Secondary Mathematics Education BA(Hons) with QTS

Course in brief

Mathematics teachers are always in high demand. With financial training incentives, competitive starting salaries and plenty of room to progress, there’s never been a better time to train to teach.

This two-year course is suitable if you have completed a foundation degree, HND or HNC, or if you have successfully completed at least one year of degree- level study in mathematics or a related subject such as engineering or computer science but have not graduated yet.

It could also be that you are already working in a similar area and are now looking to switch to a career where you can inspire young people on a daily basis.

This course is accredited by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) and leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), which will allow you to teach in England and Wales.

Pursuing a mathematics teaching specialism to degree standard means that you will be able to take a role in the leadership and development of this subject area throughout your career.

Brighton is one of the UK’s largest teacher training universities with an outstanding reputation, excellent resources and partnerships with around 250 schools where you will gain practical experience working alongside mentors and more experienced colleagues.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code XG11

Full-time 2 years

This course qualifies for an Initial Teacher Training Bursary of £9,000 which is payable in the final year of training.

Book your open day place

Meet our students, see our accommodation and find out more about your course.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

A-levels
not suitable.

International Baccalaureate
not suitable.

Access to HE Diploma
not suitable.

GCSE (minimum grade C)
at least three subjects, including English and maths. In-house equivalence tests are available for suitable candidates if these requirements have not already been achieved.

Foundation degree/HND/HNC
minimum one year full-time study at HE level OR 120 CATS points at level 1 in a relevant subject area.

Professional skills tests
The Department for Education has introduced professional skills tests in English and maths for all applicants to teacher training (QTS) routes. These tests are compulsory and you will not be able to enter training without having successfully completed them.

Candidates can book these tests in advance; the Department for Education strongly advises you to take the tests soon after you have submitted an application.

At the university we recognise that these tests present a real challenge to some candidates; we recommend that you prepare carefully before attempting them, as you are limited to only three attempts per test. For this reason we will not insist that undergraduate applicants have passed the tests before they come to an interview. Although having already passed the tests will give you a clear advantage, we will be prepared to consider your capacity to pass and potentially make you an offer of a place subject to their successful completion. When we make such an offer you will be given a clear deadline, usually within two to three months of your interview, so we advise that you plan ahead and book your tests well in advance so that you can organise your preparation.

Details of the requirements, including how to register and prepare for the tests, can be found here. Further resources to help you prepare for the numeracy test can be found in the Course in detail section below.

Experience

You will need the equivalent of at least two weeks' recent work experience with children, preferably in a secondary setting.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.5 overall, at least 6.0 in all four skills.

Other

Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession, including men in primary teaching, are particularly welcome.

Course in detail

Course structure

The course is split between tuition, placements and independent study, and covers everything you need to teach mathematics at secondary level.

Your university studies explore areas including education policy, learning styles, classroom management and special needs. Tutors help you to identify your strengths and areas for development with a bespoke learning programme.

While year 1 focuses on mathematics itself, in year 2, two-thirds of your time is spent on placements in two secondary schools. A school-based mentor works in partnership with your university tutor to provide expert support and training throughout.

You are assessed using a mixture of presentations, written assignments, placement reports and peer evaluations.

Year 1

Modules

Mathematics Subject Study Audit
Learning Mathematics in a Digital Age
Using and Applying Mathematics
Geometry and Proof
The Data Handling Process
Mathematical Technologies
Mathematical Enquiry
Profound Understanding of Fundamental Mathematics (PUFM)
Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Mathematics

Year 2

Modules

Education Studies
Mathematics Education
Mathematics Subject Study
Secondary School Placement 1
Professional Studies including Final Placement

Placements

Placements form an important element of each year of study, developing your knowledge and understanding of being a teacher in a school setting.

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

Organising your placements

Our Partnership Office will organise your placements for you. Each year we organise over 2,500 placements for our students. We work hard to ensure that you have placement opportunities that will give you valuable and varied experiences with the age group you are qualifying to teach.

How it works

You will be asked to complete a placement information form when you start your course and we will use this information to match you to a suitable placement. We will consider your previous experience, travelling distance, the age phases you wish to teach, and your current needs.

Once you have been matched to a placement, the team in the Partnership Office will confirm the placement as quickly as possible with the school, then contact you with the details. Almost all of our placements will be with partner schools in south-east England, most of them in East and West Sussex.

Study here

Why choose teaching at the University of Brighton?

We are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for initial teacher training
Our graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average
We have 600 partner schools and colleges, offering varied placement opportunities to our students
We work closely with local authorities, schools, colleges and educational organisations ensuring that our students are kept up to date with the changing world of education
Our tutors are experts in their area of research and have published numerous academic publications
We offer several routes into teaching with the opportunity to engage in professional development after graduating
Enjoy outstanding facilities including dedicated studios, laboratories, the latest classroom technologies and more than 30,000 specialist resources for trainee teachers
We have a dedicated team to help you after you qualify, through our NQT support programme
We’re one of the UKs largest teacher training universities, educating teachers and leaders for over 100 years

Professional Skills Tests

Support for the numeracy test

If you have not yet passed the professional skills test for numeracy, you may find the following list of support material useful. You are urged to take the tests as soon as possible but you do need to make sure that you are fully prepared.

Department for Education Practice Materials – You will find a range of support materials on this official site, including online tests.

Passing the Numeracy Skills Test – Book by Mark Patmore, including one practice test (RRP: £9.99). Published February 2013. ISBN-13: 978-1446275160

TES Top 10 tips for the Numeracy Skills Test – Article on ways to maximise your score on the test. Published April 2013

Careers and employability

A high demand for mathematics teachers means employment prospects are very good. If you demonstrate a high level of understanding you may also be eligible for masters-level credits.

Ninety-seven per cent of our students were in work or further study six months after completing this course, with 90 per cent securing a job in teaching and education professions. (Source: National Student Survey 2014).

Although trained to teach in the 11 to 16-year age range, QTS is a universal qualification and many teachers teach other age ranges during their career. Some of our graduates also go on to be special educational needs teachers or head teachers.

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 offers 1 to 10 days’ classroom experience in a secondary school. Find out more.

secondary education mathematics students

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,000 GBP

International (full-time) 13,800 GBP

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2016–17. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee. Further details regarding tuition fees are available from the university’s student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station. You can also catch a free bus service to Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb and Falmer campuses, which is operated by local bus service The Big Lemon.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

If you have any questions about accommodation in Brighton, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Falmer campus and Brighton and Sussex Medical School map

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

Programme specifications are the official university documents that describe each course in detail. They reflect the course as it is being taught to students who started their course in this academic year. They are updated every summer, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification