Teacher Training With Essex School Direct

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The application window for a Sept 2023 start is open - is your application ready to go?!

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Sign up to our next virtual event!

Hear from our current trainees and teacher training experts - sign up now for our next event on 27th April!

Visit our Events page to find out how

Testimonials from trainees

Hear more about what it's like to train as a teacher with Essex School Direct

Check out our video of trainee testimonials

Welcome to Essex School Direct

A Proud History of Successful Teacher Training

With Essex School Direct you will be in safe hands. We are a highly experienced provider with a long tradition of successful teacher training.

24 Partner Schools

Based at our Lead School, Davenant Foundation School in Loughton (Essex), we work in partnership with 24 other schools in West Essex, Harlow, Herts, Chelmsford and Havering to provide both primary and secondary initial teacher training.

Rated 'Good' in our latest Ofsted inspection - July 2022

"Across the partnership, collaborative working is strong."

"Trainees, school-based mentors and school leaders ‘hold the programme in high regard’."

Read more about our partnership

Achieve Your Full Potential

Our successful programme is reflected in the positive feedback from our learners. Read our testimonials to see what people have said about training with us!

Group pic graduation - for home page

TES Institute Partnership

We provide a very special, school based training experience in partnership with Tes Institute, who have a reputation for innovative on-line learning materials, especially in shortage subjects, with its Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses. 

Top class outcomes

Our completion rate is an average of 97% - well above the normal outcome for Initial Teacher Training programmes.

Our 2021-22 cohort saw 89% of trainees finding teaching jobs before the end of the course; even more impressive, 74% of these were in partnership schools, which shows the strength of our network.

Get Into Teaching

Every day you’ll get the chance to inspire young people and use your skills to give something back – making sure every pupil gets the same access to a quality education and the opportunity to succeed.

Click here to be inspired

Tomorrow! Our virtual event on how to #getintoteaching with us & @Tes_Institute - 21 Feb, 7.30pm. Hear from current & past trainees & our teacher training experts! Sign up: ow.ly/YSX350MEvm5 #traintoteach #essex #harlow #havering #chelmsford #careerchange @Tesforteachers pic.twitter.com/M6CYxggxVh

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Don't Just Take Our Word For it

Student Testimonials

Group cropped

Thank you all at Essex School Direct for the great support and wonderful advice and training that was provided during my training.

Despite the hurdles of the lockdown, I feel I gained a valuable training experience and that has definitely contributed towards my securing a job and having the confidence to be the ‘Teacher’ without the other person in the room.

Shabana

Shabana - English trainee 2020-21

Training has given me real confidence and skills to begin my NQT year - I feel like I have the preparation and experience to build on and become an ever more effective classroom teacher. 

Dan

Geography trainee 2018-19

Training through Davenant School was great - the ITT team were very supportive and the school is a dynamic place to get into teaching. I felt well looked after straight away.

Ben

Modern Foreign Languages trainee, 2018-19

Training was a great experience - I felt supported by everyone, especially the Lead School Davenant, who were always very helpful with any questions or concerns we all had during the year.

Sobia

2018-19

Training has given me real confidence and skills to begin my NQT year - I feel like I have the preparation and experience to build on and become an ever more effective classroom teacher

Dan

2018-19

The increase in responsibility was gradual and not too overwhelming.

Alex

Science trainee 2018-19

I was concerned that at the age of 40, it would be impossible to change my career. Yet now with the support of the TES institute, I have the best job in the world. Working with children and inspiring them to fulfil their own dreams. Anything is possible and life really does start at 40

Angela

2016-17