School-based training for trainee teachers

Each year we place approximately 1,200 student teachers in school-based training. We place both undergraduate and postgraduate student teachers in a range of early years settings, primary and secondary schools and education and training colleges.

There are currently over 600 schools and colleges in the south-east and across the country who provide our student teachers with the practical teaching experience they need each year. We value the time and dedication that mentors and other professionals give our student teachers, building their confidence and their competence. We would not be a leading initial teacher education partnership without them.

How school-based training can benefit your school

Staff development

Mentoring student teachers provides an excellent tool for performance management experience and can also enhance teachers’ mentoring and coaching skills.

Additional resource

In addition to benefitting from the input of a professional trainee teacher, we provide financial support for schools that host school-based training.

Recruitment opportunities

You will be involved in interviewing and selecting high-calibre student teachers and can take a lead role in developing outstanding staff for the future.

Many of our student teachers are employed in schools where they have completed successful school-based training.

Ideas and enthusiasm

Our student teachers have a quality teaching programme that is delivered by staff who have academic research expertise as well as years of classroom experience.

They are enthusiastic, willing to learn and ready to apply and develop their theoretical knowledge in the classroom. They also bring with them fresh and innovative ideas, as well as an awareness of current government priorities.

Placement teacher and classroom of students

The teachers we train are:

highly committed to their pupils’ learning and progress and ambitious in what they want to help them achieve
inquisitive, critically reflective and motivated to keep learning and improving their own practice
quick to adapt to different learning contexts and confident to challenge inequalities
an asset to the profession, willing to share their knowledge and experience and to collaborate with others
well prepared for the realities of teaching, with the confidence, resilience and skills to be innovative, to take risks and be creative.

Ofsted Outstanding logo
We are widely recognised for the quality of our teaching and our initial teacher education provision currently holds the highest possible rating ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for early years, primary and secondary.

School-based training

Primary Schools

We need school-based training places in all key stages, from nursery to year six. Over the duration of their degree our undergraduate student teachers will have three periods of school-based training. Our PGCE students complete school-based training at two different schools.

Undergraduate trainees

Our undergraduate student teachers are registered on a full-time Primary Education BA(Hons) with QTS programme specialising in the age ranges of 3 to 7 or 5 to 11.

Postgraduate trainees

We offer a full-time primary PGCE programme that enables our student teachers to specialise in the age ranges of either 3 to 7 or 5 to 11. Our trainees are high calibre postgraduates, motivated and well positioned to thrive in this nine month programme.

DBS

It is our responsibility as a provider to ensure that all the necessary vetting and suitability checks are carried out on student teachers.

Want to offer school-based training?

If you would like to join the ITE Partnership or have any questions, please contact our Partnership Office for details.

Find out more about the ITE partnership

Secondary Schools

Some of our school-based training is paired, with two of our student teachers allocated to each class.

This allows our student teachers to work collaboratively, develop ideas and discuss their own learning with the full support of both their partner and mentor.

Undergraduate trainees

Our undergraduate student teachers are registered on the full-time Physical Education BA(Hons) with QTS.

Postgraduate trainees

Trainees on postgraduate courses follow either the PGCE, School Connect PGCE or the School Direct Salaried routes.

These student teachers undertake school-based training in consistent block patterns. We have secondary postgraduate student teachers in the following subjects.

Art and Design
Biology
Chemistry
Design and technology*
English
Geography
History
Mathematics
Modern Foreign Languages*
Physics
Physical Education
Physics with Mathematics
Religious Studies*

*School Direct Salaried only

DBS

It is our responsibility as a provider to ensure that all the necessary vetting and suitability checks are carried out on student teachers.

Want to offer school-based training?

If you would like to join the ITE Partnership or have any questions, please contact our Partnership Office for details.

Find out more about the ITE partnership

Supporting you and our trainees

We continually develop our relationship with schools so that we can provide the highest levels of support to student teachers, mentors and other professionals. We will work closely with you to help you achieve a manageable capacity of trainee, reflecting where possible a mix of undergraduate and postgraduate student teachers across the academic year.

We can offer whole-school mentor training at your school, or within a cluster of smaller schools (in addition to our regular local and regional training sessions). We also run regular mentor support and update events.

Our team in the Partnership Office is also on hand to support you with administration and organisation. They coordinate all school-based training documentation, liaise with trainees and schools and arrange payments to schools.

They can also work with you to develop bespoke arrangements to suit the needs and priorities of your school or setting.

Prior to the start of school-based training we agree individual targets so that all student teachers arrive with a clear action plan and aims for personal and professional development. They are also supported by their university school-based tutor who will visit them while they are in school.

If our student teachers find themselves in difficulty, we respond swiftly with visits and support for all concerned.

Contact the partnership office

General enquiries: educationplacements@brighton.ac.uk.

The university is a very large provider of ITE in early years, primary, secondary and further education. Because of the number of student teachers we are always keen to hear from organisations that are interested in working with us.

Partnership Office

Room A308

University of Brighton
Checkland Building
Falmer
Brighton, BN1 9PH

The Partnership Office can be found on third level of the Checkland Building on the University of Brighton's Falmer campus.