Undergraduate

Professional Graduate Certificate in Education: Secondary Music

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Students also studied
• Future availability

Our PGCE offers you an individual path to becoming a secondary teacher, incorporating qualified teacher status (QTS) and a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education. It is designed to meet the needs of people who cannot enter teaching by conventional routes and who need a different study pattern, with a range of start and end dates and the possibility of full-time or part-time study. Taking account of the knowledge and experience you already have, you will take a personalised route through a modular programme and school experience in regional partner schools, with training, support and assessment by OU tutors and school mentors.

This course is currently available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is a complex course with clearly defined entry requirements, including that you need to be able to attend school placements in the country where you are resident. Please read the guidance in the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education Prospectus thoroughly before applying (available through a link on the right of this page).

Course facts

Register for the course

What you will study

This is a programme of initial teacher education (ITE) that complies with relevant nation state requirements. 

The full training programme is a progression through three levels, each supported by web-based study modules and audio-visual materials on CD-ROM. School experience is integrated with the study materials. The three levels are:

• familiarisation, including a five-week secondary school placement
• consolidation, including seven weeks in a different partner secondary school and one in a linked primary school
• autonomy, including ten weeks in your original partner school.

You may be able to claim exemption from either Level 1 or both Level 1 and Level 2 of the course, depending on your previous experience gained through employment in educational establishments. Full guidance on claiming exemption can be found in the prospectus.

Entry

At present you must:

• be able to attend school placements in England, Wales or Northern Ireland
• be resident in the appropriate nation
• have a degree from a UK university, or an equivalent qualification. Your degree should be clearly and substantially relevant to one of the six secondary PGCE subjects available. This means that at least half, and preferably two-thirds, of your degree (at least 180 credit points) should comprise studies relevant to the subject you intend to teach
• have a GCSE grade A–C, or the equivalent, in English language and mathematics
• show evidence in your application and at interview that you can communicate clearly and grammatically in written and spoken standard English.

You will also need to find a school in which you can undertake your first and third school placements. Further details on finding a school can be found in the prospectus.

If you have an overseas qualification please read further guidance in the prospectus.

Please note that entry requirements may change as a result of government regulations.

If your chosen subject is music, modern foreign languages, or design and technology, you will be required at interview to demonstrate specific abilities related to the subject. 

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

More information about teacher education can be found on our website. 

Preparatory work

An important aspect of beginning to train as a teacher is being sure that this is the right career for you. We therefore recommend that you make yourself familiar with today’s educational issues by reading the Times Educational Supplement and the education sections of newspapers.

In Wales a taster course entitled Prepare to Teach is available (for details contact Clare Schroder on + 44 (0)29 2047 1019 or email)

If you have a disability or additional requirement

You will need to make use of a personal computer and the internet. Some parts of the course are presented using audio-visual materials on a CD-ROM.

If you are a new student, or new to study using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting Your Needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Printed handbook and web-based study materials, audio-visual materials on CD-ROM.

Note that the course includes some online activities for which you will need a headset, with a microphone and earphones, to talk to your tutor and other students online.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a subject-specialist tutor. Your tutor will visit you during each period of school experience to assess your progress, provide online support during each level of the course you study and assess your coursework.

During each school experience period you will also be supported by a school-based subject mentor, who will train, guide, manage and assess your work in school. Further support will be provided by a school coordinator, a senior member of the school staff, and a Subject Leader based at the University.

You will also have the opportunity to attend Saturday day schools.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

Your progress towards the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) (or the competencies for Eligibility to Teach in Northern Ireland) and The Open University PGCE will be monitored closely, and your assessment for the course as a whole will take account of:

• reports prepared by the school at the end of each school placement
• assessments at each level of the course linked to module- and school-based training marked by your tutor.

The assessment process involves detailed discussion between you, your tutor and your school-based mentor, with other staff in the school and the OU participating when appropriate.

At the end of the course you complete an assessed school placement of ten weeks and present a portfolio of school and module study to the University. The most appropriate time for you to do this will depend on your pattern of study, negotiated with your tutor and partner school.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• From composition to performance: musicians at work (AA302)
• Start listening to music (A179)
• Using mathematics (MST121)
• Performances and repertories (A871)
• Postgraduate foundation module in music (A870)

Future availability

The course has multiple start dates, to take account of student needs and the requirement to include school placements.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

Employers' questions

Contact Corporate Enquiries
Visit our website for employers or Email us

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