The Teacher Training Programme

What’s the programme in a nutshell?

Experience teacher training in Liverpool on your own terms with the SCITT programme.

The School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme is a one-year teacher training course which enables you to train and develop your skills in the classroom.

Our SCITT course is ideal for people who are eager to learn on the job and make a difference in their community from day one. As a trainee, you’ll spend the majority of the week interacting with pupils and working as a member of teaching staff in a school local to you.

Applying for your SCITT programme at St Joseph doesn’t mean that you will only train to teach in Liverpool. We also offer teacher training in St Helens, Runcorn and Wigan, offering both primary and secondary teacher training courses.

Our research-led programme will give you plenty of practical experience, along with phase and subject-specific training and a deep understanding of effective teaching methods.

You’ll be in the classroom from September 2026 and will benefit from the support of a trained mentor throughout your training.

At the end of our programme, you’ll be awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) and postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE).

How does the programme work?

Classroom based learning

By choosing SCITT, you will benefit from hands-on experience at two or more schools and learn from experienced teaching professionals. You may train to teach in Wigan, St Helens, Runcorn or at one of our academies in Liverpool.

Our curriculum focuses on supporting you to put learning into practice and places you in school four days a week from early September until the end of the summer term.

The SCITT programme also includes a six-week placement in an alternative setting during the year to make sure that you qualify with broad teaching experience.

Specialised training

Before you enter the classroom, we’ll give you two weeks of intensive training focused on core areas such as behaviour management and planning. You will also have a further two weeks of intensive training later in the year (for example, the first week of the spring and summer terms). They will focus on pivotal areas to help trainees to develop their practice.

Once you start your placement, you will have weekly training sessions, designed by Teach First’s expert curriculum designers, and sequenced to ensure focus on the areas of teaching that are most relevant to that point in the academic year.

You will take part in six modules across the year – one per half term. In each module you will have self-directed study sessions, a live seminar and a conference day to give you time to collaborate with other trainees within your placement teaching school hub. Brightspace is the digital learning platform that will support your journey.

Your self-directed study session will cover a comprehensive range of topics:

Subject knowledge and pedagogy
An inclusive classroom environment
Effective and inclusive teaching
Planning and curriculum
Effective assessment

Live seminars will be held for each module and are tailored to whether the trainee is specialising in primary or secondary education (the secondary live seminars are subject-specific). Each module will also include a full-day conference that will focus on a combination of core curriculum and subject or phase-specific content. The conferences also provide a great opportunity to meet other trainees on the programme.

Mentoring and support

You’ll be eased into teaching by shadowing other expert teachers, before leading your own lessons with guidance from more experienced colleagues. You’ll work with a skilled and knowledgeable subject-specific mentor who will meet with you regularly to give you guidance. Your lead mentor will deliver your training and oversee your progress throughout the year.

What qualifications will I receive?

When you complete your training, you will be awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) by Teach First.

You’ll also achieve your postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE) from Teach First’s partner university meaning you’ll have a 60 credit Master’s level certificate in the study of education.

How do I apply?

Visit https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training and choose St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust as your provider. We’ll then contact you directly with information about the next steps in the application process.

Can I find out more about the programme?

Find out more here: https://bit.ly/SJCMATFind_Out_More