PGCE Primary (Lead Partners)

This is for you if... you have an undergraduate degree and you would like to train to teach 3-7 or 5-11 year-olds as part of the Lead Partners scheme.

Lead Partners was introduced in 2012 and allows schools to directly recruit students onto teacher education courses run in collaboration with universities. To make sure you have a range of placement opportunities, schools work together in Teaching Alliances.

This course is 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 a wide range of classroom situations. These placements will be in contrasting schools to give you a broad range of experience - they could be in city, suburban or rural schools, in the independent or state sector.

The Lead Partners PGCE Primary course will prepare you to teach across the full range of the Primary Curriculum. We will introduce you to the wider 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 will be awarded a University of Leicester PGCE. Our strong ethos of reflective practice will prepare you will for your future career in teaching.

The Lead Partners Primary PGCE is run in partnership with a range of Lead Partners partner schools. You can choose which Lead Partners Provider you would like to apply for and then submit your application through UCAS.

Each Lead Partners Provider will offer its own unique range of placement experiences and opportunities but will still share most, if not all, of the Primary PGCE taught strands with the University of Leicester Primary PGCE students, giving you a great opportunity to share experience and practice with other students.

The following schools are our Lead Partners Primary Providers:

Learn-AT Lead Partners
Sparkenhoe Lead Partners
Thomas Estley Learning Alliance (TELA)
If you have any queries regarding the Lead Partners courses, please the lead school directly and they will be happy to help. Please use the contact details provided on the university website Lead Partners pages.

Not sure which PGCE route is right for you? Have a look at the university website Routes into Teaching pages to find out more about PGCE, Lead Partners and SCITT routes, including the dates of regular events we hold.

Assessment method
The majority of your taught sessions will be with students from the other routes into teaching, allowing you to benefit from their variety of experiences and knowledge. Some of your sessions will also be taught in age-phase groups (e.g. Lower Primary and Primary). There are also specialist study groups for all students.

Our course has been praised by external examiners and Ofsted for its focus on reflection, receiving an Outstanding grade in our latest inspection. You will be encouraged to evaluate your own teaching and share your learning with your peers.

Throughout your PGCE course we will work in partnership with your Lead School to ensure you have the support of a range of teachers and tutors as we are aware of the confidence this brings. We'll make sure you have the right support at the right time – whether that's at university or in school.

As well as gaining your Postgraduate Certificate of Education and QTS, you will also be able to take 60 credits which can be put towards a Masters qualification (you need 180 credits to complete a Masters).

You will complete two written assignments which make up the academic part of your assessment. The rest of your assessment will take place continuously throughout the course. There are no exams.

Qualified teacher status (QTS)
To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Primary