DET Dispatch - February

Dear Colleague,

At Danes Educational Trust, we believe that great teachers are the foundation of every successful school. That’s why we are so passionate about high-quality teacher training and proud of our ‘train to retain’ philosophy. We don’t just train teachers—we nurture them, support them, and help them build lasting careers within our trust. This commitment is reflected in the fantastic alumni featured in this newsletter, many of whom started their journey with us and have gone on to become outstanding educators and leaders.

There are three main pathways to train as a teacher with us, all designed to provide hands-on experience, expert mentoring, and a strong professional network. You’ll find details about each route in this newsletter.

If someone you know is considering teaching, we’d love to help them take that next step. In particular, we encourage colleagues currently working in support roles—whether as teaching assistants, cover supervisors, or pastoral staff—to consider the rewarding career that teaching offers. If you’ve ever thought about making the move into teaching, please do get in touch to explore the options available. Click on our video below to hear from two of our current trainees.

Thank you for your continued support in shaping the next generation of teachers within our trust.

With best wishes,

Louisa Leonard

Louisa Leonard
Head of ITT and ECT Development
Danes Educational Trust

Making the difference together

Hear from our current trainees

AishaTTT video 1.mp4

Mollyvideo 1.mp4

Routes into teaching

Ambition Institute

Our partnership with Ambition Institute - here we offer part-time (two year) or full-time (one year) comprehensive teacher training courses consisting of:

Both practical experience and theory delivered directly in your chosen school
No requirement to attend an external university.

Click here for more information

University of Hertfordshire

Our partnership with University of Hertfordshire - here we offer a full-time, one year teacher training course consisting of:

Four days a week in a school setting for practical classroom experience.
One day a week at the university for theoretical and pedagogical knowledge.

Click for more information

Teaching apprenticeship

Our partnership with The Graduate Training Apprenticeship program - here we offer a full-time, 15 month teacher training course. You'll get comprehensive training to become a teacher from the largest provider of teacher training apprenticeships in the UK, The University of Buckingham..

No Training fees.
The program is open to graduates who can be employed on the Unqualified Teachers' Pay Scale.
Teach a maximum of a 80% timetable.

Click here for more information

AO route to QTS

You can take the assessment-only route to QTS if you don't need training and can demonstrate that you meet the Teaching standards. The assessment process varies between 6 and 12 weeks.

A series of assessments will be used to evaluate your progress. This could include lesson observations, a portfolio of evidence, and written assessments (depending on the provider).

Click here for more information

Our alumni

Amy Ring - Assistant Headteacher (OSA), Andrew Dawson - English Teacher (SCD), Anna- Maria van der Spoel - MFL Teacher and Assistant Head Teacher (OSA), Cerys Nation - History Teacher (OSA), Charlie Murphy - Assistant Head of Science (OSA), Claire Whitehead - Head of French (SCD), Deepthy John - Physics Teacher (OSA), Elise Hudson - Psychology Teacher, Head of PSHE (CHA), Emily Chinnick - English Teacher (CHA), Emily Parker - Drama teacher (CDS), Emily Wright - Primary Teacher (ACR), Emma Broadley - Maths Teacher (SCD), Grace Gregor - English Teacher (CHA), Hannah Jones - English teacher and ITT Mentor (SCD), Heather Brown - Physics Teacher (SCD), Henry Arkill - English teacher and Careers Coordinator (CDS), Howard Biswell - Head of Food and Nutrition (SCD), Jack Pearce - Deputy Head of Sixth form (CHA), James Franklin - Maths Teacher (OSA), Jessica Rogers - Business Studies Teacher and PP Lead (CDS), Jo Stretton - History Teacher (SCD), Jodie Armstrong - Drama Teacher (OSA), John Reid - History Teacher and ITT Professional Mentor and ECT Induction Lead (SCD), Josie Copsey - Drama Teacher (CDS), Juliette Chaplin - Head of Humanities (SCD), Kalgi Sivagaran - Physics Teacher (SCD), Kate Dean - D and T (CHA), Katie Munroe - Head of MFL (CHA), Katie Tempest - Science teacher and Head of Year 8 (CHA), Leya Malik - Primary Teacher (ACR), Lydia Phillips - Hair and Makeup (ESA), Mandy Elliot - Drama Teacher (CDS), Natalie Barlow- Science Teacher (CDS), Nathan Day - Maths Teacher (CHA), Oliver Branley - History teacher and ECT Mentor (SCD), Peter van Dyk - Head of Physics (SCD), Phoebe Walker - D and T (ESA), Rabia Khan - Head of Business Studies (CDS), Rory Farmer - English Teacher and Head of Year (SCD), Sakine Bromhead - Geography Teacher (CDS), Sam Ball - Chemistry Teacher (SCD), Sam Davies - Maths Teacher (SCD), Sarah Sharp - English teacher and ITT Mentor (SCD), Shreya Patel - English teacher and ITT mentor (CDS), Sophie Halden - English Teacher (SCD), Steve Lowe - Biology Teacher (SCD), Tamara Pollard - English teacher (CHA), Vivek Gopalakrishnan - Computer Science Teacher (CDS)