National Modern Languages SCITT

St Helen's is a hub for the National Modern Languages Schools Centred Initial Teacher Training scheme.

Aims

The aim of the NML SCITT is to help address the national shortage of languages teachers through running in-service teacher training. 

As well as the benefit for trainees, learning in a 'live' school environment, students at all partner schools benefit from a different learning experience and staff in languages departments develop new knowledge of teacher training.

Background

St Helen's places huge importance on teacher development, therefore the opportunity to be at the forefront of a project to expand the profession was to be grasped. St Helen's has been the lead school in the Abingdon/Oxfordshire SCITT hub for over two years.

Resources

St Helen's works with partner schools who all provide termly teaching placements for trainees. These are delivered through two schools, typically one in a maintained school and the other in an independent school. 

Impact

In our first year both our trainees went on to find teaching posts - one in the maintained sector and one in the private sector. Three out of four of the next year's trainees are now working in the maintained sector, and in the current year we have six trainees.