October Teaching Careers Workshops

Now is the time to start thinking about Teacher Training applications especially for Primary PGCE courses - and Secondary as well if you are thinking of applying for in-demand subjects like PE.  The deadline for Primary applications is 1st December.

With this in mind, Careers Adviser Joanne Watson will be delivering two sessions at Brampton Road campus this month for those who are or may be interested in teacher training.

You can find more details, dates and times on the University website

Train to Teach – Bursaries still available

The University of Cumbria still has places on PGCE courses

You may be eligible for a place on one of our PGCE courses starting this September for which we have a limited number of places still available.

These courses include:

• PGCE Primary in Carlisle & Tower Hamlets, London
• PGCE Early Years in Carlisle & Lancaster
• PGCE Secondary subjects in Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, ICT, Maths & Physics all in Lancaster

If you are unsure about whether your degree makes you eligible for these courses please call us on 01524 384 500/679 and we can advise you and possibly offer you a Subject Knowledge Enhancement.

You may be eligible for a bursary between £5,000 - £20,000 depending on your degree subject and classification – we can advise you on your eligibility when you call us.

For more information visit the following link:

http://www.cumbria.ac.uk/Courses/ApplicationsEnquiries/Enquiries/PGCE.aspx


Source: The Education Enquiry Team

Changes to School Direct from 2013

Those interested in a career in primary or secondary teaching may be interested to know that the School Direct programme has been expanded for the academic year 2013/14 and will then offer two types of training places:

1) The School Direct Training Programme, which is open to all graduates and funded by tuition fees
paid by the trainee, who may receive a bursary from the Teaching Agency (TA).

2) The School Direct Training Programme (salaried), which is an employment-based route into
teaching for high quality graduates with three or more years’ career experience. The trainee is
employed as an unqualified teacher by a school and will replace the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) which will close.

All School Direct places will lead to qualified teacher status (QTS). Schools will decide whether they wish the provider to award a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)from a higher education institution or School Centred Initial Teacher Training Institution (SCITT).

For recruitment to the academic year 2013/14 the TA will manage a central application system, providing a single point of application for all candidates and on which all School Direct places will be listed. Further details will be made available in due course.

Please note however that places for the 2012-13 School Direct programme will be made direct to schools.  For more details see the Teaching Agency website.

Source: Teaching Agency announcement via AGCAS

Want to Teach? New Developments in Teacher Training

School Direct

Schools are able to bid to the Training and Development Agency (TDA) for 500 training places on this new programme for 2012/13. The school (or group of schools) will recruit trainees directly and then purchase the training from an ITT provider.  Once the trainee has completed training and gained qualified teacher status, the school will be expected to employ the trainee for at least their Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) year.
 
Trainees will be eligible for funding on the same basis as those completing university-based PGCEs (with the offer an additional payment, worth 25% of their bursary, to trainees based in schools where more than a quarter of pupils are eligible for free school meals).

In allocating School Direct places, the TDA will give priority to schools and subjects in greatest need.

TDA Premier Plus Service and School Experience Programme

The TDA is offering the Premier Plus Service to support prospective teacher of maths, physics, chemistry or Modern Foreign Languages (MFL).  Premier Plus includes one-to-one advice and guidance, special events, access to subject knowledge enhancement courses, reimbursement of the GTTR application fee and access to the School Experience Programme (SEP).

SEP itself offers classroom experience for one to ten days in a secondary school to applicants considering teaching maths, physics, chemistry, D&T, ICT or MFL.  The programme is available to final year University students and some others.

Distance Learning PGCE

The TDA have accredited Hibernia College to provide an e-learning based programme leading to a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in secondary maths, physics or chemistry. The two-year flexible programme is delivered through a combination of online lectures and tutorials, locally delivered workshops and school placements organised through the programme’s national network of hub schools.  Subject knowledge enhancement is included as appropriate.

Studio Schools

Studio schools are a new option at age 14.  They teach both academic and vocational qualifications in a practical and project-based way, often in conjunction with employers.  Study is combined with work placements in the schools’ partner organisations.  Some schools will be located alongside existing maintained schools and academies and others will be separate academies. 


Source: AGCAS Teaching Task Group

Essential Swatting for PGCE Candidates!

The Coalition Government is undertaking a wide-ranging review of educational provision, so those applying for PGCE places this year need to be aware of the proposals contained in policy documents such as:

• The white paper on The Importance of Teaching, which includes proposals for new school structures, changes to performance tables, funding and initial teacher training, and new ideas on behaviour management. http://www.education.gov.uk/b0068570/the-importance-of-teaching

• The green paper outlining a new approach to special educational needs and disability Support and Aspiration http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/sen/a0075339/sengreenpaper
  

• A matched funding scheme to help primary schools teach systematic synthetic phonics – see press release http://www.education.gov.uk/inthenews/inthenews/a0076456
  

• The Wolf Report on changes to vocational education http://www.education.gov.uk/16to19/qualificationsandlearning/a0074953/review-of-vocational-education-the-wolf-report

Source: AGCAS Teaching and Related Professions Task Group Bulletin

Closure of the Student Associates Scheme

The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) has decided to close the Student Associates Scheme (SAS), which was used by PGCE applicants looking for work experience in schools, with effect from 31 July 2011.

TDA will launch a new, single School Experience Programme (SEP) from September 2011. The new programme will be available not just to students, but also to other people who are considering entering, or in some cases, re-entering teaching.

Source: Sue Spence, Chair AGCAS Teaching and Related Professions Task Group

Big Changes to PGCE Bursaries for Trainee Teachers...

were announced by the Government last week.

For September 2011, TDA (Training and Development Agency) bursaries will only be available for those studying for PGCE/PGDE in shortage Secondary subjects:-

• Physics, Chemistry, Engineering and Mathematics will attract a bursary of £9,000
  
• Biology, Combined/General Science and Foreign Languages will attract a bursary of £6,000

This effectively withdraws the bursary for Primary PGCE courses, although the number of course places will rise slightly to reflect the increasing number of primary pupils.

There will also be a big increase in places on the "Teach First" programme, whereby graduates can gain teaching experience without first gaining a qualification.

Applying for PGCE Courses

Further to my post on teaching applications last week, it appears there are currently some technical problems loading information on www.gttr.ac.uk

A colleague has suggested that students complete the form as far as they can and keep checking for updates so their application is ready to go on 5th October, which is apparently the first date when GTTR will send on applications to the course providers.