About this course

The Trust’s School Direct programme, aims to develop professional, reflective and effective teachers by encouraging such qualities as creativity, commitment, enthusiasm and intellectual liveliness.

The programme leads to the award of a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE Masters level) with QTS and spreads across the entire academic year.

You will receive a regular training programme delivered within the Trust academies by practising teachers with proven, current knowledge and expertise in each subject. You will also attend training at The University of Chichester (the current programme includes 25 days) and there may also be opportunities to visit partner schools outside of the Trust.  Your training time is divided between professional studies and subject study. You will study the relevant national frameworks for your age phase and subject area and develop your understanding of subject specific pedagogy. The programme is designed to equip you to promote the creation of a culture for learning through your role as a teacher, meeting the needs of all children. Furthermore, you develop your understanding of the place of the teacher in a whole school context and in relation to your further career development.

Assessment is a shared responsibility.  University tutors and school mentors collaborate to ensure that your school based experience and written assignments are assessed at agreed points in the Programme. 

School based experience is assessed against the Teachers’ Standards using information from a range of sources.

You will complete three assignments (one each term) the successful completion of which leads to a PGCE with 60 Masters Level credits. Preparation for these assignments is supported by university tutors.

In addition to resources within our academies all trainees have full access to the University of Chichester Learning Resource Centres including electronic access to a range of books and journals

"I chose the School Direct route into teaching because I wanted as much teaching experience as possible but also wanted the PGCE qualification. I love that I will have the same class for most of the year- I really feel like I know the children as individuals. It has been amazing to see so much progress in their learning and I feel I would have missed out on this if I had chosen a different route.

The experience so far has been great. Despite lots of school experience before starting the course, I definitely wasn’t fully prepared for the level of exhaustion I faced in the first half term- thankfully, I’m used to it now! My host school has been fabulous; I love the ethos of the school and I really enjoy working there. The staff are so knowledgeable and are always supportive. I feel like a ‘proper’ member of the phase team. During our training, I have enjoyed going to other Trust schools to meet and learn from other teachers. It has also been a great opportunity to magpie some ideas!"  Noele, Primary trainee

Fees

The tuition fee for this programme is £9250.

Funding

Government loans are available for teacher training programmes. Some trainees are eligible for government bursary funding.

Further information can be found on  https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding

The Trust’s primary academies are:

Arundel Court Primary School, Portsmouth: http://www.arundelcourt.com

Berewood Primary School, Waterlooville: http://www.berewoodprimary.co.uk

Bordon Junior School, Bordon: http://www.bordonjuniorschool.com/ 

Court Lane Infant School, Cosham: http://www.courtlane-inf.portsmouth.sch.uk/

Court Lane Junior School, Cosham: http://www.cljs.co.uk/

Fernhurst Primary School, Fernhurst: http://www.fernhurst.w-sussex.sch.uk/

The Flying Bull Academy, (Primary) Portsmouth: http://www.fbacademy.co.uk/

Kingsham Primary School, Chichester: http://www.kingsham.w-sussex.sch.uk/

Langstone Infant School, Portsmouth  www.langstoneinfant.co.uk

Langstone Junior School, Portsmouth www.langstone-jun.portsmouth.sch.uk

Highbury Primary School, Portsmouth: Highbury Primary School

Stamshaw Infant School, Portsmouth: Stamshaw Infant School

Stamshaw Junior School, Portsmouth: Stamshaw Junior School

The University of Chichester has two campuses. The majority of School Direct university based training is on the Bognor Regis Campus. Physical Education training is on the Bishop Otter Campus in Chichester. https://www.chi.ac.uk/about-us/how-find-us​