Our one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) prepares you to teach the secondary school biology curriculum for the 11-16 age range. 

You will learn how to teach all three sciences to GCSE level and your specialism, Biology, Chemistry or Physics, up to AS/A level.

You’ll explore various teaching methods in our laboratories, which mirror school science classrooms. You’ll consider how to plan lessons and manage activities. You'll learn how to reflect on your developing practice and how research can improve this.

Some of the topics you’ll explore include behaviour management, mental health and emotional wellbeing, teacher persona, and non-verbal communication (such as body language). And, you’ll conduct some of the experiments you might use on your placements such as exploring the properties of electromagnets, extracting DNA from kiwi fruit, and investigating the reactions of alkaline metals. 

You’ll also have guest sessions with alumni and experts from a variety of organisations. Past sessions include speakers from the National Space Centre, Royal Society of Chemistry, and Science and Plants for Schools (SAPS).

You won’t only learn teaching methods with us on campus though, you’ll spend at least 120 days on placements in a variety of schools, gradually increasing your involvement to become an expert practitioner.

Most of our graduates go on to work as art and design teachers in secondary schools.

The PGCE programme provides you with 60 masters' level credits when you graduate. You could put these towards a masters degree to help you develop your career in the field of education including our new MTeach masters specifically designed for Early Career Teachers (ECTs).