Intro

Maths teachers help students to understand and apply mathematical concepts, from basic arithmetic to algebra, geometry and statistics. Learning maths helps them develop a mindset for problem-solving that they can carry into many areas of life. 

Our Secondary Mathematics PGCE leads to QTS - the professional teaching qualification.

Recognised by Ofsted as an 'outstanding' provider, Brighton offers instruction from an expert team with classroom experience, using facilities that are modelled after those in educational settings.

You'll develop your practical skills on school placements with opportunities in a wide range of settings. 

You could be eligible for a bursary or scholarship of up to £31,000  if starting this course in 2025.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Course code G1X1

Full-time 1 year

Qualified Teacher Status is awarded by the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA)

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Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
Normally an honours degree, or equivalent qualification, in mathematics or a subject that is closely related. 

If your degree was awarded more than five years ago, isn’t in maths but is closely related, or you have relevant professional experience but need to learn how to apply that to teaching, we offer a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course. If you pass the SKE it qualifies you to start a PGCE.

GCSEs (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and mathematics. Equivalence tests are available for suitable candidates.

English language requirements
IELTS 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International student application deadline
The deadline for international applicants is late May. This deadline is in place to ensure sufficient time for the visa process to be completed before the course starts in early September. 

Interviews
Interviews for this course can be in-person at the university or online. If we invite you to an interview you'll be able to choose a date and which option suits you best.

Experience
While experience in a school is not a condition of entry for initial teacher education courses we recommend that you take up opportunities to gain a realistic understanding of whether teaching is right for you. The Get Into Teaching School Experience Programme offers opportunities across the country to book a day’s worth of experience.

Read the tips on applying for teacher training.

Other

  • Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession are particularly welcome.

  • All offers of places are subject to a satisfactory health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check.

  • We are committed to safeguarding and child protection. As part of our selection and interview process, we will undertake additional checks to confirm the suitability of candidates.

Training to teach in England as an international student
If you're not a UK citizen, with the exception of those training to teach physics or modern languages, you are unlikely to get help funding your training unless you have permission to live permanently in the UK. You can find information about your options on the UK government's Get into Teaching website.

Course content

Top reasons to choose this course

  • You'll train to teach with an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ provider.
  • 2nd in the UK for education courses – Guardian University Guide 2025.
  • Placements opportunities with schools in large, small, urban and rural settings.
  • Enrichment opportunities to teach age 16–18.
  • Learn in our 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 education practitioners.
  • Our teaching graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average.
  • We have a dedicated team to help you after you qualify, through our Early Teacher Career support programme.
students sitting in Checkland building atrium

Course structure

You will spend two-thirds of your year teaching, under supervision, in schools. Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement. You will receive comprehensive feedback during this time which will enable you to see what you are doing well and where you might need to improve.

At Brighton we work in partnership with schools and colleges to provide a high quality programme of support, which is designed to provide a balance of theory and practice. You will benefit from undertaking two placements in two schools or colleges, with the opportunity to visit additional schools or colleges as part of the 'Peer Observation' programme.

Multimedia training materials will enrich your learning experience and enable you to develop your ICT confidence and proficiency. Our multimedia suites are regularly updated to keep up with technological advancements in classroom teaching aids.

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Areas of study

There are four strands to this course: subject study/subject education, education and professional studies, school placements and professional practice.

We keep our course content up to date with changes in local and national initiatives and legislation so that on course completion you will be confident that your working knowledge is based on current theory and practice.

The subject study/subject education strand builds on your existing expertise in mathematics and provides you with the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of mathematics in the secondary school context. You will consider the learning and teaching strategies that are relevant to this specialist subject. 

The subject education module is specifically related to teaching the specialist subject in school while the subject study module enables you to take your subject specialist studies to an increased depth.

The education and professional studies strand will give you a thorough understanding of the learning process itself, including an appreciation of individual differences. You will develop your practical competencies and analytical skills by studying the principles and practices of learning and teaching in both school and university settings. By the end of the course you will:

  • refine your understanding of pedagogy, including an appreciation of current and emerging educational theories and debate
  • learn how to use and adapt a range of teaching, learning, management and assessment strategies in order to meet the varying needs of learners
  • understand how the progress and wellbeing of learners is affected by a range of influences and know how to take account of the principles of equality, inclusion and diversity.

The school placements/professional practice strand is intrinsically linked to all key strands of the course and is designed to enable you to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive as creative, informed and critical professionals.

You will engage in target setting and action planning, and reflect upon your learning in order to make improvements as you progress through the emerging, embedding and enhancing phases of trainee teacher development towards meeting the Teachers’ Standards and the award of Qualified Teacher Status at the end of the course.

Placements

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.

You will spend a minimum of 120 days on school-based activities, with your training shared between the university and the partner school. 

Your school-based training will include observing teachers, working with individual pupils and groups of pupils, team teaching and independent teaching. Your training will also entail completing specific subject tasks and developing your knowledge of school policy and effective practices.

You will maintain a professional training portfolio and be supported to review your work critically and analytically as well as to set appropriately challenging targets. We will also develop an action plan with you to identify strengths, development needs and actions, so that your practice is continually developing.

Key aims of the school-based training:

  • advance the development of your professional attributes, skills, knowledge and understanding
  • 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 well-being of all learners can be achieved with a unified support and teaching system
  • provide opportunities that enable you to adopt a creative and constructively critical approach towards your practice, supported by appropriate reading and research.

During your school-based training, university tutors, school mentors and teachers will support you and take shared responsibility for your professional development.

Your progress will be observed and assessed throughout your placement by university and school staff, followed by feedback sessions to discuss your development. Your e-portfolio will also be evaluated as part of the overall assessment.

Organising your school-based training

Our Partnership Office will organise the school-based training 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 in the area of education in which you are interested.

How it works

We will ask you to complete a placement information form when you start your course, and will use this information to match you to a suitable placement. 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 team in the Partnership Office will confirm the placement as quickly as possible with the school or organisation. They will then contact you with the placement details. Almost all of our placements will be with partner schools or organisations in south-east England, most of them in East and West Sussex.

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.
Ofsted Outstanding provider

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:

View our Curriculum Centre tour

Education student looking at curriculum centre resources

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 Educations 'Find Postgraduate training courses' website. 

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

Careers

Preparing for your teaching career

You will graduate from this course equipped with the skills and knowledge to become a confident and competent secondary school teacher.

As well as gaining a PGCE, you will be assessed against the national Teachers’ Standards in order to be recommended for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

You’ll benefit from our partnership with over 600 schools, where you’ll gain practical school-based experience in a wide range of settings – large, small, rural and urban.

You will gain a knowledge and understanding of your specialist subject in the secondary school context. You will consider the learning and teaching strategies that are relevant to this subject and develop leadership and management skills.

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 between one and 10 days’ classroom experience in a secondary school.

Students talking in library

School-based training

Each phase of your school-based training will give you supported experience and help you gain confidence in your teaching ability.

Our staff will ensure that you are well prepared before your school-based training, and that you have all the support and guidance needed to make the most of these opportunities.

We have partnerships with over 600 schools and settings which offer you opportunities in large, small, urban and rural settings ensuring you will have a well-rounded experience. You will experience time in two carefully selected schools during your course.

Your school-based training experiences will include:

  • writing lesson plans and evaluations for the classes you teach
  • engaging in both formative and summative assessment of pupils learning and performance
  • completing your e-portfolio as supporting evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

Each year we organise over 2,500 placements for our students with partner schools and colleges, offering varied placement opportunities. We work hard to ensure that your school-based training will provide you with learning opportunities and valuable experience with the age group you are qualifying to teach.

School-based experience will enable you to demonstrate and grow your knowledge. You'll also make valuable contacts in schools which will help when you are looking for your first teaching role.

male teacher sitting with students

Graduate destinations

Our teaching graduates benefit from excellent employment rates that are consistently above the sector average.

Career prospects are good; most graduates gain their first teaching posts in school settings as soon as they qualify.

University of Brighton trained teachers are highly sought after by our partnership schools. They are known for their creative and innovative approaches to teaching.

Many of our graduates take on mentoring and leadership roles, or opt for specialist roles such as special education needs.

Our careers service holds an annual teaching recruitment fair on campus which our partner schools attend as they are looking to recruit newly qualified teachers for the next school year.

teacher sitting on desk with students

Further study

We offer CPD opportunities if you wish to continue your studies. 

Successful completion of this course means you'll be awarded 60 masters-level credits which can be used towards our Education MA which further integrates academic study with work-based learning and research.

group of students walking through Falmer campus

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers Service is here to support you as you discover (and rediscover) your strengths and what matters to you. We are here for you throughout your university journey as you work towards a fulfilling and rewarding career.

Connect with our careers team

  • Find part-time work that you can combine with your studies.
  • Find, or be, a mentor or get involved with our peer-to-peer support scheme.
  • Develop your business ideas through our entrepreneurial support network.
  • Get professional advice and support with career planning, CV writing and interview top tips.
  • Meet potential employers at our careers fairs.
  • Find rewarding volunteering opportunities to help you discover more about what makes you tick and build your CV.

Whatever your career needs, we are here to help. And that’s not just while you are a student – our support carries on after you’ve graduated.

Find out more about our Careers Service...

Coloured background with the words Be More, Connected, Skilled, Employable

Early career support

We will continue to support you after you qualify through our early career support programme.

We’ll offer resources, advice, events and drop-in sessions to help you overcome the challenges that many new teachers face in their first few years of working as a qualified teacher. We’ll help you with the next stage of your journey and offer support that will enable you to develop and thrive in your early career.

Our website provides guidance and support for after you graduate, including the latest teaching job vacancies, personal statement feedback, short mock interviews, useful contacts for advice and a variety of helpful resources including videos.

The university tutors supported me long after finishing the course. During my NQT year at a community college they continued to provide me with advice and check on my professional progress and my wellbeing.

Brenda, graduate and teacher

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 GBP

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

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 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

What's included

Here you’ll find details of specific resources and services that are included in the tuition fee for our education and teaching students. To help you to budget for your studies, there is also information on any additional costs that you may have to pay or can choose to pay in addition to your tuition fee.

Check out our finance pages for info about fees, funding and scholarships along with advice on international and island fee-paying status.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information.

What’s included in your tuition fee

  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies. See the subject area guides in the library for an up-to-date list of key subject journal databases.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software on campus – and can borrow a laptop from us if yours is broken or you don’t have a computer at home. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning.

Find out how tuition fees enable us to support all of our students with important services, facilities and resources across the university.

Additional course costs

  • For courses which require a placement, you’ll be expected to pay for your travel expenses but you may be able to claim some travel costs back from the university, depending on where your placement is in relation to where you live.
  • You’ll need to budget for printing and stationery for personal study, and books if you decide to buy your own.
  • You may wish to budget up to £25 for stationery/teaching materials.
  • Many students choose to buy their own hardware, software and accessories. The amount spent will depend on your individual choices, but this expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.

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 including education studies, teaching, sport and exercise, nursing and midwifery, allied health professions and medicine. Brighton & 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 has extensive sport and leisure facilities including a fitness suite, swimming pool, outdoor grass football and rugby pitches, sports hall, tennis and badminton courts, and dance and spin studios.

Specialist learning facilities at Falmer include the curriculum centre used by teaching and education students, which houses over 30,000 teaching resources, clinical skills and simulation suites used by health students, and labs and a strength and conditioning suite used by sport students. We’ve recently redeveloped the Falmer campus – learn more about the many facilities our students have access to.

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.

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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
Paddock Field at Falmer offers a bespoke contract length for PGCE students to cover the duration of your course.

  • Paddock Field offers a range of rooms, minutes from your classes, and on the edge of the South Downs.

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

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

Outside views at Falmer accommodation

student outside the sport and health complex at Falmer

Extensive facilities at Falmer sports centre

Students dining at Westlain

Students dining at Westlain

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“Brighton has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

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 there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

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 about how we support your wellbeing.

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.

Students playing frisbee

 Student views  

Jake Cassell 

"I studied maths at university and soon got a job within the sales department of an engineering company after graduating. While I acquired some crucial experience in the four years I was there, I wasn’t getting job fulfilment and wanted to work in a role where I was giving more back to society.

"When considering what career would give me that satisfaction, I landed on teaching as I wanted to help young people through education, like my teachers had helped me.

"After gaining work experience in a couple of schools, I knew teaching would be the right career for me. The University of Brighton being rated outstanding for teacher training provision in my field was a large attraction to apply, and the impression the university gave when I went for my interview confirmed that I was making the right decision.

"The course team are absolutely incredible! I can’t fault them for the amount and quality of support they provided during my study. No problem is too much for them and there was always a solution to any difficulty I was having. On top of the pastoral side of things, the course team really know their stuff in their specialist areas! This really gives you massive confidence in what you are learning and then applying during practice later on.

"My placements were invaluable experiences. I got to teach at two very different schools in terms of size and school culture. This enabled me to learn from a variety of excellent teachers and helped me to incorporate great ideas into my teaching practice. The different placements helped broaden my knowledge of common school policies too.

"I really enjoyed the built-in opportunities for group work and discussion among my peers, and made amazing relationships with my teaching colleagues and the students I taught.

"I secured my first ECT role after my second interview in the February before graduating (not without help from my tutors first!). I have really enjoyed my first year as an ECT at this school, and have accepted a new role at my first placement school for the second year of my ECT. The school I’m re-joining is currently undergoing some real growth and there are lots of progression opportunities, something I wasn’t expecting so early in my teaching career.

"My advice to anyone thinking about studying a PGCE is to be prepared for the workload and the amount of time you’ll need to invest as a teacher, not just on your PGCE. Teaching is an incredibly demanding career, but having said that, you’ll also experience moments that are hugely rewarding and remind you why you chose to become a teacher."

Jake Cassell

Marek Chodurek

"I chose to study Mathematics (Secondary) PGCE at the University of Brighton as I wanted to combine my knowledge and understanding of mathematics with working with young people. I come from a family of teachers, so it felt a natural fit to become a maths teacher. 

"The course leaders are incredibly supportive and motivational, with subject leaders offering fantastic support through intense and stressful periods. Most of all, the effort you put in is completely appreciated by all.

"One of the advantages of this course are the placement opportunities available. Quite early into the course, you are sent out to a school where you are able to gain valuable classroom experience.

"I loved every minute of both my placements which were based in different surroundings. I feel that this is ultimately where the biggest learning curve has happened for me and it has helped me to prepare for the next year as an NQT.

"I highly recommend this course to anyone thinking about applying, Brighton is a great place to live and study. The surrounding schools in partnership with the university are great environments to help support anyone wanting to become an aspiring teacher."

Marek Chodurek

Stay in touch

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Ask a question about this course

Read our application advice for postgraduate teacher training. The DfE has also produced a helpful short film: what to know when applying for teacher training.

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

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