"Pokey" McArdle's left St Cuthbert's Grammar School, Newcastle, in 1930 to attend Armstrong College, Newcastle where he spent four years gaining his BSc in Physics (with Mathematics and Chemistry as subsidiary subjects) and his Diploma in the Theory and Practice of Teaching.

His first teaching post was at Mortimer Road Boys School, where he taught from September, 1934, to February, 1940. He went on to teach at Cleadon Park Boys School until February, 1941.

After a gap of just over five years, in September, 1946, he started a year teaching at the Mortimer County Secondary School after which, in September, 1947, he joined the staff of the South Shields High School where he stayed until his retirement in 1975.