All of our PGCE courses are made up of both campus-based sessions - which will give you a grounding in the principles of good teaching practice - and school-based placements, giving you the chance to apply your knowledge and experience to a wide range of classroom situations. These placements will be in contrasting schools to provide you with a broad range of experience; they could be in city, suburban or rural schools, in the independent or state sector.
You will be taught by academics who are leaders in their field and have years of experience themselves as teachers. We believe that teaching inspired by research both within and beyond the School of Education, and backed up with extensive teaching experience, provides excellent opportunities for our trainees to grow as teachers and reflective practitioners.
You will choose a subject to specialise in over the course of the PGCE, usually related to the subject that you studied to degree level. At Leicester we offer the PGCE in the following subject areas:
- English
- History
- Mathematics
- Modern Languages
- Religious Education (French, French with Spanish, Spanish with French, French with German)
- Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physics with Mathematics)
- Social Science
By the end of this course you will meet the required processional standards for Qualified Teacher Status, and will be awarded a University of Leicester PGCE. Our strong ethos of reflective practice will prepare you well for your future career in teaching.
New teachers have now become some of the best-paid postgraduates in England. From September 2023, once you have completed your one-year PGCE course - which awards you QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) - as a primary or secondary school teacher in England, you’ll start on a minimum salary of £30,000 (£36,745 in inner London). Your salary will be reviewed every year, with most teachers moving up the pay range annually. A typical teacher could earn at least £41,333 (or more in London) within 5 years.
Not sure which PGCE route is right for you? Have a look at our Routes into Teaching pages to find out more about PGCE, Lead Partners and SCITT routes.
Alongside this 'University-led' PGCE, we work in partnership with schools across the region to offer a Lead Partners Secondary PGCE.
We’re delighted that in 2024, Ofsted have graded our initial teacher training programmes as Outstanding. This means that both our primary and secondary teacher training adheres to the highest standards set by the Department for Education.
According to the report, “trainees are exceptionally positive about the high quality of training they receive. They benefit from an ambitious curriculum, delivered by experts, and supported by relevant, up-to-date research. Trainees have ample opportunities to integrate theory and practice. They learn to be instinctively reflective, and this helps them to decide the beliefs and values they will hold as a teacher.
Trainees gain rich experiences in schools with different contexts.”
Read the full report.