UP to 600 schools already involved in training new teachers are being asked to woo others to produce the professionals of the future.

Schools not involved in teaching practice will be told of massive spin-off benefits from offering placements. Existing staff sharpen up their own skills, pupils progress better and recruitment and retention difficulties are eased. But despite this, universities are struggling to find enough placements for trainees.

Now the Teacher Training Agency is investing around pound;1 million in a pilot scheme to promote training. This will link up with a group of advanced skills teachers, fully funded by Government, who will spend a fifth of their time on new trainees, training mentors, and working with universities.

Training providers are being asked to nominate schools with which they already work closely. These so-called “partnership promotion” schools will then be funded to visit other schools and evangelise about the benefits of being involved or more heavily involved, in teacher training.

The aim is to recruit up to 300 good and improving primary and secondary schools. The promoter school will offer help with producing a development plan, “buddy” support, and basic training.

Payments to promoters will include up to pound;300 a day for supply cover for staff on day visits. Schools will get up to pound;2,500 a year for training and development in recruited schools.

Nigel Vivian, responsible for quality assurance projects at the TTA, said:

“In London, there just aren’t enough schools involved in initial teacher training... This will be very much about promotion of partnership and real evangelising.

“In other areas, such as the North-west, there are probably sufficient schools but the level of engagement could be higher; it could be the school is only taking one trainee. In some cases, schools see their role perhaps as a host and take a relatively minor role (in the training of students).”

Professor Kate Jacques, head of Manchester Metropolitan University’s school of education, said: “The TTA is responding to the feeling among providers that it is difficult to find new schools, and the time and money to train new mentors in schools.

“There is emerging evidence that (being involved in training) helps school improvement. Trainees ask hard questions. A lot of teachers say it’s the best professional development they’ve had, because they have to reflect on their practice.”

Some of the promoter schools already have “training school” status - which means they get extra funding for demonstrating good practice in ITT, training mentors and undertaking research.

Becoming a promoter school could help others towards training-school status.

The new scheme has caused some confusion on the ground - especially as the TTA called its pilot promoters “professional development” schools”, a tag that sounds very similar to “training school”.

A SCHOOL CAN GET THE STAFF

IMAGINE a school that has not had to advertise a vacancy in 12 years. It has a waiting list of teachers wanting to work there and most staff have master’s degrees.

It is the kind of situation every head dreams of, but it is the reality at Collgrave primary in Newham, east London.

“It all started when we began taking students. It makes you reflect on your own practice: you have to observe someone teaching - Jand they observe you,” says head Jill Pullen.

The 550-pupil school has training school status with the Department for Education and Skills, and works with several universities providing traditional initial teacher-training courses. It helps other schools with mentor training, takes “on-the-job” trainees via the Graduate Teacher Programme, and is drafting plans for a school-centred training scheme.

Now, it is about to become a “partnership promotion” school, receiving Teacher Training Agency funds to tell other schools about the benefits of involvement in initial training.

“We take the view that all professionals have to train otherprofessionals. If people say we are really busy and ask why should we do this, my answer is that recruitment and retention will not be a problem for you. I have a waiting list of five people who want to come and work here,” said Miss Pullen.