Programme Structure

What and how will I learn? 

Throughout the course of the training year, you will learn in the following ways: 

Centre based training

The Professional & Pedagogical Studies (P&P) Programme exposes Trainees to the theory of teaching.  During this training Trainees spend time familiarising themselves with accredited educational research and analysing and evaluating it; they then have the opportunity to observe and reflect on how this theory is put into practice by working closely with expert practitioners on site.   

The P&P programme is delivered in each of the i2i training centres by expert and experienced practitioners every Monday over the course of the academic year.  It is front loaded in the first half term of the academic year where Trainees will attend training every Friday in addition to the Monday.  The Programme ends at May half term to allow Trainees to remain in their main placement school 5 days a week in order to give them an experience of a ‘block’ of teaching time when their timetable is at its heaviest.  

Intensive Training and Practice (ITaP) will be a series of in depth training weeks spaced out over the course.  These weeks will enable a deeper understanding and provide a "laser focus" in the following areas: formative assessment; how students learn; and how to support students' learning by developing a range of scaffolding methods.  You will have the time and support to develop your own abilities in the classroom further.

The ITaP weeks will be led in your training Centres and you will then observe and apply best practice in your school.  These will be exciting weeks working with your fellow Trainees.

Subject Studies training is designed to complement and build on the training undertaken in the P&P programme and develop Trainees’ subject pedagogical knowledge, i.e. how to apply teaching theory specifically to their subject.  This training also informs and enhances the subject specific training that Trainees undertake in their placement school. 

Like the P&P programme, the curriculum content of each Subject Studies programme has been selected to reflect current theory and practice in each subject area and ensure it fulfils the aim of Trainees becoming competent subject practitioners.  

The Subject Studies Programmes are led by Subject Lead Mentors who are subject specialists within our partner schools.  Subject Studies training is delivered via 6 days throughout the course of the academic year with each training day or session taking place in the Subject Lead Mentors home school.  Subject Studies Programmes mostly end at May half term.  In between the Subject Study days, Trainees are given Gap Tasks to engage with; these are targets or activities designed to help the Trainees engage with the subject specific training in between sessions and to embed it into their school based practice.  

The PGCE Programme is delivered by Bath Spa University and will develop Trainees’ ability to become truly reflective practitioners. It will encourage them to engage with educational literature, research and policy in a critical manner.  It is important that all those embarking on teaching develop this professional behaviour so that they firstly understand the important role that engaging with educational theory plays in their continuous professional development, but also to give them the tools by which they can discern the plethora of research, policy and literature that is available to practitioners, and draw on that which is most effective.  

The PGCE Programme is delivered via a combination of face to face launch lectures and online question and answer sessions and tutorials.  

The PGCE is assessed via 2 key assignments which complement the assignments required for QTS.

School based training - Main and second placements

Trainees’ school based training enables them to develop the knowledge acquired through centre-based training by embedding it into their practice.  Here they will work with expert and experienced colleagues in their own department who will further exemplify the theory through targeted observations, deconstruction of practice, modelling/exposition, live coaching and instructional coaching.  With the help of their Mentors and department colleagues, Trainees will have the opportunity to deliberately practise the theory within their own subject context so that they can explore how the theory is specifically applied to their own practice.  

Trainees will spend the majority of their time in their main placement school where they will be part of the school community from the very start of the academic year.  Apart from their subject specific Mentor and department colleagues Trainees will also be supported by other key school colleagues, such as members of the school’s pastoral team (including a co-Tutor), the SEN Co-ordinator, the DSL (Designated Safeguarding Lead) and members of the senior leadership team such as the ITT Coordinator, who is responsible for supporting Trainee’s professional development during their school placement.   

Trainees also undertake a second school placement between January and February half term.  The second placement school is usually of a different socio-economic make up to the main placement school. 

Enrichment Placements - KS2 And KS5 and SEND

Enrichment placements are designed to both broaden and further develop a Trainee’s understanding of certain aspects of the i2i curriculum and further enrich their practice. These will take place throughout the course of the academic year:

Key Stage 2 and 5 placement days are designed to give students an understanding of what students will have studied before, and after the age range that they are training to teach.  Trainees will undertake one day in each setting usually before October half term.  

The time at a Special School is a unique opportunity to see perhaps an area of the education many have not experienced before.  It gives Trainees the chance to reflect on the training they have received on the programme regarding adaptive teaching and behaviour for learning in a different context. 

One of the things that make i2i stand-out is the level of support we provide to our trainees. 

Centre based support

In your chosen training centre, you will be supported by the Centre Director and the Centre Administrator, providing a wealth of knowledge, understanding and support. There is also always someone from the Core Team ready to offer a helping hand or words of advice. We work hard to create a strong sense of community within each training centre, and as you develop your working relationships with your fellow trainees, the support this provides is invaluable.

All Trainees also get access to our Employer Assistance Programme - an independent organisation offering a completely confidential and free work and personal support service which is available 24 hours a day all year round.

School based support

Throughout the course of the programme Trainees will work with and be supported by a series of colleagues who have the responsibility to help them embed the theory that they learn into their classroom practice.  

All Trainees are allocated a school based Mentor who is a subject specialist.  They are the Trainees' most immediate source of professional support during their school based training.   Mentors meet with their Trainees formally once a week to review progress and set short term targets.  During the course of the week, Mentors work closely with their Trainee, turning the theory learnt in the Professional and Subject Studies programmes into practice via lesson planning and delivery.  Mentors then engage in a cycle of observation, feed forward and instructional coaching to help hone their Trainee’s practice.  

As the Trainees’ timetables grow over the year, Trainees will also work with other department colleagues.  They will perform a similar role to their Mentor and will also engage in a cycle of observation, feed forward and instructional coaching.   

Trainees are also supported by an ITT Coordinator; this is usually a senior leader in the Trainee’s placement school, who is responsible for co-ordinating and managing their training within the school.  They work with both the Mentor and the Trainee supporting them in all aspects of their training, including exposing the Trainee to best practice across the wider school.

How will I be assessed? 

To gain QTS (Qualified Teacher Status), trainees show that they are able to combine the Centre-based training with their School-based training to demonstrate that they can show what they have learnt in their pedagogical studies in their own classroom practice.  

Trainees are assessed via a series of ongoing assessments.  These include weekly target setting, school based lesson observations, Professional Dialogues on aspects of the curriculum and independent reflective writing on their own teaching.  This form of continuous assessment throughout the year allows trainees to build their confidence and skills and ensures trainees are on track to be awarded QTS. QTS is achieved through being able to demonstrate understanding of the Core Content Framework and how to show this in your teaching, and also meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

The PGCE is assessed via 2 key assignments containing a portfolio, spoken presentation and written essay which complement the assignments required for QTS.