Pathfinder Schools - Pathfinder School Article Pages

: 31 January 2025; 31 January 2025; 31 January 2025

Website Accessibility Statement

Accessibility Statement for our Website

This statement outlines the accessibility of our website.

Our Commitment to Accessibility

We strive to make our website accessible to as many users as possible, regardless of their abilities. If you need assistance in adjusting your device for better usability, AbilityNet offers guidance on making digital content more accessible.

How We Enhance Accessibility

We aim to ensure that our website is easy to navigate and understand. We have simplified the language used across the site and are continually working to improve how we present information.

Key Accessibility Features

Responsive Design: Our website adapts to various screen sizes, making it accessible on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
Text Readability: We use clear fonts, high-contrast colours, and allow users to adjust text sizes for better readability.
Image Titles: Where possible, images and graphics include descriptive alt and Title text to aid users with visual impairments.
Accessible Forms: Where used, online forms are designed with labels, keyboard navigation support, and validation to ensure ease of use.
Skip Links: Screen reader users can bypass navigation and go directly to the main content.
Accessibility Tools: Users may take advantage of our accessibility tool which allows them to make adjustments to the visibility of content in a variety of ways to suit their individual needs.

How we assist those who need support when visiting our website

All visitors to our website can change the accessibility settings to suit their personal requirements. In the lower corner of all web pages visitors will see an icon which they can click in order to make these changes.

Accessibility Icon

Clicking this icon will present a monochrome (or other) tool panel:

Accessibility Tools

As can be seen in the image above, the Accessibility Tools provide the following options:

invert the page colour to make the background and foreground reversed
change the colour styling from monochrome to colour so that all coloured elements are rendered in monochrome/greyscale
apply dark or light contrast to enhance how certain text such as headings and links are seen
low or high saturation to reduce or increase the vividness of certain colours
highlight links and headings to surround hyperlinks with clear boxes for ease of identification
Screen reader that allows users to click on a line of text to have it read to them
Read mode that sets the layout in a more friendly way to assist those who might find longer lines of text difficult to work with
Content scaling allows users to zoom the entire page without having to use the browser’s own zoom tools
Font size allows the user to increase or decrease the size of all text on a page without zooming the page
Line height allows the user to increase the spacing between lines of text to make it more readable for them
Letter spacing gives the user the ability to spread it the letters out within words so that the text within a word is easier to read for them

Areas for Improvement

Despite our efforts, some parts of this website may not be fully accessible:

Some PDF documents may not be fully compatible with screen readers.
Certain colour combinations may not meet contrast requirements.
Some hyperlinks may be identified solely by colour.
Certain images might lack descriptive alt text.
Some text is presented as images instead of standard text.

Reporting Accessibility Issues

If you encounter any accessibility issues not mentioned above or require content in an alternative format, please contact us:

Email: office@pathfinderschools.org.uk

Phone: 01536 903399

Postal Address: The Bungalow, Loatlands Primary School, Desborough, Northamptonshire NN14 2NJ

We will review your request and respond within 14 days.

Accessibility Compliance

We are committed to meeting the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. We recognise that our website is partially compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 due to the following non-compliances:

Areas of Non-Compliance

Hyperlinks Identified by Colour: Some links rely solely on colour for identification, and we will review and update these as needed.
Missing Alternative and Title Text: Some images lack appropriate descriptions and we are working on adding alt and title text to all relevant images.
Text as Images: Some content is displayed as images rather than selectable text, failing WCAG Criterion 1.4.5. We plan to replace these elements with accessible alternatives over time.

Disproportionate Burden Consideration

Some improvements may be classified as a disproportionate burden due to resource constraints, including:

Colour Contrast Issues: We recognize that some text does not meet the required contrast ratio (4.5:1). While redesigning elements to align with WCAG Criterion 1.4.3, we will also explore alternative accessibility solutions but our Accessibility Tool referenced above does offer several user controllable options to remedy this to their satisfaction.
Duplicate or Icon-Based Links: Some links may not have accompanying text or may be duplicated, affecting screen reader navigation. Future updates will address this issue.
PDF Accessibility: Some PDFs lack proper tagging and structure, making them difficult to read with assistive technologies. Given the large number of documents, a full review would require significant resources. Moving forward, we will ensure new documents meet accessibility standards.

Content Exempt from Accessibility Regulations

Live Video Streams: We do not provide captions for live video content as it is exempt under current regulations.

Ongoing Commitment

While schools are partially exempt from certain public sector accessibility requirements, we are committed to ensuring that essential content, remains accessible. We will continue making improvements where possible to enhance usability for all users.

We value inclusivity and are dedicated to providing a website that meets the needs of our entire community. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us improve.

Statement Last Reviewed: 31/01/2025

: 23 January 2025; 23 January 2025; 23 January 2025

Future Plans

Pathfinder Schools Trustees have made the difficult decision to transfer all the Pathfinder Schools to other multi academy Trusts and cease the operation of the Trust. As with all of our decisions, the best interests of all our pupils and their education is at the heart.

As you may be aware, in November 2023, Montsaye Academy received a Special Measures judgement from Ofsted. This led to conversations with the Department for Education (DfE) around the future of the school and the decision was taken to re-broker the school to another multi-academy trust, United Learning. This transfer is due to be finalised in early 2025.

In September 2024, Rothwell Junior School was inspected by Ofsted and received a Special Measures judgement. We share the disappointment of this outcome with the school and can assure you that the strong progress already made at Rothwell Junior School since the inspection continues at pace.

The DfE has issued a Termination Warning Notice (TWN) for Rothwell Junior School. This often leads to a school being re-brokered to another multi-academy trust, and the DfE have advised that for Rothwell Junior School re-brokering will be the likely outcome.

Trustees are unanimous in the view that the decision to transfer our schools to other Trusts will enable each of our schools to be in a Trust where there are greater levels of capacity to support them. The DfE are aware of these plans and we continue to work closely with them.

At this stage, a new trust/trusts have not been confirmed and we cannot provide a timetable for the transfer of schools. We anticipate that this will develop at pace throughout the remainder of this academic year.

We remain committed to ensuring that our schools receive the best support possible. We will be working proactively with new partner trusts as these are confirmed to ensure a smooth transition for the maximum benefit to our pupils.

JWood

Jo Woods
Pathfinder Schools Chair of Trustees

SMitchell

Stephen Mitchell
Interim CEO

: 12 May 2023; 12 May 2023; 05 September 2023

Vacancy Details

Pathfinder Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS, Reference, Identity, Criminal Record and Medical Checks are mandatory for all posts within Pathfinder Schools.

Pathfinder Schools is passionate about its values of Aspiration, Responsibility and Courage, we believe that when people feel respected and included they can be more creative, innovative, and successful. We are committed to an inclusive workforce that represents many different cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints. Our employee lifecycle processes are designed to prevent discrimination against our colleagues, regardless of gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity, marital status, ethnicity, age, disability status, or any other aspect which makes them unique. While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re committed to moving our Trust and the education sector forward.

Many of our staff work flexibly in different ways, including part-time. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

Read what our staff say about working for Pathfinder Schools.

: 07 September 2023; 07 September 2023; 30 September 2024

Initial Teacher Training (ITT)

Transform your future and the lives of young people with expert-led, in-school teacher training, run by Pathfinder Schools Trust in partnership with England-wide education charity Ambition Institute.

Qualify as a primary teacher in 12 months
Benefit from evidence-based, flexible learning online and in-person
Achieve qualified teacher status (QTS) with a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
Gain hands-on classroom experience and start your career with confidence

ITT Logo

+ - 1. Why Teacher Training? Click to collapse

Train in one school. You’ll do most of your training in one school, giving you immediate opportunities to practise the theory you’ve learnt in a classroom, supported by teaching experts.

Be guided by a mentor. You will be paired with an experienced teacher who will make sure you are supported through your training.

Benefit from blended learning. Benefit from the high-quality academic training you’d expect to get from a university with immersive classroom learning.

Develop your expertise with evidence-based training. A high-quality curriculum, backed by the latest research and evidence, will help you focus on developing your expertise in your chosen phase (Primary).

Have a balanced workload. This Teacher Training is designed to build your confidence in the classroom and respect your need for a life away from work.

Feel confident teaching. You'll spend lots of time with subject experts going into depth about how to teach your subject (or subjects if teaching primary) in the most effective way.

How this programme differs from other teacher training options

This Teacher Training allows you to do most of your training in one school. You can put your academic learning into practice in a structured, step-by-step way, with your mentor and peers, before taking it live in the classroom.

Your dedicated mentor will be an experienced teacher who works in your school. They will provide one-to-one guidance and support throughout your training.

Title	Download
pdf A5 Teacher Training Candidate 4pp Leaflet - Pathfinder Schools	Download

+ - 2. Your Training Click to collapse

What you’ll learn

Your Training

This is hands-on programme is backed by the latest evidence-based teaching research. You’ll learn the theory of what makes a good teacher and put this learning into practice with your peers and mentor in the classroom. At every step, you will be supported by experts from your programme.

Each week, you’ll cover a module from one of these five programme strands

1. Behaviour: How you can create calm, safe and purposeful places of learning where all children and young people can achieve.

2. Instruction: How you can support all children and young people to learn in the classroom – from thinking about how you present information, to helping them learn independently in lessons.

3. Curriculum: How you can design lessons and curricula that help children and young people to learn new and more complex ideas over time.

4. Assessment: How you can better understand the impact your teaching is having and how to respond when your pupils struggle.

5. Professionalism: Looking at what it is to be a teacher and how to prepare for your professional career.

Each module starts by introducing you to the ideas and theories underpinning the practice. You will then learn, step-by-step, how to apply these ideas in your own classroom. Your tutors and mentor will make sure you have plenty of opportunities to see great teaching in action and understand the key learning before you put it into practice yourself.

We have designed the curriculum so that you:

Focus intensely on areas of teaching we know can be complex and difficult to master.
Tackle areas, like pupil behaviour, right from the beginning of your training.
Revisit all your learning over time so that you keep improving.

How you’ll learn

There will be a combination of self-guided learning and face-to-face and online sessions with other trainees. In-school activities will include, classroom teaching practice, peer support and one-to-one guidance from your mentor.

You’ll also have:

Focused topic weeks where we take a complex area of teaching and study it with the help of additional experts in education.
Additional placement days outside of your school where you will experience the breadth of the education system in England.

How you’ll be assessed

You will be assessed through a mixture of written assignments and classroom observation.

In your day-to-day training there will be opportunities to show what you can do and where we can help you further. We’ll use a range of assessment tools to help you showcase your growing capabilities, inside and outside the classroom.

Programme length

This is a 12-month, full-time, postgraduate programme. You may also be able to do part-time training, spread across 24 months.

After you’ve qualified

Qualified teacher status (QTS)

Once you have completed your training, and demonstrated what you have learned in the classroom, you’ll receive qualified teacher status (QTS). This allows you to teach in any school run by a local authority in England.

Postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)

When you have successfully completed our programme, you will also receive a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), an internationally recognised qualification. The PGCE is worth 60 credits towards a Master’s degree.

+ - 3. Fees and funding Click to collapse

Tuition fees for our Teacher Training programme are £9,250.

Financial support is available through government bursaries, scholarships and maintenance loans.

Find out more about the current funding opportunities here: https://www.gov.uk/teacher-training-funding

+ - 4. Apply Click to collapse

Who can apply?

Training is open to anyone who might have an interest in becoming a teacher and has a degree or equivalent and the right to work in the UK. You might be:

A recent graduate looking for the first step in your career.
A teaching assistant looking to transition into teaching your own class.
Looking for a completely new career path.

We welcome candidates of all ages, from all backgrounds, and with all types of experience.

To be eligible, you will need:

An undergraduate degree, generally 2:2 or above, or equivalent.
A GCSE grade 4/C or above in English or Maths, or equivalent.
Primary school trainees will need a GCSE grade 4/C or above in science, or equivalent.

For more information please visit: Initial teacher training (ITT): criteria and supporting advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

If you don’t meet the eligibility criteria but would still like to train as a teacher, please get in touch and we can discuss how we may be able to support you.

How do I apply?

The next cohort of trainee teachers will start in September 2025. Applications are now open for our next cohort please click the link below:

Apply Here

When do I need to apply by?

The programme starts in September 2025. Applications close in July 2025.

Still have questions?

Talk to one of our friendly team to get your questions answered. Send us an email and we’ll get back to you.

+ - 5. FAQs Click to collapse

: 18 May 2021; 18 May 2021; 18 January 2022

Early Career Framework (ECF)

Pathfinder Schools are working in partnership with Best Practice Network to deliver the Early Career Development Programme for Northamptonshire and the surrounding area.

What is the Early Career Development Programme?

From September 2021, the government is funding an entitlement for all early career teachers in England to access high-quality professional development at the start of their career with a view to greater teacher support and retention. Best Practice Network/Outstanding Leaders Partnership is one of six Lead Providers delivering the Early Career Framework nationwide.

New teachers will now receive development support and training over 2 years instead of one, underpinned by the ECF. The offer for early career teachers includes:

2 years of new, funded, high-quality training
funding for 5% time away from the classroom for teachers in their second year
a dedicated mentor and support for these mentors including access to funded high-quality training
funding to cover mentors’ time with the mentee in the second year of teaching

Registering with Best Practice Network

Schools will need to register with their chosen Lead Provider. In order to access ECF training provided locally with Pathfinder Schools, you can register your interest with BPN/OLP via the following link Early Career Framework - Early Career Development Programme | Best Practice Network . You will then be contacted with next steps, including how to upload your Early Career Teachers to the new DfE portal.

The two videos below will be able to give you more information to find out more about the programme

If you have any questions please email cpd@bestpracticenet.co.uk

Pathfinder Tags: ECF

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