Trainee Teacher in Banstead

The Beacon Secondary School is looking for trainees on a fee-funded, full-time route in a range of subjects: Art & Design, Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Design and Technology, Drama, English, Geography, History, MFL (French/Spanish), Music, PE, and Physics. It can also offer part-time training routes in biology, chemistry, computing, Design and Technology, English, Geography, History, Maths, MFL, and Physics.

About The Beacon School: The Beacon School is a dynamic and vibrant community where everyone is valued as an individual. The school aims to provide a world-class education that enables students to fulfil their potential and grow into happy, kind, and well-rounded individuals. The Beacon strives to help students develop their resourcefulness and resilience, accept responsibility, and be challenged to take risks to learn and succeed. The Beacon’s values of Endeavour, Kindness, Community, Ambition, and Integrity are at the core of everything they do.

A recent Ofsted visit in 2023 recognised the journey of improvement The Beacon has been on. They praised the leadership team, noting that “new leaders at the school have raised expectations significantly. They are committed to ensuring that the school’s values of ‘excellence’ and ‘respect’ are understood and demonstrated by all”. Ofsted inspectors noted that “this school is improving because leaders have raised standards and expectations for behaviour and the curriculum. They have used expertise from within the trust to develop and implement a new and ambitious curriculum”. Ofsted noted that The Beacon’s new curriculum is well-sequenced and that specialist training continues to be provided to subject leaders and staff to further develop their expertise.

About GLF Schools: Meridian High School is part of GLF Schools, a Multi-Academy Trust comprising 43 schools, with a strong presence in the South East region, including both primary and secondary schools. Through our partnership with Inspiring Future Teachers (IFT), we offer a variety of locally delivered teacher training routes — from employment-based options to fee-funded pathways. We are committed to training, developing, and employing our trainee teachers as Early Career Teachers (ECTs) across all our GLF schools. We have a specific teacher training base in Banstead in Surrey, Didcot, Oxfordshire, and in Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre in Reading, offering candidates a choice of where to do their Friday core training.

About the Trainee Teacher Programme: We are excited to offer aspiring teachers a fantastic opportunity to train at The Beacon School, supported by our expert GLF Teacher Training Hub. You’ll benefit from:

• High-quality, school-based training and placement at Meridian High School
• Locally delivered training sessions
• Mentorship from experienced teachers committed to your development

You’ll also gain practical, hands-on experience across your chosen age range.

Qualifications Required: To be eligible to apply, you’ll need:

• A UK bachelor's degree (2:2 or above, although some 3rd class degrees may be considered)
• GCSE English and Maths at grade 4 (C) or above (plus Science for primary)
• Right to work and study in the UK, with 3+ years of residency in the UK/EEA

Funding & Training Route Options: We offer both salaried and fee-funded routes in Oxfordshire schools:

• Salaried Route (Employment-Based): You are employed full-time (32.5 hrs/week) on the Unqualified Teacher Pay Scale. The school pays tuition fees for QTS. Option to add PGCE for £500 (trainee-funded).
• Fee-Funded Route: Unpaid training placement, but eligible for Tuition Fee Loan (up to full cost), Maintenance Loan (up to ~£13,000), Tax-free DfE bursaries (for shortage secondary subjects). Training fee costs: £9,535 (QTS + PGCE), £9,035 (QTS only).
• Part-Time Route (over two years): This is a pilot route for 26-27 and available for some subjects/routes. Year 1: £7,145 | Year 2: £4,762. PGCE is not available on this route.
• Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship: Employed by the school. £9,000 fee funded by the employer's levy - assuming eligibility. Leads to QTS (PGCE not included). Local training: Receive weekly training in your area by local expert practitioners — no long commutes! Collaborative Trust: Work alongside a network of professionals across the region within GLF schools. Personalised support: Your wellbeing and workload are prioritised. Career progression: Many trainees secure ECT positions in our GLF Schools. 96% of last year’s trainees secured an ECT position with our support.

Placement School - The Beacon School: All trainees have two placement schools, and GLF Teacher Training ensures your second placement school is carefully matched to ensure reasonable travel and the right fit for your training needs.

Safeguarding Statement: GLF Schools is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Employment is subject to a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). As a Trust, we are happy to discuss flexible working opportunities. GLF Schools recognises and celebrates the diversity of its schools and their communities. There is a shared commitment across the Trust to develop further a culture of respect, where discrimination is not tolerated, and individuals are treated equitably and fairly and feel a sense of belonging. We strive for an inclusive environment where staff, children, and students are comfortable to express their own identity, should they wish, in which diversity and inclusion is of mutual benefit for everyone in our schools. We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented groups including those based on ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation, or religion.

We reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy at any time ahead of the closing date if there is a good level of response. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application as early as possible. We also reserve the right to interview shortlisted candidates ahead of the closing date. Please be advised that references may be requested on receipt of your application. Please state if you wish this to be delayed until shortlisting/interviews have taken place.