School-Centred Initial Teacher Training

Visit us at one of our School Experience Days

Our School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) provides a hands-on, practical approach to becoming a teacher, where you spend the majority of your time training directly in one of our Trust schools, working alongside experienced teachers.

Key benefits include:

Interested in becoming a trainee teacher?

You will be able to:

  • Maintain high standards in ethics and behaviour both within and outside school and so uphold public trust in our profession and our Trust of schools.
  • Attend work and carry out tasks punctually and in a regular and consistent manner.
  • Have a natural enthusiasm for working with children and young people, always treating them with dignity and being able to build relationships rooted in mutual respect, whilst at all times observing proper boundaries appropriate to your professional position.
  • Tolerant and respectful of others’ actions and beliefs and also have the resilience to cope with a wide range of different situations and the energy and stamina to thrive in a sometimes challenging environment.

Necessary requirements:

  • Grade 4 (or equivalent) GCSE in English, Mathematics and Science.
  • A bachelors degree from a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent qualification.
  • Enhanced DBS clearance.
  • A genuine passion for education and working with young people.

The application process:

  • Initial Enquiry – Contact us for an informal discussion.
  • Assessment Day – Includes interview, presentation, and subject knowledge evaluation.
  • Placement Matching – Tailored to your strengths, interests, and location.

Visit us at one of our school experience days

Our SCITT offers a wide variety of programmes – Primary (3-7 and 5-11), Primary with Maths, Primary with PE, Primary with SEND – and a full range of secondary subjects. We offer a choice of full-time and part-time programmes, QTS plus PGCE and QTS only.

We have many years of experience in delivering teacher training, with strong pass rates and levels of employment post-training, the majority in schools in our Alliance.

If  you would like to visit one of our schools and find out more about us and the SCITT application process, why not join us on one of our school experience days:

Audley Primary School

1 December 2025
Find out more
  • workshop – getting the best out of lesson observations
  • lesson observations
  • routes into teaching
  • programmes offered by BCTSA
  • when possible, the chance to talk to a current trainee or ECT and ask them questions on what it’s really like to train to teach
  • the offer of a 1:1 session to obtain individual advice.

What our former trainee teachers think

““I chose the drb Ignite MAT SCITT programme because I had already been working as a Teaching Assistant in one of the trust schools and had seen first-hand the high standards of teaching and the strong support given to both staff and pupils. Being part of this environment really inspired me to take the next step and train to teach. Training through this programme felt like the best next step to continue my professional journey in a setting I already knew and valued.””

““The programme prepared me to teach by giving me a good opportunity to put theory into practice. Through both placements, I was able to apply what I learned straight away in the classroom, building my confidence and developing effective teaching strategies. The mentoring and feedback were especially valuable as my mentors helped me reflect on my practice, refine my lessons, and manage behaviour positively. The training sessions also deepened my understanding of curriculum planning, assessment, and adaptive teaching.””

““One of the most memorable aspects of my drb Ignite MAT SCITT training was the care and support I received when I needed it the most. There were times when I felt challenged or unsure in the classroom, and my mentor was always there to guide me, offer advice, and encourage me to keep going.””

For further information about training in one of our fantastic Trust schools, please contact our ECT and ITT Lead:

Judith Di Leo