PGCE Secondary Science: Physics

This Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) Secondary Science course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), qualifying you to teach the 11-18 age group in secondary schools in England and Wales.

We recognise the importance of being able to teach children to explore, understand and make sense of their world through science.

Training to teach in one of the sciences at the University of Reading is an immersive experience that utilises many modes of delivery and participation with active learning at its core. You will develop your skills throughout the programme so that you are fully prepared to share your love of learning and knowledge about science with the children you will teach.

Our course is designed in collaboration with our strong schools partnership so that it meets both your needs as a learner and the needs of the children you teach. During the course, all students in the science cohort will be trained to teach biology, physics, and chemistry up to GCSE and their specialism to A-level.

You will be taught by staff with national reputations as experts in the field of science education. They are a diverse and incredibly experienced community of academics with extensive school teaching and academic experience.

Your teaching is through a series of practical seminars and workshops in purpose-built science laboratories where interactive and discussion-based techniques will encourage you to engage, reflect and challenge.

You will take part in activities designed to help you to plan your teaching effectively and imaginatively, discovering how to evaluate your skills, particularly in terms of the quality of learning achieved by pupils.

Sessions may include:

• participating in workshop-style sessions with your peers
• attending presentations by subject experts
• working on tasks in groups
• having individual tutorials
• visits to schools or other education settings
• visits to theatres, museums, galleries or sites of educational interest
• writing assignments on aspects of subject teaching and Professional Studies

Our course is linked with the Association for Science Education, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Faraday Institute and other academic departments within the University of Reading who all provide guest speakers to our sessions.

These learning activities will help you to develop a toolkit of knowledge and skills, ensuring you are well prepared to tackle challenges and opportunities throughout your training and your career.

Alongside the University tutors, you will be taught and guided by a team of committed and experienced University-trained school mentors.

Placements

Placements enable you to develop the skills and knowledge valued and desired by employers - you will build your confidence in the classroom and gain practical teaching experience. Placements also provide you with the opportunity to connect with potential employers and build your professional network.

At Secondary level, we have strong relationships with around 90 schools in the local and surrounding area. It is a testament to the strength of these partnerships and the regard with which our graduates are held, that most schools in Berkshire employ at least one graduate of the Institute of Education.

On your Secondary PGCE course, you are required to carry out three placements in two different age groups - ensuring you receive a broad range of experiences. Two placements must be undertaken in a school setting but the third can be taken in a different setting - allowing you to sample teaching in an alternative environment.

We offer our students an unusually flexible and broad range of contexts and educational environments - you will have the opportunity to gain experience in special needs schools, Pupil Referral Units, independent schools, museums, and charities.

You will have plenty of opportunities throughout your course to apply your developing skills in real settings. In schools, you will be involved in:

• observation of other teachers
• planning and teaching small groups and whole classes
• planning and teaching elements of lessons and whole lessons
• reflecting on and evaluating your teaching
• receiving feedback on your teaching
• gaining experience in the range of responsibilities of the classroom teacher.

Climate and sustainability education

At the University of Reading, we believe that climate and sustainability education is everyone's responsibility. This is why we have set out our vision that all initial teacher trainees should be able to access training that empowers them to effectively incorporate climate education within their teaching across all levels and subjects as part of our National Climate Education Action Plan.

Across all of our Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes at the Institute of Education, you will learn about:

• what is happening to our climate, how to help children learn about climate and sustainability in an age-appropriate and accessible way, and how to develop your own positioning as a teacher
• climate justice, the impact of current and future changes to our environment and climate on ourselves and others and implications for teachers
• how to translate knowledge and theory into change and personal action through building climate and sustainability education into your planning, teaching, and children’s learning.

Visit Partnering for the Planet to find out more about the University of Reading’s world-leading work in climate science.

Research

98% of our research is of international standing (Research Excellence Framework 2021, combining 4*, 3* and 2* submissions – Education).

For more information, please visit the Institute of Education website.