Skip to content

Why Train With Us?

What we offer

Red Kite Teacher Training (7)

At Red Kite Teacher Training we have a range of courses tailored to you.

Whether you’re interested in Primary, Secondary, with SEND or Part-Time, we have something for everyone.

Our courses are flexible and have been designed by educational specialists with years of teaching experience behind them.

The Red Kite Teacher Training course is made of a series of different components, which are blended together to create an engaging and coherent experience for trainees.

shutterstock_1032447535(2) (Large)

Red Kite 2021 (15)

Red Kite 2021 (35)


The key components of the course are:

Red Kite Professional Development Days – These are taught in mixed subject/age range groups and develop knowledge and understanding of general professional themes and pedagogy.


Subject Knowledge and Pedagogy Days – These are taught in mixed groups for primary trainees and subject specific groups for secondary trainees, by practising teachers who are experts in their subject. These days develop subject knowledge and are designed to apply knowledge from the training venue and University of Leeds study days to the specific subject. All secondary trainees will have post 16 experience as an enhancement. There are some phase-specific training sessions which are geared towards providing primary trainees with opportunities to focus on phase-specific pedagogy. In addition to subject knowledge days, trainees have access to NASBTT’s Networks Live to them in improving their subject knowledge and confidence across the curriculum. Part-time trainees also have access to NASBTT Learn – an online library of training and development courses created by experts to complement training and to encourage sustained professional development.


University of Leeds Professional Development Days – These days are taught by colleagues at the University of Leeds and develop trainees’ knowledge and understanding of teaching through the application of theory, research and evidence-based practice.


School Placements – Trainees teach in two contrasting partnership schools and are supported by an Early Career Leader (ECL), Mentor and ITT Coordinator to develop their teaching. The teaching timetable of trainees builds up throughout the year.


Intensive Training and Practice (ITAP) - A specific and focused element of the teacher training curriculum. It is intended to help consolidate trainees’ knowledge of key evidence-based principles for effective teaching, and to enable them to practise their application and integration into their developing professional practice. 


Transition to employment – Trainees are supported to gain employment before the end of their training and spend time at the end of the course preparing for their first teaching post.


End Point Assessment (EPA) for Apprenticeship route only - In June, apprentices enter and complete EPA to consolidate learning from initial teacher training and demonstrate their competencies of knowledge, skills and behaviours of this apprenticeship standard. This is completed with an external end point assessor.


Red Kite Teacher Training (11)

Our Vision

Our vision is to train evidence-informed, professional and inclusive teachers who can meet the challenges of the future and lead learning in a diverse educational landscape. We aim to build firm foundations for long and successful careers in the profession.

Core Purpose

  • To immerse trainees in the school environment, encouraging them to think critically and become innovative educators.
  • To tailor our programme to meet individual needs and aspirations, to provide varied experiences and to encourage trainees to become self-directed and internally motivated.
  • To provide a well-sequenced programme where practice is closely aligned to the curriculum being
  • To have high expectations of our trainees as professionals, nurturing them to become resilient individuals and supporting them to feel part of the school team and the wider Red Kite community.
  • To creatively adapt national and regional initiatives to meet the needs of the local schools and educational settings.
  • To meet the local, regional and national recruitment
  • To develop highly-skilled mentors, across all partnerships, who will provide professional support with challenge and promote a culture of kindness, respect and wellbeing.

The Curriculum

The curriculum has been co-designed through collaboration with schools, the University of Leeds and expert colleagues across the partnerships.

It covers the minimum entitlement set out in the Initial Teacher Training Core Content Framework and goes beyond this in an ambitious curriculum with high expectations for all.

Intent

Red Kite Trainees will:

  • Know themselves and who they are as teachers, what drives them and how to maintain their own mental health.
  • Know how to inspire learners in all contexts providing high quality education for
  • Know the strategies that promote effective behaviour management and foster enthusiastic lifelong
  • Know how to keep children and young people safe and support their mental health and well-
  • Know how to use technology to effectively support the acquisition and retention of
  • Know the essential cognitive science that informs the most effective classroom practice in a knowledge-rich curriculum.
  • Know that planned retrieval assessments support the retention of knowledge in long term
  • Know how to evaluate evidence-informed research, products and resources that support effective
  • Know that knowledge comes first before skills in all subjects and should be built systematically in sequenced units of work.
  • Know how to manage their own workload effectively to maintain a work life.

Diagram of what Red Kite trainees will be

Implementation

Based on our intent, and through our own evidence-based practice and reflection on research, we have identified six curriculum drivers that underpin our curriculum and reflect the context of our trainees and our partnership.

We believe these drivers will lead to great teaching and excellence for all.


Subject Knowledge

  • having a deep and fluent knowledge and understanding of the content
  • having an awareness of pedagogical approaches and common misconceptions in relation to the content
  • having knowledge of the requirements of curriculum sequencing, as well as relevant tasks and assessments that can be used for diagnostic and didactic purposes
  • developing a deeper understanding of a specialism - either of a subject or within it

Quality instruction

  • knowing how to structure a sequence of learning
  • utilising teaching strategies to help students know more and remember more
  • matching tasks to learners’ needs and activating deeper thinking
  • ensuring high levels of challenge for all

Making a difference

  • supporting all learners (including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with SEND)
  • ensuring emotional and intellectual development is paramount in helping learners to make progress and achieve their potential
  • developing literacy skills in order to improve a learner’s life chances

Becoming a professional teacher

  • adopting and maintaining high standards of ethics and behaviours
  • building effective professional relationships with pupils, parents/carers and expert colleagues
  • thinking hard and reflecting effectively as a practitioner and taking full ownership of long-term learning and development

Managing behaviour

  • developing a safe, secure and supportive environment that is built on effective positive relationships and mutual respect
  • enabling learners to be courageous and self-motivated, able to positively engage with learning and recognising that mistakes and misconceptions are part of the learning process

Understanding children and young people

  • understanding the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development of a child or young person
  • having a working knowledge of cognitive science, embedding this in classroom practice and recognising the potential of a collaborative learning environment.

Diagram of implementation

Stages of Training

Our course is carefully planned and built around a core knowledge sequence in clear, coherent stages that are flexible and responsive to trainee needs and are not narrowed to a set of performance measures.

Professional learning activities during each stage provide increasing levels of challenge and expectations of greater independence for trainees, ultimately ensuring that trainees can meet the Teachers’ Standards (2012), be awarded QTS and be prepared for the ECF.

  • Stage 1 – Preparation and Orientation
  • Stage 2 – Building a Foundation
  • Stage 3 – Adapting to a New Setting
  • Stage 4 – Refining Skills
  • Stage 4 Enhancement – Embedding, Deepening and Developing a Specialism

Red Kite Education

Red Kite Teacher Training is part of Red Kite Learning Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7523507, registered office address: Red Kite Office, Pannal Ash Road, Harrogate, HG2 9PH

Red Kite Teacher Training uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For optimal performance please accept cookies. For more information please visit our cookies policy.

Accept and close