Welcome to the Mid Somerset Consortium (the MSC), a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) provider based in the heart of Somerset. We are passionate about offering high-quality, on-the-job teacher training so that our trainees are immersed in the school environment from day one.
You can find all the information you need about the training on Our Programme page, but in summary we can offer you a hands-on learning experience from the start in real classroom settings. Our approach blends in-school experience with tailored weekly training sessions, either centrally or subject specific, providing you with a strong foundation during your teacher training journey with us.
Nurturing talent
We believe in nurturing talent and are experts at working with people who have a wide range of educational backgrounds. With courses covering a wide range of subjects and routes into teaching, we believe teaching should be accessible to everyone. Our commitment to being an inclusive and supportive training provider is reflected in our Ofsted ‘Good’ rating, being praised for our well organised and coherent course which is shaped to the personal circumstances of each of our trainees.
Secondary teacher training
The MSC is a SCITT based at Crispin School in Street, Somerset and is part of the Wessex Learning Trust (WLT) family of schools; a successful and highly regarded MAT driven to transform lives. As a result, we have access to a wide range of schools across North Somerset, Somerset and North Dorset as part of a well-developed and pro-active partnership aiming to supply well qualified teachers into our schools. Leaders across the MSC and WLT are driven to create a supportive and encouraging partnership with trainees built on a foundation of care, support and guidance.
The training programme is truly ‘school based’ with trainees spending most of their course working alongside expert practitioners within school. In school, trainees will have dedicated subject specific mentors who are highly trained in their role. Trainees will spend time in classes and build up to teaching these classes as they increase in their knowledge and understanding. Mentors will support trainees to identify and achieve personalised targets and will guide them through in-school training activities to develop trainees’ understanding of the role of the teacher.
The MSC provides centralised professional training throughout the year. This is a mixture of subject specific pedagogy led by a subject specialist and centralised training exploring current research-based practice lead by MSC staff. More unique to the MSC is that there is an opportunity to train alongside our primary school trainees to enhance your understanding of child development and curriculum at KS2 . The course also provides 20 days of Intensive Training and Practice where key elements of successful pedagogy are unpicked and explored in depth. The curriculum provides trainees with the depth and breadth of knowledge that they will need to effectively teach their subject.
Primary teacher training
The well-established Mid Somerset Consortium (MSC) is now proud to offer Primary Initial Teacher Training places to complement its successful Secondary ITT provision. The training programme is truly ‘school based’ with trainees spending most of their course working alongside expert practitioners within school. In school, trainees will have dedicated phase specific mentors who are highly trained in their role. Trainees will spend time in classes and build up to teaching these classes as they increase in their knowledge and understanding. Mentors will support trainees to identify and achieve personalised targets and will guide them through in-school training activities to develop trainees’ understanding of the role of the teacher.
The MSC provides centralised professional training throughout the year. This is a mixture of phase and subject specific pedagogy led by a subject specialist and centralised training exploring current research-based practice led by MSC staff. More unique to the MSC is that there is an opportunity to train alongside our secondary school trainees to enhance your understanding of KS3 and our Early Years professionals when in schools. The course also provides 20 days of Intensive Training and Practice where key elements of successful pedagogy are unpicked and explored in depth. Our curriculum provides you with the depth and breadth of knowledge that you will need to effectively teach in school. Successful completion of the programme leads to the award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Join us for a taster morning
We welcome prospective trainees to join us for a taster morning, which offers a glimpse into the professional training experience here at the MSC. Whether you are a recent graduate or considering a career change our doors are open to you.
Our mission is simple, to support your journey to great teaching.
Our aim is for young people to have confident and inspiring teachers, helping them reach their full potential both in the classroom and beyond.