Following government guidelines, we are required to verify your qualifications and to assess your
eligibility for any bursaries/scholarships to train to teach. We must see the originals of the documents
below:

• UK GCSE certificate in Mathematics at grade C/4 or above or certificates that show you have reached the equivalent. This could include equivalency tests for Mathematics. Any non-UK qualifications for Mathematics must be accompanied by a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC and the original certificates and transcripts.
• UK GCSE certificates in English at grade C/4 or above or certificates that show you have reached the equivalent. Any non-UK qualifications for English must be accompanied by a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC and the original certificates and transcripts. Non- native speakers of English will have to provide evidence of their level of English – we require proof of C1 (CEFR)/ International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 7.0 average, which must not be older than 2 years. We do not accept equivalency tests for English.
• If you are training to teach Mathematics or Physics we require UK A-level certificates in Mathematics or Physics at grade B or above or certificates that show you have reached the equivalent, Any non-UK qualifications must be accompanied by a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC and the original certificates and transcripts.
• Undergraduate and postgraduate (where applicable) degree certificates or the equivalent standard qualification. Any non-UK qualifications must be accompanied by a Statement of Comparability from UK ENIC and corresponding transcripts with grades. The statement of comparability must confirm that you hold the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree with honours.

SKE courses are designed to help you develop your subject knowledge and may be a condition of your
offer. All SKEs must be completed prior to the start of the course at the end of August.

Languages trainees may be able to apply for SKE courses in two languages. Please be aware that dual
SKEs must be completed consecutively.

For your information, applicants can only enrol on an SKE course after they have accepted their offer. If
you would like to follow an alternative course of your choice, please contact us prior to enrolling to
ensure the course meets the conditions of our offer.

Please be aware that your chosen SKE Provider will contact us to confirm your eligibility for the SKE
programme, and we are required to share some of your personal data, such as verifying that we have
checked your identity, residency status and qualifications, including grades.

We have a legal and statutory duty to ensure that all our trainees are suitable to teach. An Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for you to work or train to teach in any school in England. As such, we will ask you to pay an admin fee (see below) and to complete a Suitability Declaration Form three months prior to the start of your training. Any declarations made by you will be reviewed by a Suitability Panel.

This is the first step and once we have received your completed form, we will contact you again with the link to the DBS Service to complete the online DBS questions. At this point, if you have not already produced original documentation, you will be required to attend your Hub to have your original documentation photocopied and verified.

As mentioned in your interview, you will be required to produce a criminal record check from overseas if you have been outside the UK for more than three months (cumulative) in the last 10 years. This applies to any country you have worked, studied or lived in during this time. Please start this process asap to ensure you have the necessary documentation before the start of your training.

We are obliged to verify your identity and check your immigration status. This confirms what rights you have in the UK, including your right to study and your access to public funds. If you do not hold a UK passport, please provide us with a share code. We will also need to verify the originals of the following documentation:

• Valid UK or International Passport
• Second photo ID
• Birth Certificate
• Marriage, divorce and/or Deed Poll certificates (if you changed your name since birth)

We are committed to supporting recruits and trainees who are neurodivergent, have long-term physical or mental health conditions, or have any other accessibility needs. You may have already highlighted this in your application or during your interview process but if you have not yet done that, please do reach out to access support with meeting the conditions of your offer, the pre-course programme and the enrolment process.

In April, when you sign your training contract and complete the suitability declaration form as part of the DBS process, we will ask you again to highlight any support you may need during the pre-course programme and throughout the training year. We will ask you to read our Occupational Health and Reasonable Adjustments Policy which you can already access now via the policy section on our website.

In addition, as part of statutory health checks, we ask you to highlight any disability, including dyslexia, mobility difficulties, mental health or any other medical condition, in the health questionnaire from our occupational health service so that they can assess your needs and make recommendations to us regarding strategies to support you and any reasonable adjustments you may need. This is another opportunity for you to highlight any barriers to learning and wellbeing. 

Lastly, after the final session in our pre-course programme, we ask you to complete a self-evaluation and will put together a personal development plan which will outline effective strategies and reasonable adjustments to support you.  This plan is reviewed every half term.

We, and our partners are committed to providing equal opportunities for all. If you wish to discuss how we can support you, please contact us on 0114 2357980 or email SCITTadmin@chorustrust.org

Your hub lead teacher may have added some recommendations to your offer. This may be around completing some observations in schools or developing your subject knowledge. Please do plan ahead to ensure that you take action in good time to ensure you are fully prepared for the start of your training.

Please ask your local hub for help with arranging visits into schools or register through the school experience programme. Your hub lead teacher and our central team are also happy to recommend resources to help you develop your subject knowledge and insight into the curriculum and exam
requirements. Just ask!

You will be required to pay a non-refundable registration fee of approximately £86.00, if you accept a place on our course. This covers the cost of obtaining DBS clearance and access to Corazon Health, our occupational health service.

If you have already paid for a previous UK Enhanced DBS disclosure and signed up to the Update Service, you will pay a reduced cost. Please let us know us via email if you have subscribed to the DBS Update Service at the time of your acceptance. We will need to see your original Enhanced DBS Certificate to verify the details on the Update Service. This will need to be undertaken prior to the ‘registration fee’ invoice being sent to you.

It is our responsibility to assess your eligibility for a government bursary and apply for the bursary on your behalf, which is why it is important that you supply all the necessary documentation to us promptly.

Provided you meet the eligibility criteria and all the conditions of our offer, you will be entitled to a training bursary, which is paid to you by us in ten monthly instalments starting at the end of September. If you leave the course, the payments will cease.

The Government has requested that prior to receipt of a bursary, all trainees must sign a declaration of understanding that they will be expected to seek a teaching post in England on completion of their teacher training programme. We will ask you to sign a bursary or scholarship agreement during the first week of the course. Please visit the Department for Education website for further details regarding the bursary.
 

Scholarship
For scholarships, you need to apply directly to the British Council. If you are successful, you will receive the scholarship instead of a training bursary. You may be eligible for either a bursary or a scholarship, depending on the language you are training to teach and whether you meet the relevant eligibility criteria. You cannot receive both.

For the academic year 2026-27, the Government announced the following funding :
(2027-2028 funding to be announced soon)

Bursaries and scholarships 2026-27 for languages

It is your responsibility to organise your tuition fee for the academic year 2027/28, which is £10,050 for
the one-year full-time course. If you require financial assistance with the tuition fee, please visit: Student finance - GOV.UK

You can either apply for the full amount or choose to pay part of the tuition fee yourself and part through a loan.

We recommend starting this process as soon as Student Finance England opens for applications (usually in the spring before your course starts in August) to avoid any delays.

When applying, make sure you select the correct training provider. Choosing the wrong provider could delay your application. The provider you need to select is National Specialist SCITTs.

If you are applying for funding through Student Finance England, your funding must be confirmed before 16 August 2027. If there are delays in approving your student loan, this could affect the start of your course or mean that you need to pay the first instalment yourself until your funding is approved.

If you intend to self-fund your tuition fees, you will need to provide proof that you have sufficient funds to cover the full course fee of £10,050.

You can choose to pay your fees in either of the following ways:

One full payment: Pay the full £10,050 upfront by 1 September 2027
Three instalments: Pay in three instalments, as follows:

• 1 September 2027: 50% (£5,025)
• 7 January 2028: 25% (£2,512.50)
• 7 April 2028: 25% (£2,512.50)

Invoices will be issued ahead of each payment date, and payment must be made by the dates listed above.

You can also choose to use your government bursary or scholarship towards your tuition fees. If you choose this option, you will need to pay a £1,300 deposit by 1 September 2027. Your monthly bursary or scholarship payments will then be adjusted to take account of this.

Please visit the Get into Teaching website to check out additional funding and support if you have a
health condition, learning difficulty, or neurodiversity.