Director of Initial Teacher Education: Simon Thompson
Download the ITE Brochure 2013 [PDF 467.60KB]
An early micro lesson practising on fellow trainees
The University of Sussex has a history of innovation for its teaching courses: 40 years ago it pioneered the model of school-based teacher training which has now been adopted by all training institutions in England. Local schools have joined the University to form the Sussex Consortium for Teacher Education and Research and are equal partners in training teachers. The result of this long-established relationship is that our trainees receive excellent support - both from their placement schools and from the experienced teachers or 'mentors' who have volunteered to train new teachers and provide models of good practice.
The Department of Education's Postgraduate Certificate of Education) PGCE courses are designed for those wanting full-time teacher training. Courses are divided between school and university and lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The PGCE is offered for both Key Stage 2/3 (7-14) and Secondary. For the latter, teaching is focused on Key Stages 3 and 4 (11-16) but training includes inputs on KS5 (16-19) and post-16 teaching experience, where available and on request.
All postgraduates have access to the University's excellent Library and computing facilities. Registration with the University Computing Service gives trainees access to campus computers with e-mail and internet facilities.