General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

Primary

• Bachelors degree with Honours at 2:2 or above, or equivalent level. Other first degrees will be considered particularly if you have additional qualifications and/ or relevant experience.
• All candidates must have achieved at least a Grade C/Grade 4 in GCSE (or equivalent qualification) English, Science and Mathematics.
• We can accept 3rd party equivalency tests in place of GCSEs. The current providers that have been approved are EquivalencyTesting.comLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window and A Star EquivalencyLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window. Discounts are availble for Centre for Teacher Education offer-holders - please contact cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the discount code. 
  

  Secondary

• Bachelors degree with Honours at 2:2 or above, or equivalent level. Other first degrees will be considered particularly if you have additional qualifications and/ or relevant experience. You will be expected to have degree level knowledge of the subject you teach.
• All candidates must have achieved at least a Grade C/Grade 4 in the GCSE examinations in English and mathematics (or equivalent qualification).
• We can accept 3rd party equivalency tests in place of GCSEs. The current providers that have been approved are EquivalencyTesting.comLink opens in a new window and A Star EquivalencyLink opens in a new window. Discounts are availble for Centre for Teacher Education offer-holders - please contact cte.admissions@warwick.ac.uk for the discount code. 

Your current role

You must be working as an unqualified teacher (paid or unpaid) in the UK in one of the following settings:

• Mainstream school or academy
• Free School
• Independent School
• Pupil Referral Unit
• Special School (Candidates who are working in a Pupil Referral Unit or Special School will need to provide evidence of significant mainstream school experience).

Your experience and teaching grade

• You will have been observed by your school and your teaching graded as "Outstanding" or "Good".
• You will be able to demonstrate that you have recent experience teaching across consecutive age ranges in two or more schools/settings, including the school/setting you are currently working in. You will need to have at least 2 years of teaching experience in total.
• You will have begun to put together an Initial Portfolio of Evidence against the national Teachers’ Standards

Your school's support and/or sponsorship

You will need to provide two references. One from your current employer and one from a second school that you have completed a minimum 6 weeks teaching experience in. You must have the full support of (or be sponsored by) your employing school, as detailed below:

School letter of recommendation

• An essential and significant part of the application form is a formal statement from your school or setting which provides details not only of your experience to date but also details of your potential to become an outstanding teacher.
• Please see the following templateLink opens in a new window that should be used by your current employer
• Please see the following templateLink opens in a new window that should be used by your second school setting.
• Prior to a candidate starting the programme, it is a requirement that your school completes a School Declaration agreeing to the requirements of the programme.

Your school’s letter should make reference to the following:

• Your teaching experience to date
• Your current teaching commitment at the school
• Details of extra-curricular activities, other school responsibilities
• The school’s experience of working in Initial Teacher Education
• The experience of the mentor who will be working with you during your programme
• Your relationships with pupils and colleagues, including support staff
• A recent lesson observation undertaken by a senior member of staff
• Your subject knowledge and pedagogy
• Your health and physical capacity to teach
• Your resilience and ability to cope with the demands of teaching, and ability to adapt to the changing educational landscape.

Assessment Support

• Supporting/ sponsoring schools need to provide candidates with sufficient opportunity to meet the Teachers’ Standards during the 12 weeks of assessment. Schools are required to:
• Establish a timetable that will enable you to demonstrate competence against the Teachers’ Standards. For secondary routes, the teaching timetable must provide the opportunity to work across two consecutive age phases.
• Provide an experienced mentor to support you. The role of the mentor is to provide feedback on lesson observations, planning and assessment, plus professional support. It is a requirement that the supporting mentor is given time by the school to complete observations and conduct meetings.
• Regularly assess your teaching against the Teachers’ Standards and provide the University with Assessment Point (AP) data by deadlines set.

Your location

You will be working within a 50-mile radius of The University of Warwick, CV4 7AL.

Safeguarding checks

You will need an up-to-date Vetting Check Form, confirming you hold a valid DBS check

English requirements

Your spoken and written English must be of an adequate standard for postgraduate study. If English is not your first language, you will need a minimum score of 7.0 under the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Find out more about English requirements at Warwick.

IT Requirements

To ensure you have the appropriate computer requirements to enable you to study online, please check our computer specification guidance notes (PDF)Link opens in a new window.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

*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.

Assessment

After you have applied for the programme, we'll make an initial assessment, which will include an initial assessment visit to take place in your school. This is to make sure that you're ready to take the full assessment with Warwick. Following your approval, you'll start the 12-week assessment programme.

Initial Assessment

1. Lesson Observation: The University Assessor will observe one of your lessons. There will be a review and discussion afterwards.

2. Document Checking: Before your interview can proceed, you'll need to provide evidence that you meet the academic entry criteria.

3. Formal Interview: You'll provide an Initial Portfolio of Evidence demonstrating that you have achieved the Teachers’ Standards set by the Department for Education. We'll make a recommendation on whether you are ready to start the QTS Assessment or what is the best route for you to become a qualified teacher.

Mentor Observations

A mentor from your school will provide feedback on weekly lesson observations, they will also complete the Assessment Point Forms and return these to the University prior to each assessment visit.

Observation Visits

There will be three lesson observation visits (including your initial observation) from the University Assessor (Teaching Fellow)

Evidence

You will submit a final Portfolio of Evidence which is a record of your development as a teacher.

You'll gather evidence against each of the eight national Teachers Standards. This will be assessed at the final assessment visit to your school in an informal interview, where you'll demonstrate:

• Effective classroom management, showing sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of pupils and an ability to promote learning
• An effective and confident approach to curriculum planning
• Knowledge, particularly in relation to the breadth of the National Curriculum and your subject area
• Able to use ICT effectively in your teaching and to promote student learning
• An accurate approach to assessment
• A professional commitment to setting high standards for yourself and your pupils
• Commitment to your own continued professional development (CPD)

Fees and Funding

Your career

Career progression may be through a specialist curriculum or pastoral role, or by moving into management. Teachers may become heads of Key Stages or coordinators of a cross-curricular area, such as special needs or careers education, as well as subject or professional mentors for trainee teachers on placement. Upon completing this programme you'll be recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS).

What do our students say?

My mentor was fantastic, she was very helpful and she offered lots of support if and when I needed it. I really found the mentor meetings helpful and this gave me time to really talk about my progress and think about areas of development.”

Anonymous
Assessment Only Alumni

This is a fast track teaching programme to gaining QTS. It worked well for me as I could work full time in my school and complete the programme
alongside my job. I was able to use and develop my experience and knowledge to support me in gaining QTS.”

Anonymous
Assessment Only Alumna