News & Headteacher Blogs

We are delighted to share that STL SCITT (The School of Teaching and Learning) has been named SCITT of the Year 2026 at the NASBTT Awards, and we are very proud to be part of it. NASBTT is the national charity for school-based teacher training, and this award recognises providers that offer high-quality training, strong partnerships with schools and real support for their trainees.

A SCITT is a school-centred teacher training provider. Rather than spending most of the year at university, trainee teachers learn in real classrooms from the start, working alongside experienced teachers who mentor them, plan with them and help them grow in confidence week by week. The SCITT provides the central training, and local partner schools host the trainees.

The Downs School is one of the bases for the SCITT's East and West Berkshire Hub, together with King's Academy Binfield, and a lead school for teacher training in a partnership with four other secondary schools and a range of primary schools. This year there are more than 30 trainee teachers across the partnership. Trainees spend their placements in local schools, including The Downs School, and many of our own staff act as mentors. Those school partnerships and that day-to-day mentoring are a big part of what the judges were looking for.

Speaking at our recent Open Evening, our Headteacher, Chris Prosser, explained why this matters so much: "We are a school that is not only attractive to parents and students but also to staff. In a climate when recruitment is difficult, being a lead school for teacher training means we can really be sure of choosing the best talent, and that they enter the profession with the skills we at The Downs School think are so important. We grow our own." Last year, The Downs School appointed six of the eight trainees who trained with us, and we are proud that, as part of Summit Education Trust, we continue to attract such excellent teachers.

This award belongs to the whole SCITT team, from the central staff who design and lead the training to the hub team, the mentors in every partner school and, of course, the trainees themselves. Congratulations to everyone involved, and a particular thank you to our own Mrs McDowell and Mrs Alexander, part of the hub team here at The Downs School, and to all our colleagues who give so much time to supporting the next generation of teachers.

If you have ever wondered whether teaching might be for you, there are routes to suit different circumstances, including full and part-time options, with or without a PGCE. You can find out more on our Train to Teach page, come along to one of our Get into Teaching information evenings, or arrange a school experience day to see what a day in the classroom is really like.

Find out more: www.thedownsschool.org/361/train-to-teach