Are you ready to start your journey to becoming a teacher? Our Initial Teacher Training programme, delivered in partnership with Ambition Institute, is designed to equip you with the practical classroom skills and definitive knowledge you need to take off in your teaching career.
Applications for our 2025-26 Initial Teacher Training programme are now open! Click here to apply via our partners at Ambition Institute.
Not ready to apply just yet? Express your interest here and we’ll send you an information pack with more details about our programme.
Want to train your existing staff, or place trainee teachers in your school for a year? Find out how we can support you with all your training needs by becoming an ATTI Partner School!
Our programme is delivered in partnership with Ambition Institute, who are industry experts in education training and development.
Our course is designed to embed all the key knowledge you need whilst maximising the opportunity to gain practical classroom experience.
You’ll be supported throughout your programme by your own mentor, who’s there to support, challenge and encourage you as you learn.
Our academies are amazing places to train and work- though we might be biased, Ofsted thinks so too!
“Although I’ve only been here 10 weeks, it doesn’t feel like that. It feels like I’ve slotted straight into place and I’m supported by all the staff in the faculty”
George, Secondary Trainee
ITT is a postgraduate course, which means you’ll need to have an undergraduate degree before you start your programme- if you’re currently studying, you can apply in your final year. If you want to train as a secondary teacher, your degree usually needs to be in a related subject to the one you’re training to teach.
You’ll also need to have the right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we’re not able to sponsor visas for overseas applicants.
The two main routes to fund your ITT programme are Student Finance and bursaries. Finance works the same way as it does at undergraduate level, meaning that you’ll make repayments based on what you earn. You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan to help with your living expenses.
Bursaries, only available to secondary teaching trainees, are tax-free incentive payments offered by the Government. Depending on which subject you’re training in, you could receive between £5000 and £29,000. For more information, see our ITT finance information page.
After you complete our application form, we’ll be in touch with the details of what happens next. Your application will be reviewed by Ambition Institute, and if you’re eligible, you’ll be invited to book an in-person individual interview at one of our hubs, where you can ask any questions about us and the programme. We’ll ask you to complete a couple of simple pre-interview tasks beforehand.
After the interview, we may offer you a place on our ITT programme. If you decide to accept it, we’ll explain the actions you need to take in the runup to the start of your course. You’ll need to apply for funding, provide us with documentation of your education and right to work in the UK, and we might ask you to complete a Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE), a short course designed to refresh your memory of the subject you’re trying to teach.
Our ITT programme is a practical, school-centred programme. You’ll be in school 5 days a week, giving you a valuable opportunity to get to know the pupils, mentor and colleagues, and get a feel for what working as a teacher is like. During your placement, you’ll have the chance to observe lessons and get involved in their planning and delivery.
Even though our programme involves practical learning, that doesn’t mean there’s no academic element to the course. A high-quality curriculum, backed by the latest research and evidence, will help you focus on developing your expertise in your chosen subject or phase. Throughout the course, you’ll be supported in school by an expert mentor, and we’ll be on hand to help you with anything you need.
At the end of your programme, you’ll have achieved a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and attained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This means that you’ll be ready to start teaching as an Early Career Teacher (ECT). Often, placement schools go on to hire their trainees.
If you stay on at one of our academies, you’ll be able to continue on to the Ambition Institute Early Career Programme, which will equip you with all the skills and in-depth knowledge you need to develop your practice. Otherwise, the demand for teachers in England means you should soon be able to secure your first teaching job very soon after you finish your programme.
“There are more hands on aspects, the actual doing. You’re not just sitting in uni for two or three weeks at a time, you’re going out into practice and then doing it and receiving feedback. That way of learning really worked for me”
Rebecca, Secondary Trainee
Watch the video below to hear Dr Neil Gilbride from our partner Ambition Institute answer the most googled teacher training questions.
If you have any further questions about Initial Teacher Training that aren’t answered here, feel free to drop us a line at institute@attrust.org.uk. We’d be happy to answer your questions or arrange a chat about how we can support you on our programme.
Apply for our 2025-2026 Initial Teacher Training programme now! Click here to apply via our partners at Ambition Institute.
If you have any questions for us before you start your application, send us an email at institute@attrust.org.uk and we’ll be happy to help.
