Intro

School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried both lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which will allow you to teach primary or secondary in England and Wales.

With the School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried programmes, you are hosted at a school and attend training at the university. Over the course of the year you will have experience of teaching in two of the many schools with whom we have established partnerships.

Both programmes allow schools to recruit and select trainees, with the expectation that they may then go on to work within the school or group of schools in which they were trained. At Brighton we offer programmes for primary and a range of secondary subjects.

At the university you will be mentored by a successful teaching team with an outstanding national reputation and comprehensive research profile that informs course content.

The University of Brighton is an Ofsted 'outstanding' provider of initial teacher training and was recently successfully reaccredited by the Department for Education.

Training bursaries and scholarships of up to £26,000 are available for certain subjects on School Connect.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer and a host school

Full-time 1 year

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

We are actively seeking to recruit candidates with the capacity to become outstanding teachers. In order to realise your potential over these intensive programmes you are greatly advantaged if you can demonstrate the following characteristics through your application.

Degree
Normally an honours degree, or equivalent qualification, in the subject specialism or a subject that is directly relevant.

Experience
A realistic awareness of the teaching profession with the capacity to thrive in a demanding and fast moving environment. When applying, please use your personal statement to illustrate this.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and mathematics (and a science for primary applications). Equivalence tests are available for suitable candidates.

Interviews
Interviews are usually online. In most cases you will be interviewed by the school and the university.

If you are invited to interview you will be able to choose a date and option which suits you best.

Other

All offers of places are subject to required regulatory checks including an occupational health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check.
Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession, including men in primary teaching, are particularly welcome.

Course content

Course structure

To train as a teacher through the School Connect PGCE or School Direct Salaried you apply direct to one of our Initial Teacher Training Partners for a place and we provide the academic education to support you during your training.

School Connect PGCE

The School Connect PGCE is open to all graduates and funded by tuition fees paid by the trainee, who may be eligible to receive a bursary from the Teaching Agency (TA).

Scholarships may also be available for candidates who wish to teach priority subjects, and these are awarded by the relevant subject associations through a competitive application process.

As a student on our School Connect PGCE you are registered for and can also gain a PGCE award from the University of Brighton in addition to QTS.

School Direct Salaried

School Direct Salaried is an employment based route into teaching for high quality graduates with three or more years' career experience. The trainee is employed as an unqualified teacher by the school.

We also offer the Teacher Apprenticeship.

Subjects and age-phases

We offer School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried for both primary and secondary age phases.

The secondary subjects available to study are:

art and design
biology
chemistry
design and technology*
English
geography
history
mathematics
modern foreign languages*
physical education
physics
religious studies*

*School Direct Salaried only

All of the above subjects are available on the Teacher Apprenticeship route.

Primary vacancies

The University of Brighton partners with a number of lead schools across Brighton & Hove, Sussex and beyond for the School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried programmes. Places are allocated to lead schools, however as schools largely work in alliances/clusters your placements may not be in the lead school.

Our primary initial teacher training partners:

Brighton, Hove and Sussex School Alliance (1KN)
Eastbourne Area School Direct Alliance (1J5)
Millais Alliance (1BK)
Swale Academies Trust (14H)
Torfield School (1YE)

To see School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried vacancies with our partners visit the find postgraduate teacher training website and search using the partner three-digit code listed above.

Secondary vacancies

Our secondary initial teacher training partners:

Brighton, Hove and Sussex School Alliance (1KN)
Eastbourne Area School Direct Alliance (1J5)
Millais Alliance (1BK)
Oriel ITT Partnership (2LR)
Surrey Downs Partnership (3F2)
Swale Academies Trust (14H)
Torfield School (1YE)
Valley Invicta Teacher Training (1CU)
Wealden Partnership (1Z2)

To see School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried vacancies with our partners visit the find postgraduate teacher training website and search using the partner three-digit code listed above.

Ofsted

In our most recent Initial Teacher Education inspection report, the University of Brighton was graded 'outstanding'.

Ofsted identified some of our key strengths as:

the very high attainment of the majority of trainees
the expertly designed and diverse range of programmes that respond to trainees' backgrounds, needs and interests as well as to national priorities
the outstanding progress made by trainees as a result of training, which enables them to fulfil their potential
inspirational teaching, tutoring and mentoring that model the best teaching and give trainees the ambition to reach the highest standards
highly reflective trainees who demonstrate good subject knowledge and a breadth of understanding of how to teach
an excellent range of training experiences that effectively prepare trainees to teach in a diverse society
the excellent resources available to trainees
leadership that is dynamic in its approach to anticipating change and solving problems
a visionary approach to innovation and change.

Careers

Career prospects are very good.

School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried gives schools the opportunity to recruit and select the trainees that best meet their needs, with the expectation that those teachers may go on to work in the school or group of schools in which they trained.

If you are considering whether a career in teaching is for you, and you are a UK resident, the Department for Education’s School Experience Programme (SEP) offers 1 to 10 days’ classroom experience in a secondary school. For details, please visit the Get into Teaching website.

male teacher with child on stepping blocks

Fees and costs

Course fees

School Connect tuition fees

UK (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 15,900 GBP

With School Direct Salaried you won’t need to pay any tuition fees. You’ll be employed by a school directly as an unqualified teacher.

As a postgraduate trainee teacher there is a range of funding available which you could be eligible to receive whilst 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 leaver’s bursary
Disabled Students’ Allowance.

If you're 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 2024–25.

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 undergraduate and postgraduate students
Student finance and budgeting while studying
About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from Brighton city centre. Students based here study a range of subjects – from 2024 these will include education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. Brighton and Hove Albion's Amex stadium and beautiful Stanmer Park are right next door.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence on site, as well as a library, restaurant, cafes and the students' union shop and bar.

The campus sports centre has a fitness suite, activity studios and a sports hall. There is also a floodlit astroturf football pitch, netball and tennis courts.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, and clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students. New facilities are being developed ready for September 2024 when all of our sport and health students will be based here. Learn more about the changes at Falmer.

Cycle lanes link Falmer with our other campuses and the city centre. There are regular bus services to the city centre and other campuses. Falmer train station is right next to campus and a nine minute journey to central Brighton.

Newly refurbished atrium in the Checkland Building

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: Falmer

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:
- Paddock Field and Great Wilkins halls offer a range of rooms on our Falmer campus, minutes from your classes, and on the edge of the South Downs.
- Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around two miles from Falmer campus and four miles from the city centre, and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city's reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year to the local economy, as much as tourism.

Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

You can also get involved with city festivals and events such as the Brighton Festival, the Fringe, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Science Festival, the London to Brighton bike ride, and the Great Escape festival of new music to name but a few. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and less than 40 minutes to Eastbourne. There are also daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Maps

Falmer campus

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition.

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.