St Mary’s University is proud to support students to become the next generation of outstanding teachers.
We collaborate closely with schools and mentors to deliver the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework, to ensure that students are able to make progress against the Teachers’ Standards in an environment that encourages excellence and self-reflection.
This handbook is designed to provide an overview of school experience for all students on Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses at St Mary’s University. Programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) include:
- BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
- BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS (work-based route)
- PGCE Primary with QTS (including School Direct Salaried)
- PGCE Secondary with QTS (including School Direct Salaried)
- Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) with QTS
- Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (TDA) with QTS
- International Qualified Teacher Status (iQTS)
- International PGCE Primary or Secondary when taken with iQTS (see above)
Please use the menu on the right-hand side of this page to navigate the ITT School Experience Handbook. For key contacts, please return to the Partnerships home page and scroll down.
Our vision
St Mary's ITE curriculum serves to prepare the next generation of Early Career Teachers who are expert in evidence-based disciplinary and phase-specific pedagogical practice, who effectively manage the demands of the profession, exemplifying the highest standards of professional conduct, while embodying the University's values of inclusiveness, excellence, respect, and generosity of spirit.
Being educated to teach at St Mary's University will ensure that trainee teachers are confident subject and phase specific practitioners in the pedagogy of behaviour for learning, planning for learning, assessment, and adaptive teaching, with a deep understanding of the relationship between educational theory and practice.
St Mary's University has a proud history and legacy of teacher training spanning 175 years, and we remain, today, at the forefront of educating the next generation of teachers.
Statement of Values
St Mary’s ITT Partnership serves to prepare its students to be outstanding teachers, to lead flourishing lives, have successful careers and a social commitment through excellent, research-enriched teaching. This is framed within a strong community of mutual respect based on our Catholic ethos and identity.
Four core values define St Mary’s and underpin all that we do as a University:
- Inclusiveness: We celebrate differences, recognising that everyone is born with a unique identity. St Mary’s is a place where students and staff can reach their full potential and make a positive contribution to society.
- Generosity of spirit: Our generosity of spirit sets us apart. It can be seen in the encouragement, collegiality, empathy, helpfulness and service to be found across the University.
- Respect: We respect everybody. We treat everyone as we ourselves would want to be treated.
- Excellence: We strive to be the best at everything we do. We seek professionalism through setting high standards and continuous improvement in all our practices and work.
The ITT programmes at St Mary’s not only serve to prepare outstanding students for a career in teaching, but also to service the professional development requirements of those seeking leadership roles.
Our Curriculum and the ITTECF
Our ambitious curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that we exceed the trainees' entitlement to engage with, and develop, the essential knowledge, skills and behaviours of highly effective teaching, as outlined in the ITTECF. Expert colleagues in school provide opportunities for trainees to learn from them, e.g. through observations and regular professional dialogue.
Our training plans include weekly curriculum foci linked to the ITTECF and a relevant weekly research focus, which facilitates the mentors' support in delivering our curriculum and ensuring that the trainee has opportunities to practise and refine the key skills and behaviours of a great teacher.