At the end of the summer, Ormiston Teacher Training (OTT) proudly welcomed a new cohort of 108 trainee teachers across its four campuses – Norfolk, Suffolk, Staffordshire and the West Midlands – as part of the annual Flying Start Week. At the same time, OTT campuses celebrated the successful graduation of last year’s cohort, who have now completed their QTS panels and are ready to begin their careers in the classroom.
Flying Start Week is a key milestone in the teacher training calendar – a comprehensive induction programme designed to equip trainees with essential knowledge, build confidence and foster strong peer connections ahead of the school year. Throughout the week, trainees took part in a wide range of skills-building workshops, collaborative planning sessions, and school-based induction visits to begin forming early relationships within their placement schools.
At the Suffolk OTT Campus, the energy and enthusiasm of the new cohort was clear from day one. Trainees began by getting to know one another and writing their first classroom introduction ‘scripts’ using a deliberate practice approach. Later in the week, they explored the ‘backward design’ method of lesson planning – culminating in a fun and practical session where they taught their peers new skills ranging from origami to card games and even ballroom dancing.
As part of their Flying Start experience, Suffolk trainees also visited their placement schools – including Ormiston Endeavour Academy, Hadleigh High, Holbrook Academy, East Bergholt High, Thomas Mills and others – where they met mentors and began building relationships that will support them through the year ahead.
Kaye Patrick, OTT’s Director of Initial Teacher Training, praised the commitment of the campus leads and the wider training team: “Flying Start Week is always an exciting and rewarding time, and none of this would be possible without the incredible dedication of our staff and school partners. It’s a real privilege to work with so many passionate future teachers at the beginning of their journey.”
At the same time as new trainees began their path into teaching, OTT also proudly celebrated the graduation of the 2024–25 cohort, all of whom successfully passed their QTS panels. This moment marks the culmination of a year of hard work, resilience and growth – and a proud moment to see them take the next step into Early Career Teaching (ECT) across our Trust and beyond.
We’d like to thank everyone who made Flying Start Week and Graduation a success – from the OTT team, campus leads, mentors to the placement schools and, of course, our brilliant trainees.
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Apply for teacher training with Ormiston Teacher Training. For more information, contact us at info@ormistonteachertraining.co.uk or visit our website.