Graduate Teacher Programme

The Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) was a programme in England and Wales for graduates who want to gain Qualified Teacher Status while working. A person must work in a school as an unqualified teacher in order to participate in the programme, which can last from three months to a year. The Department for Education announced in mid-2012 that The Graduate Teacher Programme will no longer exist, and has now been replaced with a new scheme called School Direct. The last academic year the programme ran was 2012/2013.

To obtain a GTP place, a candidate must usually secure a training placement themselves at a school willing to support them as an unqualified teacher. However, some institutions organise this for them. The school will then offer to employ the student as a supernumerary teacher (i.e. not being used as substitute for employing a qualified teacher). With the school's backing, a formal application must then be made to a Designated Recommending Body (DRB). These are normally universities, colleges, local authorities or private educational companies. The DRB administers the application process, making the formal selection of successful candidates, and the payment of the TDA grant to the school, and provides tutor support for the student. Numbers are limited by the money made available by the TDA.

In some cases it is possible to make a self-funded application. In these cases, an application must still be made to a DRB but the school provides the entire salary for the trainee.

Applications are normally made towards the end of the calendar year up to February for entry to the school in September, but every DRB has its own arrangements and dates for application deadlines. Sometimes a second competition for places is held within the year if some spaces have not been filled. Places are awarded according to the quality of the candidate, and also the supporting school which the DRB must believe is capable of offering the appropriate standard of support.

The GTP is not available evenly across England and Wales though places available broadly reflect regional population densities. Competition can be very fierce since the salary-based training is much better paid than a Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) course, and is especially attractive to mature entrants. Subjects available also vary greatly both regionally and by DRB.

GTP students normally train in a single subject in which they must have a degree. Places for Primary and Secondary Shortage (e.g. Mathematics, Science and English) exceed those available for Secondary Non-Shortage (e.g. History). Some DRBs only offer places for Primary and Secondary Shortage.

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