Intro

We work with partner schools to offer primary and secondary School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried programmes.

Both programmes lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and allow schools to recruit and select trainees that best meet their needs with the expectation of employment at the end of the course. You are hosted at a school and attend training at the university.

At the university you will be mentored by a team with an outstanding national reputation.

We are an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ provider of initial teacher training and were recently reaccredited by the Department for Education.

are available for selected subjects on School Connect routes.

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 from the Teaching Agency (TA).

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 91精品福利视频 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. 

students round a laptop

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
  • physical education
  • physics.

*School Direct Salaried only

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

teacher sitting on desk with students

Primary vacancies

The 91精品福利视频 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:

  • Eastbourne Area School Direct Alliance (1J5)
  • Swale Academies Trust (14H)
  • Torfield School (1YE)

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

Secondary vacancies

The 91精品福利视频 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 secondary initial teacher training partners:

  • Eastbourne Area School Direct Alliance (1J5)
  • 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  and search using the partner three-digit code listed above.

Ofsted

Graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for primary and secondary in our 2024 .

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 logo

Careers

Career prospects through these routes are very good.

School Connect PGCE and School Direct Salaried give 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 one to 10 days classroom experience in a secondary school. For details, please visit the .

male teacher with child on stepping blocks

Fees and costs

Course fees

School Connect tuition fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 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 while you are studying:

  • – 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

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 a