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Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Conversion Course – Secondary at University of Buckingham - UCAS

University of Buckingham

Degree level: Postgraduate

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Conversion Course – Secondary (Taught)

Course options

Course summary

The University of Buckingham is:

  • Home of the two-year degree, the University of Buckingham, based in the South East of England, is ranked 6th for Student Satisfaction in the UK (National Student Survey, 2020).
  • We are proudly independent and not-for-profit, and offer courses in Allied Health, Business, Computing, Education, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology and Security and Intelligence. We are one of the few universities in the UK that offer September and January start dates for almost all of our courses.
  • Based in Buckingham on a riverside campus, we are only 20 minutes’ from Milton Keynes central station and a short drive from Bicester, Aylesbury, Banbury and Northampton. There is free parking on-site and we are within easy reach of London and Oxford.
  • Our award-winning small class tutorials ensure every student is known by name and supported throughout their studies, including by dedicated personal tutors.
  • As pioneers of the two-year degree, we offer a condensed version of the traditional three-year degree, meaning you can gain a full honours degree and complete your studies a whole year earlier. Alternatively, you can complete both your undergraduate and master’s degree with us in just three years: saving you time and money.
The QTS Conversion Course is available to teachers who are currently employed in maintained or independent schools in England, and who have already completed the University of Buckingham’s Independent School PGCE within the past two years.. This course is the accreditation that enables teachers to teach in state-maintained and special schools in England. Course content The Secondary QTS Conversion Course is a 37-week school-based course during which time you will work under the guidance of a mentor and receive weekly tutorials to review your progress and to set targets. Trainees on the QTS conversion complete 15 Professional Learning Activities over the duration of the programme, meet with their mentor 15 times and have 15 lesson observations. You will be assigned a University tutor who will visit twice during the course of the year to assess your progress against the Teaching Standards and Core Content Framework and guide your development. You are expected to undertake a teaching placement in a second school, which must be a non-selective state maintained secondary school. The duration of this teaching placement is determined upon interview, but is likely to be for three weeks.

Assessment method

37-week school-based course during which time you will work under the guidance of a mentor and receive weekly tutorials to review your progress and to set targets. You will be assigned a University tutor who will visit twice during the course of the year to assess your progress against the Standards and guide your development.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

  • Secondary

How to apply

International applicants

This course is not available to international applicants

Entry requirements

You must be employed as a teacher in an independent or state-maintained secondary school and be teaching your subject for a minimum of 50% of a full timetable. You must be teaching across two consecutive key stages. You will be expected to have the following qualifications: A degree from a UK University or equivalent. GCSE in English and Maths at grade C or above (or equivalent). In addition you must: Provide a reference from your headteacher supporting your application to undertake a PGCE. Obtain the commitment from your school to release you for the second school placement and to provide a suitable mentor. Provide a satisfactory criminal records check and show the physical and mental fitness to teach.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Fees to be confirmed
Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) Conversion Course – Secondary at University of Buckingham - UCAS