Intro

Further education teaching offers the opportunity to share your passion and experience with those age 16 plus.

Passing on your knowledge is rewarding as you inspire the next generation of workers.

Our full-time Further Education and Teaching PGCE provides you with a formal teaching qualification. There are also part-time options with our local partners.

You’ll learn with a team of experienced further education practitioners and gain practical teaching experience on placement.

Our trainees have studied a wide range of specialist areas including art and design, hairdressing, business and law.

 were offered for selected course subjects starting in 2025 – 2026 bursaries will be announced by the DfE in the new year.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

Full-time 1 year

Interviews for this course are taking place online

Application and interview advice sessions

Join us on the Falmer campus on 8 November to learn more about this course

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
PGCE applicants must have an honours degree. 

Applicants do not need teaching experience. Other industry experience relevant to their subject specialism is desirable.

GCSE (minimum grade C or grade 4)
Applicants must have GCSE maths and English language.

English language requirements
IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with a minimum of 6.5 in each element. You must successfully complete IELTS before applying for this course, and we require evidence of your score before we can process your application. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

 

Other

  • All offers are subject to an occupational health check and Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced disclosure check

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

Course content

Top reasons to choose this course

  • Learn with an Ofsted ‘good’ provider.
  • Fully supported placements to grow your knowledge, skills and confidence.
  • In addition to your PGCE, you can apply for Qualified Teaching and Learning Skill status (QTLS) once you have completed the course and are in employment.
  • Excellent employment rates for our graduates, with most gaining their first teaching post soon after graduation.
  • Be taught by an expert team of further education practitioners.
  • At university you’ll have access to over 30,000 specialist resources including books, DVDs, games and an online catalogue in our curriculum centre.
three people looking at notebooks

Course structure

This course is delivered through taught sessions at the Falmer campus and on placement in a further education setting.

Taught sessions at the university normally take place on a Wednesday where you will build on and enhance your strengths. Sessions include seminars and tutorials, self-directed study, peer-teaching sessions, practical workshops, shared expertise sessions with leading practitioners and reflexive learning.

You will spend two days a week teaching under supervision in one of our local partnerships which include further education colleges, sixth form colleges, a land-based college (Plumpton) as well as Lewes Prison, DV8 and the Connected Hub.

Our tutors and mentors will advise and support you throughout your 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.

student and teacher in college setting looking at laptop

Areas of study

This course is made up of four modules each comprising 30 Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points and the final award provides 120 points at either professional or postgraduate level.

Modules

  • Teaching My Subject

    This module introduces you to teaching and learning, including the role of a teacher; how to effectively engage learners in learning; how to plan, deliver and evaluate effective, subject-specific lessons that promote student learning and are adapted for individual learning needs; and how to plan a series of lessons that support inclusive learning of subject-specific content and wider FES such as the embedding of numeracy, literacy, employability and digital skills.

  • Teaching Practice 1

    Through teaching practice, you will develop skills and knowledge in pedagogic theory, learning and assessment, lesson design and subject-specific pedagogy, demonstrating competencies against the Learning and Skills Teacher Occupational Standards. The module also equips you to reflect upon and critically evaluate your experiences so you can identify professional strengths and areas for development and set appropriate targets for improvement.

  • Teacher as a Researcher

    In this module you will be able to further your critical understanding of your subject-specific teaching practices through a research project. The module includes opportunities to take part in action learning sets to enable you to develop a reflective and collaborative approach to your own professional practices.

  • Teaching Practice 2

    This module builds on Teaching Practice 1, providing opportunities for you to develop autonomy in pedagogic theory, learning and assessment, lesson design and subject specific pedagogy so you can demonstrate competencies against the Learning and Skills Teacher Occupational Standards. You will also reflect upon and critically evaluate your experiences, to identify your professional strengths and areas and targets for improvement in your post-qualification phase.

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

Some of the specialist areas that trainees have studied on this course include English, maths, art and design, music tech/performance, sociology, health, hairdressing, psychology, sport, sport science, law, history, business, engineering and science.

Students listening intently in a lecture

Placements

You’ll undertake two placements on this course.

The first is required to be a minimum of 250 hours in duration, with at least 150 hours of teaching practice, enabling you to gain a full sense of the everyday activities of a teacher. Of the 150 teaching hours, at least 100 should be in your subject area. You'll be expected to gain experience of remote teaching alongside face-to-face delivery.

The second placement must be for at least 20 hours. These hours can be observation, CPD and other activities to give a sense of the approach within that area.

Our staff will ensure that you are well prepared throughout your placement and that you have all the support and guidance needed to make the most of these opportunities.

You will start by observing teachers, then with assisting and team teaching, before taking responsibility for planning, delivering and assessing learning yourself.

You will have additional time to find out about the extent of the work of the organisation, including areas of specific interest such as learning support and quality assurance.

Key aims of placements

  • 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 placement, university tutors, college mentors and teachers will support you and take shared responsibility for your professional development.

Organising your college-based training
Our Partnership Office will organise your placement for you which will be in a college or sixth form setting. 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 subject 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 college or organisation. They will then contact you with the confirmed details. Almost all of our placements are with partner schools or organisations in south-east England, the majority in East and West Sussex.

Meet the course leader

Belinda Garlick

“I joined the University of Brighton as course lead and partnership coordinator for the Further Education and Skills PGCE in September 2021.

“Prior to joining the university, I had 10 years of experience teaching in further education colleges in both London and Brighton. My subject specialism was Sport and Physical Education, which I taught until I moved over to teacher training in September 2019.

“Alongside my teaching roles at college, I was a teaching and learning coach for six years, working regularly with other teachers in the sector to assist in improving their practice. I also mentored PGCE trainees each year and hold a masters level mentoring qualification. 

“My passion is research-informed education practice, and this underpins my teaching. I enjoy encouraging my trainees to be reflective practitioners who experiment with their teaching and make informed decisions on the methods that are the most effective for student learning. 

“I work alongside a partnership of five colleges in Sussex and Surrey to provide the best career and networking opportunities for our trainees, both during their qualification and into their future teaching careers.”

Belinda Garlick

Ofsted

Graded ‘good’ by Ofsted for further education 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 Good provider logo

Partner college courses 

Full-time and part-time post-16 teacher education courses are also offered by our partner colleges, including routes for those currently teaching or who will have a guaranteed post in the further education and training sector for the academic year in which the course starts. 

Upon successful completion, you will receive either a PGCE or a Certificate in Education from the University of Brighton.

You can choose to study at:

  • Bexhill College
  • East Sussex College Group
  • Brighton MET
  • Plumpton College
  • Reigate College.

Our partner colleges provide access to specialist facilities and knowledge and offer the opportunity of being able to study locally whilst working towards a university qualification. You’ll also have access to University of Brighton facilities including student support services, study support, the Brighton Students’ Union and library and computing resources.

Find out more about the courses and how to apply on our partners websites.

  • .

Useful links

The following organisations provide additional information about the further education and training sector.

  • is a government-backed, sector-led national support body for the further education and training sector.
  • is the only membership body dedicated to professionals working across further education, vocational teaching and training.
  • represent and promote the interests of colleges and provide members with high-quality professional support services, including training, events and recruitment.

Careers

Preparing for your teaching career

You will graduate from this course equipped with the skills and knowledge to become a confident and competent teacher in the further education sector.

You will consider the learning and teaching strategies that are relevant to your specialist subject and develop leadership and management skills.

If you already hold a degree, it is anticipated that you will graduate with a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and there may also be an opportunity to gain masters level credits. Applicants without a first degree will graduate with a Certificate in Education.

As well as gaining a PGCE, those interested teaching in a secondary or sixth form setting can also apply for Qualified Teaching and Learning Skill status (QTLS) throughonce you have successfully completed the course and are in full-time employment.

QTLS is recognised in law as having parity with QTS for teaching in schools as a qualified teacher.

art secondary education student

Placements

Your placement is designed to give you supported experience and confidence in your teaching ability so you are ready to embark on your career.

We have partnerships with varied further education settings to ensure you graduate with a well-rounded experience. You may experience time in more than one location during your course.

Your placement will ensure you gain experience in:

  • planning and delivering effective learning programmes for diverse groups or individuals
  • applying theoretical understanding of effective practice in teaching, learning and assessment drawing on your own research and other evidence
  • understanding the teaching and professional role and your responsibilities
  • building positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and learners.

We work hard to ensure that your placement will provide you with learning opportunities and valuable experience within the setting and subject area you are qualifying to teach.

Placement experience will enable you to demonstrate and grow your knowledge. You’ll also make valuable contacts in college and sixth form settings which will help when you are looking for your first teaching role.

Graduate destinations

Our Further Education and Skills PGCE graduates benefit from excellent employment rates and are highly sought after by our partner colleges. They are known for their creative and innovative approaches to teaching.

Most graduates gain their first teaching post in a further education setting soon after they qualify.

A teacher in front of a whiteboard in the classroom

Supporting your employability

Outside of your course, our Careers and Employability team are 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.

  • 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 about careers and employability at Brighton.

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Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time) 9,535 GBP

International (full-time) 17,250 GBP

Bursaries

 were offered for selected course subjects starting in 2025 – 2026 bursaries will be announced by the DfE in the new year.

2025 bursaries by subject
SubjectBursary
Computing £31,000
Engineering or manufacturing £31,000
Mathematics £31,000
Science, including biology, chemistry or physics £31,000
English (capped at 100 places) £10,000
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) £15,000

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 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 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 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

If you booked halls by 30 June you are guaranteed an offer of a room. If you are currently looking for halls you can register your interest in available rooms now. In 2024, everyone who did this before or on A-level results day got a room offer. There is a good range of student accommodation in Brighton, including university and private halls, as well as rented rooms, flats and houses and our team are here to support you to find the best match for you.

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 as 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. 

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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.

Brighton 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 Brighton Cricket Academy.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

Meet our students  

Chris Saunders

“I chose to study a Further Education and Skills PGCE because this had always been my favourite time in education. I felt that my personality and future career path centred around the education sector.

“The facilities on campus are very good — there is a big, spacious library, as well as a restaurant and cafes.

“The course team at Brighton have been brilliant! They are super approachable and get back to you very quickly when you have concerns/questions.

“As part of my placement, I spent time in a college working with A-level students in a chemistry laboratory-based classroom where I gained an abundance of experience and skills that will support me after graduating to be confident in teaching.

“My highlight of this course for me is being a part of the reason why students are maturing, learning and growing as individuals with my guidance and teaching.”

Chris Saunders FET

Oliver Sadler

“I chose to study the Further Education and Skills PGCE as I wanted to pursue a career in teaching psychology to 16-plus students.

“The University of Brighton as an organisation has a wonderful ethos, lining up very well with my own views on education, politics and environmental concerns. As I studied here for my undergraduate degree, I knew that I was likely to have the same positive experience again.

“My highlights of the course were the people I got to interact with over the year. My peers on the course were all bright, enthusiastic and open-minded trainee teachers who were happy to share experiences in order to support each other’s development.

“My course tutors were patient, supportive and approachable. Whenever I came to them with an enquiry, I was met with valuable and constructive feedback that I was able to act upon immediately. The tutors were excellent role models and truly practiced what they preached.

“Straight after completing the course I found permanent, full-time employment at a local Sussex sixth form college as an A-level psychology teacher. I am continually developing my teaching skills as part of the college’s own training programme and have exciting career prospects ahead of me.”

Rosemarie Back

“I chose to study the Further Education and Skills PGCE at the University of Brighton as I heard good reviews about the course and found the interview experience a lot more enjoyable than a few others I had attended.

“The tutors on this course are really understanding and modelled excellent practice. One of my highlights is the friendships I made with fellow trainees.

“My time at Brighton was an exceptionally positive experience and I would recommend it to anyone considering further education teacher training.

“My advice to anyone thinking about this course would be pace yourself to help you manage the workload and to say if you feel like you are struggling. Soak up advice from other trainees around you and keep a diary of your successful (and not so great) days so that you have something to refer back to and reflect on.

“Since graduating I have been employed in a London secondary and sixth form academy teaching art.”

Leon Fenton

“I chose to study at the University of Brighton because I had heard very good things and the course on offer was exactly what I wanted.

“The highlight of this course for me was being able to have a placement that reflected my ambitions as a teacher, as well as the continued support from my tutors and peers. The support from tutors focused on our achievements and any barriers we encountered we were mentored through effectively.

“For anyone thinking about studying the Further Education and Skills PGCE, my advice would be to go for it. I came onto the course with no formal teaching experience but left as a confident teacher who was successful in getting their dream job.

“Since graduating, I’m now working as a full-time music tutor at a Sussex-based specialist college called DV8. I don’t think I would be in the job I am today without the support from my tutors, who after graduating, assisted me in finding work and continue to support me through with regular emails and check ins.”

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

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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