Secondary Physical Education with Qualified Teacher Status

Secondary physical education with Qualified Teacher Status is a professional degree that prepares you to teach PE to young people aged eleven to eighteen, qualifying as a teacher at the same time as you complete your academic study. Secondary PE teachers inspire adolescents to engage with physical activity, sport and healthy lifestyles at a crucial stage of their development, teaching curriculum PE and often coaching extracurricular sport as well. The role requires subject knowledge across a range of physical activities and sports, sound understanding of adolescent development and motivation, and the practical pedagogical skills to manage classes, plan lessons and assess students effectively.

At Birmingham City University, this three-year programme is designed for those with a passion for physical education and sport who want to inspire and educate young learners, as the university's own description puts it. You will study the science underpinning physical education, including exercise physiology, biomechanics and sport psychology, alongside curriculum design, inclusive education, assessment and the professional practice of secondary PE teaching. Teaching placements in secondary schools are central to the programme and substantial: you will spend significant time in real classrooms and sports halls, planning and delivering PE lessons, managing classes and receiving professional mentoring from experienced teachers.

These placements are where you develop the teaching competence that QTS requires.

Birmingham City's connections with local schools and its experience in teacher education provide a strong professional context for the programme, and the university's location in the UK's second largest city provides a wide range of placement settings.

Graduates enter teaching as newly qualified PE teachers in secondary schools, with opportunities to progress to head of department, assistant headteacher, head of year and beyond. Some graduates also work in sports development, coaching, health promotion and related fields. Further study in education leadership or a curriculum specialism is common for those seeking senior roles.