Twenty-five aspiring teachers from across the country took a deep dive into the profession as the senior school held its fourth Inspire to Teach insight day.
Inspire to Teach is a taster day providing real-world experience and insight into teaching as a career, and into the Colfe’s post-graduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) scheme. Delegates sat in on lessons across the spectrum of subjects, met students, and joined a carousel of presentations and sessions with pastoral and co-curricular leaders.
The event rounded off with a Q&A session with a panel of past and current Colfe’s trainee graduates, hearing about the benefits of the PGTA programme and the pathways that each took to become a Colfe’s teacher, whether directly post-graduation or as a change of career. The Q&A was also an opportunity for a frank and candid discussion about the joys, rewards – and realities – of teaching as a career.
Undergraduates and post-graduates came from a range of UK universities from Bristol and Cambridge to UCL and Warwick, and from as far afield as the University of Freiburg in Germany.
Induction Lead for Teacher Development Elizabeth Biggs, said, “Teaching is a career like no other, every day is different, and being part of a school community is a uniquely rewarding experience. Teacher training at Colfe’s is really special. We offer in-house teacher training for talented graduates in many subject areas, meaning you can become a qualified teacher through our graduate training programme, with mentoring and full formal training leading to a QTS and PGCE – all while receiving a salary.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer a taste of what it’s all about through our Inspire to Teach event. There was a real buzz among delegates at the close of day, many of whom said they were 100% inspired and couldn’t wait to start a job!”
Feedback from delegates has included:
“It was absolutely brilliant to have the chance to speak to so many staff members at different levels and in different areas, students and teachers, and have the opportunity to experience three different lessons during the day, alongside all of the information provided during the presentations/talks.”
“It provided a great insight into life as a teacher, and I found Colfe’s to be such a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
The next Inspire to Teach day is held on 6 March 2026.
