Nottingham City Primary SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training) was born out of a common desire of a group of inner city head teachers to recruit and retain quality teachers in order to enhance educational provision for our children. Training aspiring teachers in our own schools would ensure a real understanding of and commitment to inner city education. The enthusiasm of this group of head teachers has continued to drive the SCITT.

This is a unique school-centred course offering primary teacher training to graduates. It is an intensive one-year course organised and managed by a consortium of Nottingham City schools that provide in-school training and support as well as delivering classroom-based lectures.

Our schools are inner city schools and the intention is to train people who have a particular interest in teaching inner city children. Components of the training focus on behaviour management, multicultural issues and making high expectations for our pupils explicit.

The course is a mixture of school experience, lectures and block teaching practice. Course lecturers come straight from the classroom - and know what they are talking about! They deliver material which they know to be relevant and successful; they disseminate strategies and practice which they know to be effective and they respond to evaluation by trainees.