What People Say
The YTCA SCITT was a great opportunity to learn on the job and to be able to understand the demands and responsibilities of the career. It was a great experience to work with a range of age groups and individuals to be prepared for future employment. Working with different teachers meant that I could take advice and develop my own style of teaching to match my personality.
The YTCA SCITT Programme has been a challenging but enjoyable year. The programme has a holistic approach to progression towards an outstanding practitioner. I have been fortunate to train in a very strong, thought provoking English Department, developing my skills as a teacher. Meeting a fantastic group of trainees who have been overwhelmingly supportive during this year.
I am grateful for my time as trainee teacher, what a whirlwind of a year! With so many positive ups and also a few downs however I understand that’s just part of being a teacher! This journey has changed me as a person and adapted my ways of learning and understanding so that I am able to provide the best opportunities for my students learning.
The SCITT has helped me progress and develop myself throughout my teacher training and has been exceptional in supporting my opportunities and professional football career, which I feel has really been a positive for me. I have been able to pursue my career as a teacher along with juggling my football career.
Throughout my placements I was in schools which were accurately suited to my needs in order for me to develop as a teacher, I am grateful and thankful for both my lead mentors and my mentors as they were extremely supportive and all incredible teachers, and it was really nice to watch them in their practice. This also developed my knowledge of multiple ways of delivering lessons.
Without a doubt, the Minsthorpe SCITT programme gave me a realistic and genuine experience of life as a teacher. Both of my school placements gave me the opportunity to learn from outstanding teachers and I was able to secure a job that I love very quickly because of this exceptional training.
The SCITT was the perfect way for me to get in to teaching. It allowed me to gain experience of the classroom as well as studying for a PGCE. I gained valuable knowledge and ideas from colleagues, mentors and fellow trainee teachers. Being a Maths trainee the bursary really helped me financially to continue to provide for my family. I would highly recommend the course to potential future trainee.
Hard work and dedication are a few qualities needed to fulfil the role of becoming a Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT). This is supported by friendly professional mentors who are not here to catch you out but to support you being the best that you can be. As a mature student I wondered if I had made the right choice. However due to the location and classroom based learning, SCITT accommodated all my needs. My continuing professional development has enhanced my ability to deliver effective lessons for pupils to thrive. Along my journey I have built positive relationship with trainees, pupils, parents and staff and now I look forward to what the future brings. I cannot thank SCITT enough.
Being in involved in the YTCA SCITT year has been an exciting learning journey for me. Training a mentee has been an enjoyable experience. Observing my mentee developing skills during the training year has allowed me to impart my own teaching knowledge/skills to the next generation of teachers.
I have enjoyed working with SCITT trainee and feel that she was well-supported throughout the placement by YCTA. The trainee received a good level of training and was prepared for the working in the school. The assessment processes were clear and there was a strong relationship between the trainee, provider and school.
The SCITT is a program that would benefit those trainee teachers who love to learn in a hands on approach! From day one you are in a real-world school setting, learning from outstanding teachers within your host school setting.
The SCITT process was well organised. My placement schools were very accommodating. Providing you keep yourself motivated and organised it is fairly easy to make good progress. I fully enjoyed my time on the programme and would highly recommend to others. The SCITT lead had a clear understanding of how to support us and the regular training sessions were well resourced and enhanced my teaching pedagogy further. I gained so much confidence and inspiration from completing my SCITT journey and fortunately it led me to take on a full time temporary position at Minsthorpe.
To me the most significant part of becoming a teacher is the impact you can have on students, as horrifically cheesy as this sounds. The idea that a student could go home after a day of school and when asked about their day could say “my geography lesson was great Mr. Betts taught us about the UK space industry!” is really amazing to me. That we can have such an influence with our every action.
The Yorkshire Three Counties Alliance SCITT course is well structured, with students gradually increasing the number of lessons they teach as the course progresses, meeting regularly with placement mentors and external trainers to develop teaching skills. The support I have received from my mentors and fellow SCITT students has been the highlight of my teacher training year.
Working through a smaller SCITT like YTCA means you have a much more personal experience, and you don’t get swallowed up as just a number in the system. It also means you get to know the people you’re studying with much better and build a really close group. The PGCE year is hard, everyone says it and it’s true. But I found the people I studied with at YTCA really supportive – everyone’s going through the same thing and will try their best to help you out.
You’ll also spend a lot more time in the classroom, right from the get go, which means it’s a really hands on course. Take the opportunity to ask as many questions, and observe as many teachers, as you can – watching other people doing it and talking to them about it is a great way to find your feet at the beginning.
I began the SCITT with YTCA in 2015 after being a cover supervisor previously. I was extremely well supported throughout the process and it was made clear to me what I needed to do in order to achieve QTS. Since I graduated, I have secured a permanent job at Minsthorpe and am now a TLR holder in my department.
I was given an opportunity to follow a dream. Being a teacher was a million miles away from my previous life in the construction industry. The YTCA SCITT gave me the platform and incredible support to fulfil my potential. 4 years later and I am an established English teacher (and assistant head of year) in a great team, in a great school.