The school and St Mary’s will train the trainee in accordance with their partnership agreement. School Direct is a school-led model of ITT and it is expected that the models of training developed should reflect the leading role of the school.
The quality of the partnership agreement between the school and provider will be crucial to the success of the programme received by trainees. It will set out as a minimum:
- Which elements of the programme are to be delivered by the provider and which by the school;
- Arrangements for the distribution of fees between the partners, including the total cost of the programme;
- Agreements with the partnership schools that are providing trainee school experience; and
- The roles and responsibilities of the school and the ITT provider, particularly with regard to:
- 1. Assessment
- 2. Quality assurance
- 3. Subject knowledge training
- 4. Selection procedures (including arrangements for passing applications from providers to schools)
Some questions to consider include:
- Who will be responsible for advertising places, and recruiting and selecting trainees?
- Which schools will provide the school-based elements of training?
- Will an academic award (e.g. PGCE or Master's Credits) be offered?
- What arrangements are in place for mentor training?
- Who will provide mentoring?
- How will outstanding teachers be involved in mentoring, mentor training and quality assurance?
- Who will provide subject knowledge training?
- What is the role of the lead school and the other schools in the partnership?
- How should each element of the training programme be funded and how will funding be divided between the school and the provider?