Our post graduate teaching apprentices work in their setting while completing their programme to gain qualified teacher status (QTS).
Trainees on our postgraduate, work-based route into the sector benefit from working with expert colleagues in school during their on-the-job training and support from St Mary's University team for off-the-job-training. It is expected that teaching apprentices will have 20% of their working week allocated to off-the-job training delivered by St Mary's University.
Employment during training year
During their training, apprentices will be employed by a school within the St Mary’s Partnership for 12 months. They may already be working at a school as an unqualified teacher or teaching assistant. The course is salaried and apprentices should be paid as an unqualified teacher during their training. Employers that pay into the apprenticeship levy will be able to use up to £9,000 of funding from their apprenticeship service account to cover the cost of training and assessing the apprentice.
As part of the on-the-job training, apprentices will work as an unqualified teacher for four days a week which will predominantly take place in their employing school. They will spend the remaining time off-timetable developing the professional expertise and core knowledge expected of teachers. This will usually take place one day per working week.
Assessment against Teachers' Standards
To successfully complete the PGTA, trainees will be assessed against the Teachers’ Standards in order to be awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is followed by a final assessment, known as an End Point Assessment (EPA), at the start of your Early Career Teacher (ECT) year.