Together We Belong, Believe, Become

Ascend SCITT

Do you want to make a difference in your community?

Do you want to be in the classroom from the start?

Do you want to train with national experts and be supported by experienced local teachers?

If so, then choosing Ascend Learning Trust as your Initial Teacher training provider will set you on the pathway to achieve all these things and more.

Who we are...

Ascend Learning trust is working in partnership with Teach First to provide School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) which will gain you a PGCE with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) after one year.

Ascend Learning Trust creates a sense of belonging for everyone. All our young people receive a holistic, world class education regardless of where they come from or their life challenges. They will leave their Ascend community with outcomes that opens doors to a fulfilling and successful future.

If you want to be a part of this, and work alongside ambitious, compassionate and dedicated people we welcome your application. Our mission is to develop and retain high quality professional who relentlessly pursue the Ascend vision.

Together we will foster a culture of compassion and inclusivity with high expectations and standards for all. Where horizons are limitless, and education is unmissable.

Belong, Believe, Become.

Why train with Ascend?

  • Our one-year training allows you to quickly start working as a fully qualified teacher.
  • After your 12 months of training, you’ll start on a qualified teacher’s starting salary of at least £30,000.
  • You’ll benefit from initial teacher training that’s developed by Teach First and delivered by local Ascend teacher development experts.
  • Teach First are the largest initial teacher training provider in the country, with over 20 years’ experience. Teach Firsts initial teacher training is rated outstanding by Ofsted.
  • You‘ll have year-long support from a subject mentor and a lead mentor. They’ll train you and oversee your progress throughout.
  • You’ll belong to the Ascend community and have access to our high-quality professional development across the trust and in your placement school.

Where will you train and teach?

Our model of training, supported by Teach First’s expert curriculum design, allows you to be in schools and classrooms as much as possible to develop your practice. A careful balance of observation, feedback, critical reflection, and opportunities to practise will allow you to develop strong teaching pedagogy, which will have a positive impact on the young people you teach.

You will have the opportunity to gain experience in at least two schools from across the Ascend Learning Trust, which we carefully select to match your context and training needs. We will endeavour to accommodate travel requirements and distance from home to ensure that your work-life balance is maintained.

In all Ascend placements there will be expert mentors on site, in addition to a wider central trust team, who will be on hand to support you in your practise.

Whilst on placement, you will be welcomed by all and be fully immersed into the role of a teacher. Our programme builds gradually to allow you to experience school life and wider teacher commitments, including professional development and INSET, extra-curricular activities and additional school events such as parents’ evenings and open evenings.

Our placement schools

Secondary

Kingsbury Green Academy

Kingsbury Green Academy

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy

Royal Wootton Bassett Academy

The Wellington Academy

The Wellington Academy

Lawn Manor Academy

Lawn Manor Academy

Primary & Early Years

Noremarsh Junior School

Noremarsh Junior School

Wellington Lions Primary Academy

Wellington Lions Primary Academy

Wellington Eagles Primary Academy

Wellington Eagles Primary Academy

Our programme is designed to build, gradually and all trainees are fully supported by expert colleagues to ensure their well-being and workload are prioritised and managed throughout.

If you are interested in a career in education and would like to experience life in an Ascend school, then please get in touch to discuss an opportunity to spend a day with us. You will be given the opportunity to observe lessons, meet our students and our current trainee teachers and early career teachers, a real insight of what it is like to train and teach in an Ascend school.

Contact us at scitt@lma.ascendlearningtrust.org.uk or 01793 487286.

What will your year look like?

Training with Ascend Learning Trust in partnership with Teach First you will gain Qualified Teacher Status and a PGCE. Our one-year, research-led training will give you plenty of hands-on experience and allows you to train to teach in a school near you.

Our curriculum focuses on supporting you to put learning into practice to have an impact on pupils during a four day a week core school placement from mid-September to July. You will have one day a week to engage in training and development to support your teaching practice, as well as six weeks gaining broader school experience in other educational settings.

The programme balances developing your subject knowledge and expertise alongside giving you a deep understanding of effective teaching methods and techniques to manage your workload and wellbeing.

At the start of the programme in September, you’ll have two weeks of intensive training which will focus on the core areas of teaching such as behaviour management and lesson planning. You will have a further two separate weeks of intensive training later in the year.

In your school, you will spend your time with other expert teachers, observing their lessons and learning how to teach, plan and throughout the year practise your own teaching. You will work closely with a highly skilled and knowledgeable mentor, who will also receive support and training from Ascend.

Your weekly training day is designed in collaboration with Teach First’s expert curriculum designers and sequenced to make sure you are focused on the areas of teaching that are most relevant to that point in the year. The training will include a mixture of online and face-to-face elements and will ensure that you develop the knowledge and skills you need to become a great teacher, gain QTS and a PGCE.

The programme also includes six weeks in other educational settings, starting in January. You will spend time working with children of a different age, this may mean spending time in a nursery, a primary school, a secondary school or in post-16, depending on your specialism. These experiences will ensure you have a broad experience of teaching in different schools and further prepare you for your future career as a teacher.

At the end of the programme, you will have the foundational knowledge and skills to become an effective early career teacher alongside achieving a PGCE and Qualified Teacher Status.

Are you eligible?

At Ascend, we are looking for individuals who will commit to our vision, to create a sense of belonging for everyone. So that all our young people receive a holistic, world class education regardless of where they come from or what challenges they may have faced.

Trainees should agree with our values of Compassion, Aspiration, Respect, Dedication, and Integrity. Demonstrating an unwavering commitment to upholding high expectations and high standards for all.

 

  • You will need to hold an undergraduate degree, or equivalent.
  • You will need to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the subject you are applying to teach, either through your degree qualification, your A Levels or relevant experience.
  • If you need to improve your subject knowledge, you may be asked to complete a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course.
  • To teach secondary you will need to hold a Grade 4 (C) or above in English and Maths GCSEs, or equivalent qualification. To teach Primary, you will also need Grade 4 (C) or above in Science GCSE.
  • Sorry, we will not consider candidates with pending GCSEs. Functional skills qualifications are not equivalent to Maths and English GCSEs.
  • Overseas qualifications will be reviewed by ENIC to ensure they meet programme

How to apply

The Department of Education (DfE) Teacher Training is for postgraduate teacher training programmes in England and Wales.

Click here to get started: Apply for teacher training – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This is where you need to search and select Ascend Learning Trust as your Initial Teacher Training provider.

Search for Ascends training programmes with the Department for Education’s Find postgraduate teacher training courses – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) service. You can search by typing in: Ascend Learning Trust (4A5) as a training provider.  

Get advice and support

You can visit Get Into Teaching, the Department for Education’s free support and advice service.

A specialist adviser will help you prepare your application and advise you on funding options (including loans and tax-free bursaries and scholarships). You can also book school experience and access teaching events.

Key Information

Study mode: Full-time
Study level: Postgraduate
Course type: School-centred
Qualifications gained: Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) & Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
Student loans: Yes (Both for tuition fees and maintenance)
Application method: Find our programme here by searching – Ascend Learning Trust (4A5)
Classroom experience: Preferred Yes – but not essential
Fees: £9,250
Fees for International Students: £10,950
Funding: Click to find out about Funding your training
More information: Click to visit the Get into Teaching page
Apply now: Click for Postgraduate Teacher Training

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