Secondary Computing with QTS (11-16) PGCE

At the start of your course you will complete an audit of your subject knowledge. This way you can identify your areas of strength and those you need to develop.

You’ll study the computing curriculum, including software used in schools, educational theory, as well as innovative teaching and assessment methods. Discover how to plan a lesson effectively and how to incorporate lively, interactive techniques to help your students develop confidence and self-esteem.

You’ll also build on your subject knowledge in a range of areas, including programming, computational thinking, applications and database design. We’ll also cover multimedia, spreadsheet modelling, web authoring, desktop publishing and aspects of computer control.

To prepare for your future as a teacher, you’ll also learn about professional roles and responsibilities, as well as polishing your academic skills.

How you'll study

A combination of academic and technical study, group discussion and reflection, and practical, work-based learning in the classroom will give you all the knowledge and skills you need to become a creative and innovative teacher. The programme aims to develop a reflective and critically analytical approach to education.

School Placements

You will undertake extensive placements in schools, putting your training into practice through assisting in and taking responsibility for classes, and working alongside mentors and peers to further your professional development. The focus initially is on observation and supporting teaching and learning. Your teaching timetable will increase as your training progresses and you become more confident and competent in the classroom.

You will also engage in Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP)—a distinctive feature of our curriculum. These focused, high-impact sessions allow you to rehearse key elements of teaching such as behaviour management, scaffolding, questioning, and professional behaviours. ITAPs are grounded in the latest educational research and delivered by expert tutors, mentors, and partner schools.

During ITAP periods, your schedule may vary from the standard pattern, requiring you to attend sessions on campus or in school on different days. These experiences are designed to deepen your understanding and refine your teaching skills in key areas of classroom practice.

How do you decide which schools to place trainees in?

We carefully select placement schools that offer high-quality mentoring and a broad range of experiences. When allocating placements, we consider your subject specialism, prior experience, and personal circumstances, including commuting distance and accessibility. Our priority is ensuring supportive environments that enable you to thrive and make strong progress toward Qualified Teacher Status.

How much time will you spend in each school?

You will spend the majority of the PGCE year in schools, gaining experience across at least two contrasting settings. The exact pattern and duration of placements may vary each year, but you will have substantial time in classrooms to develop your teaching practice and experience a range of school contexts.

What will you do while in your placement schools?

 During school placements, you will gradually develop from observing experienced teachers to leading your own lessons, with increasing independence. You will plan, teach, and assess learning within your subject area, reflecting on pupil progress and your own practice, through mentor feedback and professional discussions. You will also participate in departmental and whole-school activities, attend meetings, support extracurricular opportunities, and engage with pastoral responsibilities. Observing a range of colleagues will allow you to explore different teaching styles and subject-specific pedagogies. You will be supported by a trained subject mentor who provides weekly developmental targets and tailored guidance as you follow a structured weekly curriculum, underpinned by the ITTECF and Teachers’ Standards, ensuring coherent progression in subject knowledge, curriculum planning, behaviour management, inclusion, and assessment. Throughout placement, your university tutors will provide ongoing support, and lecturers continue to deliver curriculum content, ensuring seamless alignment between university-based and school-based training, with no separation between theory and practice.

What will you do during their theoretical training?

At Edge Hill University, theoretical training underpins classroom practice. You will engage with evidence-informed modules covering curriculum design, behaviour management, inclusion, assessment, adaptive teaching, literacy, and professional conduct. Subject-specific sessions deepen disciplinary knowledge and pedagogy, ensuring you understand how pupils learn within their subject. Core modules focus on evidence-informed practice in subject areas, curriculum design, and key learning principles, alongside adolescent development, safeguarding, SEND, and diversity. Subject specialist lectures and seminars encourage critical engagement with educational research and reflection on teaching approaches. You will also participate in academic research and debate, exploring current thinking, developments, and issues within your subject area to strengthen your professional understanding. You are guided to critically evaluate theory and apply it effectively in school contexts, drawing on recent scholarship and national frameworks such as the ITTECF. The taught curriculum continues seamlessly across both campus and placement periods, ensuring sustained progression and coherence between theory and practice.

How you'll be assessed

You will be assessed, through a balanced combination of coursework and portfolio assessments, against both academic criteria and the standards related to QTS. Various other tasks will enable you to show your competence in numeracy and literacy as well as computer science and information technology, including creating an interactive teaching pack and undertaking action-based research.

Your professional practice will conclude with a final viva that will allow you to demonstrate appropriate achievement against the Teachers’ Standards in order to allow us to make a recommendation for QTS.

Who will be teaching you

The Faculty of Education has been at the forefront of teacher education for over 135 years and today enjoys the enviable position of being one of the country’s leading providers of education, training and research for the children’s workforce.

The programme is managed and developed by a team of experienced tutors all of whom have experience of teaching in schools.

The Edge Hill lead mentors and mentor leadership team play an important part in your teacher training as experts in their field. They have a deep knowledge of the trainee curriculum and support trainees and mentors to make progress providing guidance and support on aspects of the curriculum and assessment.