Why choose the School of Education and English
A practice-led approach to gaining Qualified Teacher Status, with 80% of your time spent on placement.
In the NSS 2025, our teacher training courses scored student satisfaction rates of 90% and over for teaching, learning opportunities, academic support, learning resources and freedom of expression.
In the Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey 2025, our education and teaching courses rank in the top 25 in their subject field for sense of community and skills development.
About the course
This largely placement-based course focuses on developing the practical teaching skills, educational theory and subject-specific knowledge necessary to become an art and design teacher in secondary education. It aims to develop you into an artist-teacher with a comprehensive understanding of the art and design curriculum, enhancing your awareness of professional issues; current educational focuses on sustainability and the role of technology; art, craft and design pedagogy; core approaches to powerful knowledge; art history; critical thinking; and essential teaching aspects such as planning and assessment.
There is the option to take this course part time over two years, making it easier to balance study with your other commitments.
For further course information, contact Emma Brooks at emma.brooks@beds.ac.uk
Course accreditation / industry endorsement
We are a Department for Education-accredited provider of Initial Teacher Training (ITT). This course meets the requirements for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Facilities and specialist equipment
- Teacher Education Centre with realistic mock classrooms supported by specialist technology that allows you to watch and self-assess your lesson
- Forest School
- Sensory centre
- Up-to-the-minute simulation technology
- Multimedia space for webinars and podcasting
- Practical subject-enhancement sessions in art, craft and design classrooms
Industry links
We have well-established partnerships with more than 500 schools and other associated organisations across the eastern region, a network that puts us ahead when it comes to national priorities, issues and developments in educational practice.
Your student experience
The University of Bedfordshire is one of the largest providers of teacher education in the region with a long, successful history of teacher education going back to 1882.
Gain real-world experience on a practice-led teaching course where you complete your training in the classroom at placements in our partner schools around the region.
University-based sessions take place at our Bedford campus, a small, thriving academic community where academic staff get to know you well and provide individual academic support.
All University-based staff teaching our QTS courses were previously employed as teachers, senior leaders, and/or head teachers. All staff are evidence informed and up to date with current practices in education through regular practice in school settings or research activities at higher education and national level.
Explore artistic practices in the classroom with guidance from an expert or lead mentor who is a subject specialist; your mentor is fully trained and may often be a former University of Bedfordshire student teacher so you are joining a large, life-long community.
Benefit from a PGCE course that has wellbeing embedded throughout, with specialist sessions and placement support from our placement coordinator and wellbeing coordinator.
Within the enrichment arm of the course, explore areas of your choosing, such as autism or school leadership, with some choices leading to additional qualifications.
Expand your knowledge via talks from wider curriculum specialists as well as conferences, TED-style masterclasses and cross-curricular discussions, taking place on campus as well as online.
Extend your wider understanding through regular visits by professionals from schools, local organisations, community partners and professional bodies including primary and secondary teachers, senior leaders, SEN schools and local education authorities.
Experience field trips to locations where you would be likely to take your pupils such as museums and galleries.
On graduating, you gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), enabling you to work as an art and design teacher in a secondary education setting.
Course Leader - Emma Brooks
I am a former Art and Design teacher with 14 years’ experience of teaching Art & Design mainly fine art and Design Technology covering product design, graphic and textiles. As an artist my personally specialise in Art and Design fine art, drawing, printmaking, and craft.
I teach on the PGCE Secondary Education course as a subject tutor for Art & Design and Design Technology. In this role I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences in education, but also keeping up to date with new research. Supporting trainees develop teaching practice in subject area and deliver specific elements of pedagogical knowledge.
Course Leader - Emma Brooks
I am a former Art and Design teacher with 14 years’ experience of teaching Art & Design mainly fine art and Design Technology covering product design, graphic and textiles. As an artist my personally specialise in Art and Design fine art, drawing, printmaking, and craft.
I teach on the PGCE Secondary Education course as a subject tutor for Art & Design and Design Technology. In this role I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences in education, but also keeping up to date with new research. Supporting trainees develop teaching practice in subject area and deliver specific elements of pedagogical knowledge.
Our Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary Art and Design with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is designed for those passionate about art and eager to inspire creativity in young minds. This intensive, one-year program blends academic study with practical teaching experience, equipping you with the skills and knowledge to become an effective and confident art and design teacher in secondary schools. Studying our PGCE Secondary Art and Design will equip you with in-depth knowledge and skills to teach art and design, at the secondary level. The Curriculum Specialist (Secondary Art and Design) unit comprehensively explores contemporary theories and recent research in art and design education. Through engaging workshops, you will delve into various pedagogical approaches and best practices for teaching art and design, investigating a range of educational theories and current research that shape the curriculum. This unit is designed to help you translate theory into practice by creatively integrating these insights into your teaching methods.
Working with peers and mentors, you will participate in collaborative planning sessions to develop innovative lesson plans. Weekly progress reviews and evaluations will support you in continuously refining your teaching practice. You'll explore contemporary practices and theories, enhancing your ability to craft and deliver innovative art and design lessons. The university collaborates closely with local lead partnerships to enhance your learning experience, ensuring you receive comprehensive support and practical exposure. You will also work closely with subject specialists and a lead subject specialist mentor to develop practical skills and deepen your specific subject knowledge in art and design. This unit aims to enhance your ability to deliver an engaging and effective art and design curriculum, fostering creativity and critical thinking in your students.
By participating in this program, you will be well-equipped to inspire and nurture the next generation of artists and designers. This unit closely integrates with our Evidence Informed Curriculum Specialist unit, allowing you to deepen your understanding of current contexts in art and design education and effectively apply that knowledge through a variety of methods of delivery including keynote lectures, conference days, and cross subject discussions. As well as enrichment activities throughout the year to explore beyond the curriculum and promote positive physical and mental wellbeing. A key component of this unit is the school placement, where you will gain hands-on experience.
Throughout this unit, you will have the opportunity to undertake school placements where you will build your experience to independently plan and deliver lessons based on your observations and learning in our School Experience 1 unit. You will also explore new pedagogical ideas while also learning to align with behaviour management policy in schools. In the second part of this unit, School Experience 2, you will continue to develop and apply your experience from the first unit while also learning methods to adapt teaching, effective use of assessment and to promote good progress. By tying together theoretical knowledge and practical application, all units ensure you are well-prepared to inspire and educate the next generation of artists and designers. This course is available as both a one-year full-time or a two-year part-time course.
The assessment strategy is based upon the premise that critical evaluation of theoretical perspectives as they apply to your own teaching is an intrinsic element of best teaching practice. Throughout the course, therefore, you will continually be encouraged to explore what is known about teaching and learning, and to demonstrate independence and creativity in evaluating the relevance of that knowledge in your own context. Sound subject knowledge is a fundamental quality of an effective teacher and you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing development of that knowledge throughout the course in preparation for the final assessment. Also key to the course is a focus on the development of evidence informed teaching, culminating in an extended systematic study of your own practice.
By embracing the professional requirements for Qualified Teacher Status within the course it supports you in developing the qualities which define the University of Bedfordshire graduate teacher: an independent, reflective, creative, innovative, collaborative and resilient professional who is committed to ongoing personal and professional development.
The assessment for this course seeks to support you in developing your understanding of the interplay between theoretical perspectives and practice-based experience. You will be developing your skills of reviewing and evaluation of evidence, critical thinking, creativity and independence. The themes for your evidence informed writing are developed from local and national subject priorities and, therefore, allow you to develop the evidence of your understanding of values and principles found in the cumulative evidence record which enable you to meet the Teachers’ Standards as they apply to your working context at the end of the course. By building your work around these themes, you will generate rich evidence which can contribute to the assessment of your professional performance: the Profile Review Points. Hence, the assessment items are intrinsically connected and, in combination, allow you to demonstrate your achievement of all learning outcomes.
The Profile Review Point is the process by which the mentor reviews your progress in your teaching practice and offers this evidence to your university tutor to review against all the other evidence that they see of you on the course. The Cumulative Evidence Record provides the framework by which this progress is judged and are supplemented with descriptors which support you in understanding how to show you have learned the curriculum of the course. The Teachers Standards are used at the end of the course as per the statutory PSRB guidance.
Formative use of assessment is embedded throughout the course and is a principle which we would expect you to adopt in your own teaching. You will be supported to become familiar with self- and peer-assessment approaches and to make effective use of feedback on both academic and practice-based aspects of the course, to identify targets for your ongoing development and plan actions to address them.
The passing of all four units will mean the course will recommend you to the TRA for QTS. In exceptional circumstances, approved by the head of school, it may be possible for recommendation for QTS to be made without completion of all four units. This option is not an automatic entitlement.
Engagement with published research is a fundamental aspect of the course and you will be supported in developing skills of critical analysis of the literature. Rigorous attention to referencing conventions is, therefore, essential and you will be required to adopt the Harvard system. You will be supported in developing your understanding of plagiarism and in the use of Turnitin as a means of ensuring that referencing requirements are satisfied.
Careers
On graduating, you can apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), enabling you to work as an art and design teacher in a secondary education setting. Many of our graduates go on to rewarding employment in local schools.
As well as Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), completing the course also offers you up to 60 Master's-level credits with opportunities for further study at MA/MSc, MPhil, PhD and EdD levels.
Entry Requirements
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Entry Requirements
- Safeguarding checks, including an Enhanced DBS, and Occupational Health check are required
Fees for this course
UK
You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for PGCE tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
A limited number of bursaries are available for Primary PGCE courses.
See www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
Bedfordshire Scholarship Available
The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.
The Department for Education (DFE) Bursaries and Scholarships
Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).
| Subject | Bursary | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| Computing | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Mathematics | £29,000 | — |
| Physics | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Chemistry | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Design and Technology | £20,000 | — |
| Biology | £5,000 | — |
| Geography | £5,000 | — |
Fees for this course
UK
You can apply for a loan from the Government to help pay for PGCE tuition fees.
See www.gov.uk/student-finance
A limited number of bursaries are available for Primary PGCE courses.
See www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
Alternatively if you have any questions around fees and funding, please email admission@beds.ac.uk
Bedfordshire Scholarship Available
The University of Bedfordshire is proud of its alumni and is delighted to offer a tuition fee discount for those who choose to continue or return to the University for on campus Postgraduate level studies.
We offer a 20% discount on full and part-time Masters courses to those who were successful in completing an Honours Degree with the University of Bedfordshire, DMU’s Bedford campus or the University of Luton.
The Department for Education (DFE) Bursaries and Scholarships
Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).
| Subject | Bursary | Scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| Computing | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Mathematics | £29,000 | — |
| Physics | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Chemistry | £29,000 | £31,000 |
| Design and Technology | £20,000 | — |
| Biology | £5,000 | — |
| Geography | £5,000 | — |
