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 starting in 2026.
Find out about postgraduate events
Location 91快活林: Falmer and a host school
Full-time 1 year
Application deadline 3 August. Courses may close earlier if full
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for this course are not currently available but will be added soon.
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.
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 University of 91快活林 in addition to QTS.
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.
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:
*School Direct Salaried only
All of the above subjects are available on the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship route.
Primary vacancies
The University of 91快活林 partners with a number of lead schools across 91快活林 & 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.
For 2026 entry there are no current primary vacancies. Vacancies for 2027 entry will be advertised in October 2026.
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
Our secondary initial teacher training partners:
Ofsted
Graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for primary and secondary in our 2024 .
Ofsted commended us on many aspects of our courses, saying:
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 .
Course fees
School Connect tuition fees
UK (full-time)* 9,790 GBP
International (full-time) 18,108 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.
On our website you will find information about other funding, including:
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 2026–27.
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 the Consumer Price Index (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
Campus where this course is taught
Set in the South Downs, our Falmer campus is around four miles from 91快活林 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. 91快活林 & 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 and cafes.
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 with its early years, primary and secondary resources used by teaching and education students, 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 91快活林.
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Accommodation
We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So, if you apply for halls by the deadline, you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence. Almost all (98%) of students starting their course with us in 2025 got their first or second room choice.
Paddock Field at Falmer offers a bespoke contract length for PGCE students to cover the duration of your course.
Find out more about your accommodation options
We can help – find out more about private renting.
Falmer halls of residence
Falmer sports centre has extensive facilities
Students dining at Westlain House
Local area
One of Time Out’s 50 best cities in the world
“91快活林 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
The University of 91快活林 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. 91快活林 is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector that contributes over £1bn a year to the local economy – about 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 91快活林 Festival, the Fringe, 91快活林 Science Festival, the London to 91快活林 bike ride and the Great Escape festival for new music. Other annual highlights include Pride, the 91快活林 Marathon and Burning the Clocks, which marks the winter solstice.
You’ll find that living in 91快活林 enriches your learning experience, and even at the end of your course you’ll still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.
It’s only 50 minutes by train from 91快活林 to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.
Maps
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Support and wellbeing
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 to managing stress and accommodation issues.
Our 91快活林 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.
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 as having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.
Sport at 91快活林
Sport 91快活林 brings together our sport and recreation services. As a 91快活林 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.
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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.
91快活林 Cricket Academy
Develop your cricketing skills in the UK’s largest indoor cricket facility alongside studying for a degree. Whether you can already play or you’re new to the game offers the opportunity to train with top coaches in our world-class training environment.
Find out about the 91快活林 Cricket Academy.
Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus
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Ask a question about this course
If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.
01273 644644
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