Odyssey Teaching School Alliance
Physics (2H5C)

QTS full time

• Accredited body: Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership (GITEP)
• Financial support: Scholarship, bursary or student finance if you’re eligible
• Qualification:
  QTS

  QTS (qualified teacher status) allows you to teach in state schools in England.

  It may also allow you to teach in the EU, the EEA and Switzerland. You should check with the institution you’d like to teach in for confirmation. The status of QTS in these countries may change after the UK leaves the EU. Please check GOV.UK for updates.

  To teach in the rest of the UK or internationally, you may wish to consider a ‘PGCE (or PGDE) with QTS’ qualification instead.

• Course length: 1 year
• Date you can apply from: 8 October 2019
• Date course starts: September 2020
• Website: http://www.odysseyts.org

About the course

Trainees start the year with three weeks of professional studies, a programme of lectures, workshops and expert speakers, to give a context to the course. By the end of September trainees start their “Parent 1” placement and will be in school full time until mid-December. There are another two weeks of professional studies either side of Christmas. In January trainees start their “Twin” placement in a second school. There are more professional studies weeks before Easter then trainees return to their first school for their “Parent 2” placement. The final placement includes an enhancement week to give opportunities to experience particular aspects of teaching.

There are also weekly subject seminars, every Thursday, with trainees meeting with their Subject Leader and other trainees from their subject. On a Wednesday afternoon, trainees attend 'Professional Studies Sessions' with all the other Odyssey trainees, adding a unique and beneficial cross phase element.

Alongside school-based training, trainees complete three assignments, supported by school based training managers and subject leaders.

Interview process

All interviews are held in Alliance schools. Your interview will have 3 parts.

Part 1: General Interview

This will be a panel interview, made up of staff from partner schools and a representative from GITEP. We will look to explore with you your reasons for wanting to teach.

Part 2: Subject Knowledge Interview

This will be an interview with a subject specialist and will explore where your current subject knowledge strengths and weaknesses lie.

Part 3: Lesson

We will ask you to prepare (in advance) a short lesson to deliver to a group of students.

How school placements work

All trainees will undertake placements in 2 schools. We will be working with 3 partner schools and GITEP in 2020/2021:

Pate's Grammar School

Sir Thomas Rich's Grammar School

Tewkesbury School

Placements are arranged in discussion with trainees, depending on grammar/comprehensive preference, home location etc. We cannot guarantee any particular school placement, however we are always keen to work with trainees to find the right school for them. All trainees must undertake at least one placement in a comprehensive school - it isn't possible to qualify as a teacher in the UK by completing 2 grammar school placements.

Fees

The course fees for 2020/2021 are as follows:

UK students	£8,250
EU students	£8,250

Financial support

You could be eligible for either:

• a scholarship of £28,000
• a bursary of £26,000

With a scholarship or bursary, you'll also get early career payments of £2,000 each in your second, third and fourth years of teaching (£3,000 in some areas of England).

To qualify for a scholarship you’ll need a degree of 2:1 or above in Physics or a related subject. For a bursary you’ll need a 2:2 or above in any subject.

You can’t claim both a bursary and a scholarship - you can only claim one.

Find out how to apply for a scholarship. You don’t need to apply for a bursary - if you’re eligible, you’ll automatically start receiving it once you begin your course. Find out about eligibility for bursaries and how you’ll be paid.

You may also be eligible for a loan while you study.

Find out about financial support if you’re from outside the UK.

Financial support from the training provider

GITEP Trainee Teacher Fund

The directors of Gloucestershire Association of Secondary Headteachers have established a fund to help trainee teachers who are experiencing financial difficulties. Any awards made do not have to be repaid. The fund is limited and discretionary and we cannot guarantee that an award will be made. Applications can be made at any point in the programme.

Requirements

Qualifications

Mandatory

•A Physics degree (or equivalent) or in some circumstances, a related subject with other Physics background.

•Maths and English at Grade C or above at GCSE. (Note: an equivalency test is available from the university.)

•Successful completion of the Get Into Teaching Skills Test.

Recommended

•Degree at 2:1 or above.

•Involvement with young people, e.g., coaching, youth club.

•Recent connections with Secondary education.

•An awareness of issues in Physics education.

Personal qualities

We recognise that outstanding teachers come from many different backgrounds and have a range of prior experiences. We welcome applications from trainees from all walks of life and recognise the different qualities and skills that they can potentially bring to the profession. Passion, resilience and a willingness to reflect and learn as a professional are however key.

Other requirements

All trainees will be subject to an enhanced DBS check prior to the start of the course. Trainees with less prior experience in school may also be required to undertake a short period of work experience. Subject Knowledge Enhancement may be offered if appropriate.

About the training provider

Why chose to train with Odyssey?

• An opportunity to train in an Alliance led by Pate's Grammar School - a school rated Outstanding by Ofsted in every category and previously awarded the title Sunday Times School of the Year. Our exam results consistently place us in the top 10 state schools nationally.
• Our professional studies programme offers a unique opportunity to work cross phase to gain an understanding of the full learning journey from 3 - 19.
• We have an excellent employment track record.

*At secondary level, an opportunity to train in both the grammar and comprehensive sectors, with four schools who proudly work collaboratively to develop and train staff to the highest standards and an opportunity to work with most able and academic students all the way through from 11 – 18. You will have fantastic opportunities to get involved with wider school life; Pate's, All Saints' Academy, Sir Thomas Rich's and Tewkesbury all have vibrant and thriving extra-curricular programmes. You will receive a GITEP PGCE awarded by the University of Bristol.

*At primary level, a unique opportunity to train in an alliance of 7 strong Gloucestershire based primary schools, many rated as outstanding or good with outstanding features - all recognised for their exceptional staff development. You will receive all the benefits of the University of Gloucestershire Course (including the PGCE accreditation), however spending more time in school learning 'on the job'.

Training with disabilities and other needs

As an alliance we take great pride in knowing and supporting our trainees personally. Our trainees come from a variety of backgrounds and we are committed to enabling access to the profession for all. Please contact us if you would like to better understand how we may be able to support any access requirements that you have.

Contact details

• Email: info@odysseyts.org
• Telephone: 01242 538276
• Website: http://www.odysseyts.org
• Address: Pate's Grammar School ; Princess Elizabeth Way ; Cheltenham ; Gloucestershire ; GL51 0HG

Apply

Apply on the UCAS website. You’ll need to register with UCAS before you can apply.

Visit Get into Teaching for guidance on applying for teacher training.

When you apply you’ll need these codes for the Choices section of your application form:

• Training provider code: 1ZB
• Training programme code: 2H5C

Choose a training location

You’ll also need to choose a training location – select the relevant location name on the application form.

Location	Vacancies	Code
Main Site Princess Elizabeth Way, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL51 0HG	Yes	-

Support and advice

For questions about this course you should contact the training provider using the contact details above.

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