At Horizon Community College, we are passionate and committed to training the next generation of teachers. We have a rigorous programme of support in place, underpinned by the Early Career Framework and led by a dedicated team of staff, that ensures that Early Career Teachers are supported and developed into highly effective practitioners.
Early Career Teacher Provision
We offerthrough Schools Direct ITE placements
- English
- Maths
- Science
- History
- Geography
- MFL
- RE
Schools Direct
The Offer
We are excited to be working with Tykes TSA and Sheffield Hallam University in offering Schools Direct ITE placements at Horizon in the following subjects for 2021-22
History
Built around collaboration and support, the History Department at Horizon provides a fantastic environment in which to train. Our aim is to equip our students with powerful historical knowledge whilst challenging them to grapple with history’s contradictions and controversies. To do this, we embed research-based pedagogy with the contemporary thinking of professional historians in our teaching. We provide opportunities for students to visit historical sites in both Britain and Europe and embrace the chance to engage with providers such as the Holocaust Education Trust. We have an excellent track record for supporting and developing Early Career Teachers, so if you have the skills, enthusiasm and resilience needed to develop the next generation of historians, we need you!
Science
Located in a suite of state of the art, fully resourced labs, the Science Department at Horizon offers a fantastic environment in which to begin your teaching journey. In total we have 7 full Science labs, 6 STEM rooms and one electronics room – all of which are maintained and resourced by two experienced lab technicians. Our schemes of learning aim to equip students with the knowledge, skills and mindset that will enable them to succeed to potential in their Science GCSEs and prosper in post-16 opportunities beyond this. We provide many opportunities for students to visit places of significant scientific interest in both Britain and Europe, and our dedicated STEM lead is currently planning a trip to CERN in Geneva for some of our keenest scientists. The Department has a wealth of experience in developing early career teachers, so why not come and join this excellent team!
Maths
The Mathematics Department at Horizon is absolutely committed to our vision of teaching maths for understanding. Our commitment to ongoing professional development is evident in our research driven CPD offer. We also have a strong track record of developing our trainees, with high quality mentoring and a wealth of opportunities for further career development within the Department. We create high quality schemes of learning to support all staff, focussing on full curriculum coverage and, in partnership with our feeder primary schools, ensure a purposeful and challenging transition for students from KS2 to KS3. We also offer a rich variety of enrichment opportunities, such as Further Maths, UKMT and Pop maths, to help foster our students love of numbers. If you share a similar passion for the subject as we do, then please get in touch!
English
At Horizon, an English teacher is someone with a fierce love of their subject, who is talented, motivated and can inspire students to achieve their full potential. We have a splendidly diverse mix of experience and talent within a large team of staff who are enthusiastic about innovation, collaborative in their working practices and committed to raising standards. A particular benefit for staff that are new to the profession is the individually tailored support they will receive within the department from English colleagues with designated mentoring responsibilities. As part of this dynamic and successful team, you should therefore be committed to achieving the highest standards and possess the creativity to maximise the use of our state-of-the-art resources and facilities. We are proud of what we have achieved at Horizon thus far, but we firmly believe that the best is yet to come: we invite you to play your role in that journey!
Geography
Ensuring students understand the world in which they live lies at the heart of the Geography Department at Horizon. The future of our planet has never been more at risk and so our aim is to equip students with geographical knowledge, whilst enabling them to understand the wider consequences of mankind’s actions on the planet and human environments. We also provide students with the opportunity to experience geography in action in the UK, further enhancing their skills and knowledge. We have an excellent track record of developing and supporting our trainees within the department so, if you have the enthusiasm to equip future geographers with the tools they need to shape the future of our planet, come and join our team!
MFL
Dedicated to providing all students with a broad and exciting language curriculum, the Modern Foreign Language Department at Horizon is committed to designing and delivering lessons covering a range of cultural topics and linguistic structures to the highest level. We believe in nurturing a love of both the language studied and the world that surrounds this, enabling our students to benefit from the transferable skills that language learning offers. Our team offers a unique opportunity for passionate aspiring teachers to develop their teaching craft through a breadth of experience and teaching styles. We provide excellent mentoring and CPD to our Early Career Teachers whilst offering opportunities for individuals to lead their own initiatives. So, if you have the same drive and enthusiasm as us, come and join this fantastic team.
RE
The Religious Education (RE) Department at Horizon provides an incredible opportunity to train as part of a large Social Sciences faculty, centred around collaboration and development. Our goal is for all students is to leave Horizon with religious literacy and an ability to empathise and appreciate contrasting worldviews. To ensure we offer all students the best possible educational experience, we have undertaken extensive curriculum reviews and are constantly updating both our subject and pedagogical knowledge. At Horizon, RE is a full cohort GCSE, as we believe that RE is an essential part of a young person’s wider personal development and a key qualification for all.
As a department, we also have excellent mentors and coaches for developing Early Career Teachers. If you are a resilient individual, committed to developing religious literacy and enthusiastic about RE, we need you!
As a trainee teacher at Horizon, you can expect the following provision:
• A timetable compliant with your HEI provider’s requirements
• Support from a dedicated team of experienced teachers
• An experienced subject mentor
• A one-hour weekly meeting with your mentor
• Regular drop-ins and learning walks to support your development
• Weekly CPD opportunities which follow your HEI provider’s requirements and the Early Career Framework Standards.
• The opportunity to observe experienced staff from within and outside your subject area.
• A complimentary meal for all Schools Direct trainees in the first Half Term.
• A range of developmental opportunities such as Teach Meets, shadowing a Learning Support Assistant for a day, peer observations focusing only on what you’re doing well and working with our Careers and Enterprise team.
Are you looking to secure your first teaching post as an NQT?
Whether continuing at Horizon after gaining your Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with us or just starting out, you will find the following support will be on offer as an NQT:
• 10% reduction in timetable (20 lessons per week).
• Support from a dedicated team of experienced teachers.
• An experienced subject mentor.
• A one-hour weekly meeting with your mentor.
• Regular drop-ins, learning walks to support your development.
• A 30-minute observation per half term with a class of your choosing.
• Weekly CPD opportunities which are underpinned by the Early Career Framework and current educational thinking.
• The opportunity to observe experienced staff from within and outside your subject area.
• A special “Intro CPD” event in the first fortnight designed to get you up to speed on Horizon specific teaching and learning strategies.
• A complimentary meal for all NQTs in the first Half Term.
• A range of developmental opportunities such as Teach Meets, Department Bingo and peer observations focusing only on what you’re doing well.
• Support with an NQT project in the 2nd and 3rd term which allows you self-direct your CPD and focus on a specific area of your classroom practice.
Are you looking to move schools for your RQT year?
At Horizon we are committed to maintaining your support and development as you enter the final year as an Early Career Teacher. You can expect the following provision moving forward:
• Support from a dedicated team of experienced teachers.
• An experienced subject coach.
• A meeting every 4 weeks with your coach where you will set short term targets, that can be worked upon and actioned before the next meeting.
• Regular drop-ins and learning walks to support your development.
• Regular CPD opportunities which are underpinned by the Early Career Framework and current educational thinking.
• A range of developmental opportunities such as Teach Meets, peer observations focusing only on what you’re doing well and supporting ITTs and NQTs as “buddies.”
• Support with an RQT project in the 2nd and 3rd term which allows you to develop your role as a leader and self-direct your CPD to focus on a specific area of development across your Department.
Teacher Testimonials
One of the reasons I chose the Schools Direct route at Horizon was because of the support and development offered by the ITT team. This is something that has continued throughout my NQT and RQT years. Regular CPD has meant that I have improved my practice month on month, completing, for example, my NQT project on how I can make sure that high ability musicians are really challenged in lessons. This has fed into, and so improved, my planning of Schemes of Work, something which is now part of my responsibility as Teacher in Charge of Music. For my RQT project, I intend to focus on an aspect of teaching & learning that will continue to improve the department as a whole and the progress of the students I teach.
A. Lingard – Music (RQT)
Choosing to train through the Schools Direct route at Horizon gave me the opportunity to start my teaching career within a forward thinking and supportive environment. Being a trainee within an experienced department, where high quality feedback was always made available, enabled me to develop my confidence and teaching practice at a truly rapid pace. In addition to this, the purposeful CPD sessions enabled the other trainees and I to reflect on our pedagogy, so that our teaching practice could be improve with every lesson that we delivered. It is this support that will ensure I continue to develop my practice throughout my NQT year and beyond.
L. Thompson – Geography (NQT)
Unlike other trainees, I did not follow a traditional route to gaining QTS; instead I had been teaching for a number of years as an Unqualified Teacher in the History department. It was the ITE/NQT/RQT Team that found an Assessment Only Route (through the Yorkshire Three Counties Alliance) to QTS that meant I could gain QTS whilst continuing to teach my own classes. This was the perfect training route for me, as it allowed me to follow a more intense and personalised course, focusing on the areas which I needed to develop most as a practitioner. After gaining QTS, because of my previous teaching experience, it was then decided that my NQT induction year was to be reduced to just two terms. These are just two examples of how throughout my training, NQT and RQT years I have been excellently supported by my Mentor, Department, the ITE/NQT/RQT Team and College Leadership Team.
L. Woodhouse – History (RQT)
I completed the English PDGE training route at the University of Sheffield. My first placement was here at Horizon Community College and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The school was extremely helpful, widening my knowledge in terms of teaching and my developing my confidence in the classroom. The students and Quality first teaching ARE the priority at Horizon, as shown through the array of valuable training and CPD they offer for all staff. I felt that my teaching capabilities were able to evolve, improve and excel as I could ask for help and access appropriate support with any area of my practice I needed. My mentor was both welcoming and supportive and clearly excited by the opportunity to work with a trainee. This allowed me to feel valued within the department, appreciated as a trainee and that I was able to bring new ideas into the profession. Feedback was always constructive and positive, which meant I felt in a position to action suggestions as opposed to simply feeling anxious about what would be discussed.
The same level of support continued throughout my NQT year. The ITT/NQT/RQT Team were fantastic in enabling me to build my role as a practitioner while feeling supported at all times. I found my NQT project really valuable, as I was encouraged to focus on areas relevant to my own developmental needs. I chose pupil engagement and valuable revision, which resulted in the creation of Escape Room themed lessons. Not only was my learning shared across the department but my mentor then asked me to share it across the wider school as well. My hope is to continue this learning throughout my RQT year – this time with a specific focus on engagement and support for SEND and those struggling to make progress in the classroom.
C. Bevan – English (RQT)
My route into teaching was through the University of Sheffield’s PGDE course, my first placement being at Horizon. During my ITT placement I was able to develop effectively as a teacher through the support I gathered from my mentor and the rest of the department. My mentor was a major factor in the rapid progress I made as a trainee, with weekly meetings in place to provide constructive feedback on multiple lessons seen and set targets for the following week.
Last year I completed my NQT year at Horizon, which allowed me to experience scenarios outside the classroom. I am heavily involved with the Year 10 football team, I mentor targeted students within Year 8 and I have been given the opportunity to pick up extra responsibilities within Maths. I not only feel I have integrated well into my department but that I am a valuable and valued member of the Maths team at College. Through my RQT project I will be looking to focus on how we can further increase the percentage of home learning completed within Maths, not only getting students to do more but also to produce better-quality outcomes.
I intend to stay at Horizon and aim to develop a role within the Maths Leadership Team. I am getting plenty of support from those who currently have responsibilities, helping me to refine my teaching strategies and get the most out of the students I teach. I feel I have had an incredibly positive start to my teaching career, which has been reflected in the recent TLR I have successfully gained within the department. None of this would have been possible without the support of the Maths team, but also that of ITT/NQT/RQT Team.
J. Furlong – Maths (RQT)
Teach First
We are proud to be a host school for the Teach First Training Programme, supporting and developing colleagues through the first two years of their teaching careers, and beyond.
Every year in the summer term we also support new Teach First trainees during their initial School Centred Learning which forms part of their Summer Institute, which builds up to their LDP training position commencing in September.
Contact Form
Partners & Links
HEI Providers
If you would like any information about our Schools Direct vacancies or NQT/RQT programmes please fill in the enquiry form below.
We work closely with the following Higher Education Institution Providers in offering placements to trainees following the different routes training routes offered:
