Start your teaching journey at North Mead

North Mead Primary Academy is committed to helping develop the next generation of teachers.

We work with Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT and De Montfort University (DMU) to support people at different stages of their route into teaching.

This includes:

  • trainee teachers completing school-based training
  • PGCE students completing school placements
  • teacher degree apprentices
  • colleagues already working in schools who are developing towards Qualified Teacher Status
  • students gaining experience of working in education

We want North Mead to be a school where aspiring teachers can learn from strong practice, receive high-quality mentoring and develop confidence in the classroom.

Working with Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT

The Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT provides school-centred initial teacher training across primary and secondary phases and forms part of the Mead Institute of Professional Learning within The Mead Educational Trust.

SCITT trainees spend a significant amount of their training working in schools, developing their teaching alongside experienced practitioners and mentors.

At North Mead, trainees can experience:

  • ambitious primary teaching
  • a diverse school community
  • strong approaches to inclusion
  • SEND provision across different levels of need
  • high expectations for behaviour and learning
  • systematic approaches to reading and phonics
  • curriculum and subject leadership
  • professional development and coaching
  • the wider life of a busy primary school

[Find out more about Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT]

 

PGCE placements

We also support university students completing teacher-training placements, including students working towards their PGCE.

School placements allow trainees to connect what they are learning through their course with the reality of teaching children every day.

At North Mead, this can include opportunities to:

  • observe experienced teachers
  • plan and teach sequences of lessons
  • develop classroom routines
  • assess pupils’ learning
  • adapt teaching for different needs
  • work alongside teaching assistants
  • understand safeguarding responsibilities
  • participate in professional meetings
  • reflect on teaching with a mentor
  • become increasingly independent as a teacher

We want placements to be developmental rather than simply observational.

Trainees should leave North Mead having had opportunities to practise, reflect, receive feedback and improve.

 

Working with De Montfort University

North Mead also works with De Montfort University as part of our commitment to developing future education professionals.

DMU has a strong focus on work-based learning and educational placements, enabling students to develop practical experience alongside their academic studies.

Our work with DMU includes supporting students and apprentices to gain meaningful experience in a primary-school environment.

Teacher Apprenticeships

North Mead and TMET support apprenticeship routes into teaching at different stages.

Teacher Degree Apprenticeship

DMU’s Primary Teacher Degree Apprenticeship combines employment in a primary school with university study and teacher training.

Apprentices work towards a:

  • BA (Hons) in Education Studies
  • Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

over four years. The programme is delivered through a partnership involving De Montfort University, Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT and The Mead Educational Trust.

An indicative week combines:

  • three days working in school
  • two days studying at university

with additional SCITT training and school placements built into the programme. DMU describes the course as approximately 60% school-based professional development and 40% undergraduate study.

This route allows apprentices to earn while they learn, gaining substantial classroom experience while working towards both a degree and QTS.

Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship

We also support the Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship route for people who already hold an appropriate degree and want to train as a teacher while employed in a school.

This employment-based route combines:

  • substantial experience working in school
  • structured teacher training
  • regular mentoring
  • professional development
  • assessment against the Teachers’ Standards
  • progression towards Qualified Teacher Status

At North Mead, postgraduate apprentices are supported as developing teachers rather than simply additional members of staff. They work alongside experienced colleagues, receive regular feedback and gradually take greater responsibility for teaching as their knowledge and confidence develop.

Through TMET, trainees can also benefit from the wider professional learning available through the Mead Institute of Professional Learning, which incorporates Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT.

Supporting apprentices

Whether someone is training through the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship or a postgraduate apprenticeship, our aim is to provide:

  • a supportive school-based mentor
  • opportunities to observe strong teaching
  • regular feedback and professional dialogue
  • increasing classroom responsibility
  • experience across the primary curriculum
  • understanding of SEND and inclusion
  • experience of assessment, behaviour and safeguarding
  • access to North Mead and TMET professional development

We see apprenticeship routes as an important way of developing talented people already working in education and creating sustainable pathways into the teaching profession.

North Mead is committed to supporting apprentices and colleagues who want to develop within education.

Depending on the programme and role, apprentices may receive:

  • a school-based mentor
  • regular professional feedback
  • opportunities to observe teaching
  • increasing classroom responsibility
  • protected university or training time
  • opportunities to work across different phases and year groups
  • access to professional development
  • support to connect theory with classroom practice

We see apprenticeships as more than a route to a qualification.

They are an opportunity to develop talented people already working in schools and create sustainable routes into teaching.

 

What does training at North Mead offer?

North Mead provides a particularly rich environment in which to learn.

Trainees and students experience a school with: Strong teaching and learning

Our shared Learning Loop provides a common framework: Retrieve → Teach & Model → Practise → Apply → Reflect

A highly diverse community

Trainees gain experience of working with children from a wide range of linguistic, cultural and social backgrounds.

Inclusion in practice

Our graduated response includes: Universal → Targeted → Targeted Plus → Specialist

This gives trainees experience of adaptive teaching, reasonable adjustments and provision for pupils with a wide range of SEND.

A strong reading culture

Trainees can develop their understanding of:

  • early reading
  • systematic phonics
  • fluency
  • comprehension
  • vocabulary
  • reading across the curriculum

Professional dialogue

We want developing teachers to become reflective practitioners.

Mentoring therefore focuses not only on what happened in a lesson, but on:

  • What did pupils learn?
    What made the difference?
    What should you try next?
  • Mentoring matters

High-quality mentoring is central to successful teacher development.

Trainees at North Mead work alongside experienced colleagues who can:

  • model practice
  • observe teaching
  • give precise feedback
  • help identify development priorities
  • support planning and assessment
  • discuss classroom challenges
  • help trainees reflect on impact
  • gradually increase responsibility

The aim is to combine support with appropriate challenge.

Thinking about teaching?

There are now several routes into the profession.

Depending on your qualifications and circumstances, these may include:

  • school-centred initial teacher training through SCITT
  • university-led PGCE routes
  • postgraduate teacher training
  • teacher degree apprenticeships
  • employment-based routes

The best route depends on your existing qualifications, experience and circumstances.

For current eligibility requirements and funding information, prospective trainees should use the official training-provider or Get Into Teaching information before applying.

Placement enquiries

If you are already studying with Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT, De Montfort University or another approved training provider, placement arrangements would normally be coordinated through your provider and the school.

For general enquiries about training or placements at North Mead:

Telephone: 0116 276 7761
Email: [email protected]

Grow with us

We want North Mead to contribute not only to the education of today’s pupils, but also to the development of the teachers who will educate children in the future.

Whether you are completing a school placement, studying for a PGCE, training through SCITT or beginning a Teacher Degree Apprenticeship, we want you to experience high expectations, excellent support, meaningful responsibility and a genuine opportunity to develop.

Every Child. Every Lesson. Every Day.

Together We Make a Positive Difference.

External Resource/Organisation Link
Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT Leicester and Leicestershire SCITT
Mead Institute of Professional Learning Mead Institute
De Montfort University De Montfort University
DMU Teacher Degree Apprenticeship in Primary Education DMU apprenticeships
GOV.UK Get Into Teaching Get Into Teaching

Related North Mead Pages

  • Vacancies
  • The Mead Educational Trust
  • Our Staff
  • Teaching and curriculum pages
  • Contact Us