Initial Teacher Training (ITT)

At Selby High School, we are dedicated to providing high-quality teacher training opportunities in collaboration with local training providers. Our commitment to education extends to offering immersive and enriching placements for aspiring teachers enrolled on teacher training courses. We have a successful longstanding partnership with The University of York and year-on-year facilitate placements in the subjects they offer which are English, maths, all three sciences, geography, history and Spanish. Additionally, we partner with York St. John University to offer placements in physical education. We are always open to establishing new partnerships with other local training providers and are eager to support future educators wherever possible. Please find the relevant contact details at the bottom of the page. 

The Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework (ITTECF) states: ‘the quality of teaching is the single most important in-school factor in improving outcomes for pupils – and it is particularly important for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. No one is born a great teacher. Great teachers continuously improve over time, benefitting from the mentoring of expert colleagues and a structured introduction to the core body of knowledge, skills and behaviours that define great teaching.’

We liaise with our training providers to deliver an exceptional standard of Initial Teacher Training. Our Beginning Teachers benefit from an immersive teaching experience in school supported by high-quality mentoring and coaching. Each Beginning Teacher is equipped with the resources they need in order to be successful. The Professional Tutor oversees the team of subject mentors and the Beginning Teachers’ progress. The Professional Tutor also organises a robust induction and training programme which runs alongside the placements.

We acknowledge as a school that hosting Beginning Teachers is mutually beneficial. A study undertaken in 2019 by CooperGibson on behalf of the Department for Education said that benefits of hosting Beginning Teachers include “the injection of fresh ideas into the workforce, through energetic and enthusiastic people coming into the school who are able to share up-to-date pedagogical knowledge and ideas”.

Here is what some of our 2025-26 beginning teachers, who came to us from University of York have had to say about their placements with us:

Dr Pablo Luis Álvarez, Modern Foreign Languages, Placement 1

“Right from our induction week, we were made to feel like genuine members of the Selby High School community. We were introduced to key staff and treated as peers rather than visitors. All staff members at Selby High School have been, in essence, wonderfully warm and welcoming. I felt very lucky to have a mentor who worked tirelessly and was always available to have formal and informal conversations with me about my progress. In summary, I had a wonderful time at Selby High. I landed in a department of excellent teachers, generous human beings and consummate professionals who worked incredibly hard to make my experience smooth and seamless.”

Amelia Barber, Geography, Placement 2

“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Selby High School. Within geography, they made me feel like a true member of the team instead of “just a trainee”. Our conversations regarding feedback were all constructive and based on who I am as a teacher, rather than how they would teach it. After my time at Selby, I feel prepared moving forward into my ECT years.”

Marta Pérez Medina, Modern Foreign Languages, Placement 2

“I really valued all the ideas and strategies shared by my subject mentor. It was really helpful to use her experience to inform my practice and then plan lessons suit my teaching style and my classes. I found that my targets were always relevant and aligned with the areas of the training framework I needed to develop, and they really helped me focus on making the most of my lessons. Thanks to this I am ready to become an Early Career Teacher.”

If you are interested in training to become a teacher, explore your options on the Get into Teaching website.

University of York PGCE Newsletter 2025-26 – Professional Tutor reflection (pp. 7-8)           

Early Career Teacher (ECT) Induction Phase

Many Beginning Teachers choose to continue their careers with us, further contributing to the school community. Our new English teacher, Shane Maye tells us why:

"Every day that I walked into SHS during my training placement I had a smile on my face. I knew I was walking into a place that would support my progression and a place obsessed with stamping its place on the hearts of everyone it serves. Two weeks in and I knew it was an experience I'd never forget. I spent the next weeks trying to gather the eons of wisdom and passion before coming to the realisation that I would need years to do it. Fortunately, SHS agreed. As an English teacher, absolutely correct answers are tough to come by. Continuing to learn and teach in the brilliant environment at SHS is as close as I've come to one."

Fin Copsey, who is our newest science teacher says:

"Staying at Selby High has given me the opportunity to continue developing as a teacher within a familiar and positive environment, having been supported by the amazing staff throughout my PGCE and now onwards into my ECT phase."

Upon gaining Qualified Teacher Status, Beginning Teachers enter the Early Career Teacher (ECT) induction phase. Selby High School offers a strong ECT training programme in conjunction with University College London (UCL). All ECTs are assigned a dedicated mentor and time is protected to ensure they can engage fully in the training programme over the two-year period. The ECT programme, its mentors and the ECTs are overseen by Joanne Carter-Mills, our Senior Vice Principal and Induction Tutor.

Julia Burdon, one of our art teachers, sums up her experiences of ECT1:

“Being an ECT1 at Selby High School was a great opportunity to strengthen my teaching practice in many areas including: adaptive teaching, lesson sequencing, as well as building routines and positive relationships with students. The staff at SHS are great and very supportive with many mentorship and coaching opportunities available for ECTs.”

Hari Rees-Emsley, teacher of English, sums up what it was like to complete her ECT2 at Selby High School:

“It was a privilege to complete my second-year ECT at Selby High School and anyone would be lucky to complete their ECT years there. I have always been very well supported throughout and have made lifelong friends because of it.”

Ben Horner, one of our geography teachers, reflects on his experiences of being an ECT with us across both year 1 and year 2:

“I have had a fantastic experience as an ECT at Selby High School. My regular mentor meetings have given me valuable opportunities to critically reflect on my teaching practice, identify areas for development and stretch myself professionally. I have also really valued the support I have received from not only my mentor, but from staff across the school, who have always been approachable and encouraging. This experience has helped me to develop my confidence, knowledge and teaching practice, and has prepared me well for taking on my full teaching timetable, which I am really looking forward to.” 

If you would like further information on UCL’s ECT programme, take a look on their website.

Opportunities for Prospective Teachers

We are happy to invite prospective teachers into school through our involvement in the Department for Education’s School Experience Programme. We offer experience days across a wide range of subjects and can tailor these to suit individual needs. Visitors to school must be over 18, have a DBS certificate, have the right to work in the UK and have a degree (or be studying for one). For further information about entry requirements and to submit a visit request please use this link.

In 2025, we also welcomed our first (very small) cohort of two interns. We hosted one in Spanish and one in maths. Both interns were first year undergraduates at the University of York and applied to do an internship through Northern Star Teaching Alliance. The interns spent three weeks in school, immersed in school life through lesson observations, team teaching, staff and student shadowing and involvement in personal development (form) time. Karishma Mahtani, our MFL intern had this to say:

“My three weeks at Selby absolutely flew by. The support I received—particularly from my mentor—was outstanding, and I was struck by the professionalism, resilience and warmth of both staff and students.

I arrived feeling apprehensive about my MFL internship, having studied only French and Italian, but the welcoming and encouraging environment quickly put me at ease. I leave with new-found confidence, a growing appreciation for Spanish, and a deeper interest in safeguarding, all thanks to the breadth of experiences I was given.

This internship has reinforced for me how vital teaching and cultural education are within a wider community context—something I now feel even more passionate about contributing to. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity.”

Contact Us

If you have a query regarding Initial Teacher Training or the School Experience Programme, contact Rebecca Harwood (Professional Tutor): rhd@selbyhigh.co.uk

If you have a query regarding Early Career Teachers, contact Joanne Carter-Mills (ECT Induction Tutor): jcm@selbyhigh.co.uk