Do you have a calling to teach?

What is the SCITT?

The programme is school-centred initial teacher training and it leads to Qualified Teacher Status which is the qualification you need to teach in schools. It’s designed to maximise time spent on the job, in contrasting schools, to fully prepare candidates for life as a teacher on completion. It’s a programme designed by our schools to grow their own workforce from within.

What are their entry requirements?

Candidates need GCSE [or equivalent] English and Maths, plus Science if you want to train in Primary. You need a degree but it doesn’t necessarily have to be in the subject you wish to teach. There are plenty of subject knowledge enhancement courses that you will be paid to complete before the course starts, but most candidates have a relevant degree or at least an A Level. They are looking for passionate people who care about making a difference to young people and who have the personal and professional qualities to do so. Teaching is about personality and engagement. They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Why teach on the Fylde Coast?

Wages in Blackpool are £8,000 per year lower than the national average, which means that teaching is one of the highest paid jobs here. As a newly qualified teacher, your starting pay is 15% above the national average graduate wage and it increases each year. In our region, some of the most popular jobs are within retail, tourism and the NHS. Teachers are earning more, on average, than all of those sectors and have 65 days of annual leave a year as opposed to 20! The pensions are superb too. 30% of children live below the poverty line in Blackpool, it’s actually as high as 50% in some wards, which is considerably above the national average of 20%. By teaching, you could make a difference to that statistic. You could break the cycle.

What makes our teacher training programme unique?

Three key design aspects separate their programme from others: Firstly, their programme is completely personalised to each candidate; no two people have the same experience because we only train between 20 and 25 each year. Unlike the big university models where you could be one of 200 trainee teachers, they tailor the year to maximise your skills and you will therefore be better prepared to teach. They have our own supportive SCITT community, their own wellbeing programme and their own life coach. Secondly, because their trainees don’t have to attend University lectures, they have time to give them a bespoke enhancement programme running alongside the mainstream school placements. Their trainees teach in primary schools, pupil referral units, Special Educational Needs settings, work with CAHMS and teach in Sixth Forms. They also spend time at their local private schools to teach children with English as an additional language. Again, trainee curriculum design is tailored to maximise preparation. Finally, their graduates stay in teaching. They have 100% employment rates and many of our graduates have secured promotional positions early on in their career.

For more information, contact Aly Spencer on aly.spencer@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk