PGCE Programme with Camden Primary Partnership - Lead Partner Direct Route
Become a confident, inclusive teacher in vibrant, diverse Camden schools.
Benefit from expert mentoring and real classroom experience.
Achieve a PGCE from UCL's Institute of Education (ranked #1 for education in the QS World University Rankings).
Why Train With Us?
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Supportive school placements in a borough renowned for education excellence.
Partnered with UCL Institute of Education for high-quality PGCE training.
Front-loaded classroom observation: learn from outstanding teachers from day one.
Varied experience: teach across a range of diverse, creative classrooms.
School-based professional development led by experienced teachers
Child-centred, hands-on learning rooted in exciting, topic-based approaches.
Professional, enthusiastic staff committed to supporting your growth.
Become part of a school community, gaining deep insight into the richness and complexities of primary teaching.
If you are considering applying to begin a PGCE in the London Borough of Camden in September 2026 and have the necessary entry requirements, please do get in touch! You can email us for more information at teachertraining@eleanorpalmer.camden.sch.uk
Applications are open via the DfE Website
What makes the LPD Camden route special?
The official title of this pathway is IoE Lead Partner Direct, run in partnership with UCL IOE since 2013. This year, we aim to recruit around 15 highly motivated trainees who will enjoy and thrive in our full and varied programme.
We play a unique role in training new teachers through a bespoke Lead Partner Direct pathway. Our programme is designed to give you the best training experience with wide exposure to different school settings, helping you discover the kind of teacher you want to be and the environments where you thrive.
We work alongside UCL Institute of Education and 15 outstanding and good local Camden schools to deliver a successful, hands-on programme that balances university-led lectures with practical, school-based learning.
Structure:
You will spend approximately two-thirds of your time (approximately 120 days) in your Lead Partner’s schools on 'school experience' and approximately 60 days at IOE following the core IOE PGCE programme.
These blocks of school experience (SE) are structured as follows: SE1a, SE1b and SE1c within one of our partner schools, SE2 at a contrasting school or setting, SE3 in a second of our partner schools with dates roughly as below.
Features of the programme:
Attend the same world-leading PGCE lectures as other UCL students.
- Additional weekly small-group school-based training sessions in each of our partner schools.
- Build a supportive peer group and strong professional network.
- Complete placements in fantastic Camden schools you get to know well — no unpredictable travel across the city.
- Bespoke support with job applications and the interview process.
Academic modules:
The PGCE programme consists of three core modules:
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two Master’s level (level 7) assessments, and
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the Professional Practice module, which is assessed by observation of practical teaching in placement schools and completion of school-based tasks.
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Programme Leadership:
Our programme is led by Eleanor Palmer (Deputy Head), Rosie Thomson, and the UCL team. Rosie has first-hand experience of the programme having trained through this route in 2013 and liaises closely with mentors and class teachers across our partner schools, ensuring every trainee has a well-supported, high-quality ITT experience.
Which schools will I train in?
You will complete the academic aspects of your PGCE alongside other students studying at UCL's Institute of Education, who are our education partners.
The school placement element of your PGCE programme will take place in two of our fifteen partner schools. In additional to Eleanor Palmer these are:
Our partner school Hawley Primary, Brecknock Primary School, Christopher Hatton Primary School, Fleet Primary School, Torriano Primary School, Kentish Town CofE Primary School, Rhyl Primary School, Gospel Oak Primary School, Netley Primary School, Holy Trinity CE School NW1, Thomas Coram Early Years Centre, Brookfield Primary School, Rosary Catholic Primary School, West Hampstead Primary School, Primrose Hill Primary School.
While other trainees at UCL wait to be placed in the autumn term with less predictable commutes - your first placement will be confirmed by July and in one of our partner schools (see map). We put you in touch with your school and the mentors before the summer holiday so you can be as prepared as possible for the start of your placement. All of our partner schools are well-connected to bus, tube or overground routes.
What qualification will I receive?
You will graduate with QTS and a PGCE that includes 60 master’s credits.
This internationally-recognised qualification allows you to teach anywhere in the world. It is the same PGCE awarded to university-based trainees and offers more academic and career flexibility than routes that award QTS only, such as many salaried programmes.
Please see full details of the course here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/courses/teacher-training
In addition to offering the options of focusing on EYFS/KS1 or KS1/KS2 in your training, we also offer a Maths Primary Specialist option which will take a more in-depth look at the teaching of mathematics across the primary curriculum.
Start your teaching career in Camden!
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Eleanor Palmer was one of the first schools to lead school-based teacher training through the School Direct programme in 2013. Since then, a huge number of trainees from the Camden Primary Partnership have gone on to take up roles in Camden schools and continue to be supported through their ECT years.
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A phenomenal 73% of our 2021-2025 cohorts have gone on to be recruited by Camden schools. Many of our PGCE graduates now mentor new teachers and hold leadership roles across the borough. Local headteachers look to our pool of alumni when recruiting and always comment positively on the impact of our nurturing, rigorous route. We are proud to grow reflective, confident and passionate teachers that Camden schools are keen to hire!
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With the introduction of the Early Career Framework in 2021, Camden teachers receive strong ongoing support through Camden Learning’s well-regarded professional development model. Camden is a fantastic place to work, and the borough’s commitment to professional development is recognised across London.
Entrance requirements
In order to qualify for training on our programme you will be required to comply with UCL's entrance requirements, which you can find here. If you have any questions about whether your current qualifications meet with UCL's requirements please get in touch directly with UCL's Graduate Admissions team.
- We are specifically looking for excellent candidates who:
- Have a good degree (ideally 2:1, at least 2:2) and a high standard of academic competence across the range of subjects taught at primary;
- Are interested in training and working in Camden - with a good understanding of the opportunities and challenges of working in our context;
- Have the desire to approach curriculum planning in a creative and imaginative way;
- Have very high standards for the children and themselves;
- Are committed to inclusion for all;
- Have the ability and willingness to continuously reflect, improve and learn from mistakes;
- Have high levels of interpersonal and communication skills;
- Have the ability to sustain optimism, energy and a positive outlook under pressure and challenge;
- Have the capacity for hard work, and a sense of humour.
If you are considering making an application for our 2026-27 PGCE programme, you can contact us on teachertraining@eleanorpalmer.camden.sch.uk or contact our office teams on 0207
If you are ready to make your application to us, you can do so by clicking on the DfE Apply page here.
Cost of training
This is a tuition fee based route, with final accreditation of training being issued by UCL’s Institute of Education, who set the fee levels for courses.
Fees for the 2026-27 academic year are £9,790 for UK applicants. International course fees are £29,500 for the 2026-27 academic year.
Buy our maths books!
We sell two books with a focus on our passion here at Eleanor Palmer – mathematical fluency!
Due to extremely popular demand we have now sold out of paper copies of our Raising the Game book, but you can still purchase a PDF copy of it which we can email out to you for the reduced rate of £5.00. A hard copy of our Talk Times Tables book still costs £10.00 (plus £3.20 P&P). You can buy them through PayPal via the links below with a credit or debit card (no need for PayPal account).
Please note that the office is only open to dispatch books during term time. Orders received during the holidays will be dispatched as soon as we are back.
Raising The Game Book
This is our latest book, the result of a research project funded by the Richard Reeves Foundation into the use of mathematical games as an intervention in Year 2.
The book provides a summary of the findings of the collaborative research project and some fantastic resources and games, which can be directly applied in the classroom setting.
To buy a copy of this book please click:
