Funding and Financial support

At Leigh Academies Trust, we believe in making your journey into teaching as financially accessible as possible. If you’re pursuing a non-salaried training route, you’re eligible for a student loan alongside potential access to subject-specific bursaries—yes, you can have both! Explore further details on the ‘Get Into Teaching’ government website here.

Understanding the financial challenges, especially for subjects without bursary support, we’re proud to extend a helping hand with a staggered £3,000 cost-of-living payment for trainees who accept an offer to train within our academies. This offer is available in most non-bursary subjects as well as the primary phase – contact us to discover more.

To qualify, aspiring educators must enrol and commence training through The Leigh Institute organisations, with their primary placement at a LAT academy. Join us as we invest in your teaching future while easing the financial burden along the way

Routes available

At Leigh Academies Trust, we offer a variety of pathways into teaching across our primary, secondary, and special academies. Choose from:

  • Fee Funded (School Direct Unsalaried) with an optional PGCE for a comprehensive academic and practical blend.
  • Employment-based options, such as the Post Graduate Teacher Apprenticeship and School Direct Salaried routes, providing hands-on experience from day one.
  • Primary and Secondary courses covering a wide spectrum of subjects, ensuring you find your perfect fit.
  • Enjoy flexible training options, including a 4-day per week program, tailored to suit your schedule and learning needs.

Locations 

Spread across Kent, Medway, and South East London, Leigh Academies Trust is a leading multi-academy network. We offer training opportunities in all our academies. Reach out to us, schedule a visit, meet our friendly team, and chat with fellow trainees who’ve been through the LAT experience. Let’s make your teaching journey memorable!

Leigh Academies Trust Academies

Get in touch with us 

Ready to take the next step? Reach out to us today and start your journey towards a rewarding career in teaching with Leigh Academies Trust. Whether you have questions, want to schedule a visit, or simply chat about your options, our team is here to support you every step of the way.

To contact us, please email connecthr@latrust.org.uk or 01634 412263.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can find all the information you need on https://www.gov.uk/find-postgraduate-teacher-training-courses. All teacher training courses are published here.

You need to approach them first and check that they have the capacity to train you and on which route (salaried or non-salaried). If they are willing to train you and they are one of our consortium schools, we need to publish their vacancy so you can apply and go through our recruitment process. If they are not part of our consortium schools, they will have to apply to become part of our group of schools. This is an easy process, schools interested to join our consortium of schools only need to get in touch with us.

The School Direct Route provides more hands-on training. You apply directly to the school you want to train in and if you are successful at your interview you will start your training with them from the beginning of the academic year. You have lectures with your training provider once a week. The University PGCE lead route provides a more academic approach to teacher training. You will spend less time in schools and more time at University and you don’t get to choose your placements.

A high percentage of our trainees remain within our consortium of schools. Often, teaching vacancies in our schools are shared with us and promptly contact our trainees to make them aware and encourage them to apply. When needed, we offer advice throughout the application process.

After your training, you are awarded your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). You can start working in a school as a qualified teacher.

There is an Unqualified pay scale that schools have to refer to. The requirement is that you receive a minimum salary equal to the Unqualified scale 1. Ultimately, salaries can be discussed at an interview and  negotiated taking your prior experience into consideration.

Training on the salaried route allows you to gain a salary whilst you train. You are employed by a school as an unqualified teacher and you are trained on the job. This route is advisable for graduate candidates who have at least 3 years of transferable work experience.

As a non-salaried trainee, you are supernumerary which means you don’t have your own classes and you are always with a qualified teacher. Your training will start with an observation period and your teaching load will gradually increase over your training year. As a non-salaried trainee you will have to fund your own training, some subjects give you access to a bursary.

If you are training on a non salaried training route, you are eligible for a student loan. Only some subjects give access to a bursary. You can have access to both of them at the same time. Please click here to go to the ‘Get Into Teaching’ UKGov website for further information.

Unfortunately, you need to have a 2:2 or above to be entitled to a bursary.

Yes, you can apply before they are checked by ENIC. However, we strongly advise you to carry out the relevant checks as soon as you can as they can take a long time to be processed. If you are successful at an interview, presenting a satisfactory statement of comparability will be a condition to your offer. However, this will need to be in place before the start of your course.

You will need to send your transcripts and certificate to ENIC. Please click here to access their website. They will issue you with a statement of comparability.

We accept equivalency tests from a variety of providers as long as they are Level 2 Maths and English and not Level 2 Functional Skills in Literacy and Numeracy. If you are applying for our Primary course, we accept a Level 2 qualification in Core or Applied Science as well as a Level 2 qualification in a single science (Biology, Chemistry or Physics). We encourage you to shop around as prices differ from one provider to another.

Yes, you can gain your equivalency qualification after applying. If you are successful at an interview, passing your equivalency qualification will be a condition to your offer. However, this will need to be in place before the start of your course.