We have always put quality training at the heart of our recruitment and support practices, and the launch of our new one-of-a-kind Teacher Training Programme is a logical extension of our commitment to bringing out the best in practising and prospective teachers. Become a partner school with the Engage Teacher Training Programme and be a part of the next generation of teaching in the UK.
Schools that pay the apprenticeship levy will be able to use up to £9,000 to cover the cost of training and assessing their graduate trainee.
As graduates who enrol on the Programme have varying levels of previous experience, come from a range of specialties, and learn at different paces, we have developed a flexible route to PGCE and QTS which is split into two broad phases. We will work closely with your school and the graduate trainees to help you decide when your trainees are ready to progress to Phase Two and begin solo teaching your pupils.
Phase Two will see students commence their modular PGCE training, working towards the award of QTS by the end of the year. During this period, the graduate trainees will work as Unqualified Teachers, supplying their school with 18 teaching hours per week.
Graduate trainees will work initially as classroom assistants, gaining valuable classroom and school experience as well as gathering evidence towards the Teachers’ Standards.
Graduate trainees will also begin taking parts of lessons and team-teaching a small number of classes, working towards providing support as a cover teacher for 50% of their timetable.
The Engage Teacher Training Programme is designed and run by education experts from our Partnership & Development team alongside the university PGCE provider. We’re on hand to answer all of your questions about hiring a specialist graduate for your school.
Graduates can enrol onto the Teacher Training Programme at any time, and we are always evaluating new applicants. Once a graduate has been accepted onto the course and matched with your school, they can begin studying at the start of the next school term.
At Engage, we’re utilising our strong links with universities across the UK to reach graduates (at university job fairs and postgraduate study fairs, for example). We’re also accepting applications from local and international graduates through our website, at which point our Teacher Training Programme team will assess each applicant for suitability.
The schools on the programme will need to select a dedicated mentor for trainees and provide support for the mentor throughout the programme. This mentor will need to attend mentor training run by the university, and work in partnership with Engage to support the trainee. Part of the mentor’s responsibilities is to meet the trainee once a week for formal mentoring sessions, which will be scheduled in the timetable, in order to review, discuss, and set targets and training activities. These mentoring sessions should be at least one period in length. The mentor is also responsible for observing the trainee and giving weekly feedback outside of the time set aside for scheduled mentor meetings, and completing a formal assessment for the trainee at least once per term.
The Engage team is always on hand to provide support and guidance for schools throughout the duration of the programme. We will work with you to ensure you get the most benefit from the trainees at your school while fully preparing trainees for solo teaching in year two. For trainees, we organise CPD and training events to support the academic aspects of the programme, and we also arrange social events and benefits for trainees to ensure trainee satisfaction on the programme. Engage also arranges for all vetting and compliance procedures to be completed, including background and safeguarding checks, before a trainee arrives at your school.
During Year One, trainees will benefit from materials provided by the university to complement their CPD sessions and prepare them for the Year Two PGCE. During the second year of the programme, the university will provide a university mentor to support the trainee through the academic portion of their study.
The cost for schools includes candidate selection and vetting from Engage, along with access to the pool of fully-screened, hand-selected graduates. Once the trainee is in your school, the costs cover all PGCE, QTS and training costs; university support and training for the school-based mentor; and the trainee’s salary, pension and national insurance contributions.
For the duration of Year One, students will regularly attend CPD events, delivered face-to-face and online, as well as providing classroom-based support for the school to gain teaching experience. The classroom-based teaching experience is arranged around your school’s needs and the trainee’s skills. Taking the context of your school into account, you can work with the Engage team to provide meaningful work for your trainee(s) which will give effective preparation for success in their PGCE and give them the skills to solo-teach classes during the second year.
“The graduate trainees make a significant contribution to the College and support from Engage is easily accessible.”
Deputy Head St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College
Fill in our Allocation form below, or contact our Partnership & Development team at training@engage-education.com to let us know that you’re on board.
We’ll send you our allocation pack with everything you’ll need to know about your responsibilities as a school partner.
Once we’ve confirmed that you meet the requirements, we’ll organise a visit to your school to confirm your place.