Arden Alliance
Application Information
Applications for 2024-25 are now closed. Applications for 2025-26 to open to view from 1st October 2024.
Welcome
Welcome to Arden Alliance
Arden Alliance comprises a distinguished group of primary and secondary schools dedicated to providing exceptional teacher training opportunities. Our collaborative approach allows us to leverage expertise across all sectors and phases of education, offering a unique and enriching training experience.
Our Aims
Bespoke Teacher Training: We offer specialised training for both PRIMARY & SECONDARY education, providing personalised support and mentoring from experienced subject mentors.
Pedagogic Excellence: Our programme focuses on developing excellent pedagogic skills, empowering trainees to become confident and effective teachers. Learning from outstanding practitioners across our alliance is key to achieving this goal.
Continued Support: We are committed to supporting and mentoring early career teachers, fostering a deep understanding of their subjects, their students, and the essential attitudes needed for successful teaching.
Join Arden Alliance to embark on a journey towards becoming an exemplary educator. Learn from the best across both primary and secondary education sectors, and prepare yourself for a fulfilling career in teaching.
Why Teach?
Teaching is more than a profession—it's a path to make a lasting impact. As a teacher, you’ll inspire and shape the future, one student at a time. Every day is an opportunity to ignite curiosity, foster creativity, and empower young minds.
Beyond the personal fulfilment, teaching offers practical benefits too. Start with a competitive salary of over £30,000, with excellent potential for pay progression as you advance. You’ll enjoy continual professional development, ensuring you grow and thrive in your career. Plus, generous holidays, including a substantial summer break, provide the perfect chance to travel the world or spend quality time with family.
Why Train With Arden Alliance?
Why Train with Us?
Choosing where to start your teaching career is a big decision. Here’s why our school is the right place:
Top-Performing Trust
We’re part of one of the top-performing Multi Academy Trusts in the West Midlands, known for excellence and innovation in education. Join a thriving community dedicated to student success.
Strong Recruitment and Career Pathways
We have a proven track record of recruiting and retaining trainee teachers, many of whom continue to grow within our family of schools. Start your career with us and enjoy a clear path to long-term success.
Exceptional Mentorship
Our mentors are caring, professional, and highly experienced. They offer personalised, one-to-one support, helping you build confidence and skills from day one. Your success is their priority.
Tailored Training
We provide a personalised approach to training, adapting to your strengths and needs. With a flexible and responsive programme, you’ll be fully prepared for the challenges and rewards of teaching.
Comprehensive Experience
From the start, you’ll gain practical classroom experience, guided by outstanding educators. Our programme ensures you’re not just learning the theory, but also how to apply it effectively in real-world settings.
Join us and launch your teaching career in an environment of excellence, support, and opportunity.
Ready to Apply?
Apply via the Apply for Teacher Training Government portal here. Search for Arden (B93 0PT), you'll then be able to see our courses and partner schools.
If you're interested in getting in to schools to see what teaching involves and if it's a potential career for you, we also offer school experience at a variety of schools. Enquire via the School Experience portal here.
How the Course Works
We work in partnership with the University of Warwick to run our school based initial teacher training. This has some similarities and some differences with other courses such as university based teacher training.
Training with us you'll receive your QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) and PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education), along with master's level credits (based on satisfactory performance in academic and practical elements. Some other courses will only give you QTS; this doesn't qualify you to teach in other countries whereas the PGCE does.
The course runs in line with the calendar for the school year (available from each school's website). You'll spend 4 days a week in school and 1 day a week at university.
At the start of the year, you'll be observing before transitioning to assisting with parts of lessons or small groups, then moving on to teaching whole lessons and sets of lessons. We increase your timetable throughout the year in line with university expectations so that you finish the year teaching 70% of a full teacher's timetable. This is tailored to the individual so you can progress as quickly or as slowly as appropriate.
Training with Arden Alliance you'll teach at two schools. You'll spend most of your time in your base school but you'll also spend a half term (secondary) or a full term (primary) in a contrasting setting. This is organised by us in conversation with you. One benefit of training with Arden Alliance is that our schools have different catchments, different pupils, and different ways of doing things so we can give a truly contrasting placement still within our family of schools.
One benefit of training with us is that you'll spend more time in your base school compared to a university-led training route, allowing you to become more embedded, get more used to the systems, and make more progress with your pedagogy (the science of teaching and learning).
With school-led routes, such as applying to Arden Alliance, you are also applying directly to the school you want to be your base school. On university-led courses they allocate your training venue and this can be up to an hour's commute!
If you're interested in getting in to schools to see what teaching involves and if it's a potential career for you, we also offer school experience at a variety of schools. Enquire via the School Experience portal here.
How to Apply?
What you need to apply
Have the right to study in the UK.
Hold an honours degree at 2:2 or above (by the start of the course). Those applying for secondary training should have a degree related to the subject they wish to teach. Please be aware that SKEs (Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses) are available for certain subjects to support those whose degree may not be related to the subject they wish to teach. More information here.
If in doubt about the relevancy of your degree then please contact us at traintoteach@Arden.Solihull.Sch.uk
GCSEs in maths and English at grade C or 4 and above. Those applying for primary teaching should also hold GCSE science at C or 4 and above.
Please note that those wishing to apply without these qualifications can do so and will need to sit an equivalence test.
Those with overseas qualifications are welcome to apply and will have their qualifications checked by the University of Warwick to ensure they are equivalent to UK qualification requirements.
You will also be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check of any criminal records or official cautions.
When you're ready to apply with us, you'll need to go to the government portal here. Applications open in early October for courses starting the following September. It is a little different to standard job applications; there is no application deadline, we interview upon receiving an application that is above the baseline requirements. As such positions are filled throughout the year - apply as soon as you're ready to avoid disappointment.
In your application you need to include all your qualifications and your whole work history; gaps in either of these make it difficult and more time consuming to process your application.
You'll be required to write a personal statement; take your time with this and give us a flavour of you as a person. We want to see your passion for learning and your subject come through, as well as your reasons for choosing teaching, what qualities you will bring, and evidence of skills you have that are relevant.
Once you apply, we'll contact you within a couple of days to let you know we've received your application. If you're invited to interview here is what to expect...
A half day interview, usually at the school you've specifically applied for, with representatives from the school as well as from the teacher training team.
A mini lesson (30 minutes) you have to prepare and teach. We supply you the theme in advance and are looking to see how you interact with pupils, your interpersonal skills, and your ability to communicate effectively.
A literacy and numeracy assessment. There isn't a strict pass mark; we are looking to see if you will need any support during the course. We use real world examples something akin to what a teacher will have to do.
A formal interview; 30 minutes with a small panel. We'll be asking your motivation for teaching, what enthuses you about your subject or phase, what skills you have and how they are relevant, and your understanding of safeguarding in a school setting.
We always aim to let you know the outcome of your interview within 48 hours.
Please be aware that as you can apply to several training institutions during one application, you are able to wait and attend multiple interviews, thus collecting multiple offers before selecting which one suits you best.
Finances
Bursaries and scholarships are available for qualifying subjects. please check here for information.
Some people may be eligible for Student Finance to assist with loans etc. Please check here for further information.
There are fees from the university of £9, 250 (correct at last point of checking - please check with university providers).
Trainee positions are not paid with a salary from the school or university. Salaried positions may be available for some individuals - please check other providers.
Ready to Apply?
Apply via the Apply for Teacher Training Government portal here. Search for Arden (B93 0PT), you'll then be able to see our courses and partner schools.
If you're interested in getting in to schools to see what teaching involves and if it's a potential career for you, we also offer school experience at a variety of schools. Enquire via the School Experience portal here.
