🌟 Trainee Teacher Opportunity – Lightwater Village School, part of GLF Schools Trust.

Lightwater Village School is looking for a trainee to train in the 5-11 age range on the fee-funded route. Could this be you?

Are you a passionate graduate based in or near Surrey and ready to begin your teaching career at Lightwater Village School?

🌱About Lightwater Village School

Lightwater Infant School has been a feature of the local community since the 1930s, and the Junior School has been part of the Lightwater community since the 1970s. Today, with the addition of our Nursery, we are delighted to be able to offer a through provision from 2-11 years.

Lightwater Village School is a ‘village’ school in every respect. Staff are supportive, kind, and welcoming. You will find that Lightwater Village School is a place where children are seen, understood, and cared for throughout their school journey. This is a school where you will get to know all the staff and feel part of the community from your first step inside the building.

Lightwater, rated Good in the recent Ofsted inspection, comments that the "School is a happy place for pupils. They are known, nurtured, and cared for. Relationships across the school are warm. Kindness is valued and evident throughout." Ofsted 2022

🌱About GLF Schools

Lightwater Village School is part of GLF Schools, a Multi-Academy Trust comprising 43 schools, with a strong presence in the South East region, including both primary and secondary schools. Through our partnership with Inspiring Future Teachers (IFT), we offer a variety of locally delivered teacher training routes — from employment-based options to fee-funded pathways.

We are committed to training, developing, and employing our trainee teachers as Early Career Teachers (ECTs) across all our GLF schools. We have a specific teacher training base in Banstead in Surrey, Didcot, Oxfordshire, and in Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre in Reading, offering candidates a choice of where to do their Friday core training.

🏫 About the Trainee Teacher Programme.

We are excited to offer aspiring teachers a fantastic opportunity to train at Lightwater, supported by our expert GLF Teacher Training Hub. You’ll benefit from:

• High-quality, school-based training and placement at Lightwater
• Locally delivered training sessions
• Mentorship from experienced teachers committed to your development

You’ll also gain practical, hands-on experience across your chosen age range.

🎓 Qualifications Required

To be eligible to apply, you’ll need:

• A UK bachelor's degree (2:2 or above, although some 3rd class degrees may be considered)
• GCSE English and Maths at grade 4 (C) or above (plus Science for primary)
• Right to work and study in the UK, with 3+ years of residency in the UK/EEA

🔹 Fee-Funded Route

- Unpaid training placement, but eligible for:

• Tuition Fee Loan (up to the full cost of the training)
• Maintenance Loan (up to ~£13,000- means tested)

- Training fee costs:

• £9,535 (QTS + PGCE)
• £9,035 (QTS only)

🔹 Part-Time Route (over two years) This is a pilot route for 26-27 and available for some subjects/routes

• Year 1: £7,145 | Year 2: £4,762
• PGCE is not available on this route

🌱 Why Train with GLF Teacher Training?

• Local training: Receive weekly training in your area by local expert practitioners — no long commutes!
• Collaborative Trust: Work alongside a network of professionals across the region within GLF schools
• Personalised support: Your wellbeing and workload are prioritised
• Career progression: Many trainees secure ECT positions in our GLF Schools. 96% of last year's trainees secured an ECT position with our support.

📍Placement School- Lightwater Village School

All trainees have two placement schools, and GLF Teacher Training ensures your second placement school is carefully matched to ensure reasonable travel and the right fit for your training needs.

GLF Schools is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Employment is subject to a satisfactory enhanced disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

As a Trust, we are happy to discuss flexible working opportunities. GLF Schools recognises and celebrates the diversity of its schools and their communities. There is a shared commitment across the Trust to develop further a culture of respect, where discrimination is not tolerated, and individuals are treated equitably and fairly and feel a sense of belonging. We strive for an inclusive environment where staff, children and students are comfortable to express their own identity, should they wish, in which diversity and inclusion is of mutual benefit for everyone in our schools. We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented groups including those based on ethnicity, gender, transgender, age, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

We reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy at any time ahead of the closing date if there is a good level of response. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application as early as possible.

We also reserve the right to interview shortlisted candidates ahead of the closing date.

Please be advised that references may be requested on receipt of your application. Please state if you wish this to be delayed until shortlisting/interviews have taken place.