PGCE Secondary Science with Biology - PGCE

Why study this course?

Learn how to teach science and biology to 11 to 16-year-olds and, by arrangement, 16-18-year-olds on our PGCE Secondary Science with Biology course.

Gain practical hands-on experience at our partnership schools and learn how to improve your pupils’ love of this biology through the latest teaching methods and principles.

Trainees on our PGCE Secondary courses attain high results, with 95% achieving an Ofsted good or outstanding grade by the end of the course.

Department for Education (DfE) bursaries are available for this course.

More about this course

This PGCE Secondary Science with Biology course will help you gain the skills to become a competent teacher of science for students up to 14 years old, biology for 15 to 16-year-olds and achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). On request, you can also have the opportunity to work in the 16 to 18 age range.

In the sessions at London Met you’ll develop your teaching strategies and pedagogical techniques, as well as discovering the fundamentals of how children learn. These sessions include collaborative projects and school-based projects with other trainees, as well as learning the principles of teaching and pupil assessment.

This PGCE course takes advantage of its London location to broaden your understanding of teaching in multicultural and diverse urban environments. Through your two placements at one of our partnership schools, you’ll help develop lesson plans and contribute to the development of pupils’ scientific skills and knowledge.

Assessment

There are four formal elements:

school placement A
school placement B, where your teaching ability is assessed in relation to the Standards for Qualified Teacher Status
the Educational Research Assignment, which allows you to explore an educational issue
the Professional Practice Portfolio, which is compiled throughout the year, detailing personal experiences and reflections on your development as a teacher, largely in relation to your practical teaching experience

There are no examinations.

We place great emphasis on feedback from your peers and colleagues on the placement. You’ll complete a weekly reflection and contribute to discussions online in order to further develop your understanding of the role of a secondary teacher.

Professional accreditation

This course is accredited by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA).

Where this course can take you

This intensive PGCE leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which enables you to teach biology to 11 to 16-year-olds. Our trainees have gone on to secure secondary teacher roles at schools including Ark Academy, Harris Girls Academy and more. You’ll have the same opportunities for employment upon successful completion of the course.

You will be required to have: a UK degree grade 2.2 or equivalent in Biology or relevant degrees including geology, metallurgy, chemical engineering and forensic science; literacy and numeracy tests — these are university-based tests, which you will be asked to undertake at your interview; a valid Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) certificate and Confirmation of Fitness to Teach (eg a London Metropolitan University Health Check) - you will be advised to apply for these after an offer is made; GCSE English and Mathematics grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above (or equivalent, see Equivalency Testing or A Star Teachers). We do make conditional offers (with strict deadlines) so it is important that you include all pending qualifications in your UCAS application.Before you can be permitted to enrol to this course: you must not already hold QTS or be qualified to teach in another EU/EEA country.