About Us

Essex Schools ITT has a long tradition of successful teacher training and were centrally involved in the ‘pilot’ year 2012-13 when the Government launched the programme.

• On our 2022-23 programme, we had 53 trainees across 24 secondary and 5 primary schools
• We provide a very special, school-based training experience in partnership with Tes Institute, who have a reputation for innovative on-line learning materials, especially in shortage subjects, with its Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses
• In recent years, we've had class leading results - our completion rate is an average of 97%, which is well above average for Initial Teacher Training programmes. From our current cohort, 89% found teaching jobs before the end of the course, and 74% of these were in our partnership schools, which shows the strength of our teacher training network
• Our programmes are accredited by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) and provide a blend of online learning and in-school experience leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and an option to add a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)
• Our programmes are offered on a training, unsalaried basis with government bursaries being available for shortage subjects. (Bursaries will be confirmed in October.) Only those with significant prior teaching experience (ie; on an unqualified basis) would be considered for a salaried training place (and only then on a school's recommendation)
• The PGCE is accredited by our partner university (UEL) and is subject to annual review
• Tes Institute is committed to supporting school-based teacher training, helping schools to create great teachers.  Through our team of highly experienced Pathway Tutors working in partnership with schools and trainees, Tes combines the best of in-person and online learning to deliver truly flexible teacher training. Starting with just 2 partnerships and 27 trainees in 2013-14, Tes have trained thousands of teachers since, and have expanded further with 7 partnerships, from Essex into Suffolk and Kent. Tes schools work in partnership to share best practice and develop and deliver high quality teacher training
• Find out more about Tes Institute
• There are 24 schools in the Essex Schools ITT Partnership, and our trainees are managed from our base at the Lead School, Davenant Foundation School in Loughton
• We work with organisations in Harlow and Chelmsford, such as TeachHarlow and The Chelmsford Learning Partnership (CLP)
• Our unique blended learning programme combines school-based training, online learning materials, a network of experienced subject specialists to deliver pedagogy and subject knowledge and a number of off-site visits to special schools, primary schools and Leading Teacher days
• The Directors of Essex Schools ITT have been involved in teacher training locally for many decades and have been working in partnership with TES for the last 5+ years. The collaboration and cooperation between the schools is well established and is a strength of the partnership
• Each Partner School provides a fully trained Mentor for each trainee, supported by a Pathway Tutor from Tes, who visits each half-term.