PGCE Secondary Science (Biology)
GTTR code C1X1
Full-time
This course is subject to reapproval
Location • City Campus
Subject area • Teacher education
Related subjects • Biosciences and chemistry • Education studies
By adding to My Courses you can compare courses and create a personalised prospectus.
View profiles of students on this course.
Find out why our teaching placements are unique and highly praised by Ofsted.
Watch videos of trainee teachers and mentors talking about teaching placements.
Helping you to secure a teaching job after your teacher training
Hear what local pupils think about becoming a great teacher.
Is teaching for you? Our free three day taster courses give you all the information you need to find out about teaching.
If you would like to share your enthusiasm for the life sciences with others – and you enjoy working with children and young people – then this is the course for you.
Biology is one of the priority subjects which means that you could be eligible for a tax free bursary depending on your degree class.
What you achieve on this PGCE course
This course enables you to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). It equips you to teach National Curriculum Science at Key Stages 3 and 4 and to teach biology at a higher level at Key Stage 4 and at post-16.
During the course you develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to teach pupils of all abilities by
• enhancing your subject knowledge and skills
• learning to use relevant literature, research and educational theories relating to teaching science and the wider curriculum
• building your confidence and enthusiasm to become a successful teacher of pupils at all levels of ability
• developing a wide range of interactive and engaging teaching strategies
• developing your classroom management and behaviour management skills
• using a variety of techniques for monitoring pupils' progress
• learning about the wider role of teachers in school
• learning about the way schools and the education system function
• understanding how to apply your skills and knowledge in a school setting
• developing your evaluation and critical reflection skills
• meeting the QTS standards for teaching
Teaching placements
With our PGCE you complete two placements in 11–16, 11–18 or post-16 settings. This allows you to experience the full progression through at least two key stages. In total you spend around 120 days on placement.
While on placement you benefit from excellent support and mentoring from a university-trained mentor. We have placement links with over 600 schools and other institutions, and many of our students end up being offered teaching jobs in their placement schools.
Expert academic staff
Our expert science tutors have over 120 years’ teaching experience between them. They have held positions ranging from head of department to assistant head and head of year in a variety of local, national and international schools, where they were responsible for teacher trainees, the induction of NQTs and staff development. They continue to retain close links with many local schools.
Purpose-built school labs
All of our practical sessions take place in purpose-built labs, which replicate the teaching areas typically found in schools.
Your choices on this course
During the course, you’ll be able to choose to complete either the PGCE or the professional graduate certificate in education (ProfGCE). Both qualifications earn you QTS status, but the PGCE also gives you 60 credits towards a masters degree.
School Direct places for September 2013
We have PGCE places for this subject available via our School Direct route for September 2013 start. Places for School Direct are provided in partnership with our lead schools in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lancashire and Lincolnshire. There is the intention that you will be employed by them or another school in their partnership once you have qualified.
For more information on how to apply visit School Direct PGCE.
The Science Initial Teacher Education Team have close links with the Centre for Science Education which is a research and business development unit specialising in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects).
Find out more about PGCE Secondary Science (Biology)
Related courses
Full-time – one year
You apply for this course through GTTR.
2013/14 academic year
Typically £9,000 for the course
The course fee may be subject to annual inflationary increase. For further information on fees and funding see www.shu.ac.uk/funding
• academic assignments including a practice-based research project • individual and group work • presentations and reports • preparing teaching materials and plans • teaching practice
You must also successfully complete tests in numeracy, literacy and information and communication technology as designated by the Department for Education Teaching Agency.
Caroline Henry
PGCE Secondary Science (Biology)
'The two year course (SKE plus PGCE year) was perfect for me as my first degree is in politics and not a science subject.
'The SKE has enabled me to build on my previous science background and to both broaden and deepen my science subject knowledge. This has provided me with a route into qualified teacher status for secondary science but also increased my confidence in being able to teach across biology, chemistry and physics.
'The best thing about it is that you have to really improve your knowledge across the sciences. As someone who hasn't studied science for many years, it has been exciting to learn about some of the recent advances in biology.
'I've also gained a real sense of achievement from developing my understanding of physics, a subject that I hadn't studied in detail before.
'There's a real mix of people on the course. All sorts of different ages and backgrounds, and the atmosphere and support for each other's learning has been really positive.'
Profiles
Caroline Henry
PGCE Secondary Science (Biology)
Great teacher training placements
'The most important element of teaching that my pupils have taught me is how to differentiate and make learning accessible to all and on an individual level.'
Laura Scales, trainee teacher
We believe that teaching is all about the learner. That's why we've invested heavily in building a great network of teacher-training placements.
A unique approach to placements
We provide our trainee teachers with two contrasting placements, providing access to a wide range of different learners. This furnishes them with the practical skills and experience they need to manage behaviour and control the classroom; it also provides the opportunity to refine their teaching styles.
Support while on placement
In 2010, Ofsted commented on the 'exceptional quality of senior mentor coordinators' at Sheffield Hallam. We pride ourselves on the outstanding levels of support we offer to our trainee teachers while on placement. The support you receive may differ, depending on your route into teaching, but usually consists of University tutors, trained mentors in each placement context, your course peers and other educational professionals.
Mutually beneficial placements
We work with our placement partners to our mutual advantage
• they provide superb placement opportunities for our trainee teachers
• they help us with the development of our courses, so that they're always up to date and practically relevant
• they enable our students to put into practice the latest research and innovative teaching practices
Watch videos of our students of our students talking about their teaching placements.
Amy Bagnall (2:39)
Hear about the types of support we provide for you on teaching placements.
Laura Scales (2:07)
Hear how our teaching placements help you to put learning into practice.
Beccy Buck (1:21)
One of our mentor co-ordinators talks about what it takes to make a great teacher.
More videos
Amy Bagnall (2:39)
Hear about the types of support we provide for you on teaching placements.
Laura Scales (2:07)
Hear how our teaching placements help you to put learning into practice.
Beccy Buck (1:21)
One of our mentor co-ordinators talks about what it takes to make a great teacher.
Career prospects for trainee teachers
96% of trainee teachers are working or in further study within six months of completing their courses.
At Sheffield Hallam University, we work hard to prepare our trainee teachers for a great job after graduating and for a really rewarding long-term teaching career. Because of the high standard of our training and our great reputation for producing fantastic teachers, our students enjoy excellent prospects on graduation.
Fast-track careers
Our graduate teachers have a strong track record of progressing into more senior positions of responsibility, sometimes within as little as a year of graduating.
Sought-after skills and experience
Our unique approach to teaching practice and placements means that our graduates have superb classroom experience – which makes them very attractive to potential employers. Plus, our students benefit from the highest quality
'Trainees gain the confidence to quickly take on subject leadership, and gain promotion often at the end of their induction year' (Ofsted, 2010).
research and innovative practice, which means they graduate with a high standard of teaching ability.
Careers and employment
We offer a wide range of support services for students both while they're with us to develop their employability and career-management skills and when they're looking for a job after graduation.
Services include
• experienced careers advisers
• a programme of careers-related events including recruitment fairs and employer presentations
• netWORK, which advertises hundreds of graduate vacancies online
• Impact, our career coaching and employer mentoring scheme
• an international students' job club
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'It's a give and take relationship isn't it? They teach us. The least we can give back is respect them, give them the status as a teacher which gives them confidence and helps everyone progress more really.'
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'If you can tell that a teacher cares about the subject they're teaching and cares about the students, then the students are more likely to learn and listen to them. They give you respect and we give it back'
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'Everyone's got different learning styles so teachers have to adapt to how people learn best'
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'There's different techniques you can use. There's a variety that kids can benefit from. If I was a teacher I'd want to not just stick to one style of teaching. I'd do lots of different methods'
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'You've got to have that practical element to teaching as well as words. It's a different side of teaching that kids don't expect'
Here's what a group of year 10 and 11 pupils think about great teaching.
'Trainee teachers bring a new style to it. Bringing something new really brightens it up and makes a good change'
Is teaching for you?
If you are interested in pursuing a career in teaching then you may like to register for one of our taster courses. We offer a combination of mini taster sessions which are open to all and a series of more in-depth programmes targeted towards particular groups.
Mini taster sessions
Mini taster sessions are designed to give you a flavour of what teacher training involves, giving you the opportunity to meet with course leaders and have your questions answered.
We are running a series of mini taster sessions in March 2012. Find out more or register for a session.
Train to teach development programme
We offer a series of programmes, session's and one to one support to provide you with a more in-depth view of the teaching profession and advise you on your own personalised journey to initial teacher training. These are
• black, minority and ethnic individuals – one day introductory course on 6 February 2012
• men into primary – three-day course (including one day within a school environment), which runs between 12-14 June (tbc)
• secondary priority courses – for people interested in teaching subjects such as maths, physics and chemistry, with courses running between 5-7 March
We also offer small group sessions and one-to-one's for those who do not fall into one of these categories.
Please contact m.greaves@shu.ac.uk to register your interest.
Hear from taster course participants
'I would most definitely recommend this course to other interested parties. I attended in order to decide whether I still thought teaching was for me, and without having the unique opportunity to spend a day in a school I think I still would have struggled with my decision.
'It didn't seem to matter whether you were on the fence about teaching – as I know one of the attendees later realised teaching wasn't for her,
but having access to valuable information regarding getting into teaching, speaking to those from the teaching profession and spending time in a school, were, for me most useful. Since the course I have been able to research the numerous routes into teaching and I have decided I would like to pursue a PGCE Primary.'
Sharner Lal, taster course attendee
'I really gained a lot from this course. I got first hand information about what it is all about being a teacher in UK. I must acknowledge that the organisers of this course did tremendously well it was really fantastic. I had a whole day experience in a school where I had the opportunity to be in two different class rooms. It was a wonderful experience to see how
teaching goes on, classroom management, the use of ICT facilities, and the role of teaching assistant.
'This actually boosted my enthusiasm to go out there and teach. I got more insight into a practical responsibility of a teacher and the positive relationship a teacher builds with pupils.'
Ebenezer F Pobee, taster course attendee
