Initial Teaching Training and ECTs

Our Partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University.

The school continues to be outward facing, strengthening links with the University through social media, lectures and workshops- as well as providing annual placements. The English Lead has attended voluntary seminars held by associates from the National Literacy Trust- where current, relevant research is discussed and new texts from children's authors are introduced. In recent years, Mrs Dixon has given lectures to the graduating class of PGCE students, looking forward to the challenges of their NQT year, as well as speaking to new cohorts of first year BA students. Mrs Dixon has also completed an accredited Mentor Development Programme, run by the university. She has attended seminars and workshops at the university and also attends and speaks at PAMs (Primary Area Mentor Meetings) every seasonal term, so that the school is fully aware of training and development issues.

Current Provision

We are currently reviewing our offers for 2021/22 in light of a very disruptive year. Towards the end of Term 5 each year, CCCU request our offers of placements and allocate them to degree and PGE students at different points in their practice. Many teacher training courses now require candidates to have a minimum of 14 days' of experience in a school setting, which is vital when deciding to choose education as a career.

ECT Training Programme

Senacre Wood is very familiar with the induction of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) and how this has now developed into supporting teachers in their first two years in the profession as Early Career Teachers (ECTs). New teachers are mentored, graded and coached through their first  two years of teaching. Senacre Wood has three trained mentors and these members of staff are allocated according to targeted needs at point of entry. 

ECF 2021

Last year, the government have introduced a scheme to aid the retention of Early Career teachers. In 2020, the DfE was found that a third of teachers left the profession within the first five years, with one in six teachers leaving in the first year. In September 2021, our NQT policy was updated to an Early Career Teacher Policy, to ensure we offer ongoing support and guidance to those new to the profession.