SCITT FIVE-YEAR CELEBRATION On 10 March 2023, Dulwich College celebrated five years of SCITT (School- Centred Initial Teacher Training) at a reception in the James Caird Hall, hosting alumni and current trainees from the National Modern Languages and National Maths and Physics SCITTs, writes Elsa Tatevossian, SCITT Administrator
T he national shortage of teachers in some subjects is a worrying trend, with low retention rates (on average 30% of Maths and Physics teachers leave the profession after three years), and an ever-widen- ing gap between demand and supply. Our SCITT pro- grammes aim to address this shortage, offering a positive and sustainable route into teaching for graduates and career changers, with expert subject-specific training and experienced mentors. You might say it is not a path for the faint-hearted – trainees are in the classroom from day one, teaching side-by-side with experienced teach- ers at one of our many partner schools. However, this immersive approach allows trainees to capitalise on the life skills they already possess, growing their confidence in the classroom, whilst they increase their teaching load gradually. Over the past five years, we have seen a steady stream of dedicated and inspirational trainees. As the South London Hub lead school, we have trained over 100 Maths, Physics and Modern Foreign Language teachers, and encouragingly, we are seeing an almost 100% reten- tion rate within our alumni. To celebrate our quinquennial, we welcomed back 60 trainees past and present, representatives from our SCITT partners, plus mentor teachers from several of our partner schools to celebrate alumni’s achievements and look forward to the current cohort’s next steps. There was a real buzz in the room, which reverberated with excited chatter about job interviews for our current trainees, and affectionate reminiscing between reunited alumni. It was affirming to see current and former trainees mingle, sharing their experiences, and to feel a palpable sense of community and support which is so vital for early career teachers.
Dr Spence and Dr Pyke welcomed our guests warmly, thanking our partner providers for their invaluable work, and announcing the exciting news that we are developing a pilot scheme in 2023–24 with the University of Roe- hampton to add Computing to our SCITT provision, in line with our aim to target subjects that have a national shortage of teachers.
Katrin Sredzki-Seamer, Director of National Modern Lan- guages SCITT, said: ‘We are so proud of our alumni and current trainees, and it was lovely to catch up with them. It is great to see that so many of our alumni have flour- ished, and to hear about their incredible achievements since finishing their training. Knowing they are continuing the amazing work in inspiring the future generation in learning languages is truly fantastic.’
Cathy Hillier, Director of National Maths and Physics SCITT, said: ‘I was delighted to take part in Dulwich SCITT’s five-year celebration. It was such a positive ex- perience to see the Dulwich Hub thriving and meet SCITT staff and trainees past and present. We really appreciate Dulwich College’s involvement and support.’ ◎
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