Our Teacher Training Programme
Your Teacher Training Programme: Get Hands-On from Day One
At Co-op Academies Trust, we offer a complete Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme designed to create brilliant, ethical teachers who want to make a real difference in their communities. Our training is based in schools, giving you hands-on experience right from the start. You'll dive straight into school life, learning practical skills alongside your academic studies. Our outstanding teaching professionals lead the programme, so you know you're getting the best guidance.
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Our Curriculum: Building Confident, Motivated Teachers
Our curriculum is carefully designed to help you become a motivated, collaborative, and learner-focused teacher who really makes a positive impact in schools and the wider teaching profession. We'll make sure you fully meet the Teachers' Standards by the end of the programme. We give our trainee teachers a rich, responsive, and well-organised curriculum that lets them learn, explore, and put their classroom learning into practice.
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We've Got Your Back: Unrivalled Support and Mentorship
You won't be alone on your journey. You'll get comprehensive support from our amazing team. This includes accredited Subject Mentors in every school, plus help from experienced teachers and Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs). Your mentors love helping new teachers grow, and our trainees really feel part of our academy communities.
We'll check in on your progress every week with your mentor. You'll talk about what you've learned, how you'll explore teaching methods further, and set goals to help you apply everything in your classroom. We'll also provide written reports on your progress at six key points throughout the year, working with your mentors. Our support is well-planned, so you always know what's coming next.
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The Perks of Training with Us
We offer you a programme packed with benefits:
• Guaranteed Placements: We'll make sure you have teaching placements in our network of Trust schools and partners.
• Experience Across Age Groups: You'll get to train across different phases – from early years up to sixth form.
• Summer Induction: Get to know us and your fellow trainees with induction sessions before your training year begins.
• Your Own Chromebook: We'll give you a new Google Chromebook to use throughout your course and keep when you finish.
• Top Professional Development: You'll attend all INSET training and join weekly professional studies, subject knowledge, and teaching method sessions. These are run by our amazing teachers and focus on real-world teaching and learning.
• Connect and Grow: You'll meet and work with other associate teachers from our broad network across the Trust and our ITT partnership.
• University Perks: Enjoy regular teaching method sessions at The University of Derby and full access to their resources and facilities all year round.
• Dual Qualifications: You'll gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and can work towards a PGCE with 60 Masters Credits.
• Subject Knowledge Support: Get free access to our online learning platform, which will help tailor learning to your specific needs before you even start.
• Diverse Placements: You'll benefit from training in a 'home school' and also get experience in an alternative setting. For secondary trainees, this often means an A-B-A model: your home school for the autumn term, an alternative school from January to Easter, and then back to your home school.
• Experience All Key Stages: If you're primary, you'll get experience in Key Stage 3 to help you support students transitioning. If you're secondary, you'll get experience in Key Stage 2 and also in Key Stage 5 at Connell College.
• SEND Experience: Every Associate Teacher gets the chance to gain Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) experience across our Trust.
• Salaried Training: If you have at least two years of relevant experience in education, we offer salaried training opportunities. We'll even cover your tuition fees
The ITT Curriculum
Our ITT curriculum is designed to develop motivated, collaborative and learner-centred teachers who contribute effectively to schools and the teaching profession. We are committed to providing a rich, responsive and well-sequenced curriculum for our trainee teachers which will allow them to fully meet the Teachers’ Standards at the end of the programme.
Our curriculum is organised into three distinct phases: Introductory Phase, Developmental Phase and Consolidation Phase. Each phase is clearly defined in terms of learning expectations and this phased approach allows content to be explored in increasing depth over the training year. By using a phased/progressive curriculum, we set clear expectations for trainee progress.
We have carefully planned our curriculum to reflect trainees’ learning needs at every stage of the programme. As the year progresses, trainees will revisit the 5 Learning Themes in increasing depth, building confidence and competence in all 5 areas.
Continuous Learning Themes
- Thinking Professional
- Developing Partnerships
Our 2 Continuous Learning Themes will be a continual focus for learning across the year as trainee understanding of the role and partnerships evolves in changing contexts.
Focus Learning Themes
- Building a Learning Culture
- Planning for Learning
- Purposeful Assessment
Learn, Explore, Apply Approach
We use a Learn, Explore & Apply approach to help trainees to make strong connections between Centre-based and School-based learning. Trainees are encouraged to:
- Consider what they have learned, explore it more fully and apply it in the classroom.
- Engage with training sessions that guide trainees to plan for further exploration and application in the classroom.
- Follow the Learn, Explore & Apply approach when reflecting on their learning each week
Mentors are asked to shape discussion and teaching and learning opportunities using the Learn, Explore & Apply approach. This ensures that trainees are reflecting on learning, exploring it more fully in their school placement and taking opportunities to apply what they have learnt in their teaching.
Trainee teachers, tutors, mentors and trainers all have a part to play in making connections between Centre-based and School-based learning. We help schools to do this by sharing our Curriculum Plans and we ask trainee teachers to lead the conversation on this by sharing what they have learnt with schools.
Professional studies programme
Our year-long programme ensures all Trainee Teachers gain a knowledge and understanding of the Teaching Standards, with the opportunity to then put their learning into practice. Sessions are tailored to the stage of your training year you are currently at and adapted to individual needs including:
- Effective Classroom Observations
- What is Curriculum?
- Lesson Planning
- Literacy and Oracy within the Classroom
- Understanding the Professional Role of a Teacher
- How Children Learn
- Effective Teaching
- Clarity of Instruction
- Behaviour, Relationships and Trust
- Working with Evidence, Engaging with Research and Debunking Educational Myths
- Purposeful Assessment for Learning and Powerful Questioning
- Powerful Feedback
- Using Data to Intervene
- Adaptive and Responsive Teaching for Pupils with Needs
- Understanding Community, Context and Family Engagement
- British Values and the Role of PSHE
- Supporting Student Mental Health and Childhood Trauma.
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Employability: Securing Your First Teaching Position
- Supporting Student Mental Health and Childhood Trauma.
- Raising High Aspiration for all
- Developing Your Professional Identity & Professional Conversations
Intensive Training & Practice (ITaP)
Intensive Training and Practice (ITaP) is an opportunity for trainees to take their learning further with an intensive focus on a specific, granular area of pedagogy. The four areas we have identified as beneficial to our trainees’ learning and development are:
- Setting high expectations & establishing a strong start to lessons & during transitions.
- Developing teacher clarity through explicit instruction.
- Design purposeful scaffolding leading to developing independence.
- Questioning and deepening thinking.