PGCE Further Education and Skills (FES)

Share your love of learning and use your specialist subject knowledge every day. Study this PGCE and help people discover new interests and careers.

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Start date/study mode:

UCAS codeT304

Duration1 year

Fee(s)View fees

LocationOn campus

Course summary

The PGCE Further Education and Skills (FES) prepares you to teach learners aged 16+ and adults in the Further Education (FE) sector.

The course is ideal if you have a degree in a wide range of subjects, including areas not usually taught in secondary schools. This includes subjects like sports science, health and social care, psychology, performing arts, and law.

You'll learn from research-active academics and complete two teaching placements in FE settings. These placements give you valuable, real-world experience. You'll have the chance to design, deliver, assess, and evaluate teaching and learning.

The course also offers an Enhanced Mentoring pathway at Durham Sixth Form. This University-accredited route gives you practical experience in the classroom. You’ll gain day-to-day insight into the profession and receive support from experienced staff.

You’ll explore topics such as teaching and learning, assessment, enrichment, and action research. Your learning is based on current educational research and academic thinking. This will help you understand today’s policies and teaching practices.

When you successfully complete the PGCE, you’ll be qualified to teach in the FE sector. You can also work towards Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status, which is recommended for teaching in FE. You can find out more on the Education Training Foundation website.

Previous graduates have gone on to work in:

FE and sixth form colleges
Training organisations
Charities
Universities
Prisons
Community and adult learning settings.

Why Sunderland for Education and Teacher Training

What you'll study

Many of our courses include a range of modules you can choose from. Some options may only be available if you’ve already studied specific modules. If you’re not sure what you need before picking a module, your course leader can help.

PGCE module credits should total 120. If optional modules are available alongside core modules on your course, you should choose an amount that totals 120 credits.

How you'll learn

Course contact time is eight hours per week.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods such as:

Interactive teaching
Lectures
Seminars
Practical workshops
Tutorials
Directed learning
Group work.

Assessment methods include:

Essays and reflections
Presentations
Dialogic conversations
Micro-teaches
Formative and summative observations of teaching practice.

You also need to complete at least 150 hours of teaching placements, 100 hours of professional practice, and ten observations. We'll help you arrange your placements across two different FE settings. During this time, you'll get support from a subject specialist mentor, allocated by the University's placement office.

I've been successful in gaining a lecturing role in engineering at Newcastle College when I graduate. This is exactly the job role I hoped I'd achieve when completing my PGCE.
Cate Jones
Read Cate Jones 's story

Entry requirements

To apply, you'll usually need at least a 2:2 honours degree from a UK higher education institution or equivalent. We must also deem you suitable to train to teach.

You also need maths and English language GCSEs at grade C or above, or equivalent. If you've studied for a GCSE that has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

You must have:

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
A completed medical pro forma (based on DFEE Circular 8/92).

If you have a foundation degree, you must also have at least 60 credits at level 6 (HE level 3) to gain an equivalent single qualification.

If we invite you for an interview, we'll ask you to complete the following beforehand:

A written task
A group activity
A short, in-house literacy and numeracy assessment.

If English isn't your first language, you need an IELTS (or equivalent) score of at least 6.5. This must be a minimum of 6.5 in writing and no other element below 6.0.

Fees and finance support

Please note, we expect you to pay for your own travel to and from placement.

If you study for this PGCE, you'll pay the same yearly tuition fee as an undergraduate Home student.

Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. If you're a Home fee-paying student, the fee for your first year of study for 2026/27 will be £9,790. You'll pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

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Apply now

Start date/study mode:

If you're applying for a postgraduate initial teacher training course, you should apply via the government website(opens in new tab).

For more information, please contact our Student Helpline team on 0191 515 3000(opens in new tab) or email student.helpline@sunderland.ac.uk(opens in new tab).

Disclaimer

We want to make sure you have clear and accurate information about our courses. Our website always shows the latest updates. If you’ve applied and you're offered a place, we’ll contact you in writing if anything important changes.

For more information, view our programme specifications. These include course content, learning outcomes, and the skills you'll gain.