PGCE/School Direct Science

Key Facts

Course Title: PGCE (Secondary)/School Direct Science
Course type: PG Certificate in Education with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status Professional Graduate Certificate in Education with recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status PG Certificate in Education Studies without recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status Professional Graduate Certificate in Education Studies without recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status.
Mode of Study:Full Time
Contact Details:Alison Woodward
Contact email:a.woodward@keele.ac.uk
Website: Go to School homepage
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Subject Area: Education
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Keele University has a long established reputation in Initial Teacher Education. The Keele Partnership Secondary PGCE/School Direct Programme is a one year (36 weeks) full-time course.   You will spend a significant amount of time (minimum of 120 days) in school. The University modules are designed to give you experience of the main areas you will be expected to teach.

The course is underpinned by a genuine partnership between the University, partner schools and the students (referred to as Associate Teachers (ATs)). The University sessions will draw heavily on the ATs’ school experiences and aid them in interpreting those experiences in the light of current theory and practice in secondary education.

'The aim of the programme at Keele is to develop outstanding, critical and creative teachers for the 21st century classroom'

The PGCE/School Direct Programme at Keele has been designed to be both academic and vocational and is predicated on the requirement to provide challenging expectations of you as Associate Teachers to create a teaching and learning environment which will engage your interest and motivation. The broad aim of the main curriculum component of the PGCE/School Direct programme is to: 

• develop your subject knowledge and teach you how to put that knowledge into practice (pedagogy) in order to thrive in the culture of our schools;

• enable you to become a highly motivated, outstanding effective, creative and reflective practitioner;

• prepare you for a career in teaching that will prove to be successful and rewarding;

• develop in you a commitment to and enthusiasm for continuing professional and personal development;

• provide you with sufficient information, experience and opportunity in order that you might achieve the QTS Standards.

Entry to the PGCE/School Direct programme is conditional on: 
  • Achievement of at least a 2:2 and preferably a 2:1 honours degree (or recognised equivalent);*
  • Passes at GCSE in English Language and Mathematics at grade C or above (or equivalent);
  • A supporting qualification in at least one other science subject at 'A' level or beyond (or its equivalent);
  • Selection based on the information provided on the GTTR application;
  • Selection based on a successful interview (part of the interview is conducted within a partner school);
  • A medical report which is deemed satisfactory;
  • A completed DBS enhanced disclosure which is deemed satisfactory by the University;
  • Successful completion of the Teaching Agency’s Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy (these are a pre-entry requirement).
  • Successful completion of a minimum of 10 days teaching experience in a secondary school/college during the last two years , either before or after selection (before strengthens your application);
  • For the School Direct (Salaried) route, you must have three years of work experience (not necessarily in an educational setting) to be eligible to apply.


*If your degree does not give you the necessary level of subject knowledge to gain entry to the one-year course, you may wish to consider the one-year Pre-Initial Teacher Education Subject Knowledge Enhancement Programme (SKE) that is offered at Keele. Successful students then progress to the one-year PGCE/School Direct at Keele, or to an Initial Teacher Education Programme at another provider.

Science is compulsory for all pupils of age 5-16 in state schools. Most Science teachers teach all Sciences up to age 14. After that, practice varies, but most have to teach outside their specialism for at least some of the time. As a Newly Qualified Teacher, you will be expected to teach across the Sciences. The course is therefore based on a common foundation for all of you (Broad Balanced Science) which is concerned with: why Science is a compulsory subject; how children learn Science, and how to teach them more effectively; and how to teach the different topics in the curriculum. It comprises components of Biology, Chemistry, Geology and Physics.

  • Biology presents challenges to solve the problems of working with living organisms in the school laboratory. Dissection is always a favourite; practicals with enzymes and extraction of DNA will also be covered.  Modelling how plant and animal physiology actually works is one of the fun ways we can personalise learning and the new technologies are available to support our delivery, we will look at podcasting, animations and qr bar code reading to spice up the biology!

  • Chemistry is more than just explosions and smells. Pupils need to develop chemical concepts gradually, and have their interest sustained by engaging teaching as they do so. The course addresses the fundamental concepts which will let them address the major issues of the twenty-first century, including degradation of the environment, food security, sustainability and resource management.

  • Geology (Earth Sciences) involves more than Field experiences. The lively teaching of Earth-Environmental Science may encourage pupils to think seriously about preserving the planet.

  • Physics provides the imaginative teacher with many opportunities to interest and involve children in a fascinating world of experience and experiments.

You will need a degree, normally at a minimum of lower second class Honours, in which the content is related to one of the four subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Geology or Physics. It is a normal expectation that a minimum of 40% of your degree must be directly relevant to your chosen subject.  If your science degree does not fit into this usual pattern or an equivalent then we do offer Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses in Chemistry and Physics.  A year at the University studying an array of science modules with a primary school (KS2) science placement for half a day a week from January to June (see below).  In addition, you must have a supporting qualification in at least one other science subject at A level or beyond, or its equivalent.  For Biology we accept Psychology as this second science subject for good candidates.

Much depends on the spread of Science modules covered within your degree, and you should contact Course Tutors for further advice if you are unsure that your degree or educational background meets these criteria.

In addition, we consider applications from graduates who can demonstrate through their professional experience, their degree and any postgraduate work that they possess the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding to equip them for teaching Science. This can only be done by considering your application as a whole.

Course participants are assessed through written academic assignments and portfolios of evidence. Throughout your placements you will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards (May 2012).

The Keele Partnership recognises that our ATs come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and have already completed degree level study or higher, and are in a position to learn from each other. Thus the programme makes use of lead lectures, seminars, group activities, individual and group tutorials, practical workshops, field visits, directed activities in professional contexts, school based placements, supported self-study and the use of IT to support learning via the website.