Initial teacher training has come a long way since I first trained in 2002. Now, there are more routes into teaching than ever, including more options for those wishing to train on the job.

These options are crucial for the profession. The potential of not earning an income for anything up to a year is just not an option for many would-be teachers - especially those who are career-changers. School-based training routes are also hugely valuable from a school leaders’ perspective, as they allow schools to “home grow” their own talent.

In 2019, the government introduced another employment-based route into teaching: the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA). But what do you need to consider when taking on a teaching apprentice?

The PGTA is a great route into teacher training for those staff you already have in your school who wish to train while continuing to earn. However, as with all things, there are a number of considerations to bear in mind if you’re thinking of going down this route.

1. What are your staffing needs?

The apprentice is paid as an unqualified teacher, so there is an expectation that they are assigned to a class as the named teacher. If you don’t have a class for them to take, they won’t be able to fulfil all of the obligations that come as part of the PGTA.

I have had two teaching assistants follow the PGTA route to becoming a teacher. One remained at my school and the other undertook her apprenticeship at another school in the local authority. The latter happened because we didn’t have a teaching position to fill. We just couldn’t afford to pay for an extra teacher, even though we would have loved for her to have stayed with us.

2. How much will it cost?

Another funding consideration is the apprenticeship levy, which covers the apprentice’s training costs. The cost will usually be funded through your apprenticeship services account, which is taken care of by your local authority.

Most schools will pay just 5 per cent of any costs. For more information visit the Department for Education’s website.  

For example, as a voluntary-aided school, we don’t pay into the apprenticeship levy ourselves; the local authority funds 95 per cent of the cost, leaving us with just £450 to fund from our school budget.

3. What should you consider when it comes to the timetable?

The key benefit of the PGTA is that you don’t have to have another teacher in the class with the apprentice, which means you’re not doubling up on staff.

However, one important aspect of the programme is that the apprentice has to spend 20 per cent of their paid hours in off the job training - either training delivered by the ITT provider or in-house training that you deliver as a school. This essentially amounts to one day a week out of class.

On top of this, the apprentice also has to have their statutory 10 per cent planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time.

This means that, in total, you would need to find cover for at least a day and a half each week for each apprentice - and meet the costs that come with that.

4. How much support will the apprentice need?

As with all teacher training programmes, an essential element of the PGTA is ensuring the apprentice has a really good mentor: someone who can be on hand to provide support and guidance in school. This needs to be someone who has time to dedicate to the role. In addition, most apprentice programme providers provide a “pathway tutor” who is on hand to support the learner outside school as part of their apprenticeship.

The apprentice is expected to perform the role of a class teacher from the get-go. The experience of planning, classroom management, working with parents and so on will be different for each apprentice, but it’s a big jump from being a teaching assistant to becoming a named class teacher, so it’s important that the apprentice is given as much support as possible. Bear in mind that this support will need to continue once the apprentice has finished their training, which has to be within 12 months.

Even before I became a headteacher, I always loved the idea of building capacity from within; it means that you know the quality of trainee that you’re getting from the outset.

However, the effectiveness of the PGTA ultimately relies on having a mentor who can support the apprentice every step of the way. 

Amanda Wilson is a headteacher at St Alfege with St Peter’s CofE primary school in London

This article originally appeared in the 29 October 2021 issue under the headline “Building from within: how to take on teaching apprentices”