PGCE Secondary Modern Foreign Language - French

Develop a toolkit of knowledge and skills, and benefit from tutors with international reputations on one of the best modern language courses in the country.

This Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary Modern Foreign Language course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), qualifying you to teach the 11-18 age group in secondary schools in England and Wales.

The programme has consistently been judged as excellent in both internal and external reviews, and is widely acknowledged as one of the best modern foreign language courses in the country.

You will specialise in teaching one main language (either French, German or Spanish) but we strongly encourage all trainees to teach another language to at least beginner level.

Your tutors are a diverse and incredibly experienced community of academics with wide practical experience in schools and international reputations as experts in the field of modern foreign language teaching and learning. The work of tutors is feeding into the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE), and underpins the internationally renowned Professional Development Consortium in MFL, whose principles form the basis of the course. We have strong links to the Association for Language Learning and collaborate with expert practitioners such as those at The Language Gym. Many of the books and articles used on the course have been written by tutors themselves.

The PGCE will provide you with a theoretical framework for language teaching, closely integrated with practical advice on the preparation and delivery of effective and engaging language lessons. Your assignments are designed to help you to plan your teaching effectively and imaginatively, and to evaluate your skills, particularly in terms of the quality of learning achieved by pupils.

You will be taught through a series of lectures, practical seminars and workshops, where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge.

You are normally required to have at least a 2:2 honours degree (or equivalent from a university outside the UK) in the language that you intend to teach. You will need to have achieved Grade 4 (or C) or above in GCSE Mathematics and English Language or equivalent qualifications. As part of the application process for this programme, you will be required to attend an interview. We normally require native speakers of the language to be taught to have studied another language to a high level. You will also need to demonstrate competence in Fundamental English and mathematics by the end of the course. This is a new DfE requirement which replaces the QTS skills tests in literacy and numeracy. If you accept an offer with us you will also be required to successfully complete Occupational Health and Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure checks.