Train to Teach
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BECOMING A PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHER?
There are many qualification routes to become a Primary School teacher. Choosing the right one for you is an important decision.
Our teacher training qualification allows you to train to be a teacher here at Rickleton Primary School and our partnership of local area schools, via our one year, post graduate teacher training qualification. School based training is the most 'hands-on' practical way to gain qualified teacher status, ensuring that you become an integral part of your home school and see the life of a school from day 1 in September for the full academic year - perfect preparation for the year after when you go it alone as a qualified teacher. Spending 4 days a week based in school, with a Friday based in Sunderland University means that your in school training comes from experienced practising teachers, whilst receiving regular, theoretical guidance from University of Sunderland's highly rated Education Department.
Our partnership is very much about creating opportunities for people to train in the Washington and Chester le Street area, in a close knit partnership, where trainees can learn to teach in high quality school environments, where education is the main focus. Our small, tight-knit group of schools will help trainees to feel supported and build a strong bond with their fellow trainees. The schools involved know the benefits of having trainees consistently based in school for the year, enable them to offer support to become not only high quality teachers but also classroom ready. They know that the effort their school puts in to supporting trainees to reach the highest standards not only benefits the profession but hopefully has an impact on pupils in the local area and, if the opportunity arises, the chance to employ someone in their school who already has experience of their systems and routines. Employment of trainees in their home school, partner schools or within the local area by word of mouth is the focus of School Direct training.
Training happens, via our partnership with the University of Sunderland, based here at Rickleton or at one of our local partner schools:
Lambton Primary School https://www.lambtonprimary.co.uk/
Chester le Street C of E Primary School http://www.clsdurham.co.uk/
Pelton Community Primary https://www.peltonprimary.durham.sch.uk/
Beamish Primary https://www.beamish.durham.sch.uk/
Woodlea Primary School https://www.woodlea.durham.sch.uk/home
Applications to join our training can be made here:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training
Applications can be made from early October each year and the application window will remain open all year until our available places have been filled.
Application and Interview
Applications to join our training can be made here:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training
Applications can be made from early October each year and the application window will remain open until the school summer holidays or until our available places have been filled.
Applications come directly to us and can be made at any point in the year. When we receive your application, we will check your suitability based on qualification, reference and your personal statements. We will then make contact with you.
At this point, if we are happy with your application, we will invite you to formal interview. Interview will take place in school and involve some simple written and practical activities which will be communicated with you in advance. Interview will take place in front of a small panel including members of staff from our partnership and the University.
After the interview, we will discuss your suitability as a panel and then communicate a decision with you. It is likely, for many candidates who are in the middle of a degree, that a positive decision may be 'conditional' whilst you await confirmation of your degree level.
For Primary School Teacher Training, any 2:2 honours or higher degree qualification, combined with GCSE level 4 or 'C' equivalent in English, Maths or Science are required to join our training. You will also be required to undertake a higher level DBS check and be checked against the barred list (for working with children) before undertaking training.
How does the training year work?
The strength of our training is that it is based on the fact that you will be placed in a 'home' school to experience a full academic year in school. Joining the school from the their first day in September, trainees become a part of the staff team, getting to experience many of the things that a teacher does which can often go unnoticed. Carrying out break duties, after school clubs, educational visits and residentials, parent's evenings etc alongside experienced staff ensures readiness to join the profession the following year.
Right throughout the year, trainees are placed in school Monday to Thursday and attend university placement each Friday during non assessed periods. This consistency supports both the trainee and the school to develop a regular timetable for the year.
Expectations of trainees build over the year, initially supporting the class teacher to deliver teaching and gradually taking over a greater percentage of the teaching and preparation responsibilities. Progress is measured during 3 assessed periods where school mentors, partnership managers and university tutors will observe the trainees progress and offer support for continued development.
In order to fulfill government criteria, trainees must experience two different school environments. This happens after the Christmas holiday period, when our trainees swap schools in order to enjoy the different experience which another school setting can bring and to develop their skills with a different age range of children. This exchange of schools happen within our partnership, so trainees can rest assured that they will not be moved to a school a great distance from their home placement. This allows both trainees and the schools themselves to continue to thrive and develop.
At the end of this exchange placement, trainees return to their home school in order to complete a final assessment period which, alongside university assignments and tasks, determines their final grading.
The document below gives a brief example of how a training year may be planned.
Course Entry Requirements
You must have achieved the following minimum requirements to be eligible to apply for School Direct (tuition fee) programmes:
- You'll need to hold an undergraduate degree awarded by a UK higher education provider, or a recognised equivalent qualification.
- You’ll need to have achieved a standard equivalent to grade C/4, or above, in the GCSE examinations in English and mathematics.
- To train to teach with our pupils, aged 5 to 11 (Primary), you must also have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade C/4, or above, in a GCSE science subject examination.
Course Fees
The amount providers charge varies – for UK and EU students, it can be up to £9,535 per year for a full-time programme. It’s a big investment, but there’s often funding available to help you.
The Government website outlines various funding routes which may be available https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding
Organising funding an ensuring that finance is in place remains the responsibility of the trainee and the ability to make it through the year financially should be given support before any applications are made.