Secondary English Education with QTS BA (Hons)
UCAS code: XQ13
Prepare to teach everything from Shakespeare to the Romantic age to modernist literature as you study one of the core subjects of the national curriculum. Experience life working in schools and gain recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status when you graduate.
Overview
| Course length: | 3 years full-time |
|---|---|
| Start dates: | September 2025 |
| Location: | Edge Hill University |
| Example offers: | BCC-BBC (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria |
| Subject(s): | Education and Teaching |
| Faculty: | Education |
| Department: | Secondary and Further Education |
What’s the relationship between the curriculum and children’s development? Here at Edge Hill, you won’t just develop your knowledge of English. You’ll learn to think about your role as a teacher. You’ll explore different perspectives. And evaluate the principles that underpin education today.
As well as in-depth modules where you’ll study everything from Shelley to sociolinguistics, you’ll spend lots of time in schools. You’ll help with classes and see how the theory you’ve learned applies in real-life settings. Gaining inspiration from your mentors, you’ll start to develop your own teaching style and form your own ideas about the role of education.
Our experienced tutors at Edge Hill and the expert teachers in your placement schools will support you to become an outstanding professional teacher.
Successful completion of the programme leads to recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Course features
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Ofsted outstanding provider for Initial Teacher Education
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International students can apply
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Professional accreditation
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Professional practice placements
What you'll study
You’ll begin the course by building your knowledge in subjects like grammar, literary theory, and the Western Canon. As well as these specialist English topics, you’ll learn educational theories and skills to help you grow as a teacher. And you’ll study modules to help you with university study and establishing educational values. Your first school professional practice placement will introduce you to lessons and wider issues like child development.
In Year 2, we’ll explore more specialist English topics in the Shakespeare and Romantic Age modules. And you’ll go on another professional practice placement, where you’ll plan lessons and help students progress.
Your final professional practice placement will see you become much more involved in the life of the school. You’ll teach, tutor students, run extracurricular activities, and attend parents evenings or other events. Other modules will teach you how to critique where education is heading, form your own views of how to create change, and explore the relationship between language and schools.
How you'll study
Learning takes place in both the University and in partnership schools. You will spend a significant amount of time on placement in schools being trained by expert mentors where you put your training into practice. During this time you will assist in supporting classes, working alongside mentors and other colleagues to further your professional development. You will gradually develop your teaching abilities from observer to teacher. Your tutors will model outstanding practice to enable you to develop your own teaching skill and style.
You will also undertake Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP) as a specific and focused element of our teacher training curriculum. This is designed to consolidate your knowledge of effective teaching, and enable you to rehearse and obtain feedback from experts on your practice. Our ITAPs are designed to utilise the latest research and technology as well as draw on the outstanding mentors, tutors, and teacher expertise from across our partnership.
Over the course of your training, you will have the opportunity to participate in several days of Intensive Practice focusing on aspects of pivotal practice such as; behaviour management, scaffolding, professional behaviours and questioning.
During periods of ITAP, your timetable may differ and you may be required to attend campus and/or a placement on days outside of the usual pattern.
Your teaching timetable will increase as your training progresses and as you become more confident in the classroom. You will work with pupils from various areas, backgrounds and abilities. This will provide experience in areas such as classroom management and the ability to teach individuals and groups at a range of levels.
How you'll be assessed
You will be assessed through a carefully sequenced curriculum which encompasses your subject knowledge, your pedagogical knowledge, and your classroom-based experience. Assessment methods will include in-class tests, written assignments, presentations and portfolios both during your time at university and when you are on your Professional Practice. Your professional development will be mapped against our carefully sequenced ITE curriculum so that, at the end of your training, you can be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards and be recommended for for the award of QTS.
There are no formal written examinations as part of the current assessment methods on this programme.
Who will be teaching you
The Faculty of Education has been at the forefront of teacher education for over 135 years and today enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of education, training and research for the children’s workforce.
You will be taught by a range of highly qualified and experienced tutors who are committed to supporting you throughout the programme and providing you with the opportunities to succeed. Tutors are enthusiastic about their subjects and will help you to develop your own teaching skill and style.
The Edge Hill lead mentors and mentor leadership team play an important part in your teacher training as experts in their field. They have a deep knowledge of the trainee curriculum and support trainees and mentors to make progress providing guidance and support on aspects of the curriculum and assessment.
Entry criteria
Entry requirements
Typical offer 104-112 UCAS Tariff points. An A Level at minimum grade C (or equivalent) in English is required, plus GCSE English Language or English Literature and Mathematics at Grade C or Grade 4 or above (or equivalent)
Please note, for the purposes of initial teacher training, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language or English Literature and Mathematics.
An interview forms part of the selection process.
If you accept a formal offer from Edge Hill University you will be required to meet the Department for Education’s standards for physical and mental fitness to teach and clearance to work with children. Further information, including a Declaration of Health questionnaire and details of how to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure will be sent to you after you have firmly accepted an offer.
You could apply for direct entry at Level 5 if you can evidence appropriate prior learning in accordance with Edge Hill University’s Academic Regulations.
Example offers
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A Level | BCC-BBC. |
| BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) | Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply. |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 45 credits at Level 3, for example 9 credits at Distinction and 36 credits at Merit or 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations. |
Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.
If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.
English language requirements
International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band, one band, or one-and-a-half bands lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
How to apply
Apply full-time
Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.
International
Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.
Discover our accommodation
Facilities
The Faculty of Education enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of transformative education, training and research for the teaching and education workforce. Housed in a state-of-the-art £9m building, the Faculty of Education enjoys a stunning setting from both its lakeside and piazza buildings.
Facilities in the lakeside building include a 300-seat lecture theatre, five well-equipped ICT suites, and 18 teaching rooms complete with the latest technology.
Our nearby piazza building houses our Research Hub and our Secondary and Further Education department including a lecture theatre and a number of seminar rooms.
Where you'll study
Faculty of Education
Finance
Tuition fees
UK Full-Time
£9,535
a year
International
£17,000
a year
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Financial support
Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs.
Scholarships
We offer a range of scholarships, which celebrate the determination, commitment and achievement of our students. Many of our scholarships are awarded automatically. There are some however, where you will need to be involved in an application or nomination process. To find out more about our scholarships and check your eligibility, please visit our dedicated scholarships pages.
Money Matters
Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals can ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.
Your future career
This degree is accredited by the Department for Education. Successful completion of the programme will enable you to gain recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
With your practical experience from schools and other settings, you’ll have the confidence and skills to excel as a teacher. Our graduates are inspirational, enthusiastic and committed, bringing an excellent subject knowledge to their teaching posts in schools across the UK.
We’ll help you take your first steps as an Early Career Teacher. And we offer professional development courses to support you throughout your career.
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
