The Graduate Training Programme (GTP) offers an alternative to the traditional post graduate teaching certificate (PGCE) for graduates hoping to become qualified teachers in the UK. GTP students are employed by the school in which they work, and are offered extra training by an external training provider throughout the year. Candidates must prepare a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate they have met the QTS standards set by the Training and Development Agency for Schools, and they may also be required to submit a small number of written assigments. Assessment is through classroom observations and scrutiny of the student's portfolio. Many GTP students will be responsible for their own classes from the start of the course.
Students on a GTP are employed by the school in which they work, and are paid a salary appropriate to their experience and qualifications from the unqualified teachers pay scale. In general, the GTP salary is likely to represent more money than the grants and incentives available for PGCE students, but some shortage subject incentives may not be available to GTP students, so it is worth investigating fully prior to enrolling.
GTP students are likely to start teaching classes from the very start of their course, and will probably experience more classroom contact throughout the year than PGCE students. However, GTP students generally receive much less support in the classroom.
The requirements for submitting written assignments and projects tend to be much less onerous for GTP students, but the preparation of a suitable portfolio of evidence can be a daunting task.
Some universities offer GTP courses in association with their partner schools. In many cases, the GTP course runs alongside the university's established PGCE course, so students benefit from access to experienced teacher-training tutors and well-planned group training sessions.
Distance-learning providers also offer GTP courses. The nature of these courses dictates that there are unlikely to be many shared training sessions with other students, so this type of course can be quite isolating, and support for student teachers is variable.
In many areas, local schools may club together to form their own GTP consortium, and this is often the most successful arrangement, with the best providers offering weekly group training sessions with all trainee teachers released from their teaching duties to attend.
Most GTP training providers operate a central application procedure, so students may not get much of a chance to choose their own placement school. Some schools employ GTP students on a supernumerary basis, meaning the student is surplus to the school's staffing requirements. These students are likely to be allocated classes in conjunction with more experienced teachers and will receive much more support in lessons. Other GTP students will be allocated their own timetable from the start of the course. In this case, it is important to establish what support will be available, especially at the start of the year. Ideally, experienced staff should be on hand to offer assistance during lessons if required for the first few weeks.