Course in brief

The University of Brighton is one of the UK's largest teacher training universities, rated ‘outstanding’ in our last Ofsted inspection.

This course leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for the 11–16 age range which enables you to be employed as a qualified teacher in secondary schools in England and Wales. The course also offers enrichment opportunities to teach the 16–18 age phase.

You'll experience practical and theoretical modules that are based upon research-informed practice by the route leader, Dr Gary Stidder, who is an established academic and active researcher in the field of physical education.

Our course focuses on an alternative approach to teaching physical education, emphasising physical activities and non-traditional team games alongside the usual competitive team games. It also includes lifestyle activities that have a wide appeal to a broad population of pupils.

You will have access to excellent resources and gain 120 days of practical experience in two of around 250 schools with whom we have partnerships.

How to apply for teacher training.

Need help and advice about training to teach options or want to register your interest in our programmes? Get in touch. 

Key facts

Location Eastbourne

UCAS Teacher Training code C6XC

Full-time 1 year

Before starting this course you will need to have passed the Professional Skills Tests; if you have not already completed these you are advised to take them as soon as possible.

Applying for 2017

This course is closed to students wishing to begin studying in 2017; applications for 2018 will open in autumn 2017.

You might also be interested in our School Direct programmes, an alternative route into teaching for students who have a first degree.

Entry requirements

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.

Degree
A good honours degree – usually a 2:1 or above in a sport-related discipline such as sport science, sport studies, physical education or sport coaching.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
At least English language and maths. 

How can I develop my subject knowledge?

Students should gain a range of National Governing Body coaching qualifications before beginning this course, particularly in swimming, trampolining and athletics. Students are also expected to have experience of working in schools.

What should I include in my personal statement?
In your personal statement we are looking for a positive motivation and commitment to physical education teaching in schools; an understanding of the nature, place and value of physical education in the curriculum and the relevance of your experience and education to this chosen path. Reading Becoming a Physical Education Teacher written by the route leader, Dr Gary Stidder, will help you write your personal statement and when attending interview.

Desirable qualifications and experience

  • GCSE PE; A-level PE; BTEC Sport; UK Sports Leaders Awards
  • Teaching/coaching qualifications (swimming, athletics, trampolining, for example)
  • School-based experience (primary, secondary and/or schools for children with additional learning needs)

Professional Skills Tests and interview
The Department for Education has introduced Professional Skills Tests in literacy and numeracy for all applicants to teacher training (QTS) routes. These tests are compulsory, and it will not be possible to enter training without having successfully completed them. Candidates are able to book these tests in advance, and the Department for Education strongly advises you to take the tests soon after you have submitted an application.

The University of Brighton recognises that these tests may present a real challenge to some candidates and we recommend that you prepare carefully before attempting them, as you are limited to only three attempts per test. We recommend that postgraduate applicants have passed the tests before they come to an interview as this will give you a clear advantage. However, if you have not yet passed the tests but have a clear strategy in place, we may well 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 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 about the tests, 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.

Other

  • Candidates are required to attend an interview in person at our Eastbourne campus.
  • All offers of places are subject to a satisfactory health check and a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) enhanced check. 
  • Applicants from minority ethnic and other groups under-represented in the profession are particularly welcome.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 7.0 in all elements.

Course in detail

Course structure

All teaching takes place at the School of Sport and Service Management, based in Eastbourne, where there are extensive sports facilities such as six badminton court-sized sports halls, two gymnasiums, plus a fitness suite, Astro turf pitch and swimming pool.

When studying with us at the university, you’ll experience and learn how to teach practical physical education through The A-list of physical activities. These include physical activities considered to be less conventional compared to more established types of activities. The A-list includes the following non-conventional physical activities: 

  • Alternative – Physical activities that depart from or challenge traditional norms and are considered to be non-traditional in a UK context such as tchouckball, kinball and korfball.
  • Adapted – Physical activities suited to pupils with additional learning needs but that can also be practiced by all pupils within secondary schools such as boccia, goalball and new age kurling.
  • Artistic – Physical activities related to cultural and artistic forms of dance.
  • Aesthetic – Physical activities that are creative and involve a combination of movements requiring precision, fluency and control such as urban gymnastics, cheerleading and trampolining.
  • Aquatic – Physical activities that take place in or on the water such as swimming, synchronised swimming, water aerobic dancing, water polo, life-saving and personal survival.
  • Athletic – Physical activities that require physical skill, agility and stamina such as street surfing.
  • Adventurous – Physical activities that require precise problem-solving and decision making skills such as orienteering and climbing.
  • Aerobic – Physical activities that are sustained and require low to high intensity such as jogging, rowing and cycling.
  • Anaerobic – Physical activities that are non-endurance activities involving speed strength and power such as sprinting, jumping, and throwing.

The university works in partnership with schools and colleges to provide a high quality programme of support, ensuring a sound relationship between theory and practice. You will benefit from undertaking two placements in two schools or colleges, spending two-thirds of your year teaching, under supervision. You'll also have the opportunity to visit additional schools or colleges as part of the Peer Observation programme.

Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout each placement. You will receive comprehensive feedback during this time, enabling you to see what you are doing well and where you might need to improve.

You will have the opportunity to organise group activities which reflect contemporary expectations of physical education teachers and the individual needs of pupils from diverse backgrounds. 

The campus is excellently equipped with multimedia training materials, giving you the opportunity to develop your confidence and competence in the use of ICT. Our multimedia suites are regularly updated to keep up with technological advancements in classroom teaching provision. 

Activities which you may take part in or organise yourself include:

  • inclusive festivals, in which you prepare a series of activities for pupils with moderate, profound and multiple learning difficulties. Activities will include boccia, new age kurling, goalball, parachute games and dance
  • outdoor adventure days allow you to facilitate a day of on-site outdoor and adventurous activities for pupils
  • active student volunteer programmes give you the opportunity to provide out-of-school-hours activities for local primary school pupils. The activities include swimming, lifestyle activities, trampolining and gymnastics. 

Areas of study

This course covers the national curriculum range of content for physical education. 

The course also includes health-related exercise, the use of new and emerging technologies in physical education, thematic teaching and learning in physical education, inclusive practice in physical education and the teaching of accredited courses in physical education.

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

Course content is kept up to date with changes in local and national initiatives and legislation, so you can be confident that your working knowledge is based on current theory and practice.

The education studies strand gives you a thorough understanding of the learning process itself, including an appreciation of individual differences. The study of the principles and practices of learning and teaching is through both school and university settings, allowing you to develop practical competency supported by analytical skills. By the end of the course you will:

  • refine your understanding of pedagogy, including an appreciation of current and emerging educational theories and debate
  • understand how to use and adapt 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 different influences and know how to take account of the principles of equality, inclusion and diversity.

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

The subject education module is specifically related to teaching PE in school, while the subject study module enables you to take your subject specialist studies to an increased depth. You can earn 20 masters-level credits through the assessment for the subject study module.

Professional development is linked to all strands of the programme and is designed to enable you to evaluate critically and reflect on your learning to make improvements. You will be expected to gather and justify evidence of your achievements on a regular basis and develop and implement improvement plans.

Students use an e-portfolio to record their achievements and this is reviewed throughout the course. An action plan is used to support professional development during placements and makes up a significant part of the improvement planning process.

At the end of the course, the e-portfolio provides evidence that you have met the Teachers’ Standards for the award of Qualified Teacher Status.

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 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 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

In our most recent Initial Teacher Education inspection report, the University of Brighton's School of Education 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.

 

Educators can collectively and individually change our societies for the better. The legacy of a good teacher can be passed from generation to generation, from one person to whole communities.

Lorraine Harrison
Head of School

 

 

 

Staff profile

Dr Gary Stidder

Principal lecturer and route leader: Physical Education (Secondary)

Dr Gary Stidder is the PGCE route leader for physical education initial teacher training and coordinator of all outdoor education modules at the University of Brighton. Gary is a graduate of Brunel University and completed his masters degree in education at the University of Brighton in 1998. In 2009 Gary completed his PhD at the University of Brighton's Chelsea School Research Centre.

Gary is an ex-secondary school physical education teacher and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to the USA during 1990–1991. Gary is co-editor alongside Sid Hayes of Equity and Inclusion in Physical Education and Sport (2003) and The Really Useful Physical Education Book both published by Routledge. Gary has been the recipient of the university's award for teaching excellence, and is the co-founder of the university's pioneering Football4Peace project in Israel which has been running since 2001. 

His main academic interests include gender issues in physical education, outdoor education theory and practice, and mentoring in initial teacher education. In July 2008 Gary was presented with a national award from the Association of Physical Education (AfPE) for his contribution to research and scholarship in the field of physical education. In 2013 he was awarded the University of Brighton’s award for Staff Excellence in Community Engagement in recognition of his contribution to widening participation. 

Gary Stidder

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

School Direct 

School Direct is an alternative route to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and the University of Brighton is working 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 Direct programme you need to apply directly to a school for a School Direct training place, with schools advertising their vacancies on the UCAS Teacher Training website. The University of Brighton supports School Direct through providing training and assessment opportunities at the request of participating schools.

Find out more about School Direct and view vacancies.

secondary education students

Careers and employability

Graduates of the course are equipped with the skills and knowledge to become confident and competent secondary-school teachers.

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.

Most students gain employment in schools across the UK very soon after they have completed the course and achieved the teaching qualifications. Many former students have subsequently become curriculum leaders and senior managers in schools.

Students on this course can choose to progress to one of our Education MAs after completing the PGCE.

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 check: http://www.education.gov.uk/get-into-teaching/school-experience.aspx

The teachers we train are:

  • highly committed to their pupils’ learning 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.

Former students include:

  • Joanna Gardiner (Sunday Times Sports Women of the Year 2007 for inspiration), now head of physical education, Helenswood School for Girls, Hastings.
  • Elisha Riddett, PE teacher, head of swimming, assistant KS3 coordinator, St Andrews International School, Bangkok.

Fees and funding

Your fees

UK/EU (full-time) 9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 13,920 GBP

 

Bursaries and funding

Financial support for trainee teachers has never been better. You could get up to £30,000 tax-free while you train, either as a bursary or prestigious scholarship. Your eligibility for financial support, and the amount you can expect to receive, will depend on the subject you choose to teach and your degree classification or highest relevant academic qualification.

In addition, a small number of discretionary bursaries may be awarded to trainees who we identify as having outstanding potential, and who fall within the bottom and middle tier for core bursary payment purposes.

You don’t need to apply for a bursary – if you are enrolled on a non-salaried postgraduate course and meet the eligibility criteria, you will begin receiving payments automatically by your chosen teacher training provider. You will receive more information on the arrangements and how this is distributed prior to the start of your course.

Find out more about funding.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2017–18. Tuition fees are payable for each year that you study with us.

Where UK/EU students are subject to regulated fees, the annual fee increase cannot exceed the UK government’s maximum regulated tuition fee limit set for the relevant year. For all other students, ie those not subject to regulated fees, tuition fees are subject to a maximum annual increase of the higher of 5% or RPI.

You can find out more about our fees in 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, 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 Eastbourne

Sunny, friendly and relaxed, there’s lots to do and enjoy in Eastbourne – music and arts festivals, theatre, galleries and sports – and all against the backdrop of the beach and the beautiful South Downs.

Eastbourne hosts some major sporting events, from Eastbourne Extreme – one of the biggest extreme sports festivals in the UK – to Eastbourne International, an annual tennis tournament where some of the world’s finest players prepare for Wimbledon.

Eastbourne has a close-knit community feel. From where ever you are on campus every place you need to go is around 15 minutes away on foot – the beach, the town centre and the South Downs. There is a great selection of clubs, pubs, restaurants and shops and always plenty of student-friendly deals on offer.

Eastbourne pier   Eastbourne Festival

Campus where this course is taught

Eastbourne campus

Located in one of the sunniest towns in the UK, our Eastbourne campus sits between the hills of the South Downs National Park and the south coast.

The campus has extensive sporting facilities, including a sports hall, fitness suite, climbing wall, swimming pool, three gyms, a dance studio and an artificial training pitch. For sport and exercise students, there are also exercise physiology labs, a human movement laboratory and an environmental chamber.

Podiatry students gain real-life experience in the Leaf Hospital clinic, with its comprehensive range of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, while physiotherapy students are taught in specialist practical skills rooms. The Culinary Arts Studio allows hospitality students to engage in workplace simulations and consumer research.

Accommodation

Eastbourne

Our Eastbourne hall of residence, Welkin Halls, is in the residential Meads area, next to the Hillbrow and Welkin site and within walking distance of Darley Road. The train station is about 20 minutes away on foot.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. 

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.

Find out more on our Eastbourne accommodation webpages, and if you have any questions, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accomeastbourne@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 643810.

Welkin Halls

Welkin bedroom


  

Maps

house Accommodation
campus University building

Eastbourne campus map

 

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Ask a question about this course

Read our application advice for postgraduate teacher training. The DfE has also produced useful two helpful short films on the benefits of university-led training and what to know when applying for teacher training.

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

01273 644644
enquiries@brighton.ac.uk

 

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