Teacher Training

For some people training to be a teacher full-time isn’t possible, perhaps because of childcare issues, or financial constraints. For candidates who have good in-class experience and strong subject knowledge we are now able to offer a part-time course with only 3 days a week in school.  On-line Professional Studies work, preparation and assignment writing can be fitted-in around other commitments.

The part-time course is designed to last a maximum of 18 months, however a good candidate may be able to complete the programme in less time, if they can demonstrate that they have met the QTS standard. Anyone interested in this route will need to be successful at interview and then negotiate the detail of their programme with both the host school, the Directors of the ITT Programme and the TES Course Director.

Essex Schools ITT Training Programmes

All applications must be made through the UCAS Teacher Training website using the 'Apply' system.

The UCAS portal for applications to this partnership opens in October each year and you are able to view our training programmes now.

To find the list of programmes we offer, please click on the UCAS link below. In the 'search for a training provider' box search for us using the following lead school provider codes:

Davenant Foundation School or West Essex SD Partnership – 1OS

UCAS SEARCH FOR A TRAINING PROGRAMME

It is essential that all applicants make contact with us for an initial visit to ensure that this route is the right one for you.

School experience is essential; therefore, if you have not done so already, we suggest you make contact with a local school or with us to arrange some observation experience for you.

DBS

An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check (DBS) is required for entry to Initial Teacher Training. We ask applicants to confirm that they agree to a check by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Entry requirements

To qualify for this school centered route you must have English and Maths GCSE (or equivalent) at grade C or above and a degree preferably in the subject you want to teach, however through our provider TES Institute we offer SKE (Subject Knowledge Enhancement), see our SKE menu.  You must have two references and you must have passed the English and Maths professional skills tests before a formal offer of a place on the training programme is made.

How we select

The partnership will sift applications for eligibility (meeting the criteria) and a list will be drawn up.  All of the partnership schools will take part in a shortlisting process for each subject on offer and this will lead to interviews being held across all of the schools.

The Interview process will involve an observation of the candidate teaching a class for 30 minutes (at least) with advance notice of the topic, year group and ability of the children that they will be teaching.  There will be a written exercise and an interview lasting 30 minutes.

Staff from participating schools and TES Institute will be involved in the process which will be coordinated by Davenant Foundation School as the ‘Lead School’.   

• applicant must present original degree certificate and GCSE certificates (or equivalent) grade C or above passes in English, Maths and Science
• proof of ID and residency
• satisfactory references
• satisfactory health check and Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
• applicant must pass the Professional Skills Tests in Literacy and Numeracy

All overseas qualifications will need to be verified by NARIC.  

What is Subject Knowledge Enhancement?

Our online subject knowledge enhancement courses are perfect for you if you are applying for teacher training in Biology, Chemistry, Computing, English, French, Geography, German, Maths, Physics or Spanish and either your degree is not subject-specific or you lack confidence in your subject.

Our SKE courses prepare you for initial teacher training by helping you to gain the depth of subject knowledge and skills you need to be able to teach your chosen subject. We recommend that all postgraduates applying for teacher training in a shortage subject complete an SKE course prior to or during their initial teacher training.

As a postgraduate teacher training trainee you could access National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) SKE funding to cover the cost of a Tes Institute SKE course (worth up to £5,600*) and you may be eligible for a tax-free SKE training bursary of up to £5,600 (depending on the course length and availability of supplementary funding). 

Tes Institute offers online SKE courses in nine subjects, including 

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Computing
• English
• French
• Geography
• German
• Maths
• Physics
• Spanish

In order to receive course funding from the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) your chosen SKE subject should match the subject that you have a conditional offer for, unless you are teaching a Modern Language (French, German or Spanish) in which case you can choose a language that does not match your teacher training subject. In the case of Modern Language, you may pick up to two languages to cover back-to-back.