Secondary Business Studies with QTS (14-19) PGCE

This course consists of three, key elements. The first is academic study at Masters level. You’ll get to grips with key, research-based theories of learning and curriculum design and develop your ability to critique them. You’ll identify adaptations needed to meet the needs of all learners and apply them to your own practice, where appropriate.

You’ll also explore evidence-based practice within the context of Secondary Business Studies, how it has influenced educational policy in England and why it is considered to be the ‘golden thread’ of teacher development. You’ll get the opportunity to critique primary educational research and apply it to your own practice, where relevant.

You’ll get the opportunity to develop both your specialist subject knowledge and practical, teaching skills through professional placements. This experience is essential for achieving qualified teacher status, and will allow you to spend a significant amount of time in schools and other educational settings.

How you'll study

A combination of academic study, collaborative discussion, critical reflection, and practical, work-based learning in the classroom will equip you with the skills and confidence to become a creative and effective Business Studies teacher. The programme encourages a reflective and critically analytical approach to education, with a strong focus on real-world relevance and inclusive practice.

You will enhance your subject knowledge by exploring how business education connects to wider social, economic, and ethical issues. This may include engagement with external organisations, business case studies, or enrichment visits to institutions such as the Museum of Liverpool (covering regional economic history), the Bank of England’s KnowledgeBank, or enterprise hubs with a focus on financial education and entrepreneurship.

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. Weekly tasks undertaken in schools will enable you to develop an understanding of effective teaching and learning approaches which will inform University based sessions. Various other tasks will enable you to show your competence in ICT, numeracy and literacy. The most demanding assignment is a reflective and analytical piece of classroom-based research in which you will consider how pupils learn Business Studies, and how your teaching can make that more effective.

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 140 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.