About United Teaching

With United Teaching, as well as gaining QTS, you will receive the skills and qualifications to begin your career as a teacher within United Learning. We will support you with subject specialists and dedicated mentors from over 70 of our schools nationwide.

About United Learning

At United Learning we're an ambitious and growing group of junior and secondary, state and independent schools across England. Our focus is simple – to provide an excellent education to all our pupils. We believe there should be no barriers to learning and that every child should be challenged to achieve their very best, in a stimulating and positive environment. Our schools share our sense of dedication, passion and integrity.

Why United Teaching?

United Teaching offers real teaching exposure in a choice of schools, a mentor system, a support network, professional qualifications, as well as continuous professional development throughout the duration of your career with United Learning. Course graduates who gain a substantive role in United Learning are paid up to 5% more than in a maintained school and have access to a range of lifestyle and retail perks. The course designed to bring out the best in your teaching skills quickly, professionally and comprehensively. It is a scheme aimed at creating the teachers of tomorrow and the education leaders of the future.

Here are the highlights:

Professional qualifications – every trainee works to achieve Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), and you can also work towards a PGCE with 60 Master’s level credits; What's the difference between PGCE and QTS?
World-class training led by outstanding schools, with sessions delivered by national educationalists;
Individual support and mentoring from our teachers of excellence;
A wide range of experience gained with your choice of primary, secondary, state and independent schools;
Competitive trainee salary or tax-free bursaries;
Continued support and mentoring through your NQT year;
A structured pathway throughout your career with us at United Learning, and NQTs who join one of our academies will be paid up to 5% more than a maintained school.

A teacher from day one

On our Initial Teacher Training scheme, you could be teaching, with a reduced timetable, from day one. You could even join your school before September to work as a teaching assistant and gain more experience. And, by accessing our collective expertise and support, you’ll have the resources you need to teach yourself. So expect to be a valued member of your teaching team, empowered to lead your own classes from the start, but with the backing you need from our network.

Rapid progress

Here, teacher training is a path to a long-term career. United Learning schools seek to employ our trainees after completion of the programme as Newly Qualified Teachers - with the potential for rapid promotion to middle and senior leadership in our schools or a Group-spanning position. Within just a couple of years or less, some of our trainees have gone on to become heads of year or faculty.

The training doesn’t end with your QTS either. Once you’ve joined a United Learning school, you can expect a structured pathway of continuous professional development, through the United Learning Institute, an excellent remuneration package (above the maintained sector), and at least eight INSET days with three dedicated to planning.

Our lead school

United Teaching is the first national School Centred Initial Teacher Training Programme (SCITT). It’s a status that reflects the proven quality of our programme, and it enables us to award you with QTS directly, whether or not you decide to take a PGCE.

At the heart of our success is our lead school: Paddington Academy. The staff who deliver the teacher training at Paddington are the very best classroom practitioners, with many training at Paddington themselves.

We believe that the teachers who follow in their footsteps on our course will become equally prominent. Our recruitment and assessment ensure that we have trainees who have that same vision of excellence and attitude of relentless tenacity to give children the very best education.

Paddington Academy is a National Support School and is judged outstanding. It holds the Platinum award for staff development and training and the results at GCSE have been amongst the best in the country for progress over the last five years. It is driven by the ethos and culture of the highest standards in teaching and learning, and that every child can and will achieve their very best, exceeding all expectations.

We’re very proud to offer a teaching and learning conference centre and some of the very best trainers in the country. We offer a high-quality course and qualification, and a career for life in our national organisation.

Paddington Academy is supported by our Northern Hub school, Manchester Academy. Primary training is led by Langford Primary and Guildford High School.

Visit us

Please take the opportunity to visit one of our United Teaching events where you will hear more about the scheme, including opportunities to:

Speak to trainees currently working with us
Speak to teaching staff
Tour the schools
Speak to students.

Contact us