Secondary Physical Education with QTS (11-16) - BA (Hons)

Birmingham City University

If you have a passion for Physical Education and Sport, inspiring and educating young learners, and want the best possible career opportunities after graduating, then this is the course for you.

We are a leading provider of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in the West Midlands. Our strong partnership across a diverse range of secondary schools will enable you to gain practical experience in a range of schools with a rich variety of cultural and linguistic influences, religious beliefs and social diversity. This course will enable you to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and teach PE to secondary school aged pupils (11–16-year-olds) and includes some post-16 enhancement.

You will develop your specialist knowledge of Physical Education and sport science alongside our sports students in practice-led learning environments at the Doug Ellis Sport Centre and Alexander Stadium in the north of the city.

The course aims to develop your PE subject and pedagogical knowledge and understanding at degree level, alongside gaining a professional qualification (QTS). The combination of professional teaching practice and subject expertise mean you get the best of both worlds – benefitting from the strong partnership between our PE and Sports and Exercise Science teacher educators and our subject specialists who are at the forefront of practice in their fields.

This course covers the contemporary place and role of school-based Physical Education, Health and Sport. Linked and mapped to the national curriculum for PE, you'll be taught the physical activities and up-to-date information that you will need to be an effective PE teacher in a secondary school. Alongside the practical nature of this degree, participating in a mixture of activities and sports, you'll also look at different aspects of health and people across the health spectrum.

You will spend time in a range of local secondary schools on professional placement, equipping you with a wealth of practical experience to develop you as a PE teacher, working in partnership with experienced school subject mentors.

Across your three years, you spend at least 120 days in schools on placement. The amount of time usually increases each year with the longest placement in your final year. You will also have an enrichment week, which provides you with the opportunity to deepen your understanding of Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), primary education and post-16 provision.

You will have the opportunity to teach a second subject during your final year of study following some subject knowledge enhancement. In addition, we’re keen to expose you to contemporary teaching practice through our alternative and outdoor activities module, which may include a residential experience. Both elements aim to improve your employability on completion of the course.

Enhancing your employability skills

We will support you in the transition to university through a careful induction process, confidence building activities, group work and a carefully planned programme with a range of formative and summative assessments.

Your programme will be interactive, practical, engaging, thought provoking and challenging and is designed to promote independence so that you become a confident, committed and creative teacher ready to join the teaching profession.

On the programme you will experience a variety of learning and teaching approaches that focus on modelling good practice and these will include: workshops, conferences, lectures, seminars, a range of guest speakers, visits to schools/settings and other sites as well as a range of practical teaching experiences.

The content of the programme is research led, innovative and responsive to the educational climate to enable you to develop your subject and pedagogical knowledge an