PGCE Secondary Drama

Applicants applying for postgraduate initial teacher training courses will now need to apply through the DfE for entry in September 2022.

This course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for the 11-to-16 age range, which qualifies you to be a teacher in secondary schools in England and Wales. Where possible, we also give you the chance to gain experience in the 11-to-18 age range.

As a drama teacher, you can help pupils discover and nurture new talents – and there is more to that than purely the theatrical and production sides of the subject.

You will teach a range of skills that show young people how to work together and collectively develop ideas. 

Your teacher training will help you to devise and deliver lessons that are engaging and richly educational, demonstrating the importance of drama and how it intertwines with other subjects.

You can also build pupils' confidence and improve their ability to face important life challenges such as public speaking.

We will support you to develop as a great drama teacher who can bring the subject to life by devising and delivering a diverse range of engaging lessons that educate and excite all pupils. 

There are three elements to secondary training with us: subject studies, general professional studies and school-based training. It differs from courses offered by other universities in that it is very much subject-based. 

You will be guided by specialist tutors who have relevant teaching experience and who often contribute to educational research, policy and curriculum developments in your subject.

You will learn about children and child development in the core Active Inquiry and Technology-Enhanced Learning modules with the rest of the Secondary PGCE cohort.

For example, if the topic is behaviour management, your seminar group discussion will look at what managing behaviour means for an drama teacher compared with a PE teacher or a design and technology teacher.

• Bachelor's degree: GPA of 2.5 / 4 or overall classification of "Good" or higher
• UK Bachelor's degree with Honours: Second Class, Second Division or higher
• US Bachelor's degree: GPA 2.5 / 4

Extended Diploma or Diploma

FROM

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE

Diploma with 24 points including a minimum of 15 points at Higher Level

The Secondary PGCE course at the University of East London was designed in 2001 in conjunction with the local authorities to address the secondary education teacher shortage in east London.

The partnership works with input and support from the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Redbridge.

It means that our graduates are represented in virtually every secondary school in east London. Some are now deputy heads or in senior management roles in schools that are taking our current trainees for their placements.

Across all subjects, from maths to modern languages, our teacher training graduates are acting as mentors to those following in their footsteps.

The partnership means that you have a head start when it comes to securing a teaching post in east London at the end of your training.

Both local authorities and individual schools visit our campus regularly to meet our trainees and advertise available vacancies.

You may also decide to undertake further study at the University of East London, either at the end of your course or after gaining teaching experience, perhaps specialising in Special Educational Needs or taking our MA Leadership in Education.

We also offer the opportunity for doctoral study to further develop your teaching knowledge and expertise.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.