Initial Teacher Training

Do you aspire to be one of tomorrow’s outstanding teachers? Are you passionate about children’s learning? Do you have experience working with children in other environments? If so, we can guide and support you as you train to become an inspiring and talented teacher.

Why train with us?

We are very proud to have been a lead school for School Direct Initial Teacher Training since 2012. Before this, we were also part of the Graduate Teacher Programme.

We have an excellent track record of training outstanding teachers who are successful in gaining employment. We have an excellent long-standing partnership with the University of Gloucester, who provide a bespoke model of training to our students. Our programme is heavily focussed on gaining practical hands-on experience in the classroom, working alongside our exceptional teachers.

Unlike a traditional PGCE, where you will study at University in blocks of time, and then spend 10 weeks on placement in a school, our trainees (known as Graduate Teachers) work in school from Day One. This is supplemented by study days, which are led by experienced lecturers from the University of Gloucestershire and experts from our Trust.

Our purpose is to provide extremely high-quality teacher training within a community of schools that are committed to coaching the outstanding teachers of the future.  

At the end of your year of training, you wil have gained a PGCE, and Qualified Teacher Status, enabling you to teach in the UK. We offer both a General Primary route (qualifying you to teach ages 5-11) and an Early Years Specialist route (qualifying you to teach ages 4-7).

Find out more

If you’d like to find out more about our programme, we recommend joining one of our Teacher Training Open Days. They are all run remotely via Zoom, and are completely free to attend. All you need to do is book a place in advance, so we know you’re coming. You can do that here

If you can’t make it to an open day, but would still like to talk to us about our programme, get in touch via email

I couldn’t have asked for a better experience with this course. My expectations were exceeded in every way. I felt welcomed as part of The Mead family right from the beginning.

I have had two amazing mentors who supported me through my training, both professionally and personally. They have gifted me a wealth of knowledge to prepare me for my own class in the future.

I am so grateful for the experience I have had during my training year.

Rebecca Usherwood

Graduate Teacher, 2021-22

2021-22 Graduate Teacher Cohort

About our programme

Our School Direct Initial Teacher Training programme places graduate teachers in the classroom from Day One, working alongside experienced teachers to learn the skills of teaching “on the job”. Applicants can choose to specialise in one of two programmes 

  • Early Years Specialist (3 – 7 years) 
  • General Primary (5 – 11 years)  

All Graduate Teachers undertake placements in contrasting school settings in two different key stages. Graduate Teachers following the Early Years Specialist route undertake at least one placement within the Foundation Stage and one within Key Stage 1. Those following the  General Primary route undertake at least one placement within Key Stage 1 and one placement within Key Stage 2. Throughout the year all Graduate Teachers work closely with an experienced mentor. Whilst Graduate Teachers are part of the team from Day One,  they are not expected to teach classes independently until they and their school feel they are ready. 

Entry requirements

  • Minimum 2nd class degree
  • GCSE grade C/4 or above in English, mathematics and science gained (prior to application)
  • Some knowledge and awareness of the primary curriculum   
  • Some knowledge and awareness of current educational issues  
  • Some experience of working/volunteering with children  

Professional Skills Tests – These tests have been replaced with a new system of provider-led assurance, where trainees are benchmarked against a defined set of skills they would be expected to have by the end of their initial teacher training.

Successful applicants will need to complete an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service and a satisfactory medical report.

How to apply

All teacher training places are on the government ‘Find teacher training‘ service. 

Use this service to find all of the training providers near you that are offering places. To find us, search for Trowbridge in the location field, or enter ‘1LE’ as the training provider code. You will then be able to see all of the courses we have open. 

You will be able to find courses starting in September 2023 from early October 2022, and apply to them from 9.00am on 12th October 2022. 

When we receive an application, we will review it to ensure it meets our entry criteria. If it does, the applicant will be allocated an interview date and time via the government portal. 

Depending on circumstances, the interview may be held face-to-face at one of our Trust schools, or carried out remotely via Zoom. You should be prepared for both eventualities. 

We will continue to hold interviews until our course is full, and at that point we will stop accepting applicants. Applying early also ensures enough time to meet the conditions of the course, so we would strongly recommend applying sooner rather than later, once you have made your decision. 

We are not able to accept any additional information outside the government portal when considering applications, but if you have any questions about training with us, please email us and we will be happy to help.