Secondary Physics PGCE

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

PGCE

  • PGCE Secondary Physics, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 9250 per year
    Applications are closed
  • PGCE Secondary Physics, home applicant,

    • Home Applicant
    Applications are closed
  • PGCE Secondary Physics, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 14820 per year
    International applications are closed for 2024

What makes this course different

Rated Outstanding by Ofsted

Our primary and further education provision has been rated outstanding by Ofsted highlighting that we provide exceptional teacher education and training.

100 partnership schools

We work with 100 schools across East London and into Essex in which our students undertake full placements. When they gain employment, most of our students secure jobs within our partnership schools.

90% of trainees in a teaching post within six months

90% of our Secondary PGCE teacher trainees are in a teaching post within six months of completing the course. Ahead of the sector average.

Course modules

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

Your future career

The Secondary PGCE course at the University of East London was designed in 2001 in conjunction with the local authorities to address the secondary education teacher shortage in East London.

The partnership works with input and support from the London Boroughs of Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest and Redbridge.

It means that our graduates are represented in virtually every secondary school in east London. Some are now deputy heads or in senior management roles in schools that are taking our current trainees for their placements.

Across all subjects, from maths to modern languages, our teacher-training graduates act as mentors to those following in their footsteps.

The partnership means that you have a head start when it comes to securing a teaching post in east London at the end of your training.

Both local authorities and individual schools visit our campus regularly to meet our trainees and advertise available vacancies.

You may also decide to undertake further study at the University of East London, either at the end of your course or after gaining teaching experience, perhaps specialising in Special Educational Needs or taking our MA Leadership in Education.

We also offer doctoral study opportunities to further develop your teaching knowledge and expertise.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Education and Communities building
UEL was the perfect place for me to begin my journey into teaching. Both the subject and whole school lectures provided me with the in-depth knowledge I needed to prepare me for the classroom and the wider school environment. My journey from classroom teacher to senior leader all began with a PGCE at UEL."
Neil Tobias

Assistant Head Teacher, Barking and Dagenham. UEL PGCE Graduate

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

  • Enterprise and entrepreneurship support 
  • We are ranked 6th for graduate start-ups 
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations 
  • Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment 
  • London on our doorstep

What you'll learn

We will support you to become an excellent physics teacher who will inspire young people studying physics by devising and delivering a diverse range of engaging lessons that educate and excite all pupils.  

The subject knowledge studies element of your training programme enables you to develop the skills, knowledge and understanding of science, and particularly physics, in the secondary school phase context.  

We will support you to audit your subject knowledge in physics and general science and to use this as a basis to plan for improving your knowledge in your specialist subject.

Teaching physics is challenging, exciting and motivating. You will learn the full range of generic teaching skills and knowledge required to flourish as a teacher. Our science subjects curriculum is theme-based and includes an in-depth study of behaviour management, cognitive science, lesson planning, literacy in science, practical work, SEND, science curriculum, theories of learning and assessment. 

How you'll learn

The university-based training initially consists of weekly generic lectures and subject-specific workshops, which effectively prepare trainee teachers to successfully move into a school environment when they begin their school placements and gradually start practising and developing their teaching skills with pupils in the classroom; this enables you to link theory and practice. You will also have allocated time for independent study and research into the theoretical aspects of teaching and learning and all your UEL sessions will be evidence-informed and based on seminal and up-to-date research.

It is expected that you will undertake two school placements in contrasting schools totalling approximately 24 weeks. We work in partnership with over 100 schools and colleges to provide a high-quality programme of support.

Your subject tutor will support you in all aspects of your PGCE course both at UEL and when on placement. In school you will be assigned a personal mentor and whilst in the classroom teaching you will be supported by the class teacher as well as a range of teachers in a science department. You will continuously be trained and coached in how to plan and teach effective lessons and manage classrooms. By the end of your PGCE, you will be well prepared to begin teaching as an Early Career Teacher (ECT).

How you will be assessed

To pass your PGCE and be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status, you have to demonstrate that you have met the Teachers' Standards and passed the three core modules:

  • Active Enquiry and Intervention: Impacting upon Learner Progress
  • Developing Subject Expertise and Subject Specialism
  • School-Based Learning: Reflections on Practice (Mental Wealth)

Campus and facilities

Water Lane, Stratford

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by School of Childhood and Social Care

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.