School Direct is a national teacher training initiative offering the exciting opportunity to train alongside outstanding practitioners, gaining valuable knowledge skills and professional attitudes that will enable you to start you on your journey to becoming an outstanding teacher and a future school leader.  

The School Direct Training Programme.  This is open to all graduates and is funded by tuition fees paid by the trainee, who may be eligible for a bursary from the Teaching Agency (TA).

The School Direct route into teaching with WISE ITT and Northumbria University is an exciting opportunity to train as a primary teacher in good and outstanding schools alongside highly experienced teachers and mentors. The School Based Training Plan is designed by WISE ITT in their role as a lead school and individually tailored to develop your skills and expertise.

Over the course of your training, you will gain experience in more than one school and teach across different year groups within your training age phase. The long-standing relationship between Northumbria and WISE has continued to grow and provides our trainees with a uniquely personalised training package.

All candidates are required to have, or are expected to gain:  - A good degree of a United Kingdom Higher Education Institution of 2.2 or above - GCSE English Language, Mathematics and a Science at Grade 4 (Grade C) or above.  Applicants must be a graduate with a minimum of a 2.2 degree although applicants with a 2.1 or 1st class degree will be seen as more desirable.  Graduates will need to be able to demonstrate a real aptitude for teaching.  Applicants can apply from any degree subject discipline; however applicants will need to demonstrate how the skills, knowledge and understanding developed within the degree are applicable to primary teaching.  Applicants who are currently retaking a GCSE or awaiting a degree classification will be offered a conditional place if successful on interview until the grade can be confirmed.  Admission is subject to a suitable DBS Enhanced Certificate and a satisfactory health check.

For programmes which begin after April 2020, applicants are no longer required to undertake the professional skills tests in English and Maths, but there remains a requirement for trainee teachers to demonstrate competency in the use of English and Maths in a professional context.  Northumbria students will be supported in developing these skills over the course of their programme and their competency assessed before recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

If you have studied a non UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry

International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 6 in each component (or approved equivalent*).

*Northumbria University accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in their English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications

Experience working with children in a school or other settings will enhance your application.  - An informed professional reference to support the work experience.  - A reference containing a strong recommendation that they are suitable to train as a primary school teacher.  In addition to the academic qualifications we will consider the full range of knowledge, skills and prior experiences of every application in judging whether the applicant is capable of meeting the requirements.