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An image to illustrate the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Wales
To become a teacher, you'll need a PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Our PGCE qualifies you to work in either primary or secondary schools, with a focus on the curriculum in Wales. You'll study through the medium of English, Welsh or both. Your study is conducted online, including live online seminars, with face-to-face support provided on-site in school. You’ll teach in two different schools in Wales (at least 120 days over two years). Students endorsed by a school may be fully-funded (salaried route) or self-funded (part-time route), with self-funded students potentially eligible for a student loan and/or maintenance grant.
To gain this qualification, you need 120 credits. You’ll study two compulsory modules: a 60-credit module at level 6 (undergraduate) followed by a 60-credit module at level 7 (postgraduate).
We currently offer the following age phases or subjects: primary or secondary maths; science; Welsh; English; English with drama; English with media studies; design and technology; computing/ICT; and international languages.
Depending on your circumstances, you will choose either the salaried route or the part-time (self-funded) route. Both routes follow the same academic timeline and cover the same modules, delivered through a blend of online and face-to-face sessions with university curriculum tutors, practice tutors and school-based mentors.

ModulesCreditsNext start
You'll study the following:
PGCE 1 and 2 (EE306)
60Sep 2026
PGCE 3 (EE806)
60Sep 2026

ModulesCreditsNext start
You'll study the following:
PGCE 1 and 2 (EEXP306)
60Sep 2026
PGCE 3 (EEXP806)
60Sep 2026

By studying the Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Wales, you’ll:
You’ll learn through online seminars, school-based experience and structured tutor support.
You’ll be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Wales) upon successful completion. You’ll be entitled to use the letters PGCE Wales (Open) after your name. We’ll also recommend you for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) to the professional body, the Education Workforce Council.
You’ll have the opportunity to attend a degree ceremony.
If you plan to work or study outside the UK, we recommend checking whether this qualification meets local requirements. Find out more about the international recognition of Open University qualifications.
As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the qualification-specific regulations below and the academic regulations that are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.
We regularly review our curriculum to keep it up to date. This means the structure, availability, and content of the course or modules may change. We’ll update this page as soon as possible if there are any changes. If you have already registered for this qualification, we’ll inform you in good time of any upcoming changes where practicable. For more details, see our Academic Regulations or contact us.
You’ll complete the qualification in two years.

The modules start in September each year and finish the following June; you’ll receive your results in July. Break weeks coincide with the Welsh school holidays.
Each module involves academic study through online seminars led by your curriculum tutor, a period of school experience, and the submission of a portfolio of evidence that includes responses to academic tasks and reports from your school experience. From the start of your studies, you will engage with the medium of Welsh in a school context and will be supported to develop your Welsh language skills, which is key to delivering the new Curriculum for Wales.
Teaching across the modules will be through a series of practice-focused strands:
Academic theory will be combined with substantial, supported experience in schools.
You’ll move from familiarisation to consolidation of your learning in PGCE 1 and 2, progressing from classroom support and planning and teaching of single lessons to planning and teaching a sequence of lessons. In PGCE 3, you’ll move towards autonomy in your teaching practice, taking responsibility for planning, resourcing and solo-teaching a range of lessons.
Mentors will support you throughout your school experience. They’ll mediate and facilitate regular school-based tasks, which feed into your studies. As you move through the modules, your understanding of theories and concepts will progress. Your practical experience and assessments will prepare you for your next module and help you progress towards meeting the Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership in Wales. Whether you’re on the salaried or part-time route, you’ll undertake an individual classroom research project in PGCE 3.
Over the two years, all students complete 120 days of school-based learning practice across two different school settings, in line with Education Workforce Council and Welsh Government requirements.
During the module PGCE 3 (the second year of the programme), you’ll complete 60 of the required 120 days of learning practice. At least 30 of these days must be undertaken in a continuous block (five days per week over six consecutive school weeks), including a mandatory full-time, 30-day practice learning block.
If you already work at a mainstream state school as a teaching assistant or in a non-teaching role, you can apply for your school to endorse your study. Your school must apply to become a partner school and provide you with an endorsement letter, as they will pay your salary. You’ll need to get agreement from your school to apply for this route.
You will study for your PGCE alongside your existing school duties as part of your full-time employment in a school, and undertake practical experience at the same time as studying. Your costs of study will be covered by a training grant from the Welsh Government.
If you are a career-changer and do not currently work in a school, you can still apply for the salaried route in one of our secondary shortage subjects. You will need to find a secondary school willing to endorse you, which we can help you find through one of our many partner schools in Wales.
Find out more about the Salaried route.
If you are a career-changer and want to become a teacher but don’t work in a school, or the salaried route isn’t right for you, there is a part-time option available. This route offers flexibility as you’ll study towards your PGCE and gain part-time practical teaching experience in a school while working around your current part-time job or other life commitments.
School placements will be available in Welsh- and English-medium schools. You will undertake your practical experience after completing your academic study in each module. You’ll need to consider how you can commit to approximately 16 hours of study per week.
You’ll complete 120 days of practice learning across the two years (60 days per year). You’ll be required to commit to two to three days per week for practice learning to ensure you meet the required number of practice learning days within the specific windows.
This route can be self-funded, or you can apply for a student loan and part-time maintenance grants to help with the costs.
Find out more about the Part-time route.
The entry requirements for this programme are set by the Welsh Government and the Education Workforce Council and are therefore essential for all salaried and part-time (self-funded) applicants. Some pathways within the PGCE have additional entry requirements.
As a minimum, candidates must hold a standard equivalent to GCSE Grade C or above in:
If you do not currently meet the GCSE (or equivalent) requirements, you will need to resit your GCSE to gain the required grade(s). However, you may already hold a qualification equivalent to the GCSEs listed above. Please contact [email protected] for advice on the qualifications we can accept as equivalent. You must have gained the required grade(s) before the programme commences, or your place will be withdrawn.
The application process is competitive, and GCSE grades are only one component of our assessment.
You will also need:
In addition, you’ll need to demonstrate:
During the application process, you’ll need to do the following:
If you’re applying for the salaried route, you must have a named employer school. Applications without the school’s endorsement letter will not be accepted. If you are a career-changer, for secondary subjects, we can match you with one of our partner schools across Wales. You’ll also need to register with the Education Workforce Council as a Learning Support Worker before starting the programme.
 You’ll also need access to a computer with an internet connection.
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions or contact [email protected] to discuss your requirements.
The fees and funding information shown below relate to the 2026/27 academic year and are provided for guidance only. Updated 2027/28 information will be published in March 2027.
No funding information is available for your location.
Primary salaried (with endorsing school)
Opening date: 12 October 2025
Closing date¹: 17 July 2026
Primary part-time²
Opening date: 12 October 2025
Closing date¹: 17 July 2026
Secondary salaried (with endorsing school)
Opening date: 12 October 2025
Closing date¹: 17 July 2026
Secondary salaried (without endorsing school)
Opening date: 12 October 2025
Closing date¹: 17 July 2026
Secondary part-time²
Opening date: 12 October 2025
Closing date¹: 17 July 2026
¹ We reserve the right to close applications early if places are filled. Places are limited, and demand for the primary part-time route is particularly high, so early application is advised. We cannot accept applications after the closing date. Due to high demand, some applicants for the primary part-time programme may be placed on a reserve list.
² Due to high demand, entry to the primary part-time programme is limited to applicants who hold a 2:2 or above at degree level.
You must complete the online application form. See the application guidance document for help in completing the form.
For salaried students, your school must apply to become a partner school and send an endorsement letter to [email protected] when you make your application.

Applicants who are applying to teach Secondary Welsh, or who wish to complete their studies through the medium of Welsh, should complete the Personal Statement section in Welsh.
As part of the selection process, and in conjunction with partnering schools, you must:
On achieving your PGCE, we’ll recommend you for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), as either a primary or secondary school teacher, depending on which option you chose.
The programme is employability-focused and will prepare you to enter the profession. As a vocational teaching qualification, it’s accredited by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) and monitored by Estyn. The combination of academic and practice-based skills and experience is central to the programme, ensuring you’re familiar with ‘practice as theory and theory as practice’. Your portfolio will assess your skills and experience against relevant learning outcomes and professional standards.
The PGCE is based on experience in Welsh schools and the delivery of the Curriculum for Wales, but it is also valid in England. If you wish to teach in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you must register with the appropriate country’s professional body. They’ll assess applications on a case-by-case basis.
Why become a teacher? Read more about why teaching is such a worthwhile career and how the Open University’s PGCE Wales programme prepares you for the profession. Visit A unique route into teaching.
Once you register with us (and for up to three years after you finish your studies), you'll have full access to our careers service for a wide range of information and advice, including: online forums, a website, interview simulation and vacancy service, as well as the option to email or speak to a careers adviser. Some areas of the careers service website are available for you to see now, including help with looking for and applying for jobs. You can also read more general information about how OU study enhances your career.
Unfortunately, this qualification isn't available to students resident in England.
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