Oundle has been a School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) hub since 2017. Our aim is to make a difference to the national teaching profession through a joint independent and maintained sector teacher training initiative, whilst sharing expertise across our schools.
Through the national SCITT programmes, we run successful training schemes for graduates and career changers in the shortage subjects of Maths and Modern Languages. Trainees teach on placements at two of our 30 partner schools; one independent and one state.
Our subject-specific SCITTs are different from the traditional PGCE route, because trainees spend more time working in schools from the start, and study the educational theory (the PGCE part) alongside teaching in the classroom.
Trainees receive weekly or fortnightly subject-specific training throughout the course from subject specialists, and build up their teaching very gradually. They spend their time on placement at two of our 30 partner schools in the area and experience teaching in both independent and maintained sectors.
“For recent graduates with a good degree in a related subject or anyone who would like to change careers, this could be a very exciting opportunity to take the first step on the path to an enormously rewarding career.”
Modern languages are a vital ingredient of a broad and balanced curriculum, preparing our students for the global economy, as well as a wide array of cultural opportunities. However, without enough modern languages teachers, we cannot ensure that our students get the high quality language teaching they deserve. The National Modern Languages SCITT helps tackle this problem by offering an alternative source of outstanding modern language teachers to schools.
A trainee spends most of their time on placements at two schools – one in a maintained school and one independent. Oundle School works with thirty other schools in the area and trainees will be placed in any two of these schools. The one-year course is co-ordinated with the Sheffield Teaching School Alliance, which has at its heart Silverdale School with an outstanding track record of specialising in modern languages. Trainees attend eleven training days across the year at Oundle School, which are delivered by experienced language teachers and PGCE tutors. The PGCE part of the course is provided by Sheffield Hallam University and takes a blended approach.
The national shortage of teachers of Mathematics is a crisis which will only result in a greater shortage as too often pupils leave school without having experience of high-quality teaching in these subjects. The ‘National Maths and Physics SCITT’ (NMAPS) , for which we deliver the Maths pathway at Oundle, is designed to help to address this problem through a partnership with maintained and independent schools.
The course starts with three induction days and weekly training focused on Mathematics teaching is led by subject specialists at Oundle School. There are also three National Training Days where the whole national cohort comes together. Trainees spend the majority of their time in their two placement schools which are complementary, giving a varied experience of schools. Our placement schools span part of the East Midlands and into East Anglia, allowing us to place trainees in schools close to their homes. Each trainee has an in-school mentor to guide and support them throughout the year. The PGCE is provided by Buckingham University online.
Taking the lead in developing and promoting excellence in the classroom, our new Teacher Lab, demonstrates the School’s commitment to best practice in teaching and learning among both trainees and experienced teachers. The new Lab provides in-house opportunities to explore pedagogical innovations in teaching and better understand how pupils learn. Offering a unique facility among schools, the Teacher Lab has recording equipment for self-assessment and live streaming to an adjacent classroom for evaluation; flexible seating for large and small groups; writeable table surfaces with tilt-up tabletops for mini presentations, and wrap-around writable wall boards to inspire engagement and collaboration.
The facility is an integral part of our SCITT programme, offering a dedicated space for training, as well as our mentorship work with teachers at partnership schools.
"I fondly remember my lessons with Miss Little; we had just started learning Russian for the first time and her energy was unmatchable. She had studied four languages and created a real drive and motivation amongst our class. I would like to pursue a degree/career relating to languages so it was extremely inspiring to see someone who had just recently finished a language degree at university and could talk to us about her experiences and the opportunities there could be for us.”Oundle pupil
High quality linguists, mathematicians and physicists attract a generous tax-free bursary to pursue these courses. More information can be found at:
www.nationalmodernlanguages.com
www.nmapscitt.org.uk
For information about Taster and School Experience Days, and the application process, please contact:
Mrs Clare Douglas
SCITT Administrator
cdouglas@oundleschool.org.uk
