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 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.

The ITTECF (Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework) 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”.

A former English trainee, Trystan Ratcliffe, reflects on his time at Selby High School:

I wouldn't be the teacher I've grown to be without Selby High's ITT provision. The comprehensive training programme ensured that all aspects of my professional self - from pastoral provision in form time to EAL teaching strategies used in every lesson - developed alongside my subject specialism, built upon through specific targets and insider secrets from my expert mentor. Of particular note is the level of support I was given when, at times, I struggled while at Selby; both my subject mentor and professional tutor gave me their patience and honest, heartfelt advice, helping me to identify and overcome challenges that without them I wouldn't have been able to articulate. This attitude of warmth and genuine care is representative of the wider staff ethos, and made being part of that team a joy..

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

University of York PGCE Newsletter 2024-25 – Professional Tutor reflection (pp. 6-8)           

Early Career Teacher (ECT)

Many Beginning Teachers choose to continue their careers with us, further contributing to the school community. Upon gaining Qualified Teacher Status, Beginning Teachers enter the Early Career Teacher (ECT) phase. Selby High School offers a strong ECT training programme in conjunction with University College London. 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 themselves are overseen by Joanne Carter-Mills, our Senior Vice Principal and Induction Tutor.

Lisa Cammell, a Performing Arts teacher, sums up her experiences of ECT1:

The mentor team here at Selby High are extremely supportive, offering constructive guidance and feedback throughout the academic year. I found the weekly mentor meetings particularly useful, especially when it came to joint planning and moderation of BTEC work- something that was completely new to me at the start of ECT 1. The ECT program through UCL is challenging yet manageable which allows ECT's to improve their practice at a granular level.   

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.

This year, we also welcomed our first (very small) cohort of two interns. We hosted one in Spanish and one in maths. Both interns are 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