Graduate Teacher Programme

The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) enables schools to employ people who are not yet qualified to teach and to train them through an individual training programme leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

The Training & Development Agency (TDA) pays a grant to cover the training and may also pay the school a contribution towards your salary of up to £13,000 per annum. For more information visit the TDA website link in the related links section at the bottom of this page.

Qualifications and Application

The programme involves one year of postgraduate training. In order to be eligible you must:

• Have a UK first degree (eg BA or BSc degree)
• Hold GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English (or equivalent qualification)
• If you want to teach in a Primary School, you must also hold a GCSE grade C or above in a Science subject (or equivalent qualification)
• Be put forward by a Designated Recommending Body

The programme suits mature people who want to change to a teaching career but need to continue earning while they train

Designated Recommending Bodies (DRB)

Designated recommending bodies are organisations set up to deliver the Graduate Teacher Programme in England:

• The Training & Development Agency (TDA) gives them an annual allocation of places.
• The DRB takes responsibility for delivering your training programme.
• Most DRB's are partnerships of bodies such as schools, local education authorities and accredited initial teacher training providers.

There are two DRB's operating within Northamptonshire:

Competition for Places

Competition for GTP positions is very strong and places are limited. All GTP salary grant places, whether offered by the TDA or DRB's are allocated using priority funding categories:

• Secondary shortage subjects are currently design and technology, geography, information and communication technology, maths, modern languages, music, religious education and science
  
  
• High quality primary applications
  
  
• Applications in any subject or phase that makes the teaching force more representative of society, eg increasing men in primary teaching, teachers from minority ethnic groups and teachers with disabilities.
  
  
• High quality secondary applications in any subject
  
  
• Applications to train people currently working as teaching assistants

Experience in Schools

If you are considering the GTP route, and in particular primary teaching, it is vital that you gain some experience of classroom life. If, for example, you work for a couple of terms as a learning support assistant, you will not only gain extremely valuable experience but you will also strengthen your application.