Secondary Training

AET Schools Teacher Training is delivered in partnership
with Ark Teacher Training.

Secondary School Teacher Training

Secondary school teacher training is an incredibly rewarding experience and the opportunity to play a key role in young people’s lives. 

In secondary school (ages 11-18), children start to understand more about who they are, what their hobbies and interests are, and what they want in life. Being their teacher brings the privilege of helping them navigate this, while you provide them with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed at whatever they put their minds to.

You’re also in a unique position to share your subject passions; the curiosity and excitement you instil in your students could very well inspire future leaders and innovators in your field. Now that is worth it!

The Secondary Teaching Programme

We are committed to providing high-quality professional learning for trainee teachers and Early Career Teachers, supporting them to have the most significant impact in the classroom from their very first day and providing an excellent foundation for a successful career in education. On our teacher training programme for Secondary, you will benefit from:


Summer School

Highly-rated by trainees as the perfect start to their training, this is a great way to prepare for their first few weeks in school.  The Summer School brings trainees together for two weeks in August (5th to 16th) to learn about the programme, educational theory, and practice.

With a perfect balance of theory and practice, our comprehensive programme ensures you have everything you need, from support to expertise, to develop into a fantastic teacher for your pupils quickly. Here’s what you can expect…

School Orientation Experience

Get to know your school, pupils, colleagues, the community, and where you will be working before the summer holidays, so you can hit the ground running in September.

Subject Studies

We pride ourselves on our subject expertise: we deliver training specifically designed for your chosen subject on top of professional studies.

At the heart of great teaching lies both excellent subject knowledge and understanding of how to teach your subject. In subject-specific training, you will develop your subject and curriculum knowledge and understand how to teach complex ideas. You will also practise teaching strategies for your subject, like setting up an experiment in a chemistry lesson or structuring a listening activity in a French lesson.

Coaching

Every week you will be observed and have a feedback session with your mentor. They will work with you to identify a targeted, bite-sized change in your practice that will improve you most the following week. For example, you may be asked to change how you move children around the classroom from one task to another.

Teaching in a Second School

Seeing other schools is crucial to succeeding on your own. Over your first year, you will spend 17 days in different schools, in a completely different context to your own. These schools help you develop as a teacher by showing you how other schools work and what makes yours unique.

Networking and Summer school

You will be working alongside other trainees in-school and develop with them at weekly training. Teaching is a team sport so the trainees you meet will be important in supporting you throughout the year.

Teacher Training Lead

Your Teacher Training Lead is a dedicated and experienced person in the school to support you and other trainees. They work closely with your Tutor and Coach to ensure you receive the best training and support every week.

Weekly Training

Every week you’ll spend one afternoon with other trainees and receive training from Ark Teacher Training and your tutor. Here you’ll build on what you learnt at Summer School and begin to master different aspects of educational theory and practice. The training is structured intentionally to understand the theory that underpins excellent teaching, see examples of great teaching in practice and practise new strategies yourself to implement them in the classroom.

In-School Curriculum

This is designed to complement the training, so you are learning throughout your school year. You will be asked to complete peer observations of experienced teachers teaching your classes and your subject. Additionally, you will be guided to meetings with different faculty members in your school.

Planning

Your Teacher Training Lead is responsible for ensuring that you work with experienced teachers to develop your planning skills throughout the year. Planning will include intellectual preparation and provide you with the chance to reflect on what you already know about a topic and what steps you will need to take to develop your subject knowledge.

Wellbeing

A trainee’s wellbeing is paramount to us, so it’ll be an ongoing conversation with your tutor throughout the training year.  You can find out more about our approach to trainee wellbeing here.

Your Tutor

You will be assigned a Tutor from the start of Summer School, an experienced teacher and phase specialist who will visit you in school regularly throughout the year. Tutors are your point of contact throughout the year. They work alongside your Lead and Coach to ensure you progress and receive the correct support in school.

Your Timetable

Your teaching load will gradually increase throughout the year depending on your progress.  As a secondary teacher you would be teaching KS3 and KS4 from the start of the year with a range of classes in your subject. As well as your lessons, each week will consist of: