While lockdown has been a quiet time for many, it has turned out to be an incredibly busy time for GITEP. It appears to have given many people the time they needed to decide on their future careers and happily, many decided that they’d like to train to teach with GITEP.

Having had more applications, offers and acceptances in June 2020 than in any month previously, we have now stopped taking new applications for a start this September, with our largest ever group of trainees. The 82 trainees are also our best academically qualified cohort to date.

Exactly 50% of the 2020/21 trainees were recruited via Zoom interviews with Tim Connole, Director of GITEP SCITT, who said: “We’ve been carrying out Zoom induction sessions over the last couple of weeks in groups of 10, so that, as far as possible our team can ‘meet’ the trainees and they can ‘meet’ each other. We’ve also had online training sessions for managers and mentors to ensure we’re ready for the new school year.

“While our 2019/2020 cohort were forced to complete their training online, we’ve been working out how to safely get our new trainees into schools, as we firmly believe that’s the best place to learn to teach.”

Recruitment for 2021/22 started in October.