PGCE Secondary - MFL X7KL14 September 2025

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Course details

With a focus on French and German or Spanish, the PGCE Secondary – Modern Foreign Languages equips you with the skills to teach modern languages and share the importance of language learning to understand other cultures and backgrounds.

Whether designing engaging lesson plans, creating a stimulating learning environment, or developing the skills to encourage student participation, you will gain the subject knowledge and pedagogical skills needed to make the study of languages accessible and stimulating in a classroom environment. The course also addresses the challenges of teaching languages and encourages an appreciation of languages in a predominantly monolingual society.

Offering a combination of academic and practical learning, the PGCE extends your awareness of the range and scope of modern foreign languages as a curriculum subject across the 11-16 age range, covering the four essential skills areas of talking, listening, reading, and writing.

Successful completion of the PGCE leads to a Postgraduate Certificate in Education awarded by Durham University and the recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status. The QTS element is accredited by Newcastle University and awarded by the Department of Education.

We pride ourselves on offering a well-planned blend of research and experience in the classroom to start you on your successful career as an Early Career Teacher. We emphasise your entitlement to the Core Content Framework throughout our PGCE course to fully prepare you for the Early Career Framework, which will support you during your first two years of teaching as an Early Career Teacher.

The University-based sessions focus on a weekly specific pedagogical theme, integrated with sessions devoted to your subject specialism, delivered by subject specialists in the University and the school partnership.

The Professional Studies sessions explore your understanding of critical concepts and classroom practice, allowing you to reflect on your teacher identity and progress as a developing teacher.

Please note that the course does not run to standard University terms. It is delivered full-time, starting in early September and continues over 10 months.

Course structure

Four modules make up the PGCE programme:

New Generation of Learners introduces PGCE students to various fundamental educational theories. It starts the journey of addressing the gap between research and practice.

Pedagogy Practice Inquiry creates a critical link between PGCE students’ understanding of school-based practice, context and theory, and research and policy related to pedagogy (for example, through the lens of lesson planning).

Curriculum Development in Practice offers an opportunity for students to reflect on professional practice in their chosen subject from the perspective of the curriculum.

The predominantly classroom-based Professional Studies and School-Based Practice fosters a critical understanding of issues related to developing professional competence as a teacher. Areas covered include effective teaching strategies, managing the teaching and learning environment, enhancing professional development, and creative dimensions of teaching and learning.

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Entry requirements

The equivalent of a UK 2:2 honours degree of which approximately 50% is comprised of Modern Foreign Languages or a similar subject. Alternatively, applicants who have achieved a lower second class honours degree will be considered in conjunction with having resided in a country where the national language corresponds with the language you wish to teach. (If your degree is from an overseas institution you must apply for a Statement of Comparability from NARIC)
Please note that if your first teaching language is not French, you may be advised to undertake a French Subject Knowledge Enhancement course prior to commencing the PGCE MFL, due to the difficulties of placing trainees without French in our partnership schools. Similarly, if French is your only teaching language, you may be advised to undertake a Spanish or German Subject Knowledge Enhancement course prior to commencing the PGCE.
If you need to improve your subject knowledge you may be asked to complete a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course.
GCSE English and Mathematics at grade 4 (or C) or above (or equivalent). We’ll consider candidates with pending GCSE’s. We’ll consider candidates who need to take an equivalency test in English and/or Maths.
If your qualifications are from an overseas institution you must apply for a Statement of Comparability from ENIC
For International Applicants for whom English is not their first language, a minimum IELT|S score of 7.0 is required with no individual component less than 6.5.

Your interpersonal qualities and your potential to achieve professional skills relating to the Teachers' Standards will be considered when making an admissions decision. Candidates who meet the criteria, will be invited to an interview which will be held online consisting of a range of questions and a series of tasks designed to illustrate your potential to meet the Teachers' Standards by the end of the course.

It is highly recommended that any foreign nationals applying "have spent six months living in the UK", have had employment or volunteered as a teaching assistant in a state school in England or in an International school following the English national curriculum, have some knowledge of, or experience in working with, the English National Curriculum

Successful candidates will receive an offer conditional upon successful Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and medical assessment. This is for “fitness to teach” before starting the course.

English language requirements

Fees and funding

Full Time Fees

Tuition fees
Home students	£9,250 per year
EU students	£25,000 per year
Island students	£9,250 per year
International students	£25,000 per year

The tuition fees shown are for one complete academic year of study and are set according to the academic year of entry. Fees will be subject to an annual inflationary increase and are expected to rise throughout the programme of study. The fee listed above is for the first year of the course only. More information is available here: Tuition fees - how much are they - Durham University

Please also check costs for colleges and accommodation.

Scholarships and Bursaries

We are committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances and are delighted to offer a range of funding opportunities.

Find out more about Scholarships and Bursaries

Department information

Education, School of

The School of Education offers both teacher training and non-teacher training education programmes, set within a vibrant and engaged learning community of around sixty academic staff and 350 postgraduates. We are a leading educational research centre with strong international ties and numerous partner relationships with schools and colleges.

Our postgraduate courses are flexible and allow you to follow a particular interest. They include MAs in Education, Educational Leadership and Change and Intercultural Communication and Education. We also offer a range of PGCE qualifications at primary and secondary levels and in specific school subjects.

We provide opportunities for learning from academic staff who are leading research and teaching experts in their fields. They underpin our School’s commitment to conducting research that contributes to shaping educational practice and policy, develops educational research and methodologies, informs school improvements and supports the professional development of teachers around the world.

Our portfolio of research projects attracts interest and financial support from important bodies who have a key role in developing education in the UK. They include the Economic and Social Research Council, the Nuffield Foundation, the Sutton Trust, and the Education Endowment Foundation, as well as a range of other organisations and charities.

Facilities

The School of Education is characterised by its diversity and vibrancy and the enthusiasm and commitment of its postgraduate community to improving the provision of education in the UK and across the globe.

The School is located at Lower Mountjoy on the main University campus and is not far from the centre of Durham with its UNESCO World Heritage status and the beautiful cathedral.

Our facilities are modern and comprehensive and include a well-resourced library, study areas and the state-of-the-art Confluence Building which plays host to events such as seminars and lectures by guest speakers.