Medway Teaching School Alliance Mathematics (M666)

QTS full time

• Accredited body: Kent and Medway Training
• Financial support: Scholarships or bursaries, as well as student finance, are available 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 in the EU and EEA, though this could change after 2020.

  If you’re planning to teach overseas, you should always check what qualifications are needed in the country you’d like to teach in.

• Course length: 1 year
• Date you can apply from: 13 October 2020
• Date course starts: September 2021
• Website: http://www.mtsa.co.uk

Contents

About the course

The training year commences in very late August whereby you attend a three-day induction programme run by Kent & Medway Training. During these three days, you learn the basics including how to plan a lesson, behaviour management strategies, safe-guarding, and go through your online portfolio. You then join your home school for additional induction days which allows you to settle in before the students arrive back for the new year. The course is full-time i.e Monday-Friday, and runs through to late June/early July the following year. You then see the final few weeks of the summer term out with your home school and celebrate your successes before breaking up for the school holidays.

This practical element of the course comprises a mix of classroom-based training with subject mentor support, to academic training where you will be working with experienced professionals on both broader “Professional Studies” lectures at a local KMT hub training centre and more detailed “Subject Studies” training with the other trainees training in the same subject/key stage as you at various locations across the partnership.

All trainees complete two placements during the year in contrasting schools to give variety in your teaching experience. You will have at least one formal lesson observation a fortnight and one mentor meeting each week where you sit with your mentor, discuss your progress and make targets for the following week. You will be expected to attend all school events such as parents’ evenings, after-school clubs, whole school and dedicated trainee training sessions and any other school activity as required.

Over the year, you will be building up a portfolio of evidence demonstrating your progress towards meeting the National Teaching Standards. There are 7 Reflective Professional Journals to complete; three of which involve research and an essay, each totalling 1500 words. Deadlines are published well in advance for the RPJs to ensure you can manage your workload.

For those completing their PGCE, there are additional assignments set at various times through the year.

Throughout the year there will be a number of networking events held to provide you with even more support, and we have a Graduation Event at the end of the year to celebrate your huge achievements.

School placements

All trainees complete two placements during the year;

Placement A: This is the longest placement spanning nearly the whole academic year whereby you are based at your ‘home school’. You are in your school for four and a half days a week. Thursday afternoon is your KMT academic time where you will have either Professional Studies or Subject Studies training, led by experienced practitioners or subject specialists. As you are employed by the school, you will be given a 60% solo teaching timetable from day one. You will have your own form group and will be undertaking all duties as a paid teacher of the school.

Placement B: You will be based at a different school for up to 4 weeks, typically around February time, which is considered to be a ’contrast placement’ i.e if your placement A is within a comprehensive school, it’s likely that you’ll be based at a grammar school for placement B, and vice versa. The teaching load remains at 60% and during this time there is a mixture of solo teaching, observations, team-teaching activities, etc. At all times, there will be a classroom teacher available to support you. You then return to your home school to complete the course. Where possible, your B-placement school will be discussed with you in advance and you will be placed in the local area.

Placement A(2) is back at your home school where you remain until the end of the academic year. At this point, you’ll be in school for the full 5 days of the week. Professional and Subjects Studies are finished with just one further evening session preparing you for your NQT year.

During your placements and duration of the course, you will be assessed through both lesson observations and your completed portfolio to ensure that you have met the Teaching Standards in full. Our grades are then externally moderated and assuming all goes well, your Newly Qualified Teacher status is confirmed and celebrated at a local Awards Evening.

Interview process

The interview will be held in the potential ‘home-school’. It includes the opportunity to observe and participate in lessons, and deliver part of a lesson for 30 minutes (all information is provided well in advance so that you can prepare). We ask you to attend a formal interview with the subject mentor, the academy’s Professional Tutor, representatives from Kent & Medway Training and Medway Teaching School Alliance. This interview will last an hour. We will also ask you to complete the KMT entrance tests in your chosen subject area and in English and Maths (these are provided on the day and need no prior planning).

If you are successful on the day you will be made a conditional offer verbally, which will be followed up electronically via the UCAS portal.

Please rest assured that the interview process is not designed to cause stress or anxiety – rather we want to make you feel comfortable so that you can perform at your very best. Remember, we are assessing you as a candidate who has the potential to train to teach… we are not expecting to see the finished article.

Fees

The course fees for 2021 to 2022 are as follows:

UK students	£7,100
International students	£7,100

Based on 2019/20 figures the course fees for completing a QTS accreditation with us are £7100. For an unsalaried post this will need to be self funded, whereas a salaried position will see this cost paid by the host school. Some subjects do attract bursaries and scholarships. In all cases an additional fee can be paid by the candidate in order to register for accreditation in a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE).

Financial support

You could be eligible for either:

• a scholarship of £26,000
• a bursary of £24,000

To qualify for a scholarship you’ll need a degree of 2:1 or above in Mathematics or a related subject. For a bursary you’ll need a 2:2 or above in any subject.

You can’t claim both a bursary and a scholarship - you can only claim one.

Find out how to apply for a scholarship. You don’t need to apply for a bursary - if you’re eligible, you’ll automatically start receiving it once you begin your course. Find out how you’ll be paid.

You may also be eligible for a loan while you study – note that you’ll have to apply for undergraduate student finance.

Find out about financial support if you’re from outside the UK.

Financial support from the training provider

N/A

Requirements

Qualifications

• An Honours degree of 2:2 or higher, which should be at least 50% linked to the subject area in which you wish to train. Please contact Medway Teaching School Alliance for guidance on this, or if you have a third class degree
• GCSE Maths, level 4/grade C or higher

• GCSE English, level 4/grade C or higher

• For those with overseas qualifications, we will need to see confirmation from NARIC of your qualifications being the equivalent of UK degree and GCSEs

Personal qualities

If you answer ‘yes’ to the following statements, you have the wider-skills that we are seeking;

• I am seeking a career that promotes creative thinking
• I enjoy working with children/young adults and have a passion to improve their lives
• I am patient with a calm demeanour
• I can multi-task when in a distracting environment
• I am open-minded and adaptable
• I strive to find solutions when faced with a problem
• I am a confident public speaker
• I have a genuine passion for my subject
• I have excellent time management and organisational skills

Other requirements

Medway Teaching School Alliance is committed to safeguarding children and successful applicants will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check. Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.

For a salaried teacher training place, you will also need to evidence a minimum of 3 years’ work experience to be eligible for this route.

About the training provider

The MTSA are looking for ambitious and inspiration trainee teachers who are passionate and enthusiastic about learning. We will offer a challenging, creative and rigorous training programme led by a team of experienced teachers and school leaders.

For 2019/20 we achieved 100% completing the programme. 89% of these trainee teachers remained in Medway Schools for their NQT year, of which 82% remained at their training schools. 11% gained NQT places in Kent Schools.

MTSA is a forward thinking group of 100+ schools who are committed to developing excellent teachers. We are experienced providers of initial teacher training, having been at the forefront of School Direct since its inception, as well as hosting extensive PGCE placements for a number of providers. The schools within the Alliance span the early years, primary, secondary, post-16 and special needs sectors. This wide diversity enables MTSA to offer a rich experience for all trainees who share in the expertise of experienced teachers working in a range of settings and contexts. Our staff are inspirational, knowledgeable and have a proven track record in developing, challenging and supporting trainee teachers. Together we are excited by the creativity and enjoyment of teaching and the impact that quality teaching has on the progress and achievement of young people.

The MTSA is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Training with disabilities and other needs

As our core values are built around our conviction that every one deserves to be given access to outstanding professional development to enable them to model and lead quality teaching, we work alongside candidates with disabilities and other needs.

Contact details

• Email: info@mtsa.co.uk
• Telephone: 01634 412265
• Website: http://www.mtsa.co.uk
• Address: Medway Teaching School Alliance, c/o SJWMS; Maidstone Road; Rochester; Kent; ME1 3EL

Apply

Choose a training location

You’ll also need to choose a training location – select the relevant location name on the application form.

Location	Vacancies	Code
Dover Grammar School for Girls Frith Road, Dover, Kent, CT16 2PZ	Yes	S
Herne Bay High School Bullockstone Road, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 7NS	Yes	5
Rainham Mark Grammar School Pump Lane, Rainham, Kent, ME8 7AJ	Yes	E
Rivermead School Forge Lane, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 1UG	Yes	F
Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School Maidstone Road, Rochester, Kent, ME1 3EL	Yes	I
The Howard School Derwent Way, Rainham, Kent, ME8 0BX	Yes	A
The Hundred of Hoo Academy Main Road, Hoo, Rochester, Kent, ME3 9HH	Yes	B
The Rowans Silverbank, Churchill Avenenue, Chatham, Kent, ME5 0LB	Yes	H
Turner Free School Tile Kiln Lane, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 4PB	Yes	V

Support and advice

For questions about this course you should contact the training provider using the contact details above.

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