The graduate Teacher Programme - just the job?

The article begins by examining the context in which the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) developed, particularly the trend towards locating more Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in schools, and the promotion of employment-based routes as an alternative to full-time courses such as the Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). The response of schools to the GTP and other employment-based routes has, to date, hardly been researched at all. This research project, although smallscale, presents some clear and important perspectives from schools. The findings suggest that most schools are not interested in taking full responsibility for training their own teachers. The GTP is supported as a suitable option where a flexible, individually-tailored scheme is needed, e.g. for someone who already has substantial teaching experience, but it is not seen as an appropriate model for training large numbers of beginning teachers.