OTT SCITT has developed a curriculum that sets out the aims of our programme, including the knowledge and understanding we want our trainees to gain at each stage. Our curriculum is fully integrated into all aspects of our programme and is co-delivered across our partnership. We were thrilled when in May 2023, Ofsted stated, ‘The coherence across all training elements is seamless, the joins undetectable.’
At the heart of our curriculum are seven core areas that we have created. These support our trainees to work successfully towards gaining Qualified Teacher Status and to develop excellent subject-specific expertise, as well as being ‘well positioned for long and illustrious careers’ (Ofsted, May 2023). The seven core areas build on the national minimum expectation set out in the DfE’s ITT Core Content Framework, adding other features we believe are essential for any teacher.
Our seven core areas are:
- Behaviours
- Pedagogy
- Subject and curriculum
- Assessment
- Professional relationships and responsibilities
- Values
- Wellbeing of self, colleagues and pupils
Behaviours
Our trainees learn how to develop learning environments, establish routines and set high expectations that support effective behaviour management. There is a focus on the importance of positive relationships and how pupils’ circumstances can affect their behaviours.
We also support our trainees in reflecting on their own behaviours and responses, as well as developing the skills and traits of self-awareness, leadership and resilience.
Pedagogy
This core area focuses on how pupils learn. Trainees learn through research-informed approaches the key elements of great teaching and how cognitive science influences teaching and learning. One of the most important aspects of this core area is learning about adaptive teaching that creates a fully inclusive classroom environment, including for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, or who have English as an additional language.
Subject and curriculum
A vital aspect of our integrated curriculum is how to develop an in-depth understanding of a trainee’s subject and phase. For those training in Primary, this includes the full range of subjects. Our trainees learn how to design and sequence a coherent curriculum, the unique characteristics of what pupils are taught in their subject(s), and how to anticipate and address common errors and misconceptions.
Assessment
Trainees learn that effective assessment is critical to teaching and supporting pupils to make progress. This core area investigates techniques including Assessment for Learning and the Four Pillars of Assessment, so that trainees know how to use assessment tools efficiently and effectively.
Professional relationships and responsibilities
We are proud that Ofsted recognised a ‘rightful pride in the deeply reflective ethos that is instilled in trainees’: this core area not only focuses on developing reflective practice, but also how to build and maintain effective professional relationships, including with parents and carers, as well as with colleagues. This core area also prioritises the development of clear understanding of safeguarding and other statutory responsibilities.
Values
One of the unique characteristics of OTT SCITT is the priority we place on a commitment to social justice. This core value supports trainees in developing their understanding of values, motivations and the contribution teachers have to the ethos of schools, and to the championing of inclusivity, diversity and equality. We want our trainees to be part of an education system that celebrates individual differences.
Wellbeing of self, colleagues and pupils
For many years, OTT SCITT has been renowned for the way we support our trainees and colleagues in developing effective strategies for resilience and care. This core area prepares our trainees to get ready for the first few years in teaching and a rewarding career beyond, as well as developing approaches to maintaining a sustainable work-life balance.
So, if you are considering training with OTT SCITT, you can be reassured that our ‘meticulously thought-through curriculum’ (Ofsted, May 2023) will be there to support your development into a confident, competent and determined teacher of the future.
Matthew Coatsworth
OTT SCITT Quality Assurance and Safeguarding Officer