Secondary with QTS: Religious Education

This course is available at the university and through School Direct.

Why study with us?

You are taught by a team of experienced mentors and tutors, who are all specialists. The partnership with schools, both church and community, is very strong. You also have the opportunity to visit places of worship and meet members of different faith communities. We introduce you to a range of approaches to religious education, build your confidence as a specialist in this area of the curriculum and encourage you to develop your own area of expertise, through the modules at masters level.

Religious education is essential to the basic secondary school curriculum and it plays an important part in the personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of young people. It is often extremely popular; the number of pupils taking examination courses in RE has been increasing every year. This is a particularly exciting time to be teaching religious education, with the new national framework raising its status in schools.

Resources and facilities

We have several excellent resources to help you excel in your studies. All students have access to our Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment which can provide easy online access to course information, course materials, relevant web links and an online discussion board.

We have a well-stocked library and a Learning Gateway, which offers an interactive, flexible space to study. You can also take advantage of The Library and Student Services (LiSS), which provides learning resources, equipment, student advice, skills training and study space.

Entry requirements See course specific entry requirements listed below.

More about levels and credits

Credit and UCAS requirements Credit: 60 credits UCAS code: V6X1 Selection criteria

• A minimum UK 2:2 honours degree or recognised equivalent qualification in a Religious Studies related subject is required. A minimum 50% of your degree must be in a Religious Studies related subject. All successful applicants must have met this requirement by 31 August 2013. Where relevant we will consider other qualifications or work/voluntary experience as evidence of subject knowledge. Please ensure you detail in full any supporting qualifications and/or experience in your application for the course.

  If you don’t have an undergraduate degree but do have a Masters or other higher qualification, your application will be considered by our academic tutors on a one-to-one basis.

• GCSE grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics or recognised equivalent qualifications. Preference will be given to those who hold these qualifications at the point of application and all successful applicants must have met this requirement by 31 August 2013.

• Successful completion of the QTS skills test in literacy and numeracy by 31 August 2013.

• We strongly recommend that you obtain a minimum of 2-3 days secondary school experience in a mainstream UK secondary school observing a class in your chosen teaching specialism before applying.

• A satisfactory academic (university) reference OR a satisfactory professional reference if more than three years since academic study.

• All candidates must demonstrate professional suitability through interview and must obtain medical and enhanced CRB clearance according to established university procedures.

More detailed information and advice is available on our how to apply page.

Costs

Click to view information on your study type and home location.

University-based students

Home

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,000.

As a full-time UK student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which you only start to pay back when you are earning over £21,000 a year if you're from England or £15,795 if you're from Scotland. You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354). For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Church College Trusts

You may be eligible to apply to one of the Church College Trusts for a grant towards course expenses or living expenses.

All trusts welcome applications from any trainee regardless of religion or belief, however, some trusts may favour trainees in particular geographical locations.

Find out how to apply.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several support funds available to our current students, including:

• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

EU

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,000.

As a full-time EU student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which you only start to pay back when you are earning over £21,000 a year (or the equivalent in your country). For more information about student loans, visit our student finance page.

Church College Trusts

You may be eligible to apply to one of the Church College Trusts for a grant towards course expenses or living expenses.

All trusts welcome applications from any trainee regardless of religion or belief, however, some trusts may favour trainees in particular geographical locations.

Find out how to apply.

International

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year is £10,800.

Fees are billed annually and may be paid by the student or a sponsor. 75 percent of the annual tuition fees must be paid before or at registration. For students requiring a Tier 4 Student Visa, a deposit of £3,500 is expected as a minimum before a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies) will be issued. For more information, visit our international student finance page.

Early payment discount

If you are paying your own fees, you may be eligible for an early payment discount of £1,000. This discount is awarded to students who pay in full before registration.

Additional financial support

Our money doctors will be on hand throughout the year to help you manage your money while you’re in the UK. However, if you do happen to run into financial difficulty during your time here, you may be able to access a small emergency support fund.

School Direct students

Salaried

If you have a salaried school direct place, you won't have to pay a penny; your host school will cover your tuition fees in full. You will not be eligible for any additional funding.

School direct salaries are set by the school and should be in line with unqualified teacher pay scales.

Non-salaried

The tuition fee for the 2013/14 academic year has been set at £9,000.

As a full-time student, you are entitled to a tuition fee loan which you only start to pay back when you are earning over £21,000 a year if you're from England or £15,795 if you're from Scotland. You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan (up to £5,500) and a maintenance grant (up to £3,354) if you're a UK student. For more information about student loans and grants, visit our student finance page.

Church College Trusts

You may be eligible to apply to one of the Church College Trusts for a grant towards course expenses or living expenses.

All trusts welcome applications from any trainee regardless of religion or belief, however, some trusts may favour trainees in particular geographical locations.

Find out how to apply.

More financial support

Access to financial support doesn’t end at registration. We have several support funds available to our current students, including:

• Access to Learning Fund
• Utilities trust

Apply Now

University-based
Visit the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) to apply online.

School Direct
See the School Direct course list for application links.

Modules

For detailed summary of all course content please read our programme specification for this course.

Course summary

We aim to help you translate your enthusiasm for the subject into practical skills, so you can make Religious Education exciting and relevant for the young people you teach. We also aim to develop your skills so that you become an innovative professional, able to make a valuable contribution to the development of the subject in the future. To provide you with examples of good practice, the course draws on a broad range of teaching and learning strategies, including workshops, presentations, lectures, seminars, group work, problem solving, ICT workshops, independent study, videos, visits, hands-on practical work with artefacts and resources, individual tutorials and mentoring sessions.

The course content explores:

• the role of the Religious Education teacher
• the aims of religious education
• spiritual and moral development and the role of religious education
• planning for effective teaching and learning in religious education
• monitoring and assessment in religious education
• a variety of approaches towards teaching religious education
• working with faith communities in religious education
• religious education and ICT
• religious education and citizenship.

It also involves two masters degree-level modules: Assessment for Learning and Behaviour for Learning which support and promote the development of sound teaching practice.