The Wokingham Federation Primary (G344)

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

• Accredited body: The University of Reading
• Financial support: Student finance if you’re eligible
• Qualification:
  QTS

  Qualified teacher status (QTS) allows you to teach in state schools in England and may also allow you to teach in other parts of the UK.

  It may also allow you to teach overseas, though you should always check what qualifications are needed in the country you’d like to teach in.

• Age range: 5 to 11
• Course length: 1 year
• Date you can apply from: 11 October 2022
• Date course starts: September 2023
• Website: http://wokinghamfederation.co.uk

Contents

Course summary

For this School Direct course, Wokingham primary schools work in close partnership with the University of Reading. The course offers a high-quality, school-focused and personalised approach to trainees from diverse backgrounds and experiences.

We also offer both salaried and fee funded opportunities at local special schools. If this is of interest, please first of all contact Julian Bushell (Federation Manager) for further information: jbushell@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk.

This course, G344, is a one-year full-time route into teaching, leading to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) on successful completion.

Trainees spend most of their time in school, with approximately 30 days based at the University of Reading on its London Road campus. They are based in one school for most of the year, with a minimum of six weeks in a contrasting school to broaden their training experience.

The course begins in early September, and finishes at the beginning of July the following summer.

Initially, trainees will be observing and working alongside class teachers as they get to know the children and their routines. At a pace tailored to each individual, they will then begin to take on small groups, building up to being responsible for planning, teaching and assessing the children for 80% of their timetable by the end of the year. This ensures that trainees are completely confident in their teaching skills before entering the teaching profession.

Please see Primary School Direct with the University of Reading for more details.

School placements

Trainees carry out their training in two Wokingham School Direct Primary Schools, with the course ensuring their work spans at least four year groups.

The second placement provides the opportunity for trainees to build up their work to a point where they are leading on 60% of the timetable.

Entry requirements

Qualifications needed

An undergraduate degree at class 2:2 or above, or equivalent.

Grade 4 (C) or above in English, maths and science, or equivalent qualification.

We’ll consider candidates with pending GCSEs.

We’ll consider candidates who need to take a GCSE equivalency test in English or maths.

Personal qualities

Wokingham is proud of its schools and we are looking for applications from people who have the desire, passion and determination to be outstanding trainee teachers within these schools. All the primary and special schools offering the School Direct route into teaching are keen to work with these trainees, at least for a year and possibly for longer.

Other requirements

If you accept an offer from us, you will be required to complete Occupational Health and Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced Disclosure checks successfully.

These checks are required to ensure you meet the Department for Education’s requirements for physical and mental fitness to teach, as well as assessing your suitability for working with children.

No school experience is required, but it would of course be helpful.

Fees and financial support

The course fees for 2023 to 2024 are as follows:

UK students	£7,710
International students	£16,450

Financial support from the training provider

Students who have previously graduated from an undergraduate course at the University of Reading will be eligible for an alumni discount amounting to 10% of the tuition fee (up to a maximum of £1,000) for Home/EU students or £1,000 for International fee-paying students.

You may be entitled to other support. Please see the Get into Teaching website for more details.

About the training provider

The Wokingham Federation is a close partnership of ten secondary schools, two special schools and a PRU. Its aim is to support collaboration in order to raise the standards of students’ achievement across the borough. It works closely with the primary schools in the area.

Wokingham is a high performing authority and delivering an exceptional ITT programme is an integral part of the Federation’s work. Its School Direct programme, in partnership with the University of Reading for all subjects with the exception of Business Studies, where Teach South East is its partner, is widely recognised for its success in producing outstanding teachers.

Please see The Wokingham Federation to see more details of our schools.

For 2023 - 2024, the Federation is delighted to be able to continue to offer Primary School Direct courses.

We also now offer salaried and fee funded opportunities at local special schools. If this is of interest, please contact Julian Bushell for further information.

The Federation is extremely proud of its work with its ITT trainees, many of whom stay on each year to work as teachers in one of our schools.

Over a quarter of all the secondary trainees with the University of Reading train each year in schools in the Wokingham Federation School Direct partnership. Any applicant successfully awarded a place with us will work in two schools, both of which are in or near to Wokingham, a town which is often named as one of the best places in the country to live.

About the accredited body

The University of Reading’s Institute of Education is an established provider of high-quality training and research. It is ranked 10th in the UK for Education (The Guardian University League Table 2022).

Committed to developing caring, reflective, professional teachers, it has well-established partnerships with over 400 schools in Berkshire and the surrounding area.

Ofsted report that the “effective relationships with partner schools support the development of high quality teaching and trainees that are well-prepared to work in the region’s schools.” (ITE inspection report, September 2016).

Interview process

Interviews will either take place in a Wokingham Primary School Direct school or will be held remotely. Both will contain a written task and a formal interview. If held remotely, a teaching activity will be replaced by a presentation.

This will be an opportunity not only for schools to assess applicants, but also for applicants to decide whether the Wokingham Primary School Direct route is the best one for them. During the course of the interview process, there will therefore be many opportunities for all the parties involved to ensure this is a good match.

More details of the process will be confirmed in writing at the point of inviting to interview.

Applicants for special school places will be interviewed by the schools involved.

Some interviews may be held remotely. When this is the case, the teaching task will be replaced by a presentation.

International candidates

You’ll need the right to study in the UK. You already have this if, for example, you:

• are an Irish citizen
• have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (you may still be able to apply)
• have indefinite leave to remain in the UK

If you do not already have the right to study in the UK for the duration of this course, you may need to apply for a Student visa.

To do this, you’ll need to be sponsored by your training provider.

Before you apply for this course, contact us to check Student visa sponsorship is available. If it is, and you get a place on this course, we’ll help you apply for your visa.

Alternatively, check if you’re eligible for a different type of visa, such as a Graduate or Family visa, that allows you to train to be a teacher without being sponsored.

Find out more about training to teach in England.

International qualifications

If your qualifications come from a non-UK institution, we may want to see a ‘statement of comparability’ from UK ENIC. This will show us how they compare to UK qualifications.

You can call Get Into Teaching on 0800 389 2500 for:

• guidance on the UK equivalents of your qualifications
• a free statement of comparability once you’ve submitted your application (if we ask you for this)

Training with disabilities and other needs

Both The Wokingham Federation and its partner providers are committed to equal opportunities.

Contact this training provider

• Email: jbushell@bulmershe.wokingham.sch.uk
• Telephone: 07725 722 557
• Website: http://wokinghamfederation.co.uk

Support and advice

You can speak to a teacher training adviser for free, dedicated advice. They are all experienced teachers who can give you one-to-one support with your application. They can also help you get school experience, and find events where you can speak to training providers and teachers.

Call Get Into Teaching free of charge on 0800 389 2500, or chat online Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm (except public holidays).

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