Course Overview

Many School Direct students secure their first teaching post within one of their Alliance's schools. We will support you in applying for teaching posts by guiding and supporting you through the process, including workshops run by head teachers and recruitment specialists. The workshop content includes writing letters of application, interview techniques, teaching sample lessons, one-to-one coaching, and mock interviews. We know that this approach is highly successful every year. Ofsted noted, 'Former trainees from this provider are highly prized locally and demand often outstrips the number of NQT positions available.'

We foster your continued relationship with Education at Leicester once you become an NQT by supporting your career development in several ways, including running a successful NQT Conference each spring.

Our Ph.D. opportunities are very popular with those wishing to pursue a particular research interest at the doctoral level. We are committed to training excellent teachers during the PGCE and beyond. We are proud that so many of our students return to Education at Leicester for further study once they qualified. This course comprises both campus-based sessions - which will give you a grounding in the principles of good teaching practice - and school-based placements, giving you a chance to apply your knowledge and experience a wide range of classroom situations. These placements will be in contrasting schools to provide you with a broad range of experience - in the city, suburban or rural schools, in the independent or state sector.

The School Direct PGCE Primary course will prepare you to teach across the full range of the Primary Curriculum. We will introduce you to the broader context of teaching, including responding to diversity in School and the inclusion of Special Needs Education, as well as equipping you with classroom management and planning skills.

By the end of the course, you will meet the required professional standards for Qualified Teachers Status (QTS) and be awarded a University of Leicester PGCE. In addition, our strong ethos of reflective practice will prepare you well for your future teaching career.

General Eligibility

• 2:1 degree (or above)

• GCSE grade C or above in English Language, Maths, and Science.

• A pass in the Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy.

• Although not essential, you may find it helpful to have recent experience working with children and observing teaching in a school setting, ideally relating to the age range/subject you wish to teach. When writing your application, you should reflect on your experience and tell us what you learned.

• Please consult our Education at Leicester website to find detailed explanations of our recruitment and selection processes and criteria.

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• You must have a GCSE Grade C in English Language. Please see our entry requirements (left) for more information.