QESP Part 1: Certificate in Teaching

Part One focuses on principles of teaching and learning and develops the participant’s ability to support learning in clinical settings.  It requires attendance at a half-day workshop followed by a minimum of three observational visits and one to one ‘professional conversations’ between the participant and an Education Adviser. This part of the programme was formerly known as the Certificate in Teaching.

QESP Part 1 is typically completed within 3 to 6 months and focuses on the teaching that occurs within the participant’s everyday working environment e.g. the ward round, theatre and clinic.

Course Aims

The QESP Part 1 programme aims to encourage participants to become more intellectually curious about the practice of teaching and, in particular, about the learning processes of their learners. It seeks to:

  • Encourage participants to reflect critically on their own practice as educators;

  •  Support participants in problematising the process of teaching and in recognising the complexity inherent in any teaching situation;

  •  Encourage and support participants in articulating the values embedded in their everyday practice as educators;

  •  Introduce, where appropriate, a range of  teaching methodologies and underpinning principles;

  •   Provide, through the professional conversation, a model of a supportive yet challenging learning experience;

  •   Encourage participants to read a range of articles and texts in order to stimulate further thinking and discussion

We also aim to increase participants’ enjoyment of their teaching.

What are the Criteria for Satisfactory Completion of the course?

Please download the "QESP Part 1 characteristics of an education supervisor" document for full details.

Where relevant, these characteristics have been cross-referenced to the PMETB Generic Standards for Training, July 2008, Domains 1, 3, 5 and 6. If you wish, you can also download the "QESP Part 1 Characteristics of an Educational Supervisor- PMETB cross-referenced" document below.

Who Should Apply

  • KSS Consultants who have teaching responsibilities
  • If you think you hold an equivalent course check our APEL Statement.

The Programme

  •  The programme begins with attendance at a Principles and Values in Teaching workshop. During this three and a half hour workshop participants will be introduced to some underpinning issues in teaching and learning and will formally register on the programme.
  •   The teaching 'content' of the observation visits will arise from individual episodes of teaching and the particular needs of the participant.

The Observation Process

  1. After attendance at the initial workshop each participant is allocated a personal Education Adviser.
  2. The participant is observed teaching in her / his normal workplace setting for about one hour. The context could be a ward round, outpatient clinic, theatre, individual / group tutorial, seminar or lecture.
  3. There are a minimum of 3 observation sessions. Following each observed teaching session the participant will have a 'professional conversation' of one hour’s duration with the Education Adviser.
  4. Each 'professional conversation' is followed up by the candidate doing a short piece of reflective writing.

Workstream Lead:

Symon Quy is the KSS Deanery leader on this workstream.

Introductory Workshops

All introductory half-day workshops are held at:

KSS Deanery, 7 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 2DD

How to book a place

To book onto the programme, contact your Medical Education Manager in your local Education Centre. Or click here

Further Information

You may also be interested in the QESP information leaflet.

For further information, please contact Emma Chohan on or telephone 020 7415 3603.