Curriculum

Our inspiring and highly successful SCITT programme is a fantastic route into becoming a teacher. All of our courses incorporate hands-on classroom practice in two placement schools with ongoing training in Central and Subject Curriculum Sessions. The two placements aim to provide a contrasting experience and we will always aim to be flexible with placement locations to accommodate your personal circumstances. Our unique programme begins with pre-training induction days in July where you will get to meet our team, your peers and also your Mentor, on a visit day at your first placement school. We also use the induction days to introduce you to our carefully crafted Integrated Curriculum.

The Integrated Curriculum is the basis of your training with OTT SCITT and it underpins the time you spend in schools on placement, as well as the delivered training sessions. Our curriculum has been designed to support Associate Teachers’ development to become confident, competent and determined teachers with the capacity and drive to improve pupil outcomes.

The different strands of our curriculum provide a comprehensive introduction to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching and what it means to be a great teacher. It is vital not to think of these strands as separate entities, but as a single, integrated curriculum that is co-delivered by all members of the partnership, these are:

• Central Curriculum Sessions
• Subject Curriculum Sessions
• Placement-based training

Central Curriculum Sessions are based around our Seven Core Areas and support your educational. They use theory and research to explore and how to teach, how learners learn, as well as how these elements are successfully integrated within the classroom. Sessions usually take place in a combination of your chosen Training Hub or online, with occasional sessions taking place and specialist, local centres and they are delivered by our expert Central Team. Curriculum Sessions are supported by recommended reading, research and media. 

Subject Curriculum Sessions focus on the subjects themselves, helping you to develop knowledge and understanding of key concepts and questions, how children learn in a particular subject, as well as exploring and deconstructing how to become a great teacher of your subject and phase. Sessions are delivered weekly throughout the course by a Subject Specialist, an individual who is an expert in teaching and leading in their subject. The Early Years and SEND enhanced routes also benefit from additional input from experts in these areas.

Placement-Based Training gives you the opportunity to work and learn alongside expert colleagues in action, to deconstruct every aspect of teaching and to learn how to become an effective teacher of your subject, through carefully supported elements both within and outside the classroom. Within the placement school, the Mentor and Senior Link are key to your success, helping you to contextualise and reflect on your experiences to ensure that you develop effective knowledge, skills and habits.

Below is a flavour of some of the areas that will be covered during your training:

• Lesson planning and design
• Presence and body language
• Creating a positive and attentive learning environment
• Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
• Behaviour management
• Effective explanations and modelling
• Assessment
• Social justice
• Wellbeing for children
• Working with parents and carers

All of our courses lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and all Associate Teachers have the option of adding a master’s level PGCE qualification to their programme. QTS is known as the ‘professional award’ and is the designation that schools expect applicants for teaching jobs to have. A PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) is an ‘academic qualification’. A PGCE qualification is not required to be a teacher in this country.

The PGCE element that we offer is accredited by a local partner University, it does not have additional training sessions as everything will be covered in the sessions that are delivered as part of our integrated curriculum, and in your own independent academic reading and research.

The PGCE is a Master’s level qualification and is assessed through 3 written assignments. Each assignment draws on relevant educational research and is designed to inform the classroom practice of the individual Associate Teacher.

Each year around half of our Associate Teachers undertake this additional element in their training year, whilst others focus solely on their QTS programme. It is increasingly common for people who have gained QTS to undertake a PGCE further into their career and there are lots of options nationally for people who have already gained QTS to undertake the PGCE in subsequent years, so you do not need to worry about the PGCE being ‘now or never’!

The final decision about undertaking the PGCE element will be an individual one and does not have to be made until your induction in July, when you will have the opportunity to find out more about the specific details and ask questions prior to making the final decision. Please note that taking the PGCE means you will pay a slightly higher fee, to cover the additional qualification, as detailed in the sections above.

At OTT SCITT, we truly believe that teaching is the most rewarding profession in the world and we are proud to have designed an innovative programme that supports you to develop the skills and confidence to fulfil your ambition of teaching. When you train with us you will benefit from an incredibly well thought out programme with a carefully sequenced integrated curriculum.

We divide the Tuition-fee SCITT programme into three distinct phases: The Early Phase, The Middle Phase and The Late Phase. The phases of the programme are designed to set out the expectations, guidance and common themes that occur at particular points while training to teach, in order to support your journey from novice to expert!