PGDE in Edinburgh: new part-time option at Edinburgh Napier University makes route to teaching easier

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This new part-time option for its most popular secondary school teaching courses from September makes it easier to juggle learning with work or childcare.

The Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) courses are designed by teachers, for teachers. You can choose between Biology, Chemistry, English, Maths or Physics and all are accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland, the profession's independent regulator.

With high-tech facilities, small class sizes and a supportive, employment-focused approach from day one, it’s a great route into a rewarding career in secondary school teaching.

No need to stop earning

Traditionally taught full-time over one year, the new part-time routes being introduced for 2025 make it easier to gain your PGDE qualification by spreading your placements over two years.

Most importantly for some, it means you can continue to work while you study, or you can fit learning more easily around childcare – something which Eric Easton, Lecturer in Education (Biology), hopes will make it more accessible to a wider range of applicants.

The new part-time option fulfils a need identified by the teaching staff: “What we have seen over the past five years of running the programme from our School of Applied Sciences is that most of our students are mature.

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“But if you are coming from a job, it takes a big leap of faith to come and learn to teach; they have given up a job and a lot of them also have caring responsibilities.”

Eric is hopeful that removing barriers to teacher training will mean more future Chemistry, Maths and Physics teachers in particular.

“A part-time programme enables people to dip a toe into the water in a different way; they don’t have to give up their jobs or pay for expensive childcare, they can carry on working at the same time.

“The feedback we have had from students is that it can feel like there is a risk involved when you’re switching careers, and the part-time option makes it a bit easier to come in. You can try it for a year and see if it is for you.”

Taking a high-tech approach

With five years of teacher training under its belt, the School of Applied Sciences may be a relatively recent entrant to the world of PGDE education – but that actually works in its favour. As Eric explains, coupled with an emphasis on excellent research, this means some top-of-the-range tech is available to students… plus you can expect a heavy emphasis on the practical aspects of your learning.

“We pride ourselves on fantastic lab facilities and on having really good strong practical science skills built into our courses. We push a lot of aspirational practical science.”

When the curriculum is full, there can be a temptation to drop the practical element, but this “up-to-the-minuteness” also helps generate enthusiasm from the students they will go on to teach, he adds.

Helping the teachers of tomorrow to thrive

After completing your PGDE, you need to fulfil a one-year probationary role before becoming a fully qualified teacher in Scotland. When we speak, Eric has just met with some graduates who are thriving in their new teaching jobs and loving being in paid employment.

He explains that unlike some of its competitors, the smaller class sizes on ENU’s PGDE courses help create a really supportive atmosphere. And though Scotland’s education sector is facing challenges like others around the world, the shortage of teachers means there are great opportunities for those keen to inspire future generations.

“If you do well on the course and you enjoy it, it’s a fantastic career,” says Eric. “Our former students always tell me how glad they are that they came to Edinburgh Napier University. They talk to other newly qualified teachers and realise the strengths of the programme, particularly the practical side of it.

“There is a strong job market for Physics, Chemistry and Biology teachers, as well as English in some cases. Some of our students have even been recruited directly from the course: we had some recruited from their placement. That is the strength of the programme – headteachers are seeing that our students are well prepared and offering them a job on the spot.”

What to do next

To find out more about a part-time PGDE at Edinburgh Napier University, visit www.napier.ac.uk/courses/study-areas/teaching

The university was listed among the top five modern universities for career and graduate prospects in The Guardian’s Good University Guide 2025, thanks to its amazing links with industry which means courses are completely aligned with the needs of the marketplace.

And don’t forget, if you’ve already completed your undergraduate studies at Edinburgh Napier, you can enjoy 20% off fees for the first year of any postgraduate programme.