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Straight to Teaching

Become a qualified teacher in your SEND setting

Gain qualified teacher status (QTS) without leaving your school and pupils with our personalised online and in-school Straight to Teaching course.

 

Learn more about Straight to Teaching
Straight to Teaching SEND

Gain QTS without leaving your specialist school

As a member of staff working within a special education setting, you know how important routine, structure and support are to your pupils. With Straight to Teaching your journey to QTS doesn't need to disrupt your class.

Straight to Teaching is a flexible, personalised in-school and online preparation route to QTS. It allows you to continue working as a TA, HLTA or unqualified teacher in the school you know and love.

The focus for your teaching will be the cognitive age of the students you teach and the curriculum taught, not the actual age of your students. 

Once you’re ready, we'll support you through your final QTS assessment via our Assessment Only route.

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    Personalised programme

    Your programme will last from 1-5 terms based on your needs, current and prior teaching experience.

  • Teachers having a conversation

    Pathway tutor supported

    You’ll be assigned a Tes Institute pathway tutor who will support you throughout your journey to ensure you’re meeting the Teachers' Standards.

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    Flexible second school placement

    Gain your 30 days’ experience in a mainstream setting (if needed) in a way that works for you with a minimum requirement of one day a week.

Get tailored support to meet your school’s unique challenges

We have over 10 years’ experience of supporting teachers to gain QTS and have a track record of supporting specialist schools. 40% of the schools we work with are specialist schools, over 1,300 SEND teachers have enrolled with us and 49% of those are working in SEND specialist settings*.

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    Subject specific and pedagogy content from SEND specialists

    Straight to Teaching provides learners with specialist support via the SEND learning sessions available on our award-winning online platform, Tes Learn.

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    Individual learning needs

    Our online sessions focus on individual learning needs and come with supporting case studies, scenarios and presentations to help you build an inclusive culture within your classroom.

What our graduates say about us

  • Watch our graduates and deputy headteacher share their experiences

    Hear from two of our Straight to Teaching graduates and a deputy headteacher as they share their experience of Straight to Teaching in an SEND setting.

  • Helen Horner, Straight to Teaching learner

    Helen Horner, Straight to Teaching graduate

    ‘After working as an HLTA and covering lessons I decided that I wanted to gain QTS to become a teacher. It was important to find a course that allowed me to learn and continue earning at the same time and Straight to Teaching was the best fit for me.'

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  • Straight to Teaching graduate

    Cymone Storer, Straight to Teaching graduate

    'Straight to Teaching has allowed me to become a qualified teacher, working in a job surrounded by staff and students that I have a great relationship with. It has allowed me to continue to have a love for teaching, and to share my experiences with other staff.’

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  • Lauren Allcock, Straight to Teaching learner

    Lauren Allcock, Straight to Teaching graduate

    'I would like to advise anyone contemplating the Straight to Teaching route to stop hesitating and do it! If you feel you can offer something to change even one child’s life through education, nurture and care, then this is the route for you.'

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Need more information?

Visit our Straight to Teaching course page to find out more and apply. You can also contact us by filling in our contact form or calling us on +44(0)203 194 3200.

*Specialist schools include both independent and state-funded schools - units attached to mainstream schools, PRUs, Alternative Provision and residential SEND settings (covering SpLD, SEMH, SLD, MLD, PMLD). Tes Institute internal statistics: April 2023.