Stour Vale Academy Trust Geography (2GKC)

PGCE with QTS full time

• Accredited body: University of Worcester
• Financial support: Bursaries and student finance are available if you’re eligible
• Qualification:
  PGCE with QTS

  A postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) with qualified teacher status (QTS) will allow you to teach in state schools in England and may 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.

  Many PGCE courses include credits that count toward a Master’s degree.

• Age range: 11 to 16
• Course length: 1 year
• Date you can apply from: 12 October 2021
• Date course starts: September 2022
• Website: https://svat.org.uk/train

Contents

About the course

Stour Vale Academy Trust (https://www.svat.org.uk/train) offers Secondary School Direct training in a range of subjects. Our Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Partnership includes a number of excellent schools across the Black Country where trainees will spend the majority of their time. School Direct trainees enjoy more time in school than their PGCE Core counterparts, learning and honing their craft at the chalkface!

We work in unison with The University of Worcester as one of our HE providers to deliver a high-quality training programme for our trainee teachers.

Stour Vale offer a comprehensive Professional Studies programme which includes training in all aspects of school life. Trainees attend theory sessions with Stour Vale one day a week with the rest of their time being spent in school or university. Sessions are designed to support trainees’ development in the core areas of the Core Content Framework (CCF) and provide a valuable insight into pedagogical approaches. The PGCE element of the course is assessed in university where trainees complete assignments throughout the year, all of which, alongside successful school placements, must be passed in order to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Successful trainees also gain 60 Masters credits.

Trainees spend the Autumn and Summer Terms in their lead school and the Spring Term in another school to gain experience of a different context. The Autumn term will consist in observing lessons and working collaboratively with other teachers, and trainees will be teaching independently around October half-term. Teaching allocations will then be increased gradually over the next two terms.

All trainees are fully supported by both their subject and their professional mentor in school where they will apply what they have learned in Professional Studies into the classroom. The subject mentor will provide subject-specific support, including access to the latest teaching and learning strategies in order to become a confident teacher. In addition to school and university support, the Stour Vale Central Team will be with you at every stage of the course to provide professional guidance, expert pedagogical knowledge, along with heaps of advice, support, and encouragement!

For the latest information on places and locations, please contact teach@svat.org.uk.

School placements

We discuss placement schools at the application stage. In all cases, the applicant’s own circumstances will be considered so that travel times are not inconvenient. A full, clean driving license and access to a car is desirable, but not essential.

Successful candidates will spend the Autumn and Summer Terms at their host school and the Spring Term in a second placement at a different school.

All trainees are allocated a subject mentor and a professional mentor within school. Teaching timetables are staged, and trainees will be expected to be teaching independently by the end of the first term.

Weekly meetings and observations will be designed to fully support the trainee’s needs and help them to develop as classroom practitioners.

All trainees are allocated a subject mentor and a professional mentor within school. Teaching timetables are staged and trainees will be expected to be teaching independently by the end of the first term. Weekly meetings and observations will be designed to fully support the trainee’s needs and help them to develop as classroom practitioners.

Locations

You can select one of the following locations when you apply.

Location	Vacancies
Ormiston NEW Academy Marsh Lane, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV10 6SE	Yes
Pedmore High School Grange Lane, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 7HS	Yes
Ridgewood High School Park Road West, Wollaston, West Midlands, DY8 3NQ	Yes
Stour Vale Academy Trust c/o Halesowen College, Whittingham Road, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 3NA	Yes

Entry requirements

Qualifications needed

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

Grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths, 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

We are looking for people who first and foremost believe in the power of education to transform the lives of young people, whatever their background and ability. You will be hard-working, with an enquiring mind and have the resilience to stay the course. Teaching is the most rewarding job in the world, but it is also, like all professions, a challenging one. You will be supported all the way, but we also want you to be independent, a critical thinker, reflective and self-aware. You will also need to be a confident communicator who will contribute to a great team spirit.

Other requirements

• Full criminal/DBS checks will be carried out upon application.
• Trainees without the relevant degree may well be expected to take a Subject Knowledge Enhancement course.
• Fitness to Teach: Admission to the course is subject to a satisfactory medical report, as you are required to meet the standards for Fitness to Teach. We endeavour to meet the needs of trainees with disabilities and you are welcome to discuss any needs or disabilities with us at any time during the application process.

Fees and financial support

The course fees for 2022 to 2023 are as follows:

UK students	£9,250
International students	£14,100

Fee amount pending confirmation from the University of Worcester.

About the training provider

Stour Vale Academy Trust is a group of primary and secondary schools offering school direct training across a range of specialisms. Teaching and learning is our core purpose and our course is built on principles of knowledge, inquiry and challenge.

Whether you opt for primary or secondary training, you will be part of an exciting and comprehensive training programme. Supported by our experienced and talented mentors, you will quickly become an integral part of a supportive and aspirational environment that is committed to outstanding outcomes for all, assuring you of the best possible start to your teaching profession.

Our secondary schools: Redhill School, Stourbridge; The Earls High School, Halesowen; Ridgewood High School, Stourbridge; Oldbury Academy, Oldbury

Our primary schools: Olive Hill Primary, Halesowen; Northfield Road Primary, Netherton; Newtown Primary, West Bromwich

We also work closely with a number of other schools across the Black Country as part of our wider ITT partnership.

Our courses are accredited by University of Worcester, University of Wolverhampton and Haybridge Alliance SCITT (c/o Birmingham City University), and all our tuition fee courses award a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) to all successful trainees.

We offer places for secondary and primary trainees.

For more information about Stour Vale, please visit https://www.svat.org.uk. For the latest information on School Direct places and locations, please feel free to email us at teach@svat.org.uk.

Interview process

For applications through The University of Worcester, candidates will attend an interview with their lead school which will include a presentation and formal interview questions with subject and course leaders from the school and Stour Vale. Candidates will also be asked to deliver a lesson or part-lesson. This could be face-to-face with pupils, or remotely to the interview panel made up of representatives from Stour Vale and the lead school. We will provide further details upon application.

There will also be a separate university interview.

Interviews may be online OR face-to-face. We will provide further details about this upon application. Where possible, we encourage all applicants to visit their lead school prior to interview and support candidates in arranging this.

International students

We cannot sponsor visas. You’ll need to get the right visa or status to study in the UK.

You do not need a visa if you already have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or if you’re an Irish citizen.

Candidates with qualifications from non-UK institutions may need to provide evidence of comparability by applying for a UK ENIC statement.

Training with disabilities and other needs

We are a fully inclusive Trust and pride ourselves on our provision for all our stakeholders’ needs. Wheelchair access is excellent with lift access to all areas of our site. We take care to ensure the mental health and well-being of staff and pupils and have recognised this in our ITT handbook.

Contact this training provider

• Email: teach@svat.org.uk
• Telephone: 0121 5855385
• Website: https://svat.org.uk/train
• Address: c/o Halesowen College; Whittingham Road; Halesowen; West Midlands; B63 3NA

Support and advice

For support and advice, you can speak to a Get Into Teaching adviser for free. They’re all experienced teachers who can help you to prepare your application, book school experience, and access exclusive teaching events.

You can also call Get Into Teaching free of charge on 0800 389 2500, or speak to an adviser using their online chat service Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm (except public holidays).

Find out about the different ways to train if you do not have a degree, or are already an experienced teacher.

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