Stourport teacher training provider gets Government backing

The Department for Education has announced that Stourport SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) provider is one of just 80 to have made the grade and to be allowed to continue offering school-led teacher training beyond 2024.

Stourport SCITT is part of the Severn Academies Educational Trust and has trained more than 200 new teachers since it was set up in 2014, making it the longest established provider of its kind in Worcestershire.

Chris King, trust chief executive, praised Stourport SCITT director Fay Green, describing her as “the driving force behind the success”.

He added: "We are delighted our SCITT has been successfully reaccredited via this demanding and competitive DfE process. We are looking forward to seeing the programme develop and continue to go from strength to strength.”

Miss Green, who is also a teacher at Stourport Primary Academy, has been primary lead since 2014 and director since September 2021.

She said: "I am utterly delighted with the outcome. The strength of our programme has been recognised as one which is well-established and also has the vision and innovation for training teachers of the future.”

The bespoke school-led teacher training lasts a year and leads to qualified teacher status (QTS) and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with 60 Master-level credits upon successful completion, awarded by Birmingham City University.

Students learn at Stourport SCITT’s dedicated training centre in Kingsway and ‘on the job’ in its network of primary and secondary schools across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Shropshire.

Nationally, 216 providers applied for re-accreditation in the first round from 240 operating in England as of last year. The remainder are being asked by the DfE to apply in round two, which is about to start.