This course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for the 11-to-16 age range, which qualifies you to be a teacher in secondary schools in England and Wales. Where possible, we also give you the chance to gain experience in the 11-to-18 age range.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects are integral to the success of the UK economy and STEM education has long been identified as a major priority for schools.

Teaching chemistry challenges you to find creative ways of ensuring all pupils have the same opportunities to understand the subject and its importance in everyday life.

By training to teach such an important subject, you could be eligible for the highest range of tax-free training bursaries – or a prestigious scholarship from the Royal Society of Chemistry if you have a top degree.

There are three elements to secondary training at the University of East London: subject studies, general professional studies and school-based training. It differs from courses offered by other universities in that it is very much subject-based.

Our ethos is based on collaboration, not competition. We encourage you to work collaboratively just as you will when you qualify and start working in a school.

We will support you to develop as a great chemistry teacher who can bring the subject to life by devising and delivering a diverse range of engaging lessons that educate and excite all pupils.

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

You are expected to audit your chemical knowledge and to use this as a basis for the planning and development of your specialism. Teaching chemistry can be exciting and motivating, so the ethos of the course is that trainees should be able to understand and apply chemistry in everyday situations.

You will learn about children and child development in the core Active Inquiry module with the rest of the Secondary PGCE cohort.

For example, if the topic is behaviour management, your seminar group discussion will look at what managing behaviour means for an English teacher compared with a PE teacher or a science teacher.

The university-based training initially consists of weekly lectures on themes that are then developed in seminar groups. You will work both in subject-specific groups and in mixed-subject groups.

We organise our training so that it feels like a school. We teach students mainly in small groups of 30 rather than in large lecture halls of 150 or 300 because it is important that you have plenty of time in your subject groups.

Your subject tutor will be like your form tutor at school. We believe that we should model good practice to you so that you can learn by example.

You will undertake two long placements in contrasting schools, totalling 24 weeks. We work in partnership with over 100 schools and colleges to provide a high-quality programme of support.  

You will be on placement from week three, so right from the beginning of your training you will have a strong link between theory and practice.

While an experienced teacher will be in the classroom with you, it is you who will be planning the lessons and teaching the lessons. You will start by observing the teacher, then helping. By the end of the Secondary PGCE course, you will be teaching 60 per cent of a normal teacher’s timetable.

You will have the opportunity to visit additional schools and settings. For instance, if your first placement is in a mixed comprehensive school in Barking & Dagenham, then you might go to a single-sex faith school in Havering for your second one. We also find you a school that supports your specialism.

Our tutors and subject mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement as you learn to teach.

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 are acting 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 the opportunity for doctoral study to further develop your teaching knowledge and expertise.