SEND Teacher Apprenticeship
A salaried route to Qualified Teacher Status, designed through a genuinely specialist SEND lens.
Postgraduate teacher apprenticeship • Salaried route to QTS • Fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy
About the programme
The SEND Postgraduate Teacher Apprenticeship is one of the only national routes into teaching designed and delivered by SEND experts, in partnership with schools and trusts nationwide. It allows school staff with a degree to train to teach in their own setting, earning a salary throughout, with no course fees.
The programme is shaped by the latest national SEND reforms, moving away from simply diagnosing and categorising children and towards understanding the key areas of development that affect learning, behaviour and wellbeing. Trainees learn to identify barriers to learning and participation early, and to respond through inclusive classroom practice and graduated support.
Training combines hands on classroom experience with personalised mentoring, evidence informed study and dedicated SEND surgeries and spotlight sessions. By the end of the programme, trainees are ready to teach up to 80% of a full timetable and demonstrate the skills required for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).
Who it’s for
- Teaching assistants, Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) and other support staff working at a school who want to become qualified teachers without leaving their setting
- Special schools, alternative provision and mainstream schools growing their own SEND specialist teachers
- Trusts addressing recruitment challenges by developing the skilled staff they already have
What you’ll gain
- Qualified Teacher Status through a salaried, fee free apprenticeship route
- Specialist SEND training woven through the entire programme, not bolted on
- Hands on classroom experience with personalised mentoring throughout
- Fully funded through the Apprenticeship Levy, with trainees earning while they train
Find out more and apply
This programme is delivered by Best Practice Network, part of the Supporting Education Group. View the full course details, entry requirements and upcoming cohort dates, or speak to us about building it into your wider SEND strategy.