Woodrush Teaching School Alliance
Biology (35CV)

PGCE with QTS full time

• Accredited body: The University of Warwick
• Financial support: Bursaries and student finance are available if you’re eligible
• Qualification:
  PGCE with QTS

  A postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with qualified teacher status (QTS) will allow you to teach in state schools in England and may allow you to teach in other parts of the UK.

  It may also allow you to teach overseas, though you should always check what qualifications are needed in the country you’d like to teach in.

  Many PGCE courses include credits that count toward a Master’s degree.

• Course length: 1 year
• Date you can apply from: 13 October 2020
• Date course starts: September 2021
• Website: http://www.woodrushtsa.co.uk

Contents

About the course

Biology is the study of life on Earth and it is a subject which students love as they can easily see the science they study in their everyday surroundings. Teaching Biology requires a great passion for the subject and an ability to make the more abstract concepts of biology appear real. Biology is a science which is advancing rapidly with advances in healthcare and genetics, for example, continually being made and so a Biology teacher needs to keep up to date, to bring recent developments into their teaching to help inspire the next generation of nurses, doctors, and biologists.The ability to differentiate to challenge the most able and to simplify concepts for others so that they can slowly build up an image of how organisms are structured and how their structure relates to the biological functions is key and teachers need to be able to apply maths and practical skills to bring the subject to life.

Woodrush TSA

Interview process

Application forms are considered by both the university and the individual schools involved with Woodrush Teaching School Alliance. All successful applicants will have an interview and although this normally takes place at Woodrush Teaching School Alliance, due to COVID interviews are being conducted online. The University and Woodrush jointly design and manage the interview process with the school leading the process. Your interview will consist of a written task, a presentation and a formal interview.

Applicants that demonstrate professionalism, commitment, a realistic understanding of the pressures of the course and the profession, an awareness of the school in which they are intending to train, creativity, organisational skills and a clear recognition of the need to synthesise practical and academic learning through refection are most likely to succeed.

Woodrush TSA

How school placements work

Your placement school will primarily be selected on where there are vacancies for your subject. We aim to place you at a school with the minimal travelling distance. You will have two placements at contrasting schools. For primary you will teach ages 3 to 11 and for secondary ages 11 to 18. Woodrush TSA partner with over twenty schools in and across the Midlands and these can all be found at www.woodrushtsa.co.uk.

We have listed the locations that our partner schools will be running placements for the next year. You should indicate your preference of location on your application, this does not guarantee you will be placed at your preferred location. Throughout the year a schools staffing may change and therefore a school not listed may become available in your subject.

Woodrush TSA

Fees

The course fees for UK students in 2021 to 2022 are £9,250

Financial support

You’ll get a bursary of £7,000 if you have a degree of 2:2 or above in any subject.

You don’t have to apply for a bursary - if you’re eligible, you’ll automatically start receiving it once you begin your course. Find out about eligibility and how you’ll be paid.

You may be eligible for a loan while you study – note that you’ll have to apply for undergraduate student finance.

Find out about financial support if you’re from outside the UK.

Requirements

Qualifications

In order to apply for a place on School Direct, you must have a UK undergraduate 2:2 degree or a recognised equivalent qualification. For secondary applicants this must be in, or closely related to, your proposed teaching subject.

A GCSE grade C/4 in English and Mathematics for those applying to teach secondary. A GCSE grade C/4 in a Science as well as English and Mathematics if you are applying to teach primary.

Woodrush TSA

Personal qualities

Successful School Direct students will be those that have a clear understanding of schools in England and of what good teaching involves

Recognise that the job of the teacher is first and foremost that of teaching and that the understanding of the pedagogy of teaching and learning is fundamentally essential

Have a solid knowledge of their subject(s) and are always committed to further developing this knowledge base

Are committed to the education of all children, whatever their need and background

Are able to reflect on their own experiences and apply learning to future actions

Woodrush TSA

Other requirements

If you studied outside the UK, you should visit the National Academic Recognition Centre (NARIC) website to find out whether your qualifications are of an equivalent level to UK GCSEs, A levels and an undergraduate degree.

Woodrush TSA

About the training provider

Woodrush Teaching School Alliance is an excellent place to start your teaching career. We aim to develop outstanding practitioners who are creative, highly effective and exceed the professional standards. Educational theory, innovative research and outstanding pedagogy are the foundations of our highly successful training programme.

Early career teachers regard highly the support that they receive from Woodrush. This was recognised by Ofsted in 2018 who said that early career teachers ‘feel fully supported as they develop their skills in teaching and managing pupils’ behaviour. They value the quality of the training and the way in which leaders encourage them to be reflective practitioners. Through this support, newly qualified teachers are able to speak with passion and knowledge about a range of educational topics. All newly qualified teachers spoken to said that they are proud to work at the school’. ​ Woodrush High School, the lead in our alliance, is an 11-18 school on the border of Birmingham and Worcestershire. We place an emphasis on ensuring all of our students achieve the qualifications, and equally important the life skills, to be successful in the world we live in. We have hardworking and well qualified staff who are dedicated to delivering an ever-changing curriculum in a vibrant and exciting way. The curriculum we offer is broad, balanced and inspires students to learn. Staff at Woodrush work as a close and effective team, sharing good practice and providing support for each other. High quality coaching and mentoring is a strength across our alliance.

About the accredited body

Studying at Warwick means you’ll be taught and supported by highly experienced practitioners. Known nationally for their quality of training they are a top-ranked university in the Midlands, with Ofsted Outstanding ITT courses.

If you study with Warwick, you’ll become a confident teacher, able to make a difference to young people’s development. You’ll see learners engaging in active and independent learning, and they will grow into young adults under your care.

Warwick provide you with the skills needed to forge a strong personal and professional identity, which you will continue to develop throughout your career.

University of Warwick

Training with disabilities and other needs

We welcome our duties under the Equality Act 2010 to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations in relation to age (as appropriate), disability, race, gender reassignment (maternity and pregnancy), religion and belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Treating people equally does not necessarily involve treating them all the same. Our policies, procedures and activities must not discriminate but must nevertheless take account of differences of life-experience, outlook and background, and in the kinds of barrier and disadvantage which people may face,

Contact details

• Email: teachingschool@woodrush.org
• Telephone: 01564823777
• Website: http://www.woodrushtsa.co.uk
• Address: Shawhurst Lane; Wythall; Birmingham; West Midlands; B47 5JW

Apply

Choose a training location

You’ll also need to choose a training location – select the relevant location name on the application form.

Location	Vacancies	Code
Ark St Alban’s Academy Conybere Street, Highgate, Birmingham, B12 0YH	Yes	O
Ellowes Hall Sports College Stickley Lane, Dudley, DY3 2JH	Yes	T
Hanley Castle High School Church End, Hanley Castle, Worcester, WR8 0BL	Yes	J
Leasowes High School Kent Rd, Halesowen, B62 8PJ	Yes	V
Main Site Shawhurst Lane, Wythall, Birmingham, West Midlands, B47 5JW	Yes	-
Moseley School Moseley School, Wake Green Road, Moseley, B13 9UU	Yes	F
Nunnery Wood High School Spetchley Road, Worcester, WR5 2LT	Yes	N
Pedmore Technology College and Community School Grange Lane, Stourbridge, DY9 7HS	Yes	B
Q3 Academy Great Barr Wilderness Lane, Birmingham, B43 7SD	Yes	L
Q3 Academy Langley Moat Rd, Oldbury, B68 8ED	Yes	Y
Trinity High School Easemore Road, Redditch, B98 8HB	Yes	C

Support and advice

For questions about this course you should contact the training provider using the contact details above.

Get support and advice about teaching

Register with Get Into Teaching, the Department for Education’s free support and advice service, for personalised guidance from teaching experts. They can help you to prepare your application, book school experience, and access exclusive teaching events. You can also call them free of charge on 0800 389 2500, or speak to an adviser using their online chat service, from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Friday.

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