Ofsted Inspectors have awarded United Teaching National SCITT - United Learning’s initial teacher training programme – the highest grade in every category following a full and robust inspection. The Ofsted inspection recognises the provision as Exceptional across all areas, highlighting strengths in curriculum design, mentoring, inclusion and leadership.

United Teaching offers a one-year, in-school programme that began in 2013 and currently has 400 trainees due to graduate this summer. Trainees work in over 100 schools across the country with the programme offering a range of routes into teaching, including Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship pathways, delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University.

Click here to view the Ofsted Report

Across the report, inspectors particularly highlight the programme’s ambition for its trainees and the pastoral care and support that each receives in this vital year of preparation for their career ahead.

Inspectors praise the ‘highly positive culture of meticulous reflection and learning’ alongside ‘a sophisticated network or care and support’ as key attributes in the programme’s success in ensuring that the completion rate for trainees is very high and conclude that ‘by the end of the programme, trainees are not just prepared for their next stage in employment, they are equipped with a deep and perceptive understanding of how to excel as lifelong career teachers’.

Reflecting on the report, Vicki Cleaves, SCITT lead for United Teaching said: 
“This report reflects the outstanding work of our United Teaching team, who provide trainees with the support, challenge and development which enables them to make exceptional progress in their training year.  It also recognises our amazing community of school-based mentors for all their commitment and hard work”  

Yassamin Sheel, SCITT lead for United Teaching added:  
“We are extremely pleased that inspectors recognised not only the strong sense of community among our trainees, but also the care and commitment shown by everyone involved in their journey.”

“In-school teacher training is a powerful way to begin a career in education, and we hope this report encourages more aspiring teachers to join our exceptional programme and start their journey into teaching.”  

Sir Jon Coles, Chief Executive of United Learning said: 
“When we established United Teaching with just a handful for trainees, we set out to provide exceptional training for talented people committed to making their career in schools.  We wanted to grow a workforce for United Learning which would transform standards in challenging schools which had failed in the recent past.  And we aimed to make a broader contribution by training teachers who would go on to build their careers in schools beyond our Group – just as large employers do in other sectors.

“The success of children in our schools owes much to the excellent teachers and leaders who began their careers with United Teaching – and therefore to the extraordinary team of teacher educators who lead United Teaching.  It is great to see schools beyond United Learning benefiting too; and pleasing that Ofsted have recognised the genuine excellence of the training and support United Teaching provides.”

Applications for the next cohort starting in September 2026 are still open. Apply now.

Click here to find out more about United Teaching