PGCE Secondary Welsh (11-18 Age Range) with QTS

About PGCE Welsh

In the PGCE Secondary Welsh programme, you will be offered the opportunity to experience teaching Welsh in the English medium and Welsh medium sectors. This will allow you to diversify in both sectors, or specialise in one.

You will also be able to work with other curriculum subjects such as English and MFL, sharing expertise in developing language, culture, identity and love of literature. You will leave the programme equipped with the skills to develop the Welsh speakers of the future and with an excellent career path ahead of you.

Finally, the PGCE Welsh programme offers leading research informed training and support that will allow you to flourish in our outstanding Cardiff Partnership schools. Research underpins our programme, allowing you to develop your own ideas and theories which will lead to an exciting and unique teaching career.

Reputation & Teaching Excellence

The PGCE Welsh programme is highly regarded by schools, leaders and teachers in Wales. University sessions are fun, collaborative, and challenging. Educational research is skilfully weaved throughout the programme to challenge and expand your thinking. Guest speakers from Partnership schools, regional consortia and external organisations such as WJEC subject specialists, Welsh mentors, past PGCE students and experienced practitioners are invited to enrich and enhance the taught provision.

Employability & Careers

Career prospects of Welsh teachers graduating from the Cardiff Partnership is extremely positive. All PGCE Welsh graduates historically secure full-time work immediately after completing the PGCE programme and many continue to quickly progress into middle and senior management roles. The demand for Welsh teachers is exceptionally high and Welsh student teachers are often offered their choice of roles across multiple schools in Wales!

Welsh is also recognised as a priority subject by the Welsh Government, and so all successful graduates will receive a £15,000 bursary while you train in Wales for Welsh and meet eligibility criteria.

What’s the best way to prepare for studying a PGCE in Welsh?

Develop and refine your subject knowledge. In the first instance, look to complete a selection of WJEC GCSE past papers. Can you remember how you were taught to use specific grammar points such as mutations, for example? Are there other methods that you might not be unaware of? If so, do some research online and trial these teaching methods before embarking on your teaching journey!

Once you have satisfied yourself with GCSE papers, make sure that you look both up, down and across the Welsh continuum. Can you remember how to introduce a new poem to a Year 12 student? Equally importantly, would you know how to navigate a conversation with a Year 7 pupil who asks, “Why do we say that?”? An effective Welsh teacher is a person who is has a firm subject knowledge and can transfer this to their learners with fun, clarity and enthusiasm.

Practical experience within the classroom will give you recent and relevant experience and will enable you to see the developments in Welsh teaching since your time in school. Support working as LSAs or organising observation opportunities are really useful and will give you a flavour of the reality of learning and teaching Welsh.