PGCE Secondary with Art & Design (with QTS)

Entry requirements

• Bachelors degree with Honours at 2:2 or above, or equivalent level.
• At least Grade C or the new Grade 4 in GCSE English and Mathematics.*

Equivalency Tests

We are able to accept approved third party equivalency tests in place of GCSEs. The current providers that have been approved are as follows, with details of the current discounts that are available. If you are intending to use another equivalency testing company, we recommend you contact our admissions team prior to doing so to ensure that they meet the entry criteria.

Equivalency Testing

• Why choose Equivalency Testing?
• Long standing company
• Excellent student support
• Secure testing
• Good and quick feedback
• Significant discount available for PGCE offer holders, please email cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the code.

A Star Equivalency**

Why chose A Star Equivalency?

• Excellent student support
• A clear outline of required material in each exam

• Rolling programme of live online subject specific support sessions.
• An extensive range of free support material
• Practice papers and marking schemes
• Discounted from £165* to £139 (saving £26). Please contact cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the discount code.

If you are intending to use another equivalency testing company, we recommend you contact our admissions team prior to doing so to ensure that they meet the entry criteria.

*The new grading system for those receiving their results for GCSE Maths and English was adopted in 2017. The grading system is now 9-1, with Grade 9 awarded to those students in the very top tier. Grade 4 is considered equivalent to the old Grade C.

**Special offer for the University of Warwick students. Maths exams are available in Foundation or Higher. English, Science and Biology are untiered

If students require further support, we offer a range of low-cost options.

Months of entry

September

Course content

In a world saturated with visual media and creative possibilities, there has never been a more exciting time to become a Teacher of Art and Design.

This dynamic, evolving course lays strong foundations for the development of expert subject knowledge and pedagogy within the context of the latest research and debate in the field of art education. We recognise and celebrate the enormous potential of the subject in the development of young people; socially, culturally, creatively and in terms of their mental health and wellbeing.

You will be taught by a passionate Artist Teacher with 40 years of professional experience within art education, both in schools and galleries. Whether your degree is in Textiles, Fashion, Graphic Design, Photography, Fine Art, or another visual arts discipline, you will undertake a series of practical workshops and discussion-based seminars which fully integrate theory and practice.  We form a strong “community of practice” where we share ideas and skills, co-create new learning materials and hear from visiting specialists who inform, inspire and challenge us.

The University sessions are sequenced and designed to complement your school-based experience. Alongside the mentoring by experienced Art and Design teachers in partner schools, this established course will enable you to become a research-informed, highly skilled and innovative classroom practitioner.

You will be fully prepared to gain employment in schools through one-to-one support with applications, portfolios and the interview process. So, you could join the growing number of graduates who are highly successful in gaining employment in teaching, fulfilled in the knowledge that you are impacting powerfully the lives of young people.

“The course has helped me grow into a more confident, critically minded, and creative educator. I’m leaving the course with ideas I’m excited to implement in my future practice and with a real sense of purpose in my teaching.”

Art and Design Trainee, May 2025

Course overview

Our Secondary Postgraduate Certificate in Education focuses on the 11-18 age range. Our course will develop you into a highly effective teacher, equipped with the values, skills and knowledge to become a successful school leader.

Our courses offer the best of both immersive, school-based training and regular teaching input from experts with subject specialist teaching experience. In addition, you can access the support and learning facilities of a world-class university.

On the course you will develop a secure subject knowledge base, and the ability to plan and teach in your subject so that all pupils learn and make good progress. You will learn how to assess and evaluate learning and develop your teaching to ensure progress for all pupils. You will also learn about the needs of pupils and how to adapt your teaching to strengthen inclusion in your teaching.

In partnership with regional schools, we will ensure that you have the skills and knowledge needed to forge a strong personal and professional identity, which you will continue to develop throughout your career. The Warwick Teacher Values, of Social Justice, Intellectual Curiosity and Creativity run through all our programmes.

What is a PGCE?

A Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is usually a one-year teacher training course. It offers a mixture of academic and practical learning, and it's the first step for graduates in the development of a teaching career. At Warwick, our PGCE courses provide a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS – a requirement to teach in the state school system as an Early Career Teacher).