Our Curriculum

The Embrace SCITT ITE curriculum equips Trainees and Apprentices with the knowledge, professional behaviours and skills to begin their career as professional, collaborative and hard-working colleagues with confidence.

We train excellent teachers who champion children’s right to an exceptional education in the North West and beyond by ensuring excellence in pedagogy and curriculum through research informed practice, which meets the needs of local Primary, Secondary and Special schools.

It is underpinned by our active ingredients:

  1. Academic rigour: Engagement with high-quality research bases, contextualised for the subjects and phases for which trainees are training to teach in.
  2. Curriculum sequencing: interleaved curricula woven through centre- and school-based training which promotes curriculum and pedagogical mastery.
  3. Exceptional talent: Exceptional facilitation and school-based mentoring.

Curriculum Intent

Our 3-Part Curriculum allows us to tailor our curriculum for each trainee. The three curricula flex and adapt to meet the needs of Trainees as they journey through to qualify as teachers.

Formal Curriculum:

Organised under four curriculum drivers;

  • Leading Professional Partnerships
  • Growing Expert Teachers, Expert Learners
  • Becoming Teachers of the World 
  • Ensuring Achievement for All.

These drivers summarise the knowledge (taught through centre-based training), professional behaviours (reinforced through school-based mentoring) and skills (practised and rehearsed in the classroom). These are summarised in our Knowledge, Professional Behaviours and Skills (KPBS) documents.

Developmental Curriculum: 

Recognises that Trainees will, at times, need more time or practice to develop and truly mastery the KPBS. This looks at core curriculum elements such as the progressive teaching commitment, PEERS targets and instructional coaching / deliberate practice. Strategies such as Trainee Recovery & Improvement Plans (TRIPs) and Individual Trainee Support Plans (ITSPs) may be needed to provide focused support for trainees who may need additional support.

Additional Curriculum: 

This curriculum highlights the additionality that we offer our Trainees, including unique items such as Teach Together in Europe (TTE), the Professional Behaviours, employability support and cross-phase/sector experiences.

Curriculum Implementation

How you are taught:

Our curriculum comprises knowledge, professional behaviours and skills which are delivered primarily through two core elements:

School-Based Training

Our programme utilises two teaching placements in great schools. We carefully consider where we place our Trainees to ensure they have the best opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of the phase and subjects that they are training to teach. Each Trainee is supported by a School-Based Mentor who monitors their progress, setting precise PEERS targets to support the Trainee to practise the skills outlined in the KPBS. 

Intensive Training and Practice placements are designed to focus on high-leverage, granular detail in teaching and learning. These are distinctive from typical school placements and encourage you to hone your skills on very specific areas of your practice.

Centre-Based Training

Trainees receive regular training in a variety of topics which expose them to the critical research available in teaching. We have three elements to our Centre-Based Training;

Professional Skills & Knowledge (PSK): Knowledge which is transferrable across different sectors and phases. These sessions expose Trainees to the evidence base of core aspects of learning such as behaviour management, Special Educational Needs, Assessment, Pedagogy, Planning etc.

Subject Skills & Knowledge (SSK): Knowledge which is subject and phase specific. We allocate 20 sessions throughout the year to build your knowledge and understanding of subject-specific content, and exemplify the Professional Skills and Knowledge through a subject specific lens.

Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE): A 60 Masters level (level 7) credit programme which compliments our PSK and SSK teaching. This is organised into two modules; module 1 focuses on assessment and the research which underpins this; module 2 primarily looks at curriculum design models. Our PGCE is delivered by Liverpool Hope University.

Our training is delivered by local, regional and national experts who have significant experience in the areas they are training you in.

In addition to our centre- and school-based training, our programme utilises a range of approaches to learning, including:

Online Training: These are used to revisit and consolidate training.

Directed reading: Used to develop a strong understanding of the research available to teachers to improve outcomes for pupils.

Curriculum Impact

How you are assessed:

Our Trainees are assessed continuously throughout the programme:

  • Lesson observations & feedback
  • PEERS Target Setting
  • Weekly review meetings
  • End of phase reviews
  • Phase viva assessments
  • Moderation visits
  • Evidence for Qualified Teacher Status (at the end of the programme)