Apprenticeship

The OTT SCITT Apprenticeship Route to QTS offers an excellent opportunity for experienced school colleagues to earn their Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) while continuing to work in their employing school setting. This full-time, apprenticeship training programme is designed to develop teaching skills through a blend of in-school experience and structured curriculum learning  (off-the- job training).

While training on the PGTA route, you will combine teaching in your employing school with training sessions with the SCITT. You are paid a salary throughout and your course fee is paid via the apprenticeship levy, so there is no cost to individual applicants on this route.

This 12-15-month programme is ideal for confident individuals with significant classroom experience who are seeking to further their careers in teaching; for this route you must have the support of an employing school before you apply. If you are not currently employed by a school who can support you on this route, please see the ‘Finding an Employing School’ section below 

Please note that, due to the demands of managing a teaching timetable and the apprenticeship requirements alongside training, the PGTA is a QTS only course, so you are not able to complete the optional PGCE during your apprenticeship. However, QTS is the award that employers look for in qualified teachers and, if you are really keen on gaining the PGCE, there are a number of Universities who offer this as a standalone qualification, which you can complete independently at any stage in your teaching career.

Programme Overview

• Start Date: Monday 30th June 2025
• QTS Completion: Wednesday 1st July 2026
• Final Apprenticeship End-Point Assessment (EPA): 1st July-8th October 2026

The PGTA includes structured developmental phases designed to support both your journey to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and to complete the apprenticeship requirements. Starting with an induction period in July, you will engage in school-based activities and two days of SCITT induction to prepare for their classroom in September. You will complete a series of supportive and interactive online modules over August to ensure that you are well prepared for the year ahead.

Timetabling and phases

During the Early Phase (September to December), you will spend three days in your employing school and two days in SCITT-led curriculum learning sessions (off-the-job training), balancing observation, group work, and teaching. Each week, you will spend 11 hours in the classroom, this should include a maximum of 9 hours of sole responsibility teaching.

The Middle Phase (January to March) includes four school days weekly, increasing classroom responsibilities and a required second placement, while continuing  curriculum training on Wednesdays. Each week, you will spend 15 hours in the classroom, this should include a maximum of 13 hours of sole responsibility teaching per week.

In the Late Phase (April to July), you will spend 17 hours in the classroom. This should include a maximum of 16 hours of sole responsibility teaching per week (80% of a full teaching load). During this time you will  focus on developing you independence in preparation for the award of QTS.

QTS is awarded on July 1, 2026, and is followed by the End Point Assessment (EPA) between July and October to complete the apprenticeship requirements.

As part of the apprenticeship award, you will benefit from our Ofsted rated “Outstanding” programme of professional development and will enjoy curriculum training sessions alongside Associate Teachers on the SCITT programme. This counts as the apprenticeship “off the job” training. This involves:

• Deepening understanding of effective pedagogy through exceptional and expertly delivered weekly curriculum and subject-based training on Wednesdays and selected Thursdays
• Combination of in-person sessions at our local hubs in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire and online sessions

Second Placement Experience 

To ensure a well-rounded training, all apprentices are required to complete a second placement. This will involve an eight day Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP) period of off-the-job training starting on 2nd February 2026, followed by a five-week contrasting second placement, starting Thursday 12th February until 20th March. This placement, arranged by your employing school, will offer a distinct teaching environment to broaden experience. The ITAP period and second placement is a total of 6 weeks spent away from the employing school. 

Mentoring and Support 

Over the course of the programme, you will be allocated a dedicated School-based Mentor and a Senior Link who provide expert support, guidance, weekly observations and feedback. You will also benefit from having a SCITT appointed Lead Mentor, Visiting Tutor and Programme Leader to ensure you are supported at every stage throughout the programme. 

Assessment Process 

Apprentices will participate in regular developmental assessments to track your progress toward QTS. This includes lesson observations, professional discussions, and documented feedback. Following the QTS award, you will complete the final End-Point Assessment (EPA), which involves an observed lesson and interview with external assessors for the apprenticeship award.

The table below shows the PGTA courses we offer. If you click on the course name it will take you to the individual subject pages, which outline what it is like to train to teach in that subject.

To apply, you must check your eligibility against our person specification and submit an application through DfE Apply. Applications will open from December 2024 to early May, 2025.

The recruitment and selection process includes:

1. Stage 1: Online recruitment and selection day, including an interview, a teaching task, a group task, and a subject knowledge task. Please see our application page for more information about this process.
2. Stage 2: A formal observation of teaching by the employing headteacher, a skills scan, and an interview with SCITT representatives and the employing school’s headteacher.

All PGTA candidates must have prior agreement from their employing school, confirming their support for the apprentice’s commitment to the programme. The SCITT will be unable to accept applications from candidates who are not supported by an employing school. Schools should contact [email protected] to discuss supporting apprenticeship applicants. 

• Apprentice Salary: Minimum pay of UQ1 on the Unqualified Teacher Pay Scale, beginning 30th June 2025 for a minimum of 12 months.
• Training Costs: £9,000 covered by the apprenticeship levy, requested by employing schools, so no cost to applicants or schools. 
• Apprentices are not eligible for student loans, bursaries or student finance support, but have no course costs to pay.

To apply for the OTT SCITT PGTA, you must already have the support of an employing school, this is because the school must be committed to:

• Supporting your Training
• Providing a timetable of teaching experience
• Providing suitable school-based mentoring to support your development
• The employment and salary requirements of an apprenticeship

If you are not already employed by a school, or your current school cannot employ you on this basis, you can join the OTSA Applicant Pool and Job Board. This service is run by our Teaching School colleagues, to promote teacher recruitment in our local areas. Through the Applicant Pool, you will be able to create a profile for potential employers to view. If a school is interested, they may contact you directly to discuss an opportunity.

How the Process Works

1. Create your profile as a job seeker in the OTSA Applicant Pool.
2. Schools can view your profile and may contact you if they can support your apprenticeship.
3. If a school offers you a position, you will need to complete an application and interview process with them.
4. Once successful, you can apply to OTT SCITT for the PGTA via DfE Apply.

How to Create an Effective Profile

1. When creating your profile, you should select the “Potential Teacher Apprentice” option from the ‘Applicant Status’ field.
2. In the ‘Your Professional Headline’ Field please indicate that you are looking for opportunities as a teaching apprentice, we would advise that you write “Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship Applicant – Secondary Geography”, or “Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship Applicant – Primary” for example.
3. In the “Short Biography” Section you should include a brief overview of:

• • Your qualifications and subject knowledge for your subject/phase
  • Your teaching/work history, showing why you’re a good fit for this ITT route
  • Your preferred work locations (Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Wiltshire)

Other Recommendations

• You can include a professional headshot (clear and appropriate for a teaching profile)
• You can either upload your CV or complete the ‘Employment History,’ ‘Education,’ and ‘Certifications’ sections in more detail (no need to do both)
• You may wish to consider including a short introductory video (up to 2 minutes) explaining why you want to train as a teacher. You will need to upload it to a video hosting site (e.g., YouTube) and add the link to your profile.

Final Steps

• You must unhide your profile to make it visible to potential employers.
• Once approved by OTSA, we will inform schools about available candidates.
• Schools with relevant vacancies may then contact you directly.

Important: Please note, if your profile is incomplete after 48 hours, it will be deleted. You will need to start again if you still wish to register.