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Teacher Training

The schools within our trust are members of the Havering Teacher Training Partnership. Many of our staff including now senior staff, were trained through this partnership and this trend continues with many of the trainees finding jobs in our schools.The HTTP Partnership is an established, accredited ITT provider that was founded in 2001 and currently has a membership of 17 schools from the London Borough of Havering. The aim of the Partnership is to support determined, creative and passionate graduates in becoming confident, outstanding classroom practitioners by developing their resilience and equipping them with the skills necessary for a successful career in teaching.

Over the course of the training year, trainees experience two contrasting school placements. In addition, they also gain experience in the Primary sector (to understand the KS2-3 transition) and in Further Education, to ensure an understanding and awareness of the KS4-5 transition.

The strong and established network enables the training to accommodate a visit to a Havering Special School to provide trainee teachers with a rounded experience of all that the education sector has to offer.

All of the possible routes, School Direct, SCITT and assessment only, lead to PGCE accreditation following the submission of 4 written assignments. All trainees become members of the UEL Student Union and have full access to their virtual and physical library to support educational study and research. Should you wish to train in one of our schools you must apply through HTTP .

To find out how to do this and to find out more about the programme visit:

Havering Teacher TraininG

In addition, our schools accept trainees from a range of other training providers and in each school trainees are supported by experienced members of staff who act as professional tutors. They also access the extensive trust and school CPD opportunities as part of their development. Increasingly we are seeing graduates who wish to train as teachers taking the School Direct Salaried Route, which as a Trust we have found to be particularly beneficial. If you wish to follow this route it is useful to have a school that will find this to be a useful addition to it’s timetable capacity and a discussion with the professional tutors in our schools would tell you if this is feasible.

We also are members of the TeachFirst Programme. Teach First is a charity that develops and supports teachers and leaders who are determined to make a difference where it's needed the most.

Schools commit to a placement for two years where the individual experiences life as a teacher from day one. Teach first candidates are supported by both our in school professional tutors, subject mentors and mentors from the programme.

Below you can read the experiences of some of our Teach first Trainees:

"Teach First has provided a really supportive training platform throughout my teaching development. In addition to access to a number of fantastic educational institutions like University College London and the Institute of Education, it provides a level of autonomy that allows trainees to express and develop their own philosophies about the subjects they teach and the way that they teach them. Combining this framework and support with a strong focus on the use of evidence based pedagogies to support student learning as well as constant encouragement for trainees to not only reflect on their development, but to actively seek out advice and constructive criticism, leads to development that quickly benefits the trainee, hopefully giving great value to the partner school and crucially to the students that they teach.

When this is aligned with really supportive partner schools like Royal Liberty, that share a commitment to the values that are so critical to teacher training programmes like Teach First, and school subject mentors that nurture, encourage and challenge trainees to be the most effective educators they can be, it has the potential to be a very powerful combination, one that I feel very happy to be to be able to play a small role in."

Mr Phillips, Teach First 2019 The Royal Liberty School

"In 2017 I was placed at The Royal Liberty School to begin my Teach First teacher training programme. After completing a summer course, I was full of nervous excitement to get started at the school which would spend the next two years helping me to develop my skills as a teacher.

The training I received from both Teach First and within the school itself has been invaluable. I have been lucky to have a hugely supportive department and senior leadership team, as well as becoming part of a positive wider school community, all of which have had a huge impact on how I have developed as a teacher over the past three years.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time both with Teach First and at The Royal Liberty, and look forward to continuing to work with both the staff and pupils."

Ms Scollan, Teach First 2017 The Royal Liberty School

To contact our Professional Tutors please email:

tgreaves@reddencourtcloud.co.uk at Redden Court School.

cevason@royalliberty.co.uk at The Royal Liberty School.

rsharma@sandersschool.org.uk at Sanders School.

Ms Gilbert, HTTP Trainee 2016 Redden Court School

I trained with the HTTP during the 2016-2017 academic year and was lucky enough to have my training placement at Redden Court School. I could not have wished for a more welcoming place to start my teaching journey.

The first half term was mostly spent observing colleagues in the Geography department and getting to know the pupils that I would soon be teaching, but also venturing into other subjects to see best practice around the school. I was eased into teaching by taking some starter activities to begin with, then doing some team-teaching with my mentor, before taking whole lessons. Then as the weeks and months went by, my teaching hours increased.

The whole programme is incredibly well planned, with weekly training provided by HTTP managers or guest speakers who cover lots of theory behind teaching practice and give practical advice/activities to use in the classroom. I was given a mentor within my subject department, as well as a professional tutor - both of these members of staff were always on hand for any advice in school. On top of that, I was given a subject leader who provided training sessions throughout the year, solely on my subject's latest literature and news to enhance my subject knowledge and help with the PGCE essays.

The HTTP programme was a fantastic entry route into my teaching career.

Ms Yeomans, HTTP Trainee 2018 Redden Court School

I began my journey at Redden Court School as a Trainee Teacher of English and Sociology with the Havering Teacher Training Partnership (HTTP) and it is here that I fostered a passion for teaching young people.

As I had previous teaching experience, I was enrolled onto the Schools Direct Teacher Training Programme. This meant that I would begin with ten hours a week of teaching time and be accountable for these classes throughout the academic year. While this route is different to the traditional SCITT programme, I was still given copious amounts of support and feedback from my mentor and personal tutor and they were always on hand to answer any questions or queries I had. In addition to this, I attended HTTP training sessions every Tuesday, where key speakers would share their teaching expertise with the trainee teachers. These sessions would last the whole day and were invaluable as I was able to discuss my experiences with other trainee teachers too! As the academic year progressed, my teaching hours increased and so did my confidence in the classroom. By the end of the academic year, I felt I was well equipped with the skills, theory and knowledge to execute them effectively and engage my students.

From the beginning, I loved teaching at Redden Court School and I was lucky enough to secure a permanent position upon completing my teacher training. With this, I was given the opportunity to take on the role of Subject Leader of Sociology. As I was still an NQT, this was an exciting challenge and, with the support of staff and the Senior Leadership Team, the relaunch of the subject was a great success and has become popular among students!

Professional development and well-being at Redden Court School and across the Success For All Educational Trust is of a high focus and is continuously implemented through comprehensive CPD and well-being sessions. I have had a variety of opportunities to attend training courses and engage with online courses too. Equally, the Trust has invited various key speakers to deliver sessions on their expertise in education, as well as considering well-being sessions as part of the CPD programme.

The staff at Redden Court School are incredibly dedicated to positive student outcomes and it is a privilege to be a part of a school that is committed to success for all.

Ms Ralston, HTTP Trainee 2015 The Royal Liberty School

I joined Royal Liberty School as a trainee on the Havering SCITT programme. I was fortunate to have an incredibly supportive mentor, and faculty, that helped me develop my teaching practice.

I have remained at the school ever since, progressing through my NQT year and then becoming the subject specialist for history. More recently I have also gained responsibility for SMSC and RE across the school.

My time at Royal Liberty has offered me many opportunities, including training and mentoring, ensuring that I have continued to develop professionally. I am incredibly proud of the progress that my department has made and this is the result of the hard work, drive and aspirations of the staff and students. I have loved being a part of Royal Liberty’s success in recent years and am excited to see the school build on this.

Mr Higgins, HTTP Trainee 2016 The Royal Liberty School

I joined Royal Liberty as a trainee teacher through the Havering Teacher Training Partnership in 2016. I enjoyed working at the school so much that I have stayed ever since.

Due to the supportive environment at the school, I have managed to progress from trainee teacher to second in science with a responsibility of key stage three and our outreach programme. The school have supported my own personal development by encouraging me to take advantage of many opportunities such as presenting at the PIXL science conference, speaking at the Association of science educators national conference, writing for the Education in Chemistry magazine and becoming an author of resources for the Oxford University Press.

Royal Liberty is also a school where hard work is recognised, thanks to Royal Liberty I have been shortlisted for the Evening Standard Inspirational teacher of the year in 2019 and was also recognised at the Havering Learning Partnership awards.

The supportive nature of the school allows staff to provide an abundance of opportunities for the students which allows them to develop academically as well as allowing them to grow as people. This truly feeds through to the whole ethos of the school with it being reflected in both student and staff attitudes to learning. A large emphasis and trust are placed upon staff inside and outside of the classroom. The school allows teachers the freedom to develop extracurricular activities, this has allowed me to coordinate in-school clubs, various trips and visits, borough-wide student competitions and an extensive outreach programme to local primary schools.

Without such a supportive environment and senior leadership team, I feel that I would not have developed as a teacher in the same way in which I have. Royal Liberty is a great working environment with unique students. It is a school where you are encouraged to constantly better your practice and therefore always support the boys to succeed.

Ms S Nicholson, HTTP Trainee 2005 Sanders Draper School

Since joining Sanders as a trainee teacher, I have been able to grow and develop my skills and expertise through the opportunities and experiences made available to me.

I have filled the role of Geography teacher, Head of Year, Leader for KS4 and progressed to the Senior Leadership team, here I lead on across the school on all matters pastoral.

Sanders shares my view that it is vital we develop the whole child. The school believes passionately in every young person. I have huge admiration for our students. They are the heartbeat of our school. Our staff are passionate and dedicated in ensuring that they support our students.

As part of the SFAET I am able to further develop as a leader and utilise expertise across the trust.

Ms M Shread, HTTP Trainee 2003 Sanders Draper School

I began my teaching career as a trainee teacher at Sanders School in September 2003...and I have never left!! The school has been a part of my life now for 17 years and my career has progressed massively during that time.

I began as a science teacher, moved into a Head of Year role, became Head of the Science Department and then Head of the Science and PE faculty, and finally became an Assistant Headteacher. I have never wanted to leave Sanders as both the staff and students are amazing and it is like having an extended family.

The opportunities that we provide, the support and encouragement and development of the whole child at Sanders is something I am particularly proud to be a part of and we really work hard here to grow students into being the best people that they can be!