The Downland Alliance

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I will learn."

Benjamin Franklin

Teaching makes a difference, with visible results. Becoming a teacher lets you impart life lessons that your students will never forget and puts you in a position to influence their decisions, behaviours, strengths, weaknesses and imaginations.

Are you interested in a career as a teacher? Why not train with us?

• Good teachers are in demand and there are excellent employment prospects.
• Inspire young people to fulfil their potential.
• Train in an innovative and supportive environment.
• Train to teach and change a young person’s life for the better.
• Go home each day knowing you have made a difference.

At The Downs School we play a lead role in the Downland  School Direct Alliance partnership which comprises a number of primary and secondary schools from across West Berkshire, all working together to develop the teachers of the future through the School Direct route into teaching. 

The Alliance teacher training provision is for both primary and secondary school trainee teachers and all our programmes are  accredited by Oxford Brookes University. These are post graduate programmes leading to QTS only or QTS and PGCE. You can find full details of all our programmes and vacancies on the Gov.UK Find a Post Graduate Teacher Training course.  

As a trainee, you are placed within one main host school for the majority of your training and supported by a dedicated mentor. These schools are all within the Newbury area including here at The Downs School. You undertake a second placement within a contrasting environment, and there are opportunities for elective weeks to be spent within other educational settings of your choice. You can also attend designated training days run by members of the senior leadership teams of the schools, other teaching and learning specialists, or staff from Oxford Brookes University.

If you want to know more, please take a look at the Downland Alliance – you can contact us through the contact page. 

We also host regular Train to Teach Career Information Evenings designed to give you information and advice on our training programmes, and you can register to attend one of these through the website.

Get some real life experience

We can help you to gain some valuable school experience to help you make the right choices about your training and career.  You can apply to attend through the Gov.UK School Experience portal. 

How do I apply for a place?

Apply for one of our teacher training programmes with The Downland Alliance through the GOV.UK Apply portal – search “The Downland Alliance” RG20 6AD.Our provider code is 236.