited leadership characteristic.
  • by developing an understanding of the core principles for effective leadership and applying these principles in an authentic manner, responding appropriately to the context, then the abilities of a leader can be improved.
The course promotes the principle that effective leadership makes a significant difference to the culture of a school, the well-being and effectiveness of its staff and the quality of teaching & learning, all of which impact on outcomes for pupils.

The course develops authentic practical skills through the use of The Harvard Business School Case Study Method, in which analysis and discussion of professionally useful approaches to real life scenarios help to develop the skills and principles of effective leadership.

Assessment-Only Route to Qualified Teacher Status

2021/22 Entry

If you are an experienced teacher, the National School of Education & Teaching offers a fast-track to professional accreditation.

Our Assessment-Only Route to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is available to teachers in the UK or abroad with more than two years of teaching experience, who have not undergone formal teacher training.

With a September, January or April start date and a maximum of 12 weeks for assessment, it is a fast and flexible way to gain Qualified Teacher Status.

How it works

The route consists of three assessment processes:

  1. An assessment of your application.
  2. An Initial Assessment Day to judge whether you are likely to meet the National Teachers’ Standards within a maximum 12-week period without further training.
  3. A Final Assessment Day, within the 12-week period, to determine your success.

The Assessor will interview you, hold meetings with your line manager or mentor and conduct lesson observations. They will scrutinise your planning, marking, report writing and record of professional development.

Can I apply for the Assessment-Only Route?

You must be able to demonstrate the following:

Teaching Experience

At least two years of teaching experience in two or more contrasting schools (one may be your current).

If you have taught in only one school, a teaching placement of up to six weeks in another school will be required prior to the start of the route. We may be able to assist you in organising a placement school.

You should be currently teaching your subject in a school to full classes for at least 50% of a full school timetable –  approximately 12 hours per week. Support from your employing school is required throughout the course.

There may be further checks if you have lived or worked outside the UK.

Qualifications

A degree from a UK University or equivalent.

GCSEs in English and Maths at grade C/4 or above or equivalent (and Science for Primary school candidates).

Suitability Criteria

Meet all of the Teachers’ Standards across the age-range of assessment.

Meet the teaching suitability criteria such as physical capacity to teach, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records checks, children’s barred list information etc.

PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) for Independent Schools

2021/22 Entry
Study options 1 year full time
2 years part time
Starting January 2022
April 2022
Location In schools

A teacher training course tailored specifically for trainee teachers in independent schools (junior, preparatory and senior) in the UK.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education teacher training course is tailored specifically for trainee teachers employed in independent schools (junior, preparatory and senior) in the UK. It has been designed to sit alongside the national Teachers’ Standards in England and upon successful completion could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) at a later stage. Qualified Teacher Status is the recognised award to teach in state-maintained schools in England.

If you are interested in the opportunity to gain Qualified Teacher Status, see our PGCE with QTS course or our Assessment-Only Route to QTS.

If you instead want to study your PGCE in a school abroad, head to our PGCE for International Schools.

The PGCE course is school-based, which means that you will study while in employment in a school as a trainee teacher, teaching assistant or learning assistant, under the supervision of an in-school mentor and university tutor. It combines the flexibility of online learning with practical in-school experience, which aims to provide you with relevant study to complement your work in-school. You can choose to study solely online but also have the opportunity to attend up to six days of face-to-face sessions at the university.

The course is designed to be highly practical in nature because we believe that learning the craft of the classroom is best done on the job. It is also grounded in applicable pedagogical research and aims to provide successful teaching practice that is geared to enable you to become a first-class teacher upon successful completion.

We offer multiple start dates throughout the year, so you can start at the right time for you. The course is usually studied over an academic year, but is also flexible and can take longer to allow for individual circumstances –for example, if you work part-time or simply wish to take more time to complete the course. Whenever and wherever you choose to study, our aim is to help you become not just a teacher but a great teacher.

Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship

2021/22 Entry
Level6
Minimum duration to gateway12 months (this does not include EPA period)
StartingJanuary 2022
April 2022

Our training enables education professionals to build on their subject knowledge, improve their teaching skills, forge positive professional relationships with colleagues, and work with parents and guardians to achieve the best from their pupils.

This programme is available for both employees already salaried and working in a school, as well as new recruits to a school. We work closely with school leaders to ensure that Apprentice Teachers have the academic and pastoral support they need to successfully navigate through the 12-month course.

Following successful completion of the course and recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), awarded by the Department for Education (DfE), the Apprentice Teacher will undergo an End Point Assessment. QTS licences teachers to teach in state-maintained schools in England, and is now also expected in the majority of independent schools.

Our Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship also carries 60 master’s credits as part of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE).

PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education) for International Schools

2021/22 Entry
Study options1 year full time
2 years part time
StartingJanuary 2022
April 2022
LocationIn schools

A teacher training course tailored specifically for trainee teachers employed in schools abroad (junior, preparatory and senior) .

The Postgraduate Certificate in Education teacher training course is tailored specifically for trainee teachers employed in schools abroad (junior, preparatory and senior). It has been designed to sit alongside the national Teachers’ Standards in England and upon successful completion could significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) at a later stage. Qualified Teacher Status is the recognised award to teach in state-maintained schools in England.

If you are interested in the opportunity to gain Qualified Teacher Status, see our PGCE with QTS course or our Assessment-Only Route to QTS.

If you instead want to study your PGCE in an independent school in the UK, head to our PGCE for Independent Schools.

The PGCE course is school-based, which means that you will study while in employment in a school as a trainee teacher, teaching assistant or learning assistant, under the supervision of an in-school mentor and university tutor. It combines the flexibility of online learning with practical in-school experience, which aims to provide you with relevant study to complement your work in-school. You can choose to study solely online but also have the opportunity to attend up to six days of face-to-face sessions at the university.

The course is designed to be highly practical in nature because we believe that learning the craft of the classroom is best done on the job. It is also grounded in applicable pedagogical research and aims to provide successful teaching practice that is geared to enable you to become a first-class teacher upon successful completion.

We offer multiple start dates throughout the year, so you can start at the right time for you. The course is usually studied over an academic year, but is also flexible and can take longer to allow for individual circumstances –for example, if you work part-time or simply wish to take more time to complete the course. Whenever and wherever you choose to study, our aim is to help you become not just a teacher but a great teacher.

PGCE with QTS (Postgraduate Certificate in Education with Qualified Teacher Status)

2021/22 Entry
Study options1 year full time
2 years part time
LocationIn schools
StartingJanuary 2022
April 2022

PGCE with QTS is an Initial Teacher Training course, which certifies trainees to teach in state-maintained schools in England.

Applicants for the course can also teach in independent schools. The course is offered at Primary level (5-11 and 7-11 age ranges) and across a range of subjects at Secondary level (11-16, 11-18 age ranges). The course is also offered for the 14-19 age range in subjects, which are usually only taught in Key Stages 4 & 5.

We believe that initial teacher training is best done in schools, supported by first-rate teachers and underpinned by the quality and standards expected from a university.

Our distinct course enables you to be based in a school for its duration, whilst following a university-led course, which has been designed and is delivered by experts in teacher training.

A significant number of schools across the country can work with us, and so it is likely that you may be able to train to teach in a location to suit you.

Your own Personal University Tutor will work closely with you and your in-school mentor, to ensure you receive all the support you need to become a confident and highly-skilled teacher.

Whilst in school, you will put into practice straightaway the learning from our course, which is delivered through online teaching, materials, webinars and live tutorials. You will be part of a cohort of fellow trainee teachers, with whom you will share experiences and learning online each week and in termly educational conferences.