Teacher training

Source: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/teacher-training/

Discover world-class teacher training with one of the UK's most respected PGCE providers. Quality teachers are highly sought after, and choosing the right programme is an important step in ensuring a rewarding career. Apply now and kickstart your future in teaching.

PGCE courses at the University of Exeter

Our carefully scaffolded programmes are designed to get you ready to teach from your very first lesson. A PGCE from the University of Exeter will provide you with a master’s level academic qualification (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Primary PGCE

Secondary PGCE

PGCE Open Days

Apply for 2026 entry

All applications for entry to our 2026-27 PGCE with QTS programmes must be made through the DfE's Apply service. From 30 September 2025 you will be able to search for courses on the DfE's Find site starting in the 2026 to 2027 academic year. From 7 October 2025 you will be able to apply for these courses.

Find out more about applying for a PGCE at the University of Exeter

Tuition fees and funding

The government recognises that teaching is a demanding profession. There are numerous financial incentives available for new trainees, including specific payments for early career teachers and schemes to claim back student loan repayments. These incentives can be dependant on the subject you are teaching, the type of school you are teaching in, and when you completed your training.

Find out more about teacher training fees and funding at the University of Exeter

More information about Teacher Training at the University of Exeter

Delivering excellent teacher training
How we support you during your studies
Get into teaching: making a difference
Accommodation for PGCE students
Teacher training placements
Post Compulsory Education
Contact us
Frequently asked questions

Top 150 in the world for Education.

The Times Higher World University Rankings 2025

Excellent placement support and subject expertise provided by the School of Education.

We are a Top 15 UK university according to major higher education league tables.

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of UK universities.

Delivering excellent teacher training

The Exeter Model of Initial Teacher Education is a highly regarded model used to deliver an excellent standard of education and training to our students. The Model combines a strong grounding in educational research and theory to underpin our use of a unique set of tools that help you learn to teach through expert modelling, practice, reflection and professional dialogue with experienced teachers.

The Model sequences learning to teach through five developmental phases: Anticipating Practice, Beginning Practice, Consolidating Practice, Developing Independence, and Extending Practice. We believe that teacher education and training should be carefully sequenced to facilitate your success and lay strong foundations for a long term career in teaching. Our model is designed to make this happen, helping you to make a great start to your teaching career.

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Leading educational research

We are a national leader in Educational Research. We believe that teachers should have the skills and knowledge to engage with research in education and keep them informed and up to date throughout their careers. Our ITE courses embed research throughout training so teachers understand not just how to teach, but why. Trainees learn from active researchers with international reputations, engage with current debates in education, and apply evidence-based ideas to improve their own classroom practice.

Ofsted excellence

As well as inspecting schools, Ofsted also inspect initial teacher education providers. In our most recent Ofsted Report 2023, the University of Exeter was cited as ‘a great place to learn how to teach’ where trainees ‘thrive’ and are ‘inspired by the exceptionally strong subject knowledge of university staff’. Our courses were graded as “Outstanding” for our Primary courses and “Good” for our Secondary courses, reinforcing the University’s long term reputation for excellence in Teacher Education.

How we support you during your studies

We offer outstanding support to trainees both in academia and in their day-to-day lives.

Excellent facilities

A PGCE course is demanding and to help you achieve your best results we take great care in providing excellent resources. The St Luke's Campus facilities include:

modern seminar rooms and lecture theatres
one of the largest Education libraries in the UK with study areas (both silent and group research spaces)
excellent IT facilities including a wireless network and a self-service facility
bespoke ITE Science lab and Primary base

Student services

Dedicated student services

The University provides comprehensive student services that include Wellbeing Services, Student Study Skills Service, Student Advice Unit, the Counselling Service, International Student Support Office, Students’ Union Advisors, the Student Health Centre and the Chaplaincy which are available to all students, including when you are on your school placements.

We also have a dedicated Race Equality Resource Office (RERO) – Ruth Flanagan. Ruth is available to work closely with PGCE trainees from all ethnic minorities and students from other backgrounds who have witnessed or are worried about racism. She offers:

a safe, confidential and non-judgmental place to discuss issues and concerns
signposting to practical support with issues such as housing and finance
referral to appropriate agencies for specialist advice, information and support.

Academic support

During your PGCE year you will have access to a wide range of support to help you succeed.

You will have a personal tutor, responsible for monitoring your overall progress during the course, including support for your academic work. Your personal tutor will also provide pastoral support and can signpost you to university services, where needed.
You will also have a University Lead Mentor who will visit you in each school placement and will monitor and support your progress in school over the year. They will also monitor the support and provision being provided by your placement schools.
In school you will a specially trained Mentor who will support you in your ongoing development as a teacher. Each partner school also has an Initial Teacher Education Coordinator whose role is to monitor the quality of provision within their school and provide a link between the school and the University’s Partnership Office. All school staff involved in your training receive training by our Partnership Office team on the Exeter Model of ITE and all mentors receive mentor training.
You’ll have access to a range of support, including materials available through our online learning environment such as lecture notes, presentations, film clips and reading materials. You will also have access to an online portfolio (individual development portfolio or IDP) where you, your Mentor and University Lead Mentor will record your progress and achievement of each phase of your training.
As a registered student you will also have access to the University’s extensive wellbeing and academic support services both during your campus-based training and your school placements.

Time to unwind

Although academic resources are essential for your training, time to relax and unwind from your studies are just as important when it comes to thriving at the University of Exeter.

To help make your experience as enjoyable and complete as possible the following facilities are also available on St Luke’s Campus:

Cross Keys cafe bar
an indoor swimming pool
two gymnasia including a dedicated advanced conditioning studio
a central grass quad for games, sporting activities and relaxing
beautiful landscaped grounds

The University has a very active Students’ Guild, which offers a range of activities and events for all students. In addition to the St Luke’s Campus, students are encouraged to take advantage of further facilities located on the Streatham Campus, which is only a short 20-minute walk away. Exeter City Centre is also only a 10-minute walk from the St Luke’s campus.

Get into teaching: making a difference

Our vision is to contribute to a more socially just society and help you make a significant difference to young peoples’ lives. Our courses are underpinned by the belief that all children can succeed regardless of their current attainment or background through high quality teaching.

While most teachers cite job satisfaction as the most rewarding aspect of a career in teaching, there are other benefits too. Teachers get more holiday than many other professions and have access to the Teachers' pension scheme.

Most early career teachers are paid a starting salary of £32,916 up to £40,317, depending on where you teach. This will increase as you get more experienced. See the salary and benefits pages of the Get into Teaching website for more information.

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Anna, studying a Secondary PGCE course

"This course is really well organised, which makes a huge difference when studying a PGCE. The course leaders and peers create a great sense of community, which is established very early on. Every placement is carefully chosen, ensuring your school mentors provide the same high level of support.

As a mature student making a big transition, I'm so glad I made the leap."

Emma, Secondary PGCE (Biology)

"For me, being on placement was where I felt most at home. I had two amazing placements and I found being in school allowed me to test all the pedagogy I was taught during my time in university.

Being able to build relationships with students and colleagues was so important in helping me start developing into the teacher I aspire to be. This also gave me so much confidence entering my first ECT year and I was lucky enough to secure a job at one of my placement schools!"

Contact us about our PGCE courses

For general enquiries from prospective students about enrolling on a PGCE course at Exeter, or from existing applicants about an aspect of your application, please contact the PGCE Admissions Office at:

0300 555 60 60 (UK callers)
+44 (0) 1392 723044 (EU/International callers)
Web: Enquire online

For police checks and DBS enquiries, please contact the DBS Admissions Office. For queries about school placements, please contact the Partnership Office.

Frequently asked questions about Teacher Training

We've answered some of the most frequently asked questions about our PGCE programmes and teacher training below.

What is a PGCE?

A PGCE is a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. It is a one-year full-time postgraduate qualification equivalent to 60 credits at Masters level. Completing a PGCE is a common way for prospective teachers to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The course combines academic study with practical learning through school placements.

How Long Does a PGCE Take?

A PGCE is usually completed in as a one-year, full-time course. PGCE's are commonly completed in order to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). We have compiled a helpful guide outlining the complete road to teaching, including pre-PGCE and post-PGCE requirements to kickstart your teaching career.

Which PGCE course or age group is right for me?

For some who want to pursue a career in teaching, they have a very clear idea of what their life in the job will be like and which age group they want to work with. There are many, however, for whom the choice is not so clear – and this is perfectly normal. We have a dedicated guide on choosing an age group to teach that poses some key questions and outlines some of the differences you can expect to find between working with the separate age groups to help guide your decision.

Is it possible to become a teacher later in life?

With many people changing careers several times during their lifetime, it’s safe to say that most of us aren’t afraid to make big changes to our work life these days. Despite this, making the jump isn’t always easy, and jobs that appeal to us can still be intimidating if a lot of retraining is required.

As a field that requires a fair amount of time and studying to move into, teaching is sometimes viewed as a profession that’s difficult or unfeasible to enter in later life. However, the reality is that it’s probably a lot more accessible than you might think.

We've outlined some of the key hurdles and requirements in our guide to teacher retraining and becoming a teacher later in life.

What routes into teaching are there?

The University of Exeter offers the following routes into teaching:

Both routes lead to QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and to a Masters-level Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) (not to be confused with the Professional Graduate Certificate in Education- also often referred to as PGCE: the Professional Certificate does not carry Master level credits and is one level lower on the National Qualifications Framework than our Postgraduate Certificate).

What career prospects would I have with a PGCE from the University of Exeter?

The University of Exeter has a strong reputation for excellence and our PGCE trainees are highly sought after. Our partnership with over 250 schools and a very active and supportive Careers and Employment Service will help to ensure you are given the best possible opportunity to secure your first teaching post.

We have links with local and national schools and teacher recruitment agencies across the country. We offer opportunities for you to meet with recruiters through either online or face to face recruitment events. Details of vacancies are also made available online.

Where will my school teaching placement be?

You will be placed in two schools that will be in commutable distance from your home address. We will ask you to provide more specific detail about your placement preferences once a place on the course has been confirmed and we will confirm your provisional placements prior to the start of the course. During the Autumn term you will be attending sessions in Exeter for about 9 weeks. You will spend the rest of the time in your school placement with about a day a month in Exeter.

The Initial Teacher Education Partnership Office usually notifies trainees of their provisional placements in late July (see Placements sections for more details). It is recommended that you do not commit yourself to a long term accommodation contract before receiving your placement details from the ITE Partnership Office unless you are flexible with your transport options.

Please also be aware that even after you have received information about your placements, they are only provisional as circumstances can change causing schools to pull out of agreed placements well into the PGCE year.

Can international students apply for PGCE courses?

We welcome applications from international students for our Primary and Secondary PGCE courses. Details of fees for international students are available on the relevant course page.