Primary Training Course Primary Ages 5-11 years

Welcome to Durham SCITT Primary, reading this might be the start of an incredible journey into teaching and we are so excited to be able to support you in your new career. Here at Durham SCITT, we pride ourselves on the quality of the training we offer, our innovative curriculum based on current research and our friendly, bespoke approach. We are a relatively small provider who has excellent primary training hubs across the Northeast of England, including Redcar and Cleveland, Darlington, Durham, Sunderland, South Tyneside, Gateshead and Newcastle to Newcastle, we are certain there would be a location near you!

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Why teach primary education?

4 reasons why you should teach ages 5-11 year olds

Broad and balanced curriculum

An ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum which includes in depth foundation subject training, where the essence of the subject is brought to life, led by passionate experts.
longstanding partnership links

Our trainees are trained, by specialists and experts due to our strong, partnership links with Northern Lights Teaching School Hub, the St Michael’s English Hub, and Northern Lights Early Years Stronger Practice Hub.
enhancement Days

A range of Enhancement Days are built into the year, to develop your understanding of meeting the needs of pupils.
Early Years

We understand the crucial importance of the Early Years and all trainees access three-week Early Years experience, to further understand child development and the curriculum in place for 0-5s.

Primary Teaching Course

Our course is broken down in to four distinct elements:

Pre-course preparation: this is all about getting you ready to start the course. It will involve reading current research, completing tasks and developing your subject knowledge in preparation for the course beginning Professional Studies Programme: This is the classroom and school-based training that you will undertake in preparation for and to support your teaching. The training is carefully structured and mapped to ensure that you can go into the classroom and teach effectively with confidence as you develop your skills and understanding over the year. Classroom Practice Programme: This part of the programme gets you into the classroom, putting into practice all you have learned from the Professional Studies Programme. You will slowly build up the time you spend taking the lead in class, at a pace that is comfortable for you. As part of this programme, you are very well supported by your school-based mentor who will help you grow and develop as a teacher. Reflective Practice Programme: To be a highly effective teacher, you have to be able to reflect on your own practice and work towards your targets set so you improve over time. At Durham SCITT we will support you in developing those important reflective skills, so that when you leave us you will continue to reflect in your Early Career Teacher years and beyond.

What the primary trainees say

Read what the primary trainees say about our course

"I was looking for a hands on experience where I could immerse myself in school life."

The training by SCITT leads has been exceptional all year! Although nerve-wracking, I enjoyed the micro-teaches and thought they worked well as a stepping stone before placements. The support given by the SCITT staff and the placement schools has been second to none.

Hannah Davison

Primary Trainee

"Seeing children responding to your teaching, planning and resourcing is so rewarding!"

Both of my parents are teachers and I grew up hearing their stories about how much they enjoyed the job. It was following my degree that I first considered teaching. I took up a football coaching position and worked with children on a daily basis.

James Alderson

Primary Trainee

reasons choose Durham SCITT or one of our partners

As a DfE fully accredited provider, we recruit, train, support, assess and award your QTS. We are with you for the entire journey and have total control over the programme. Why train with an organisation that is unable to award QTS directly and relies on a third party to make the decision? Your training year is important, and we are with you all the way!

We are fully accredited to award QTS
We have 100% trainee satisfaction*
Bespoke training to match individual needs

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Primary teaching Frequently Asked questions

At Durham SCITT, we understand that it is essential that new teachers understand ‘the essence’ of the subjects they are going to teach, as well as the key teaching approaches that underpin how the subject is taught successfully. During our subject specific days, you will gain an understanding of what approaches work effectively for teaching a subject and what unique challenges and opportunities are available to teachers within the subject. We will ensure you understand the key concepts within the subject, in order to teach it well. During subject training, you will consider: the big ideas and debates within a subject, be introduced to key teaching approaches and work with experts to identify essential knowledge, concepts, skills and principles in the subject. This training is complemented by a range of tasks and foci’ to further develop understanding across a range of subjects.
Some of the training will be completed by Durham SCITT staff, initial teacher training specialists, who fully understand the curriculum and the journey you are on. They will ensure that the first few weeks are pitched at the correct level so that you can make rapid progress. Overtime, we then introduce additional expert practitioners from the hubs and schools we work very closely with e.g., English Hub, Mathematics Hub, Computing Hub and Early Years Stronger Practice Hub who are at the forefront of educational research within their specialism.
From day one you will be allocated a home school, during the first term you will spend time in this school whilst completing training. The training is carefully designed so that you get expert sessions centrally at the SCITT. You will then go into a hub school to look at this training in the school context by observing lessons and deconstructing what you have seen. Once back in your placement school, you will complete focused observations and mentor supported tasks to fully consolidate what you have learned.

After Christmas, the main focus is on your teaching placements and developing your expertise. The second placement will be in a different, contrasting school and a different key stage to your initial placement. There will be some training during this placement, but we try to ensure that it is kept to a minimum so you can really develop your understanding of the flow of a typical week in school alongside your classroom practice.

After Easter, you will start your final placement which will be back in your home school and class. In this placement, you will teach up to 80%. The final placement is formally assessed.