Our Curriculum

Curriculum strands

The Vantage ITE curriculum is structured around five core strands that together develop trainees into confident, reflective and effective teachers. 

Professional Behaviours establishes the high standards of conduct, collaboration and inclusive mindset expected of teachers, ensuring trainees understand their professional responsibilities and contribute positively to school communities.   Behaviour Management equips trainees with the knowledge and strategies to create calm, purposeful classrooms built on clear routines, strong relationships and high expectations.   Pedagogy focuses on planning and delivering lessons that are intentional, evidence-informed and responsive, enabling pupils to engage deeply with learning and make sustained progress. 

Assessment develops trainees’ ability to check understanding, provide meaningful feedback and use evidence to adapt teaching and support progress for all pupils.    Subject and Curriculum ensures trainees develop strong subject knowledge and understand how learning is sequenced within a coherent curriculum, enabling them to teach with clarity, challenge and purpose. 

Together, these strands ensure trainees are well prepared to support all pupils to succeed and to continue developing as effective teachers throughout their careers.

Golden threads

The Vantage curriculum is underpinned by four ‘golden threads’ that shape how trainees learn to teach: high expectations, inclusion, understanding the regional context, and reflective practice. 

High Expectations - At the heart of the programme is the belief that teachers should expect excellence from themselves and from every pupil. Trainees are supported to establish ambitious goals, model positive attitudes, and create classroom cultures where all pupils are challenged and supported to succeed. Drawing on research into effective teaching, the curriculum emphasises clear explanations, strong modelling, and consistent routines as practical ways to communicate and sustain high expectations, ensuring that trainees are prepared to raise outcomes for all learners.    

Inclusion is embedded throughout the programme, with trainees learning to design lessons that are accessible to all pupils from the outset. By focusing on high-quality universal teaching—such as explicit instruction, retrieval practice, and carefully structured tasks—trainees develop the skills to remove barriers to learning while maintaining high expectations for every pupil.

Regional context - our curriculum also prepares trainees to work effectively within the local context of Hull and the East Riding, equipping them with an understanding of common challenges in local schools and strategies to respond through strong behaviour routines, adaptive teaching, and effective formative assessment.

Reflective practice - Alongside this, trainees are supported to become reflective practitioners through instructional coaching with trained mentors, weekly study modules, and ongoing professional reflection. This structured approach helps trainees continually evaluate and refine their practice, ensuring they develop into thoughtful, evidence-informed teachers committed to continuous improvement.

The Vantage Curriculum Learning Journey
 

1. Professional Behaviours
High expectations, inclusive mindset, commitment to collaboration and growth

Autumn – Learn and apply the principles

• Can you meet the professional responsibilities and high standards expected of teachers?
• Can you engage critically with research evidence and expert advice to develop your knowledge and practice?  

Spring – Strengthen and adapt practice

• Can you work effectively with TAs and other adults to teach inclusively?  
• Can you build effective relationships with parents, carers and families?  

Summer – Secure and enhance teaching

• Can you contribute towards team planning and the wider life of the school?  
• Are you professionally ready to start ECT induction?   

2. Behaviour Management
Clear Expectations, Calm Classrooms, Confident Learners.

Autumn – Learn and apply the principles

• Can you ensure that you have secured attention so pupils are ready to learn? 
• Can you respond quickly and effectively to deal with unwanted behaviour? 

Spring – Strengthen and adapt practice

• Can you maintain a positive classroom climate, conducive to learning? 
• Can you give clear directions, and check pupils have understood them? 

Summer – Secure and enhance teaching

• Can you motivate students to learn and build a sense of pace? 
• Are you ready to uphold the highest expectations and behaviour standards in your ECT year?

3. Pedagogy
Planning with intent, teaching with impact, adapting with insight

Autumn – Learn and apply the principles

• Can you plan well-structured units and lessons?
• Can you teach so that pupils are more likely to understand and remember?  

Spring – Strengthen and adapt practice

• Can you increase challenge while providing support where needed?  
• Can you get pupils to communicate and think hard?  

Summer – Secure and enhance teaching 

• Can you teach pupils the study habits, skills and attitudes that will help them become better learners?  
• Are you ready to teach an ECT timetable?   

4. Assessment
Understanding progress, informing practice, driving achievement

Autumn – Learn and apply the principles

• Can you foster a safe learning environment to build a culture of feedback? 
• Can you assess pupils’ understanding with frequent planned question checks?

Spring – Strengthen and adapt practice

• Can you plan, run and monitor independent practice? 
• Can you gather responses and provide precise and actionable feedback? 

Summer – Secure and enhance teaching

• Can you provide individual and whole class feedback efficiently and effectively? 
• Can you demonstrate the accurate and productive use of assessment you will need as an ECT?   

5. Subject and Curriculum
Teaching with clarity: strong subject knowledge in a coherent curriculum 

Autumn – Learn and apply the principles

• Can you build on what pupils already know to support their learning journey? 
• Can your teaching help correct pupils’ misconceptions? 

Spring – Strengthen and adapt practice

• Can you help pupils learn and remember the big ideas, core concepts, key principles and new vocabulary in your subject? 
• Can you help develop pupils’ skills in oracy, reading, writing and numeracy? 

Summer – Secure and enhance teaching

• Can you help pupils practise and recall the skills and knowledge they have learned?
• Do you have the necessary subject and curriculum knowledge for your ECT role?