AN outstanding Tyneside school is helping to address a shortage of teachers by offering new salaried training places for aspiring educationalists.
It is the third year that Emmanuel College, in Gateshead, has been invited to join the national School Direct programme to find the next generation of teachers.
The aim is for trainee teachers to learn their craft in the top performing schools so that best practice can be spread across the country, and applications are being accepted now.
Emmanuel College, which is also a National Teaching School and works in alliance with Newcastle University and its sister schools in Blyth and Middlesbrough in the School Direct scheme, is this year offering training posts in mathematics, physics and chemistry.
Training bursaries are also available in other subjects, such as in engineering, where there is a shortage of qualified teachers.
The year-long posts attract a bursary of £4,000-£20,000, or a scholarship of up to £25,000 to some graduates according to their degree classification and the subject in which they specialise.
Former trainee Dan Osman, who has gone on to become head of chemistry at Emmanuel College, said: “The training here is second to none, helped by the excellent attitude of students and the support of other staff.”
Emmanuel College has been judged ‘outstanding’ in every Ofsted inspection since it opened as a City Technology College in 1990.
Its students consistently lead the region’s state schools for exam results. This summer 40 per cent of all GCSE grades were an A* or A with an overall pass rate of 84 per cent for five A*-Cs including English and mathematics.
The college’s best ever A level results saw 91 per cent of all grades being at C or better and 41 per cent were an A or A*. Emmanuel was confirmed as a National Teaching School in May when it was described as “leading the field” by Charlie Taylor, chief executive of the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).
Students who are interested in teacher training at Emmanuel College should email enquiries@emmanuelctc.org.uk and consult the Department for Education’s Get into Teaching website for more details of the School Direct scheme.
