WEST LONDON TEACHING SCHOOL ALLIANCE SCHOOL DIRECT TEACHER TRAINING 2018-19
in partnership with
UCAS COURSE CODE VACANCIES: 9 UCAS Provider 2BV: West London Teaching School Alliance (Secondary)
This programme is available at Chelsea Academy, SW10 Drayton Manor High School, W7 Fulham Boys’ School, W14 Fulham College Boys’ School, SW6 Fulham Cross Girls’ School, SW6 Hammersmith Academy, W12 Sacred Heart High School, W6 St Benedict’s School, W5 2ES St Mark’s Catholic School, TW3
APPLY ONLINE THROUGH www.ucas.com
School Direct Training Programme - Unsalaried
Contents Page 1 Why Train with Us? 2 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2 The West London Teaching School Alliance (WLTSA) 2 1.3 The WLTSA School Direct Recruitment System 3 1.4 Your Host School 4 1.5 Our University Partner – St Mary’s University, Twickenham 11 2 About this training programme 11 2.1 Introduction 11 2.2 Number of Places Available on 2XW2 11 2.3 Qualification Outcome – PGCE (M) with QTS Explained 12 2.4 Training 12 2.5 Costs and Finances 13 3 Entry Requirements 13 3.1 Academic Requirements 13 3.2 Awareness of the Profession 14 3.3 Professional Skills Tests 14 3.4 Medical Fitness 15 3.5 DBS/Prohibition Checks 15 4 What we are looking for 15 4.1 Enthusiasm, Willingness to Collaborate and a Practical Approach 15 4.2 Personal Requirements 15 5 How to Apply 16 5.1 The UCAS Process- ‘Apply 1’ 16 5.2 ‘Apply 2’ 18 6 How we select our trainees 18 6.1 Selection 18 6.2 Interviews 18 6.3 Rejections following interview 18 6.4 Offers 19
APPENDIX 1: ABOUT THE WLTSA This includes general information including our UCAS provider codes; information about our partner universities and partner schools; childcare facilities; accommodation, disability access and where to find us.
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1 Why Train with Us? 1.1 Introduction In considering why to train with us, it is important to understand the strengths of: 1. The West London Teaching School Alliance and our collaborative approach to recruitment (section 1.2 - 1.3); 2. The host school where you would be located for the majority of your training (section 1.4); and 3. Our university partner for this programme (section 1.5). 1.2 The West London Teaching School Alliance (WLTSA) The West London Teaching School Alliance (WLTSA) is coordinated through Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith, which is a National Teaching School designated by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. The WLTSA is a large alliance of over 50 partner schools including nursery schools, primary schools, special schools, secondary schools and specialist sixth forms. Our schools include both faith and non-faith schools, maintained schools and free schools. We are an innovative and growing partnership, which has expanded beyond its original focussed area of central West London, with partner schools in the London Boroughs of Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington & Chelsea, Westminster; Richmond; Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Southwark and Merton. For 2018-19, we are seeking to fill over 150 School Direct vacancies in our partner schools. All of our programmes are partnered with one of three universities - St Mary’s University, Twickenham; University of Roehampton; and UCL (Institute of Education). Training with WLTSA schools gives you the unique opportunity to experience a broad range of teaching environments, with all our schools aiming to provide the highest quality teaching and learning for their pupils and the trainees they are developing. Our partner schools all offer you the opportunity to train to teach with excellent, experienced teachers in dynamic learning environments that foster talent. Within WLTSA, there are extensive opportunities for future professional leadership development including an excellent Masters Programme with St Mary’s.
WLTSA VISION
WLTSA has a commitment to achieving excellence in learning, teaching and school leadership. We aim to appoint the highest calibre of teachers in our schools:
who are innovative in the teaching practices they adopt; seek to collaborate and support each other through strong partnerships; and engage in the intelligent use of research and development of pedagogy.
We continue to stay abreast of national and international educational research to inform our approach. We aim to inspire our teachers to be advocates of life- long learning who become outstanding practitioners, colleagues, managers and leaders in our schools, equipped to adapt to the needs of learners and schools of the future.
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We aim to provide a clear framework for career development to ensure high quality, relevant training to meet the needs of teaching staff at different stages of their careers, from career entry to headship in its increasingly various forms
A bright future for all learners through innovation, collaboration, engagement and success.
1.3 The WLTSA School Direct Recruitment System
A full list of all our 56 School Direct partner schools (with web-links and postcodes) is set out in Appendix 1. All of these schools are working with us to fill School Direct vacancies but not all of them have vacancies on this particular programme. Each of our partner schools has requested to run a specific programme (or programmes) for 2018-19 and you can see a full list of our programmes and which schools have vacancies for them, on our website: www.wltsa.org.uk (Initial Teacher Training tab/vacancies tabs). Our website is much easier to use than UCAS for finding details about programmes. By clicking the green buttons on our website next to each vacancy, you will be able to see other documents like this one, for programmes hosted at other schools. The structure of all our programme documents is identical, e.g. entry requirements are always in section 3.
PROVIDER CODES We have so many partner schools that the UCAS system cannot cope with the size of our alliance. We therefore have to divide artificially on UCAS into three ‘provider’ names to divide up our programmes: Provider 1EL: West London Teaching School Alliance (Primary Roehampton) All our salaried and unsalaried primary programmes partnered with Roehampton University. The unsalaried programmes include some with additional bursaries from our schools and you can identify these easily on our website;
Provider 2H3: West London Teaching School Alliance (Primary St Mary’s) All our salaried and unsalaried primary programmes partnered with St Mary’s University, Twickenham. The unsalaried programmes include some with additional bursaries from our schools and you can identify these easily on our website;
Provider 2BV: West London Teaching School Alliance (Secondary) This includes all our salaried and unsalaried secondary programmes partnered with St Mary’s University, Roehampton University and UCL (IOE) Rest assured that we operate as one single organisation –the West London Teaching School Alliance.
The vacancy lists on our website are regularly updated to show recruitment progress e.g., which schools are already shortlisting; who is interviewing, who’s already offered. This is more information than you can see on UCAS, which simply lists programmes as open or closed (filled) and is helpful to see the detail when applying. If you accidentally apply for one of our programmes that is further down the process than you thought, just call us and Page 3 West London Teaching School Alliance September 2017
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we can transfer your application to another WLTSA school of your choosing, without the need for you to make any further UCAS application. We have set UCAS up so that after choosing the programmes you want to apply to, you can then also select the specific school/s that you want as your host school. Further information about this included in How to Apply, Section 5. We divide all our places up to the specific schools who requested them so that you can effectively choose the school and upon interview, the school can choose you. This leads to a better fit between trainee and school, which is important in terms of later potential employment but it also means that commonly there are only 1 or 2 vacancies for a particular programme at each school. Please be reassured that this system also heavily divides applications. Sometimes excellent schools both (primary and secondary) receive hardly any applications all year, simply because there are so many to choose from (particularly for unsalaried primary) and perhaps the applicants for ‘that subject that year’, did not live close to that school. You can always email or phone us for strategic advice on this when you are about to apply. We will be happy to tell you, which schools have no applicants and which have many but it is important that you also consider the description and location of each school to ensure that it is right for you. Although we have specific vacancies at each of our schools, all our schools work collaboratively together to find places for all worthy candidates. They all report back centrally if they have interviewed a worthy candidate that they do not have space for and with the applicant’s consent, we can transfer their application internally on UCAS to another WLTSA school. Overall, we have 100 vacancies for primary and 67 vacancies for secondary. Despite the possibility for internal transfer referred to above, it remains advantageous to apply to more than one WLTSA programme or school at the same time to ensure that your separate applications are considered in parallel. There is a UCAS time limit (approx. 40 days) for providers to consider your application before UCAS automatically rejects you. If you have queries, please email us centrally at [email protected] rather than contacting our partner schools. 1.4 Your Host School The school (or schools) hosting this particular programme are described below. As referred to above, you will be able select which of these schools you want to be your host school when you apply. Each of our programmes also includes a much shorter second placement at another WLTSA school, which we select during the training, to ensure that it provides a sufficiently contrasting experience. We have 9 WLTSA schools wishing to host trainees on this particular unsalaried Mathematics programme:
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Chelsea Academy, SW10 Fulham Cross Girls’ School, SW6 Drayton Manor High School, W7 Hammersmith Academy, W12 Fulham Boy’s School, W14 Sacred Heart High School, W6 Fulham College Boys’ School, SW6 St Benedict’s School, W5 St Marks Catholic School, TW3
See further details on each school below, including web-links to their school websites.
Chelsea Academy SW10 0AB Chelsea Academy is a mixed Church of England Academy for students aged between 11 and 18 years, (located at Lots Road, SW10, near Chelsea Harbour). The Academy is successful and popular due to our community focus and distinctive Christian ethos. Chelsea Academy aims to create an inspirational community of learning and achievement with high expectations and high aspirations, underpinned by a culture of “no excuses”. Guided by Christian values and supported by the principle of co- construction, the Academy seeks to bring out the best in everyone, as we strive for excellence in all that we do. No student will be left behind as they are provided with the skills required for life and work in the 21st century. When students complete their Academy lives, they will have the qualifications, leadership qualities and sense of destiny to make a positive contribution to society. We have worked hard to recruit well-qualified and appropriately experienced teaching and associate staff of the highest calibre who recognise that students have different learning styles, gifts and talents. We also support teacher training schemes by working with universities to provide coaching and mentoring for core university, School Direct and Teachfirst trainees as well as NQTs. Ofsted has reported that ‘Chelsea Academy is an outstanding academy’. Read the report here..
(Please see following pages for further schools recruiting for this programme)
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Drayton Manor High School W7 1EU Drayton Manor is a heavily oversubscribed and successful school with 1531 students on roll. Student achievement is high. For example, we have an ALPS score of 2, which puts our A Level performance in the top 10% nationally. We are very proud of our ethos.
The school has very high standards and everyone knows what is expected of them; this helps create what Ofsted describes as “the extremely harmonious atmosphere”. This allows us to support individuals so they make outstanding progress. Our teachers have excellent subject knowledge and are adept at, not only preparing our students for examinations but for building their confidence so they are very well prepared for their future lives, whatever their chosen path. Our ethos where “care, consideration, courtesy and integrity come above everything else” is encapsulated by the genuine trust and warmth of our students and staff and of course, we back up the less tangible attributes with rigorous scholastic discipline while helping students along the pathways that suit them best. At Drayton Manor, we believe we have a pervasive culture of aspiration. Our vision is to provide the highest standard of education for all our students so they develop into mature and responsible citizens who will go on to make a significant contribution to Britain in a global context. Our staff have a wealth of experience mentoring trainee teachers, Newly Qualified Teachers as well as Teach First colleagues. Our enquiry-based approach to CPD encourages collaboration, sharing of best practice and dialogue about pedagogy within the school. We have a variety of teaching and learning training sessions, which promote the sharing of good practice across all levels of expertise. Our collaborative approach extends well beyond training within our own school and we regularly work alongside schools in the borough and further afield to share best practice and improve student outcomes.
(Please see following pages for further schools recruiting for this programme)
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The Fulham Boys’ School W14 9LY The Fulham Boys’ School is a new Church of England Secondary School for boys. The school opened in September 2014. Our aim is to become one of the best schools in the country by providing an education that is geared towards boys, built on Christian principles and nurtures enterprise.
The Fulham Boys’ School will be at Gibbs Green, West Kensington, London W14 9LY before moving to permanent premises on the Fulham Road in 2019. The school will be building year on year, reaching full capacity of 800 boys in 2020. The Fulham Boys’ School is a Free School, funded by the Department for Education. It has been set up by a group of local parents and teachers, with the support of the Diocese of London and the backing of The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Our vision is for a truly inclusive, community-based school. We are a Church of England school, actively encouraging support from applicants of other faiths and of no faith. You may wish to view our prospectus and our video.
Fulham College Boys' School SW6 6SN Fulham College Boys’ School (FCBS) is an all-ability, non-faith school which welcomes boys aged 11-16. The school’s Mission Statement is to ‘Raise boys’ achievement’, which is successfully achieved through an educational approach that focuses
on individual students’ strengths and needs. Fulham College Boys’ School (FCBS) is part of The Fulham College Academy Trust together with Fulham Cross Girls’ School and Fulham Enterprise Studio. The Fulham Enterprise Studio, which is a mixed 14-19 school focusing on business, ICT, construction and performing arts, is on the same site as FCBS and staff may be asked to teach in both schools. One of the greatest strengths of all the Fulham College Academy schools is that they work with each student to shape a curriculum that suits their strengths and needs, rather than the needs of the system. Our staff are highly skilled and experienced in supporting new colleagues and the professional development programmes we offer are highly regarded. At Fulham College Boys’ School (FCBS), you will be part of a team which is committed to Raising Boys’ Achievement by focusing on individual students’ strengths and needs. We help students to fulfil their potential to go on to a diverse range of further education and work opportunities. Equally, we celebrate the success of those students who come to the school with little or no English or who have a special education needs and go on to exceed expectations. We are very proud of the achievements of our students and staff and of the personalised learning offered. It is this approach that has seen boys’ results improve over the preceding four years. In 2013, the school was judged to be the best boys’ school in London in terms of value added performance and in January 2015 the school was graded as ‘Good’ by OFSTED in all areas. The Maths department is well resourced and the team are very experienced to support a new teacher.
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Fulham Cross Girls' School SW6 6BP Fulham Cross Girls’ School (FCGS) is an outstanding all-girls, all-ability; non-faith school, which welcomes students aged 11-16. The school’s Mission Statement ‘empowering tomorrow’s women’ is achieved through an inclusive culture and an educational approach, which
focuses on individual students’ strengths and needs. At Fulham Cross Girls’ School, we aim to give our girls the best possible academic success. We achieve this by providing high quality teaching from a stable and well-qualified staff. Our staff and SLT have an excellent reputation. We are an inclusive and caring small school with a strong focus on exemplary behaviour and routines, which enable the students to succeed. We are an outstanding school ‘because it ensures outstanding achievement for all students and strives consistently to provide the best possible care and education for each individual’. (OFSTED) Fulham Cross Girls’ School was shortlisted for the Times Educational Supplement (2016 and 2017) ‘Secondary School of the Year’ Award for the past two years. Fulham Cross Girls’ School is part of Fulham College Academy Trust: a Federation with Fulham College Boys School and the Fulham Enterprise Studio. One of the greatest strengths of all the Fulham College Academy schools is the focus on personalisation in terms of both the curriculum and teaching styles to meet the needs of all students. It is this personalised approach, which has seen results at Fulham Cross improve for six consecutive years and why it is in the top 1% of schools nationally for pupil progress.
Hammersmith Academy W12 9JD Hammersmith Academy is a non-denominational, all- ability, co-educational secondary school for 11-18 year olds, with specialisms in Creative & Digital Media and IT.
The Academy is sponsored by two Livery Companies, The Mercers’ Company and The Information Technologists’ Company. This partnership provides extensive educational expertise and practical and innovative business experience. The Academy aims to develop the talents of all its students to the full and to raise educational standards, through excellent teaching and the innovative use of IT. The Academy is based in a specialist four storey building which boasts state-of-the-art facilities including a large Theatre, Drama and Dance studios, Digital Editing and IT suites, Library, Fitness Suite, four-bay Sports Hall, outdoor Astroturf area, modern practical art and design, science and technology spaces, and modern classrooms and larger learning bases. The Academy is a vibrant learning community, where students become confident, independent learners who make outstanding progress. Hammersmith Academy expects students to graduate as well-rounded individuals and leaders with integrity. The Academy creates active citizens through developing leadership and life skills and instilling strong values of self-discipline, respect and tolerance. There are high expectations for attendance, punctuality, discipline, uniform, orderly behaviour and attitude to learning form the foundations for our success. Further, high quality support and guidance, coupled with a fantastic state-of-the-art Academy building, ensures outstanding personal development for every child. As a 21st Century school, students develop skills and expertise in information technology to facilitate and support their achievement and future success in higher education and the wider world of work.
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Sacred Heart High School W6 7DG Sacred Heart High School Hammersmith is designated as a National Teaching
School and coordinates the West London Teaching School Alliance. We are a heavily over-subscribed 11-18 Catholic girls’ comprehensive school. The school was founded in 1893 by the Society of the Sacred Heart and has always sought to promote the education of women and academic excellence. The school is a community of faith and learning, based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His values and teachings. There is a focus on continuous improvement in order to make a difference for the young women who will shape the society of the future. Above all else, the community works together to bring one another to an awareness of the fullness and meaning of their life, rooted in the love of God. This is achieved through: Providing an excellent education which inspires a life-long love of learning; Respecting the uniqueness, worth and development of each individual, both as a learner and as a person called by God in dignity and faith; Offering a broad and balanced curriculum which meets the needs of each student; Challenging and supporting each other to achieve our full potential and to develop gifts and talents for the service of others Recruiting excellent, committed and highly qualified staff who are valued and respected for their contribution and development as learners and educators Building upon our partnership with parents, the Society of the Sacred Heart, Governors, the Church and the local education authority Strengthening and extending collaborative links with the international network of Sacred Heart schools and Colleges, other learning institutions, including Universities and the wider community; Creating a well ordered, stimulating, and secure learning environment, which encourages personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom; Making effective use of all our resources on behalf of the young people who come here. ‘Sacred Heart is an outstanding and fertile place of learning where students thrive academically and in their personal and spiritual development’ OfSTED.
Year on year, pupils make exceptional progress and their outstanding exam achievements enable the school to be one of the highest performing girls’ schools in the country. The school ethos and sense of community percolates through the school and it is an enjoyable place for all to be part of.
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St Benedict’s School W5 2ES St Benedict’s is London’s leading independent co-educational Catholic school. St Benedict’s has always understood that education is about enriching lives. Like every excellent school, we enable boys and girls to achieve outstanding academic success, to discern their chosen career path and to gain access to top universities. St Benedict’s stands out because it goes well beyond this, by helping children to grow as people, socially, emotionally and spiritually. Here, they are valued as individuals and therefore think as individuals; they discover their unique talents and interests, and develop personal qualities such as resilience, resourcefulness, empathy and imagination. They learn what they have to offer the world and attain the confidence to show principled leadership. The qualities of a holistic education - breadth, inspiration and challenge - have never been more important than they are now. We have a long standing commitment to the training of teachers at St Benedict’s and we have a team of excellent trained mentors to support you.
St Mark's Catholic School TW3 3EJ St Mark's is an outstanding Catholic comprehensive school in Hounslow, West London. The St Mark's School community is founded on the Christian values of love, justice and peace expressed in the gospels. These values underpin everything that we do within the School. We view each person as special and unique. We recognise and respond to their gifts, their needs and their aspirations. We seek to show love and care for all individuals, celebrating achievement and providing support when difficulties are experienced. Pupils require an orderly environment to focus on their studies effectively. We insist on the highest standards of behaviour and self-discipline. We expect all pupils to work hard, to show respect and courtesy for others and to take a pride in their appearance. The School continues to offer a broad and balanced curriculum designed to meet the opportunities and challenges of adult life in the 21st century. Students make excellent progress at St. Mark’s and the school’s examination results place St Mark’s among the best comprehensives in the country. St. Mark’s has a strong team of committed mentors who ensure that the ITTs placed in our school have an excellent experience.
The school was judged outstanding in every category in its last Ofsted inspection.
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1.5 Our University Partner – St Mary’s University, Twickenham St Mary's University is situated in Strawberry Hill, Twickenham in South West London. Founded in 1850, it is generally acknowledged to be the oldest Roman Catholic college in the UK. In 2000, St Mary’s celebrated 150 years in Education. With just under 4,000 students training to teach on primary and secondary, they are now London’s second largest teacher training course provider and in 2011, St Mary’s was deemed to be ‘outstanding’ by OfSTED during inspection. Course tutors at St Mary’s are all skilful teachers themselves, with many years of experience in schools and higher education. Schools in the Alliance have excellent relationships with St Mary’s University. Click here to view the School Direct page on the university website.
2 About this training programme 2.1 Introduction The WLTSA is responsible for the coordination of this professional training programme. Recruitment is coordinated centrally from Sacred Heart High School and all correspondence should be directed to Pippa Currey at [email protected] During the training year, the Teaching School (Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith) provides overall coordination of the programme. The Teaching School has significant experience of initial teacher training and maintains close links with all our university partners, providing support to our partner schools as required, including the organising of secondary seminars, experience days, teachmeets etc. At the start of the training year (September 2018) you would enrol as a student at St Mary’s University, Twickenham and your host school would be one of those listed in section 1.4 above, chosen by you. Further information about the structure of this programme is set out below. 2.2 Number of Places Available on 2XW2
We are aiming to recruit 9 trainees on this particular unsalaried PGCE(M)+QTS Mathematics programme 2XW2 2XW2 (partnered with St Mary’s University) but be aware that we also have a separate salaried Mathematics QTS programme 9 PLACES also partnered with St Mary’s.
All of these (and other) secondary programmes can be seen by looking at our overall secondary vacancies list on the WLTSA website (www.wltsa.org.uk). If following interview, you were considered to be a worthy candidate, but your chosen host school did not have the capacity to offer you a place, we would contact you to propose that we pass your application on to another WLTSA school of your choosing on this or another programme without the need for you to make a fresh UCAS application. They would then consider you as a fresh applicant. This potentially gives you access to all our other unsalaried and salaried places but note the extra entry requirements for the salaried programmes of 3 years or more full time work experience in any field.
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Application transfers would only be done with your consent and the full shortlisting/interview process would still need to be undertaken at another school and if necessary, university. 2.3 Qualification Outcome – PGCE (M) with QTS Explained Successfully completing all aspects of the course, both during your school experiences and university based learning, will gain you the award of Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), which also carries 60 M-level credits that may be used towards a subsequent Master’s degree. The PGCE (M) component is an academic qualification awarded by the university. It is recognised abroad. The course also leads to the award of QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). QTS is a professional qualification awarded by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL), which is the teachers’ professional body. To achieve QTS you would be judged over the duration of the course against the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’. When it is considered that you have met these standards, a recommendation is made that you be awarded QTS. 2.4 Training The programme is designed to support you in developing a range of skills that are required to become a successful secondary school teacher. We want you to: Become an effective classroom practitioner; planning and delivering engaging and stimulating lessons
Appreciate the similarities and differences in pupils, particularly in terms of their needs, their behaviour and attainment and how to plan for this in your lessons
Develop a critical understanding of the curriculum and pedagogy
Begin to understand the complex range of whole school issues, the values and assumptions which underpin them and their application to school and classroom practice
This is achieved through the collaborative approach between time in school, and university based learning at St Mary’s. School Component Through an initial programme of observations and research, you will become familiar with the organisation and workings of the school and department (pupil groups and pastoral systems, staffing, curriculum, resources, facilities, methods of teaching, lesson planning, and assessment). From the beginning, you will be treated like a member of the teaching staff by fellow professionals. With your Class Teacher Mentor and overall Professional Mentor, you will feel supported as you progress and become ready to teach as the placement progresses. Our mentors are excellent experienced teachers who undertake rigorous training to develop their mentoring skills to support your development as a teacher. The time in your host school provides you with the opportunity to develop your teaching expertise and relationships with children and young people in a familiar environment. As a Maths trainee teacher, you will have the opportunity to teach KS3 Maths as well as GCSE at Key Stage 4. There may also be opportunities to observe/support A-Level qualifications either in your host or placement school. You will gain experience teaching students across a range of ability groups
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Examples of KS3 topics taught: number and algebra; shape, space and measures, and handling data in order to assess the fundamentals in maths, reasoning and problem solving skills. Students continue to study these 4 main themes at KS4. KS5 explore core mathematics, mechanics and statistics. Your second teaching placement is intended for you to apply and develop your teaching skills whilst also widening your experience of the school system in a new context. We would endeavour to ensure that this second school is one of our WLTSA partner schools but cannot absolutely guarantee this. Please be assured that the quality of the training will be quality assured by the WLTSA and St Marys. You return to your host school after this second placement. Throughout your time in both schools, your tutor from St Mary’s will visit to monitor your progress and discuss your development with you and your mentors. You will also maintain close links with your host school throughout the programme. University Component – St Mary’s University, Twickenham As a St Mary’s University student, you will be part of the highly successful secondary PGCE (M) course and have full access to the University’s facilities, please see further sections for more details. For the first few weeks in the Autumn Term and again in at the start of the Spring Term, you will be based at St Mary’s for QTS and PGCE pedagogy lectures with other secondary teacher trainees. Some examples of these include teaching and assessing, classroom management, child protection. Subject based seminars follow up themes that have been discussed. These are led by your university tutor who will support your development through these tutorials, visits in your placement schools and guidance with your assignments. As a St Mary’s University student, you will be part of their highly successful PGCE (M) course and have full access to the University’s facilities. 2.5 Costs and Finances The tuition fee for this course is £9,250 payable to St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Information about the level of DfE bursaries can be found here: Bursaries Bursaries are administered through our partner university after an offer has been accepted.
3 Entry Requirements 3.1 Academic Requirements The PGCE (Secondary) is a challenging, exciting and rigorous course. The entry requirements are, therefore, necessarily stringent, both academically and personally. We require energetic and committed applicants with excellent subject knowledge in Maths. You will need a recognised, good honours undergraduate degree, of class 2.2 or above, ideally in mathematics but alternatively in a subject with a ‘significant’ proportion of Mathematics in the course content. This could include graduates of Economics, Science, Engineering, Computing degrees but if you do not have a mathematics degree it is imperative that you have a good grade in A-level mathematics and preferably other appropriate undergraduate mathematical studies.
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Mathematics Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) Courses are courses designed for applicants whose subject knowledge is deemed insufficient at the time of application/interview but who obviously have the potential to become good teachers. An offer on the Mathematics PGCE may be conditional on completion of one of these courses. St Mary’s runs both an 8-week and a 16-week course. Further details can be found at www.stmarys.ac.uk/pgce/taster-courses.htm. You will also need at least five GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade C or above including English Language and Mathematics. There also needs to be evidence at application of your ability to demonstrate a high standard of written English.
Non-UK Qualifications? If you studied outside of the UK for your degree and/or your Maths, English and Science qualifications, it is imperative that you visit the National Academic Recognition Centre (NARIC) website to find out whether your qualifications are of an equivalent level to a UK Honours undergraduate degree and UK GCSEs. Non-UK qualifications can often cause delay in us being able properly to consider your application and the earlier we can overcome equivalency issues the better for you. Please note that frequently, English Language qualifications taken abroad are not equivalent to UK GCSEs (where it is taken as a second language.) We accept an IELTS test score of 6.5 as an equivalency to English Language on this programme but you could also explore with St Mary’s University the possibility of taking the university’s own equivalency test. The equivalency requirements from different partner universities are not the same and so if considering other School Direct programmes, you need be aware which partner university is involved in the programme, in order to then establish which equivalency test they require. These issues always take longer to resolve than one expects. It is always helpful if you can forward to us the NARIC statement; and where grades are still unclear, you would need to email transcripts of the relevant exams to the partner university admissions team (copying us in) for their assessment.
3.2 Awareness of the Profession It is important to have a realistic awareness of the demands of the profession you are seeking to join, otherwise you might start the training and pull out when you realise that the role of a teacher is not at all what you expected. We therefore require candidates to demonstrate a realistic understanding of the role of a teacher and an awareness of current issues facing the profession. Pease note that spending a couple of days observing relevant lessons in a state secondary school can very much strengthen your application and may be extremely helpful to support your interview answers but we understand this can be hard to arrange and we would not reject a candidate on their lack of school experience if their application was otherwise good. 3.3 Professional Skills Tests You are required to have passed the Professional Skills Tests in numeracy and literacy before you start the course. These can be taken as soon as you apply for the course and we ask that you book them (through the DfE) promptly after application and take them as soon as possible.
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These tests are distinct from any WLTSA tests at interview. 3.4 Medical Fitness As part of the entry requirements set down by the Department for Education, training providers must ensure that all entrants have met the Secretary of State’s requirements for physical and mental fitness to teach. The responsibility for this lies with St Mary’s University. Candidates will be required to complete a health questionnaire for scrutiny by St Mary’s occupational health provider. Candidates are currently responsible for the cost of obtaining occupational health clearance, which is approximately £20. 3.5 DBS/Prohibition Checks We have a duty to protect children and vulnerable adults, and to ensure that they are not put at risk by student teachers whose previous conduct shows that they are unsuitable for access to these vulnerable groups. If you are offered a place on the QTS programme, the university will organise for you to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the DBS as a requirement of entry to the course. Please note you are required to pay for the check (approx. £52). The university may also require you to undergo a prohibition check for which there is no additional charge.
4 What we are looking for 4.1 Enthusiasm, Willingness to Collaborate and a Practical Approach We wish to recruit well-qualified mathematicians who are enthusiastic about teaching maths to secondary school pupils in the twenty-first century. We are looking for applicants who can convey that mathematics is fun as well as useful; and can show enthusiasm for teaching topics in a relevant and interesting way. You should be prepared to link your teaching to real life situations and problem solving scenarios, as well as wanting to find ways to help pupils to overcome difficulties and misconceptions. You should adopt a positive approach to inclusion in the classroom and be receptive to learning via collaborative working, as much emphasis is placed on sharing best practice. The course places great emphasis on promoting practical and resourceful approaches to the teaching and learning of maths. 4.2 Personal Requirements All the schools wishing to host candidates on this programme are looking for candidates with the attributes listed in bullet points below. If you wish to train at one of our faith schools, they will also be looking for someone sympathetic to the values of their faith. An ability to communicate clearly and grammatically in written and spoken English;
Ability to show speaking, reading and listening skills and sufficient understanding of educational language and terminology to be able to respond appropriately at interview (and, later, in school);
Awareness of and sensitivity to children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs and to the range of attitudes and behaviours displayed by children in school;
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Good health, physical and mental, with ability and strategies to cope with stress often generated by the demands of the course and of the teaching profession. Teaching is incredibly rewarding, but it also requires an element of resilience. The training year is no different. We are looking for trainees who feel strong enough to cope with some pressure and who also feel they have the financial resiliency to complete the training.
Enthusiasm for your subject while recognising the range of ability and motivation of pupils you will encounter;
Knowledge of current educational issues, both general and subject-specific;
An openness to learning, including a willingness to unlearn rules and experiences in order to adapt to current and future good practice in teaching and learning;
At least basic Information and Communications Technology (i.e. computer) skills, with a commitment to developing these both for personal and pedagogical use;
Openness to advice, guidance and positive professional criticism as part of development;
Personal professionalism, including diligence, organisation, smartness of dress, punctuality and a commitment to full attendance;
Ability to shoulder individual responsibility but also to work collaboratively as a member of a team;
Commitment to equal opportunities and sensitivity to the variety of communities represented in our partner schools;
A sense of humour and an ability to laugh at yourself;
A vision of teaching that is more than just giving information, interpreting printed materials, textbook or crowd control; and
A willingness to work with pupils beyond the school day.
5 How to Apply 5.1 The UCAS Process- ‘Apply 1’ All applications must be made through UCAS. You will need to register on UCAS and then complete your application form, including contact details for two referees.
The first time you apply, you will be able to select three choices. This could be three WLTSA programmes or could include other providers. This process is called ‘Apply 1’. When selecting your programme choices you will need to enter the provider name and then the
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subject, then the specific course code and (with us) you can then also select the school. ENTERING THE PROVIDER NAME For each of the three programmes that you apply for, UCAS will first ask you who the ‘Provider’ is. Remember that WLTSA is split on UCAS into three Provider Names so take care to select the correct Provider Name as shown in the blue box on the front of the relevant programme document, like this one.
ENTERING THE SUBJECT UCAS asks you to enter the first letter of the subject you wish to train in. For primary, the subject is ‘Primary’. FINDING THE RIGHT PROGRAMME Once you have selected the subject, you may then see more than one programme – be sure to select the one with the correct course code. You may need to click into it to see the course code. Hopefully you would already know the course code that you were looking for. Course codes are shown on the front of all our programme documents and in the vacancy tables on our website. SELECTING THE SCHOOL Once you have selected the programme, then UCAS will allow you to select the school from a drop-down list that we have established. When selecting one school, this is very straightforward but if you want to select several schools on one programme, see the box overleaf for instructions.
What if I want to select more than one school on one programme? You are absolutely allowed to select (if you wish) three separate host schools within the same programme as your three choices but the UCAS portal can’t enable you to do that simply because of technical issues - it was originally designed for university applications. We have a solution, which candidates have used with us for years, but it is a little scary and if you prefer to do this with us over the phone, that’s fine! 0208 748 7600 ask for the Teaching School Office. 1. First select one of the host schools – and that’s one choice. 2. Then select three of our other WLTSA programmes (ideally within the same provider group) knowing that you are not interested in these other two programmes. 3. Submit the application, but also 4. Email us ([email protected]) to ask for your applications for those two other programmes to be transferred across to the programme that you prefer, with the schools that you prefer. We can do this from here at the touch of a button and it will then reflect properly on UCAS. Do contact us if you like when doing this, and we can guide you through it.
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5.2 ‘Apply 2’ If you are unsuccessful from all three choices (which includes if you withdraw from them) then you are free to apply again as many times, as you like, but now you can only make one choice at a time. This process is called ‘Apply 2’.
6 How we select our trainees 6.1 Selection The host school considers applicants who have applied to a programme based at their school and returns a shortlisting sheet for each candidate back to WLTSA. Host schools are required to follow various QA procedures in this shortlisting process which is monitored by WLTSA through Sacred Heart High School. On receipt of the shortlisting sheets, we either reject a candidate on UCAS or invite them for interview. If you are rejected, you are welcome to contact WLTSA for feedback. We do not automatically refer rejected candidates on to programmes at other schools. For all our programmes partnered with St Mary’s, there is a two-stage interview process. All shortlisted candidates are required to attend an initial university interview first and if you pass this successfully, (which is common) then you would proceed to a school interview (normally within a day or two). If shortlisted for interview, we will upload the first interview date to UCAS and shortly afterwards we will email you to confirm both interview dates and to provide further details regarding the school interview. The university would contact you separately about arrangements for the initial university interview. Please ensure that you regularly check changes on UCAS and that you keep an eye on your spam email folder as candidates sometimes miss interviews because the email was in a junk folder. The interview letter (sent by email) will ask you to confirm your attendance at the interview and will supply the relevant email addresses for this reply. 6.2 Interviews The university interview would include some time for the university registry team to verify various identification documents and qualification certificates. You may be required to undertake group tasks with other candidates. The university will confirm details of their process to you directly. The school interview is likely to include a tour of the school; literacy/numeracy tests; a classroom exercise and panel interview. 6.3 Rejections following interview After the school interview (probably the next day) offers and / or rejections are uploaded to UCAS. If you are rejected, we will email you and upload the rejection to UCAS including reasons for the rejection that you (alone) would be able to see. If the school thought you were good at interview but have selected another candidate to offer to, they will say this on the form that they return to WLTSA and we will contact you with a view to moving your application to another school or programme as referred to in section 1.4 above, rather than rejecting you.
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6.4 Offers If we make you an offer, we will email you to let you know but you would need to read the content of the offer on UCAS. This would normally be conditional upon various things such as DBS clearance; passing the professional skills tests by a set date; and if not done already, securing university approval of your degree at a particular level or GCSE certificates if the university have not yet already formally approved these. Occasionally if we feel it would be necessary, offers may be made subject to a candidate undertaking a free subject knowledge enhancement course. This is something that would be discussed at interview. You are entitled to wait for the outcome to all your applications before accepting an offer on UCAS and we fully endorse this. If you did however make up your mind to accept our offer before hearing back from other programmes, then you would have to withdraw from the others on UCAS in order to be able to upload your acceptance. No further formal paperwork regarding the programme would be issued from WLTSA or the university until the offer had been accepted on UCAS.
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Appendix 1 About the West London Teaching School Alliance Provider Codes For each of your course choices on UCAS, you first have to select the ‘training provider‘. The West London Teaching School Alliance is the ‘training provider’ but please note that we are split on UCAS into three Provider Names: Provider 1EL: West London Teaching School Alliance (Primary Roehampton) Provider 2H3: West London Teaching School Alliance (Primary St Mary’s) Provider 2BV: West London Teaching School Alliance (Secondary)
Varied Programmes, You Choose the School WLTSA provides salaried and unsalaried, primary and secondary teacher training programmes. Each of our programmes is based at one or more of our partner schools. Where the programme is run at more than one school, you can select the school you wish to be based in when you apply. Coordination from the Central Teaching School WLTSA is coordinated by Sacred Heart High School in Hammersmith, which is designated as a National Teaching School. Communication through the selection process will come centrally from WLTSA at Sacred Heart High School, rather than from our partner schools. You can email us at [email protected]. Communication is only conducted and available during school term time. In addition to training from our partner universities and schools, the WLTSA aims to add value to your training by occasional extra seminars; coordinating the second placement arrangements and providing additional experience days, for example at a special school. We also host teachmeets and other CPD events which you can attend for free. Teachmeets are informal social gatherings where teachers share their experiences of things that have gone well (or badly) in class. Presentations are commonly limited to 1, 2 or 4 minutes and many trainees come to watch and learn in a fun environment. We train mentors in our partner schools and liaise with the universities in our partnership as necessary throughout the course.
Our Partner Universities All of our programmes are run in partnership with one of the following three universities:
St Mary’s University, Waldegrave Road, Strawberry Hill, Twickenham TW1 4SX http://www.smuc.ac.uk/contact/
UCL (Institute of Education) is located in the centre of London near Russell Square at 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H OAL. The London Underground station at Russell Square is minutes from the main building and King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston stations are also close by. IOE location
Roehampton University, University of Roehampton, Erasmus House, Roehampton Lane, London SW15 5PU http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/Contact-Us/
Our Partner Schools The majority of your training is delivered through experience at your host school and your second placement school, with additional university based learning. Postcodes and web-links to all our partner schools seeking trainees for 2018-19 are set out below: WLTSA SECONDARY SCHOOLS Chelsea Academy SW10 0AB Drayton Manor High School, W7 1EU The Fulham Boys’ School W14 9LY Fulham College Boys' School SW6 6SN Fulham Cross Girls' School SW6 6BP Hammersmith Academy W12 9JD Lady Margaret School SW6 4UN Sacred Heart High School W6 7DG St Benedict’s School W5 2ES St Mark’s Roman Catholic School TW3 3EJ William Morris Sixth Form, W6 8RB
WLTSA SPECIAL SCHOOLS (Training on the primary route) Cambridge School W12 0SP Queensmill School W12 0NY Pield Heath House School UB8 3NW Jack Tizard School W12 7PA
WLTSA PRIMARY SCHOOLS Ashburnham Community School SW10 0DT Avondale Park Primary School W11 4EE Avonmore Primary School W14 8SH Barlby Primary School W10 6BH Barnes Primary School SW13 OQQ Bevington Primary School W10 5TW Bousfield Primary School SW5 0DJ Brunswick Park Primary School SE5 7QH Colville Primary School W11 2DF Earls Court Free School Primary W6 0LP Fox Primary School W8 7PP
Fulham Primary School, SW6 1JX John Betts Primary School W6 0UA Kensington Primary Academy, W14 8PU Larmenier & Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School W6 7BL Little Ealing Primary School, W5 4EA Marlborough Primary School SW3 3AP Minerva Academy W2 2HR Melcombe Primary School W6 9ER Oratory Primary School SW3 6QH Park Walk Primary School SW10 0AY Queen’s Manor Primary School SW6 6ND Ravenor Primary School UB6 9TT Randolph Beresford Early Years Centre W12 7PH Sir John Lillie Primary School SW6 7LN St Charles Catholic Primary School W10 6EP St Clement and St James CE Primary School W11 4PG St James & St John C.E. Primary School W2 3QD St John XXIII Catholic Primary School W12 7QR St Mary’s Catholic Primary School W4 2DF St Mary’s Catholic Primary School W10 5AW St Mary's Catholic Primary School W14 0LT St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School W2 5PR St Peters C.E. Primary School, W9 2AN St Peter’s Nursery W11 3DB St Stephen’s CE Primary W12 8LH St Vincent's Catholic Primary School W3 9JR Sullivan Primary School SW6 3BN Thomas’ Academy SW6 4LY Thomson House School SW14 8HY Vanessa Nursery School W12 9JA West London Free School Primary W6 0DT
Childcare Facilities
There are no childcare facilities at any of our partner schools. Neither St Mary’s University, Twickenham nor University of Roehampton have childcare facilities and while UCL (Institute of Education) has a nursery available, both they and the WLTSA, recommend you look into childcare options near your place of residence or host school. For further information about childcare in your local area please go to http://www.childcare.co.uk/
Accommodation You are welcome to apply for university accommodation on campus at the relevant university for your programme however, it is often more convenient to find accommodation closer to your host school to decrease travelling time. St Mary’s University Accommodation University of Roehampton Accommodation
IOE Accommodation
Disability Access WLTSA and all our partner universities are committed to supporting students with disabilities. The WLTSA invites you to contact us as early as possible in your application process so that your needs are met and support can be arranged – [email protected] St Mary’s University: St Mary’s offer advice and support to their students who have requirements as a result of a disability, specific learning difficulty (e.g. dyslexia), medical condition or temporary disability, such as injury. St Mary’s Dyslexia and Disability Co-ordinator (DDC) works closely with the other members of the Student Services team, supporting students in their time at university assisting them to be proactive in their studies as an independent learner. For more information please refer to http://www.smuc.ac.uk/student- support/dyslexia-and-disability/ University of Roehampton More information is available from Roehampton University – http://www.roehampton.ac.uk/Disabilities/Support/ UCL (Institute of Education) The Institute of Education has full disabled access and is committed to admitting and supporting students with disabilities. The Institute has a well-established Disability and Wellbeing team who provide support for students with a range of conditions. Every person is treated as an individual, and the Institute invite you to contact them as early as possible so that they consider your needs and tailor their support to meet them.
Where to Find Us Postcodes and web-links to all our partner schools are set out above.
The WLTSA is coordinated from: Sacred Heart High School, 212 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7DG
Telephone: 0208 748 7600
Email: [email protected] [email protected]
West London Teaching School Alliance website: www.wltsa.org.uk