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 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. Lead Partners Primary Providers

Learn-AT Lead Partners Sparkenhoe Lead Partners

If you have any queries regarding the Lead Partners courses, please contact the lead school directly and they will be happy to help. Please use the contact details provided on our Lead Partners pages. 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, including the dates of regular events we hold. We foster your continued relationship with Education at Leicester once you become an NQT by supporting your career development in a number of ways, including running a successful NQT Conference each spring. During your NQT year you will be invited to attend an NQT conference which includes keynote speakers, a variety of workshops and networking opportunities. Previous attendees have said:

"It made me think a lot about my ethos in the classroom. Humorous and insightful, put the year into perspective." "Fantastic and inspiring." "Lots of ideas to put in place tomorrow!"

Our Careers and Employability Service is here to support you with advice on interviews, CVs, work experience, volunteering and more. From Freshers' Week to Graduation and beyond, they are here to help you reach your professional goals. An engagement with research is an important element of developing as a critically reflective classroom practitioner; the sessions in this strand will introduce you to a range of theoretical ideas about learning and teaching and their implications for practice. This strand is also designed to help you develop skills related to professional inquiry and will show you how to carry out small scale studies in your placement classrooms which can then be written up for your two assignments. A significant element of the strand is undertaking a specialist study which includes taught sessions at the University combined with a small project in the spring term school placement. During the autumn term you will select your area for specialist study from options which may include:

English Inclusion Mathematics Science

The modules listed reflect those currently available to students. Every year, we review our modules and their content to ensure that our courses maintain the best academic and student experience possible. Whilst this does mean elements of your course may change in future academic years, it ensures your course is giving you a research-inspired education and preparing you for your future. This is a six-week placement, either individual or sometimes with two students working together in one class. You will focus on developing observation skills to support your understanding of teaching and learning and to put your learning into practice. During this Autumn Term placement you will work towards taking an increased responsibility for teaching the class. This takes place in the Spring Term and lasts for six weeks. The amount of time spent teaching the class increases over the placement until you have responsibility for up to 80% of the timetable. This is an eight-week placement in the Summer Term with students working towards taking responsibility for 80% of the teaching timetable. You will normally return to the school where you were based in the autumn term, but with a different class. Throughout each of these placements you will be encouraged to participate fully in the life of the school and to take full advantage of the tasks and activities designed by your tutors to support your development. Your placement schools will be decided by your personal tutor following discussions about your professional development needs. It is expected that through your three placements you will gain experience across the age range that you are training to teach. Entry Requirements

2:1 degree (or above) GCSE grade C or above in English Language, Maths and Science. A pass in the Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy. Although not essential, you may find it useful to have recent experience working with children and/or observing teaching in a school setting, ideally relating to the age range/subject you wish to teach. When writing your application you should try to reflect on your experience and tell us what you learnt. You must have a GCSE Grade C in English Language. Please see our entry requirements for more information.

Programme Overview This is a 1-year full-time PGCE Primary Lead Partners programme, for those with an undergraduate degree who would like to train to teach 3‑7 or 5‑11 year‑olds as part of the Lead Partners scheme. Start date: September 2026. Tuition fee: £19,400. A deposit is required to secure your place and will be subtracted from your total tuition fee. Tuition and Fees Tuition fee: £19,400. Start date: September 2026. Deposit required to secure your place. #J-18808-Ljbffr