Teacher Training

To be eligible for the course, applicants will require:

• A pass (grade C or 4) in GCSE English and Maths
• At least a 2:2 classification in a relevant degree to your teaching subject of choice

You should also be able to show a commitment to teaching, including between 5-10 days of observations in a school or college. You can apply for the CTA before you have completed these observations but should be able to show that you are beginning to organise relevant experience. Discussions about your experience may form part of the interview process.

During your teacher training, you will complete one placement at Cardinal Newman and one placement at one of our partner high schools, which make up the Catholic Teaching Alliance, (CTA). This allows our trainees to gain teaching practice in both 11-16 and 16-18 settings. Teaching across the whole of the 11-18 age range not only increases your experience but also your employment prospects after completion.

We are also one of the very few providers regionally offering to train Law, Criminology and Sociology (Social Sciences specifically) teachers. This is something we are very passionate about as a college as we see the growing popularity of these courses and hence the teaching provision.

• Placements – One in a Secondary school and the other at Cardinal Newman College.
• University-led academic Post Graduate course, training is delivered by the University of Cumbria tutors and experienced teachers at Cardinal Newman College. Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is awarded by the University of Warwick.
• PFL days to support subject-specific teaching that will help you put theory into practice.

Training lasts one full academic year and is a full-time course. You will typically spend four days per week on your first placement from September to the end of December, with one day per week spent training with experts at Our Lady’s, Cardinal Newman or the University of Cumbria. On this day, you will be given subject-specific support and training to give you additional support with university assignments and teaching techniques. From January to June, you will spend five days per week on your second placement. One placement will be at Cardinal Newman, the other will be at one of our outstanding partner high schools.

One of your placements will be at Cardinal Newman College and the other will be at a Secondary school within the Lancashire area.

We are fully committed at Cardinal Newman to providing a community of support for all of our students. This includes our trainee teachers, so you can expect to receive a great deal of support if you choose to train with us. Our aim is to ensure that all trainees are prepared for and go on to have successful careers in teaching. We offer a great deal of pre and post-course support enabling you to apply for the right course with us. This will help you to get your career started after completing the programme.

We have a dedicated team of staff who will support you through your teacher training, including:

• Vice Principal: Vicky Bryant

• Programme Leader: Michelle Holland
• A Subject Mentor on all school and college placements
• A School Lead Mentor on all placements who oversees the training within their school
• A University Lead Mentor will help with the academic assignments contributing to the award of the PGCE and QTS
• You will also receive pre and post-course support. This will be designed to help you successfully apply for the right course and move to a successful career following your training

All of our trainees gained employment following the successful completion of their teacher training. Below are just a few examples of where they have gained employment.

• Emily - English - Rochdale Sixth Form College
• Victoria - Dance - AKS
• Ben – Economics – Cardinal Newman College
• Chelsea – Health & Social Care – Cardinal Newman College
• Hafsa – Biology – Our Lady’s Catholic High School
• Joseph – Maths – Carmel College
• Megan – Social Sciences – Blackpool Sixth Form College

"Newman is a great place to train for a career in teaching. Throughout the year I’ve been very well supported by a mentor who specialises in my subject. Regular meetings with my mentor provide the perfect environment to discuss my development and set targets for upcoming lessons. We discuss everything from subject knowledge to overall workload and it’s really valuable being able to ask any questions I have. As the weeks go by you gain more and more independence but never feel left alone. At no point in the year have I wished that I had more support from Newman, it’s been exactly what I needed and hoped for."

Ben, Economics Trainee

"I have thoroughly enjoyed my training with the CTA, especially having Cardinal Newman College as my training hub and second placement. I couldn’t have asked for any more support, help or advice from both my subject mentor and professional mentors. Everyone that I have worked with at Cardinal Newman College has been helpful and made this a great, fulfilling experience. I couldn’t have imagined training anywhere else. I would highly recommend the training programme at Cardinal Newman College."

Charlotte, Business Studies Trainee

"Training to teach at Cardinal Newman College is fantastic. The College and staff have committed to fostering a supportive and collaborative learning environment to help develop me as a teacher. I have been assigned a mentor who is a specialist in the subject area, whom I have regular contact with and a weekly meeting to ensure I am always progressing and meeting my targets. My mentor always checks in on my wellbeing with the workload and always gives me an opportunity to ask questions. I have been given a real taste of the life of a teacher and have always been given immeasurable amounts of support. Overall, the experience has been faultless, and I could not ask for anything more."

Meghanne, Sociology (Social Sciences) Trainee

"Training at Newman has been the best possible start to my career as a teacher. During my time at the College, I have been continuously supported by my mentors as well as the teachers in my department. I have never struggled to find resources or plan a lesson, as all members of staff at Newman have been friendly and accommodating. During weekly meetings with my subject mentor, I am able to ask questions and plan for progression. This is incredibly useful for building my skill-set as a teacher. I feel involved with wider College life and I thoroughly enjoy teaching at Newman."

Emily, English Trainee

"Newman has been the best possible start to my teaching career, I have been very well supported by my subject mentor and all the staff within my department, setting weekly targets has really helped further my learning. During my time here, I have been lucky enough to be involved in creating multiple dance and musical theatre pieces for the Dance and Musical Theatre Christmas show, which I am immensely proud of. As the weeks go on, I have seen not only my confidence grow within myself as a teacher but also my rapport with the students and staff alike. Newman really does provide all the key relevant skills to kickstart your teaching career."

Victoria, Dance Trainee  

Find a Teacher Training course suitable for you, follow this link to see all teacher training courses offered on the gov.uk website https://www.gov.uk/find-postgraduate-teacher-training-courses

Get into Teaching

Follow this link to find all the information on “Get into Teaching” Find out which qualifications you need, what funding you can get and how to train to teach. Click here

Funding

Before embarking on a PGCE, you may have concerns over how you will fund the programme. There are bursaries, scholarships and loans on offer for Initial Teacher Training courses and you can find the most recent information on the Get Into Teaching website (link below).

https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-your-training

Bursary

Bursaries for next academic year 2025-26 are to be confirmed.

For more information, contact:

jmoore@cardinalnewman.ac.uk