Our Programme

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The MSC offers high quality training with an intimate community of trainees. Our programme is carefully designed to build your confidence in the classroom, hone your skills and enhance your knowledge as a teacher. From practical training in your placement school to weekly theory-based training sessions, we provide a comprehensive learning experience, supporting you every step of the way.

We offer the following routes to teaching:

  • Fee paying [1st September – 30th June, 10 months]
  • School salary direct [1st September – 30th June, 10 months]
  • Apprenticeships [1st September – 31st August, 12 months]
  • Assessment only [12 week assessment]

From application, we match you with the best school for your training so that you are familiar with your placement school and feel at home from day one. Because of this, you’ll be embraced as a valued member of the school community, with opportunities to immerse yourself fully in school life. You will also benefit from completing a second school placement of four to six weeks in January/February of your training year with us.

Unique to the MSC primary and secondary school trainees have the opportunity to train alongside each other. Some central training sessions have been carefully blended to allow both phases of trainees to learn together. This unique approach has been designed to deepen your understanding of Key Stage 3 as a primary teacher and to give you a stronger insight into Key Stage 2 as a secondary teacher.  Our curriculum provides in-depth subject expertise with practical teaching strategies to provide a well-rounded foundation, giving you the essential knowledge and skills to teach effectively in schools. 

Support throughout your journey

You will be fully supported in your placement school by a subject mentor and an Initial Teacher Training Coordinator (ITTC) who will work closely with you throughout your training. Your mentor will support you with weekly meetings to discuss your progress and set targets, whilst the ITTC meets with you fortnightly to discuss wider school issues and offer pastoral support.

Support doesn’t end at the classroom door. The MSC offers full support outside of your placement school. Our experienced team knows our trainees and school intimately, offering unparalleled support throughout your training journey. We understand the challenges of balancing the training and life, which is why we prioritise your well-being. From sharing concerns to offering advice, our pastoral care supports you to thrive both in and out of the classroom.

Every Tuesday, we get together for group training sessions that alternate between professional centralised training and subject-specific workshops. Plus, throughout the year, you will have visits in your placement school from MSC course leaders and subject specialists, providing additional guidance and support tailored to your needs.

Completing your training

At the end of your training journey with us, on the 1st July successful trainees are awarded Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and their PGCE. The QTS is an evidence-based qualification that is accredited by the MSC while the PGCE is gained through the submission of two level seven assignments, carrying 60 Master’s credits, accredited by Bath Spa.

The PGCE
The everyday life of a teacher involves working in a flexible and agile way, reviewing and evaluating the success of our actions to continually reflect on and improve our approach . Studying for a PGCE involves critical reflection and analysis which takes this thinking a step further. It involves ‘stepping back’ and viewing educational issues in a broader and more objective sense, engaging thoroughly with published academic research and educational theory.

The Bath Spa PGCE involves the completion of written assignments throughout the training year. As this is a professional qualification, it must also be stressed that successful completion of the award also requires you to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). PGCE assignment guidance is incorporated into the MSC’s professional training programme and a Bath Spa tutor is assigned for further support.

Although the majority of our trainees study for both QTS and PGCE, the PGCE is an optional qualification, embedded in our course and included in the course fees. For fee-paying trainees, the PGCE is included in the course fee. If trainees decide to opt out of the PGCE, they will be refunded the cost of the PGCE. For salaried trainees, the PGCE is charged as an addition. This can be paid for by the trainee or employing school (school funded route).  

The Apprenticeship Route
The MSC offers an apprenticeship route to teaching, which is typically organised through a partnership school who already has a candidate in place, for example a graduate Teaching Assistant. We require candidates to have at least two terms experience working in a school to be eligible for this route.
The apprenticeship is a salaried route; with the course being slightly longer at 13 months. Successful apprentices receive Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by July 1st of their training year, although they continue as ‘apprentices’ until undergoing an end point assessment the following September.

The training mirrors our fee-paying route, with weekly sessions alternating between centralised and subject-specific training and a second school placement of at least 4 weeks in the January term.

Financially, schools can tap into their apprenticeship levy funding to cover trainee fees, with potential salary grants available for certain subjects. While the PGCE isn’t part of the apprenticeship route, it is feasible for apprentices to pursue this through self-funding or school funding.

The Salaried Route
We can run the training for salaried positions in most subjects, through the School Salary Direct (SSD) route, however, spaces are dependent on subject and school need. To be eligible for the salaried route, applicants need to have been teaching as an unqualified teacher for a minimum of two terms and also meet the standard trainee application criteria. Unfortunately, we cannot accept applications for the School Salaried Direct route from those with only teaching assistant experience. However, the training placement does not need to occur in the same setting as where the experience was gained and can be ported across to another school for training.

The SSD training year aligns with the fee-paying route, from September 1st to June 30th, with QTS awarded on July 1st for successful trainees. While the PGCE isn’t covered in the course fees, either the trainee or the employing school can choose to cover these costs.

Training follows a similar structure to the fee-paying route, with weekly sessions alternating between MSC centralised and subject-specific training. The main difference is the second school placement for SSD trainees, which lasts at least 4 weeks in January of term 2, compared to 6 weeks for fee-paying trainees.

Assessment only

To be eligible for this route you would need:

  • To be currently in a school in the Southwest
  • Have support from your employing school
  • An undergraduate degree (ideally 2:2 or above) or equivalent qualification (NARIC number required) that is at least 50% of the subject you wish to teach
  • English and Maths GCSE or equivalent at Grade 4 or above
  • Hold a current DBS with your employing school and confirmation of safer recruitment and safeguarding checks
  • Able to demonstrate you can meet the Teachers’ Standards (2012) within 11-16 or 14-19 ages phase without the need for further training

To achieve QTS you would engage in a 12-week assessment period where you would be supported with formal observations and guidance from a supervisor within your school and a MSC tutor. You would provide and build a portfolio of evidence against our curriculum themes to demonstrate you have secure knowledge and skills in all the areas.