Bright Futures SCITT celebrates ITT expansion

Bright Futures Educational Trust is celebrating the recent growth of its School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) following the announcement of two new ITT partnerships for 2022.

Bright Futures will work together with Co-op Academies Trust to facilitate their teacher training offer and this will include primary and secondary ITT.  We are also delighted to announce that we will be teaming up with Breck Primary School on the Fylde Coast to provide an innovative Primary School Direct partnership programme. This bigger hub model of ITT provision ensures good practice is shared across a greater geographical area. This creates more opportunities for collaboration not competition and achieves economies of scale.

Lisa Fathers, Director of Development, Partnerships and Teaching School Hubs at Bright Futures, said: “Both of these new partnerships provide a fantastic opportunity for each organisation to add value to an already high-quality programme of Initial Teacher Training. We have longstanding relationships with Co-op Academies Trust and already work closely with them on a range of CPD and School-to-School support. Breck Primary School also share our values and passion for teacher development, and we are delighted to be able to work with them more closely to deliver high quality Initial Teacher Training, at scale. We already operate a ‘Hub’ model with Culcheth High School in Warrington and with our two Teaching School Hubs it is exactly the kind of thing we ought to be doing.”

Co-op Academies Trust, based across three hub areas of Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire, recently appointed a new Head of  ITT and Early Careers Framework, Andy Gibson; Bright Futures were pleased to be involved with the recruitment. Eleanor Davidson, Bright Futures SCITT Director, has been working closely with Co-op for the last six months, further demonstrating the existing strong working relationship between both organisations which is built on mutual trust and respect.

Ian Burchett, Chief Education Officer at Co-op Academies Trust, added: “Building strong relationships through professional respect and sharing the same values and ambitions are key for any partnership to work. It is no surprise then that many of Co-op Academies Trust’s values complement those of Bright Futures, not least our ethical values of openness and honesty which align perfectly with Bright Futures’ value of integrity. Based on our previous experience of collaboration we know this new venture will be a huge success.”

Breck Primary School, located on the Fylde coast in a designated sparsity area, has a well-established team delivering their current programme of Teacher Training who are successfully partnered with colleagues from other good and outstanding primary schools serving a variety of communities in Lancashire.

Cheryl Brindle NLE, Headteacher at Breck Primary School, commented: “When carrying out our own due diligence for prospective partnerships we were focused on working with institutions who mirror our own values and ethos. We found that Bright Futures are focused on high quality ITT and investment in professional development for all, leading to better outcomes for all pupils and staff. This represents a level of integrity we respect and hold in high esteem, and we are certain that this partnership will offer an exciting opportunity for collaborative professional growth and development.”

There is always a demand to recruit and retain great teachers. Part of the solution is about highly successful partnerships and high-quality collaboration to address the teacher shortage gaps. With the core content framework at the heart of all we do, these two new additions to the Bright Futures SCITT will allow more trainees to find employment as highly skilled Early Career Teachers within our region.

We are delighted that both hubs will go live in the new year and will be available for application through DfE Apply for a September 2022 start!