At The Cambridge Partnership (TCP), we work closely with our partnership schools to provide a comprehensive programme – combining the latest research-based theories and in-school experience – for trainees who wish to teach in a Primary school.
We place Core training route trainees in one of our partnership schools for 2.5 terms; they then spend part of the spring term in a contrasting school placement (CSP) within a different key stage. Trainees on all other routes spend 15 Fridays in their CSP. This ensures that by the end of the course, our trainees graduate with QTS 3-7 or 5-11 years.
Each trainee has a mentor, in school, who offers support and guidance to ensure that they develop their skills and knowledge in teaching, planning and assessment. The Primary Programme Manager at TCP works closely with the mentor in school to provide bespoke guidance and support for each trainee, from calendared, formal meetings to informal one-to-one chats.
Trainees will spend Monday to Thursday in school, usually starting by working with small groups, before progressing to teaching whole classes and every subject on the Primary Curriculum. On Fridays, from September through to February, each trainee attends Professional Development days, led by experienced teachers, senior leaders or national experts, focusing on generic educational issues and how to teach the primary curriculum. After spring half term, all trainees will be in school 5 days a week, to ensure that they have plenty of practice teaching before being awarded QTS and securing their first teaching post.
In England, you can take a Post Graduate Certificate Education course based in a university or college, or a school-based course run by groups of schools that have formed school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) consortia. Our PGCE programme is university validated for the award of a postgraduate teaching qualification together with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You may be required to attend some lectures at one of our partner universities as part of your school-based course. The Cambridge Partnership PGCE programme takes one academic year to complete.
Trainees can choose between the QTS only route or PGCE with QTS route.
