Primary 3-7 years PGCE

Top reasons to choose this course

• You will train to teach with an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ provider.
• 2nd in the UK for education courses – Guardian University Guide 2025.
• Placement opportunities with schools in large, small, urban and rural settings.
• Learn in specialist classrooms that replicate those used in schools and our curriculum centre with its 30,000 resources for student teachers.
• Brighton has an expert team who have their own successful experience as primary education practitioners.
• Our teaching graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average.
• We work closely with local authorities, schools, colleges and educational organisations ensuring that you’re kept up to date with the changing world of education.
• We have a dedicated team to help you after you qualify through our Early Teacher Career support programme.

Course structure

This is an intensive year, with two-thirds of the course based in partnership schools and the remainder in lectures, seminars and independent study. Inherent to this programme are the government’s national priorities, and we will give you support whilst thoroughly addressing these issues.

In line with government requirements, you will spend the majority of your course gaining experience in schools, where you will spend 24 weeks teaching under supervision. Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement and give you plenty of comprehensive feedback so you can see what you are doing well and where you might need to improve.

You will benefit from experiencing school-based training in two different schools and age phases. The first phase runs simultaneously to the university-based programme so that teaching theory is effectively integrated with practice.

We believe in nurturing and facilitating your opportunities to discuss and critically evaluate effective teaching practices through small interactive seminar groups which complement larger-group lectures.

All students are enrolled onto the Postgraduate Certificate in Education but an alternative exit award, the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education, which also includes QTS, is available if you do not achieve the masters level elements of the postgraduate programme.

Areas of study

You will explore the subject curriculum areas for Key Stage 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage, and practise the strategies and skills that encourage you to interpret the curriculum confidently and creatively. The programme is designed to encourage teaching practice that you can continually reflect upon and critique.

You will study modules that investigate learning and teaching throughout the two stages within the context of child development as a whole.

Our teaching and learning strategies go across and beyond subject areas to ensure inclusive practice and equal, effective teaching of children from a diverse range of backgrounds. 

You will engage in a masters level school-based Professional Enquiry module focusing on an aspect of your own professional development.

School-based training

Ofsted identifies our approach to training in schools as a key strength of this course, with an excellent balance between university tuition and school-based training.

You will spend at least 120 days on school-based activities, with training shared between the university and the partner schools. 

Your school-based training will take place in two carefully selected schools and will include observing primary practitioners, working with pupils, team and independent teaching, completing specific subject tasks and learning about school policy and effective practices.

You will also write lesson plans and evaluations for classes, carry out formative and summative assessment of pupils’ learning and performance, and maintain an e-portfolio which will be evaluated as part of your overall assessment.

Key aims:

• develop your professional attributes, skills, knowledge and understanding and help you gain confidence in your teaching ability
• provide a variety of practical and specific experiences that enable you to critically analyse your professional practice and take responsibility for your own professional development
• enable you to work collaboratively with colleagues in order to develop an understanding of the ways in which the attainment, development and wellbeing of all learners can be achieved with a unified support and teaching system
• provide opportunities for you to adopt a creative and constructively critical approach towards your practice, supported by appropriate reading and research

• make valuable contacts which will help when looking for your first teaching role.

Throughout your placements, university tutors and school mentors will support and assess your progress, providing regular feedback to guide your professional development.

You’ll be encouraged to critically review your work, set appropriately challenging targets, and work with your tutors to create an action plan that identifies your strengths, development needs and next steps, ensuring your practice continually evolves.

Organising your training

Your training will be organised by our Partnership Office which sets up over 2,500 placements annually with our 600-plus partnership schools and organisations. These are in a mixture of large, small, urban and rural settings in south-east England, mostly in East and West Sussex.

When you start your course, you will complete a placement information form and we’ll use this information to match you to a suitable placement – we work hard to ensure your placement gives you valuable and varied experiences in the area of you’re interested in. We will consider your previous experience, travelling distance, the age ranges you wish to teach and your current needs.

Once we have matched you with a placement, the Partnership Office team will confirm with the school or organisation as quickly as possible and contact you with the details.

We will ensure you are well prepared before you start and you will have all the support and guidance needed to make the most of these placement opportunities.

Ofsted ‘outstanding’

Graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for primary and secondary in our 2024 Initial Teacher Education inspection.

Ofsted commended us on many aspects of our courses, saying:

• Trainees shine at Brighton’s long-established and highly impressive teacher training programmes.
• The care and dedication shown by staff towards trainees is superb.
• Trainees are at the heart of everything. They are valued and expertly supported throughout the course.
• The curriculum skilfully equips trainees in safeguarding, behaviour management and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Trainees impress the placement settings they work in because of their professionalism and aptitude to apply what they have learned.

Facilities

Our facilities include a curriculum centre which contains more than 30,000 specialist resources for trainee teachers including books, DVDs, games and an online catalogue.

Our Falmer campus also houses specialist classrooms that replicate those used in schools so you’ll feel at home when you go on your school-based training and start your career.

Teaching facilities include:

• science labs
• art classrooms
• kiln room
• dark room
• design and technology workshop
• performance studio.

Meet the team

Chloe Berrisford – course leader

“I have worked in early years and primary education for over 26 years, teaching in schools in West Sussex before joining the University of Brighton in 2008.

“My areas of expertise are early years education, language and literacy development and primary English, but as a teacher in school I also had responsibilities for leading art, science, ICT and teaching and learning.

“I am currently co-leader for the academic subject of early years and primary ITE, which sees me working across teacher training courses to lead and manage the teaching of primary education. My particular interests lie in the transformatory potential of reading, what it can do for human lives and why it is important, plus language acquisition and the role of talk in learning and teaching, access to outdoor learning, equality and social mobility.

“I am a trustee for a refugee welcome charity in West Sussex and I help organise literary events and Book in the Park community activities as part of WORDfest, in Crawley, West Sussex.”

Other key members of the teaching team:

• Emma Johnston – PGCE Primary year lead
• Carey Beattie – PGCE Primary practice learning lead
• Mel Bradford – admissions lead

School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried

School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried are alternative routes to gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The University of Brighton works with a number of schools to deliver this programme across a range of secondary subjects as well as in the primary phase. 

To train as a teacher through the School Connect PGCE or the School Direct Salaried programme you need to apply directly to a school for a training place. Schools advertise their vacancies on the Department for Education’s ‘Find Postgraduate training courses’ website. 

Find out more about School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried.

Course fees

As a postgraduate trainee teacher there is a range of funding available which you could be eligible to receive while you are studying:

• Tax-free bursaries and scholarships – these depend on the subject you are training to teach and your highest relevant academic award. 

On our website you will find information about other funding, including:

• the student finance package from Student Finance England – tuition fee loans and maintenance loans
• Parents’ Learning Allowance
• Childcare Grant
• Care leavers’ bursary
• Disabled Students’ Allowance.

If you are not a UK citizen, you are unlikely to get help funding your training unless you have permission to live permanently in the UK.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international postgraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

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Support and wellbeing

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