Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA)

The PGTA is a 1-year, fully funded, salaried teacher training programme which leads to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The apprenticeship starts on 1 September and QTS is awarded in July the following year. Apprentices need a contract of employment covering them for at least this period.

Apprentices must be paid on at least unqualified teacher scale 1. If they were employed by the school on a higher salary prior to commencing their apprenticeship it is at the employing school's discretion whether to keep them on the higher pay scale.

Apprentices must be employed full-time. They hours must cover the 20% off-the-job learning time.

The apprenticeship allows you to upskill valued members of staff to obtain qualified teacher status.

PGTAs can take their own classes without the need for a host teacher to be present in every lesson. The quality of their teaching and their progress is checked through a weekly formal observation.

All formal observations, mentor meetings and mentor targets are recorded on our bespoke online platform to track the apprentice's progress.

Applicants must have the following by 31 August before they start the apprenticeship:

• an undergraduate degree with at least lower second class honours

• GCSE English grade 4/C or above (applicable to primary and secondary school teacher training)

• GCSE Maths grade 4/C or above (applicable to primary and secondary school teacher training)

• GCSE Science grade 4/C or above (applicable to primary school teacher training only)

International equivalents are acceptable, but applicants must have lived in England for 3 years prior to commencing the apprenticeship.

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Applicants who do not have the required GCSEs are required to complete GCSE equivalency tests to meet the entry requirements. We accept the following GCSE equivalency test providers:

https://www.equivalencytesting.com/

https://astarequivalency.co.uk/

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Applicants who do not have a degree in the subject they wish to train in, will be required to complete a subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course prior to commencing teacher training. Find out more about SKE courses here.

Our bespoke apprenticeship course is designed to help you fulfill a wider teaching role (including that of pastoral care) within the apprentice's chosen educational context. The course will provide the apprentice with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

There is the option to complete a PGCE alongside the course, however, due to the increased workload of apprentices compared to unsalaried trainee teachers, we do not recommend this, unless you are planning on teaching abroad.

Apprentices need to be teaching children whose age matches their chosen phase. For our primary course, apprentices need to be teaching children aged 5-11. For our secondary courses apprentices need to be teaching children 11-16. Apprentices can not train to become primary school teachers by teaching the primary curriculum to students over the age of 11.

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We currently offer apprenticeships in primary (5-11), English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, MFL (French & Spanish), History, Geography and Physical Education.

The apprentice will be at their employing school to begin the year. The maximum teaching load an apprentice can have is 70%. 20% of their course is spent completing their off-the-job learning attending the training sessions, either face-to-face or remotely via teams. If apprentices attend remotely we strongly recommend this is done from home to minimise interruptions in school. Apprentices also need at least 10% PPA time.

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Please check our curriculum for the training sessions each apprentice needs to attend. This will work out as 20% over the year, but there are more training sessions at the start of the year and fewer at the end.

It is at the employer's discretion whether the apprentice starts straight away on a full 70% timetable or whether the  timetable is built over a few weeks. This will be different for secondary school trainees and and primary school trainees and will depend on the apprentice's previous teaching experience.

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In the spring term apprentices need to complete a placement at a contrasting school. This placement needs to be at least 4 weeks long and they need to be teaching at least 50%. If the main placement is in a special school, the apprentice needs to have a placement in a mainstream school. If they are training to be a primary school teacher the placement must be in a contrasting key stage.

PGTAs must have 20% free time for off-the-job learning. This will be their weekly training day where they attend the live training sessions, either face-to-face or via Teams. The 20% off-the-job learning must be part of their paid hours.

The 20% off-the-job does not include PPA time. Apprentices must be given at least as much PPA time as a main scale teacher in their setting.

PGTAs have an in-school mentor who will meet with them on a weekly basis. The mentor will discuss the apprentice's progress and set targets for the week ahead. The mentor will also address emerging areas for development or signpost the apprentice to the appropriate help. This meeting has to take place during the apprentice's and the mentor's normal contracted hours. The mentor needs to be a qualified teacher and cannot be an ECT. For secondary trainees the mentor will ideally have the same subject specialism.

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In addition, apprentices will have a subject/phase specific lead mentor who will visit them on placement at 4 points during the year, including a settling-in visit.

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The apprentice will also be supported by a dedicated pastoral mentor who will look after their mental well-being.​​

The apprentice will be formally observed once per week and receive feedback. This does not necessarily have to be by the mentor. It could be a senior leader or another member of the department.

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Our summative assessments take the form of Big Questions for which the apprentice will prepare a presentation which is delivered to a panel, followed by a professional discussion. There are only written assignments for the PGCE.

PGTAs are employees. They must be paid at least unqualified teacher scale 1. If they were employed by the school prior to commencing the apprenticeship on a higher scale, it is at the discretion of the employer to continue paying the higher salary.

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The course fee is paid through your employer's apprenticeship levy. There is no cost to your employer or the apprentice.

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Apprentices must have lived in the UK for at least 3 years prior to commencing the apprenticeship to draw down the apprenticeship funding.

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There are salary grants available for certain subjects. The salary grant is meant to be used by the employer to help pay the apprentice's salary. For 2026/27 the salary grants are as follows:

Biology - £5,000

Chemistry - £29,000

Computing - £29,000

Geography - £5,000

Mathematics - £29,000

Languages (French & Spanish) - £20,000

Physics - £29,000

There are no salary grants for primary, history or physical education. For more information please click here.

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