Secondary Science (Biology) with QTS (11-16) PGCE

During this PGCE, you’ll work towards becoming a biology specialist who can deliver all three sciences at Key Stage 3 and 4. You’ll cover essential educational theory while developing your specialist subject knowledge.

Strengthen your understanding of innovative teaching and assessment methods including experiments and investigative work, group discussions, role play, project work, presentations and examinations. We’ll also unpack health and safety requirements and strategies for maintaining a high quality laboratory – so you can show pupils how to complete practical experiments safely.

We’ll prepare you for a future in teaching secondary biology. Learn how to plan lessons in line with the curriculum. Master teaching techniques to give pupils the knowledge they need. Become confident running practical experiments safely.

Apply everything you’ve learnt to a placement in a secondary school setting. Here you’ll be able to get hands-on experience by supporting and observing teachers. With help from your subject tutor and school-based mentor, you’ll combine what you learn on campus with practical teaching experiences.

How you'll study

A combination of academic 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 a critically analytical approach to education.

You will also develop your subject knowledge by participating in numerous activities, which have in the past included visits to places of scientific and fieldwork interest, guest speakers and GET SET Challenge days in the North West.

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 develop your subject knowledge by participating in numerous activities, which have in the past included visits to places of scientific and fieldwork interest, guest speakers and GET SET Challenge days in the North West.

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. Other tasks will enable you to show your competence in ICT, numeracy and literacy and other areas of science.

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.

You will be taught by a dedicated team of knowledgeable, experienced, friendly and supportive tutors who have the welfare of their trainees as a number one priority.

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.