About

Who We Are

The OTT SCITT is an accredited provider of School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT). Since 2013 we have trained hundreds of Early Career Teachers (ECTs) who have gone on to employment in local schools in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and beyond. In May 2023 we were graded Outstanding in all areas in our second Ofsted ITT inspection, having previously had an Outstanding report in 2017, and we are so pleased to see that the report reflects our commitment, ethos and passion for education and improving young people’s lives.

We offer a wide range of high quality courses across nursery, primary, special and secondary education, which suit applicants of all backgrounds and circumstances. Our programmes all lead to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) – the professional qualification- and our Associate Teachers (trainees) also have the option to add a master’s level Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) to their programme.

OTT SCITT’s central offices are based at The Cherwell School in Oxford, and this is where the majority of our Central Team is based for much of the week, but we operate our courses from a number of Hub locations around Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire. Applicants to our courses can choose the Hub (study site) which is closest to them, this means that you can access the Central and Subject Curriculum sessions in a location near to you and enjoy training locally, with a combination of in-person, online and in-school training.

We work with a diverse group of schools across Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, and so we can draw upon the expertise of these great schools and great teachers to enhance our courses and your training. Placement schools will be chosen for you, ensuring that their location is suitable for you, within a reasonable commute, and that the colleagues in your department are experienced and well trained in how best to support your training.

Increasingly we are known for our personalised and flexible approach, the quality and coherence of our programmes and the bespoke support that we offer to everyone that we work with. Working with a large group of schools means that we can find the very best placement schools for each individual and tailor the training to match. We are incredibly fortunate to have an exceptional SCITT Team who bring an array of invaluable skills and build an incredible network of support for each Associate Teacher we train.

We work closely with the local Teaching School Hubs, to in provide you with strong first steps into your teaching career as a great Early Career Teacher, and are committed to ensuring that you are well prepared and supported in order to be a really effective and fulfilled professional. The vast majority of our graduate Associate Teachers are still teaching in locally and many are entering leadership and senior management positions in their schools, having followed our partnership’s school-led professional development programmes.

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Our Partners

OTT SCITT is the Initial Teacher Training arm of The Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Alliance (OTSA). OTSA is one of the biggest and most successful teaching school networks in the country and so as someone who has started their career within OTSA, you will also be part of that network from day one and supported as you move through each stage. Schools in our partnership are incredibly keen on recruiting our Associate Teachers and so the vast majority of people who train with us gain employment locally in an OTSA school.

OTT SCITT is part of the River Learning Trust (RLT). The River Learning Trust is a multi-academy trust which comprises a growing number of primary and secondary schools, as well as the SCITT.

Partner Schools

Our dynamic and diverse partnership of schools covers the whole of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire. We work with great and diverse schools and so are able to offer lots of flexibility in arranging appropriate placements in terms of geographical location, quality of support and contrasting experiences. We recognise that travelling significant distances to your placement school is not always possible or appropriate and so we work hard with our partnership schools to ensure that you have a manageable travel time and supportive school environment when you arrive.