Inspire. Develop. Empower.
Great teachers change lives, and we want you to be one of them. Whether you have just graduated or are ready for a career change, our one-year programme gives you everything you need to step into the classroom with confidence. You will be part of a trust that is passionate about transforming the life chances of children and young people across the North of England.
We are NET Inspire, the training arm of Northern Education Trust, and we are proud to partner with Teach First, a nationally recognised, DfE-accredited initial teacher training provider.
Northern Education Trust is a highly successful, large multi-academy trust with 30 academies, 13 primary and 17 secondary, across the North of England. Every one of them is united by our shared vision of being ‘outcomes focused, child centred’. We believe every child deserves the very best education, and that starts in the classroom with exceptional teachers.
NET has delivered teacher training for over twenty years. Every academy in our trust is fully committed to our ITT partnership, so you will train somewhere that genuinely wants you to succeed.
Your training is designed by Teach First and delivered by NET Inspire’s experts in teacher development, who know and understand the communities we serve. Teach First is a charity that believes education is the most powerful tool to help a child fulfil their potential. They are the largest initial teacher training provider in the country, and their training is rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
Our Inspire values
Everything we do is shaped by our seven Inspire values. Here is what they mean for you as a trainee teacher.
Where will you train?
Your teaching journey starts in a Northern Education Trust academy, carefully matched to your location and needs. You will spend at least 24 weeks on school placements, across a minimum of two schools.
You will follow the academic calendar for the full year, spending four days a week in the classroom and one day a week in core training. At the start of term two, you will complete a broader school experience in a second, contrasting setting.
Your training blends online and face-to-face learning, so you can gain QTS and a PGCE without attending university in person.
What will you do on placement?
You will start by observing experienced teachers and co-planning lessons with your mentor. Over the year, you will build up your own teaching at a pace that matches your progress.
Weekly mentor meetings give you focused feedback and clear next steps. Our subject and phase leads, experts in their field, will deepen your subject knowledge and show you how to teach it well.
Beyond the classroom, you will be part of a vibrant academy community, joining training sessions and school events and seeing the realities of modern teaching first-hand. You will be supported every step of the way by:
By the end of the course, you will be a confident, skilled classroom practitioner, ready to thrive in your Early Career Teacher (ECT) year.
What will you study?
Rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted and grounded in research, our course equips you with the knowledge and skills to succeed across five key areas of teaching:
You will begin in September with two weeks of intensive training focused on essentials such as behaviour management and planning. A further two weeks later in the year will target the areas that strengthen your practice most.
During your placement, weekly training sessions are carefully sequenced to match the demands of the school year. Each half term you will also complete a module made up of live seminars, a full-day conference and a professional development module, combining core training with subject or phase-specific content.
Throughout the year, you will demonstrate the Teachers’ Standards through your classroom practice, your work with your mentor and online learning. On completion, you will be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) by Teach First, and you will gain your PGCE with our university partner.
What happens after you apply?
We will check that you meet the entry requirements and read your personal statement, looking for a clear passion for education and for your subject or phase. If successful, you will be invited to interview at one of our academies or online.
The interview day lasts around two hours and includes:
Before the day, you will receive a candidate pack with your lesson topic and guidance to help you prepare. We will confirm the outcome as soon as possible and update the DfE service.
Fees and financial support
The course fee for UK citizens for 2027 to 2028 is £10,050.
If you are eligible and approved for a tuition fee loan, Student Finance will organise payment throughout the course. If you plan to pay the fees yourself, you will be invoiced for the full amount at the start of the course, although you can request to pay in three termly instalments.
There are no other training fees, but you will need to cover your travel to placement schools and your general living costs. All of our academies expect staff to wear business dress, and this applies to trainees too.
Bursaries are available in some subjects. Details and information on how to apply can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2026-to-2027
Ready to inspire the next generation?
Applications for September 2027 open on Tuesday 6th October 2026.
To find out more about the Teach First SCITT and how to apply, visit https://www.teachfirst.org.uk/school-centred-initial-teacher-training.
If you have any questions or if you would like an information discussion about routes into teaching, please contact the NET Inspire team at [email protected] or on 0191 406 6383. We would love to hear from you.