Graduate Training Programme (GTP) Overview
The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) offers you a way of qualifying as a teacher while you work. This is a one-year individualised training programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). With QTS you can work as a qualified teacher in any Maintained School, Sixth Form, Tertiary or Further Education College in England or Wales.
The programme suits people who want to change to a teaching career and need to continue earning their living while they train.
Competition to enter teaching via the GTP route is strong, and candidates are expected to be of high calibre and show a strong commitment to teaching, for example by having worked as classroom assistants or supply teachers.
The GTP candidate will work in a more independent manner than PGCE students will experience.
Following successful application, interview and appointment Graduate Trainees complete a Skills Audit and an individualised Training Plan is developed to guide their studies and teaching for the training period. Graduate Trainees will be required to train for two consecutive age ranges, typically this covers Key Stages 3 and 4. Thomas Telford School acts as the Lead School and is the base for the Education and Professional Studies component of the programme.
Graduate Trainees will spend a minimum of 20 days in a second school to help gain a wider understanding of learning and teaching plus the organisation of schools. Graduate Trainees would also spend time in a Primary school to help develop their knowledge of Key Stage 2 and transition into Key Stage 3. Graduate Trainees will be required to complete a series of short written assignments as part of their studies, including a Comparative Study between their Training School and School 2 placements.
The West Midlands Consortium hopes, through its partnership with Staffordshire University, to include a number of Masters and Honours Level credits as part of the GTP from September 2008.
The West Midlands Consortium recruits to a wide range of subject areas.
The Training and Development Agency's allocation is: 15 Priority Subject places, 7 non-Priority Subject places.
The Consortium does not have any Primary age range places and is not involved with the Registered Teacher Programme (RTP) or Overseas Teacher Trained Programme (OTTP).