NIoT at DRET Initial Teacher Education

NIoT@DRET Teacher Education

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The David Ross Education Trust works alongside The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) as an Associate College to deliver Initial Teacher Education.

The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) programme leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) through the NIoT (an accredited provider), with PGCE and master’s level credits. From the start of the 2025/26 academic year, all participants will be awarded their PGCE by the NIoT. You can find out more about the NIoT programme here.

The NIoT’s initial teacher training is a fully immersive school-centred programme – aspiring teachers will be in the classroom from the very start. But full immersion does not mean that you will be thrown in the deep end: our trainees are mentored and have central training once a week based at our training campus at Havelock Academy in Grimsby.

You can also access from the panel below our teacher training brochure and download our termly bulletins.

Why choose us?

We offer a small and personalised approach to our teacher training where we will work with you to develop you as a teacher. Our onsite training campus where you have your weekly core training day (usually a Thursday) is located within a school and our tutors are experts in teaching. We have two dedicated tutors with significant teaching and school leadership experience in both primary and secondary settings. Take a watch of some of the interviews below from our trainees; both those currently training with us and those who have trained with us.

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Eligibility

A bachelor’s degree, or equivalent with a 2:2 or above
A GCSE grade 4/C or above in English and maths, or equivalent
Primary candidates will also need a GCSE grade 4/C or above in a science, or equivalent
Your degree or A-levels will need to be relevant to the subject/phase you wish to teach.

You can also read more about eligibility on the Get Into Teaching website.

Tuition fee (Fee-funded training)

For our full time tuition-fee-based routes starting in September 2026, the tuition fee cost will be £9,790.

Postgraduate bursaries and scholarships

Bursaries and scholarships are available to trainees on tuition-fee-based teacher training courses in England that lead to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS).

Receiving a bursary depends on:

Highest relevant academic award
ITT subject

In languages and physics, trainees starting courses in the 2026 to 2027 academic year will not need to be eligible for student finance to be eligible for a bursary or scholarship.

In all other subjects, trainees are only eligible for a bursary or scholarship if they are entitled to support under the student finance criteria.

Non-UK trainees should read Train to teach in England as a non-UK citizen. Applicants with a degree from outside the UK should use Teach in England if you trained outside the UK.

For 2026 to 2027, the DfE are offering bursaries of:

£29,000 in chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics
£20,000 in design and technology and languages (including ancient languages)
£5,000 in biology and geography

Applicants may be eligible for a bursary if they have a 1st, 2:1, 2:2 or master’s degree or a PhD.

The DfE are offering scholarships of:

£31,000 for chemistry, computing and physics
£22,000 for French, German and Spanish (no other languages)

Scholarships are usually available to applicants with a 1st, 2:1 or master’s degree or a PhD, though, in exceptional circumstances, they may be awarded to a graduate with a 2:2 and significant relevant experience.

Scholarships also come with a package of additional benefits from the relevant scholarship body:

a tax-free scholarship
membership to the professional body
subject-specialist events and webinars held by professional bodies
online and face-to-face workshops across the country
subject-specialist mentors and coaching
a community of scholars (ex-scholars, teachers, subject leaders)
access to classroom resources
continuing professional development (CPD) and networking events during the ITT year and as alumni

Scholarships are applied for separately to ITT and only awarded to high-calibre students who pass a robust application and interview process in one of the specialist subject areas. Scholarships are awarded instead of a bursary.

Time commitment

The training courses we offer are all full time. These are five days per week (four days in school, one day at our onsite training campus in Grimsby).

Curriculum

Structure:

Pre-Autumn term: Flying start – a programme for all NIoT new trainees, when we'll ensure that you have the basic tools necessary to prepare you for entering the classroom.
Autumn term: You will have one main placement for the whole of this term. The course is fully immersive, which means that you’ll be teaching from the very start – but your timetable will be very small to begin with, increasing as the year progresses. You will be in your placement school four days a week and training in your campus one day a week. This means that you'll be able to learn new techniques, practise them and then apply them in school immediately.
Spring term: You will spend six weeks of this term in a contrasting school placement. The aim is to broaden your experience and field of reference. This placement will be organised for you.
Second half of spring term and summer term: You will return to your main placement school. This will help you to strengthen existing relationships and to deepen your teaching knowledge, as well as providing continuity for your learners.

What you'll learn:

Subject and curriculum knowledge: We'll support you with the fundamentals: why you're teaching an aspect of the curriculum, what's the best way to teach it, and how you can do it most successfully.
Planning for progress: How to plan effective, objective-driven lessons by observing expert colleagues, conceptualising and sequencing pupil progress over time, and creating opportunities for deeper learning and challenge.
Behaviour and relationships: How to nurture a culture of mutual trust and respect. How to create an inclusive and ambitious climate for learning, helping young people to achieve consistently high standards. How to provide a positive, predictable and safe environment for all pupils.
How students learn – inclusive pedagogy: How to ensure all our pupils experience success at the highest level by teaching new content, building on their pre-existing knowledge, using explanations and modelling and diagnosing and implementing strategies for all. How to provide opportunities for practice and retrieval, so as to maximise the chances that pupils will retain new information. How to avoid overloading young people with information.
Assessment and responsive teaching: How to draw on the different forms of assessment, in order to check for learner misconceptions and measure the depth of their understanding. How to use data effectively to support the needs of the pupils in your class.
Professional behaviours: How to step into the role of a teacher. What will your professional obligations be? How can you look after your own wellbeing? How to reflect on your own teaching practice and make use of the support around you. How to use wider networks and communities in order to strengthen your own knowledge.

Subjects

- Primary (3-7)

- Primary (5-11)

- Art & Design

- Biology

- Chemistry

- Computing

- Design & Technology

- English

- Geography

- History

- Mathematics

- Modern Languages

- Physical Education

- Physics

- Religious Education

How do I apply?

Recruitment is now open to train the next generation of teachers in both secondary and primary phases. If you would like to contact us for more information, please email us at: NIoTTeacherEducation@dret.co.uk

Apply here

DRET Teaching School Hub

NIoT@DRET Initial Teacher Education