A group of university students are celebrating after successfully completing a Teaching Internship Programme with the Outwood Institute of Education (OIE), gaining valuable insight into the teaching profession.

The OIE's teaching internship programme is designed for students pursuing degrees related to chemistry, computing, languages, mathematics, or physics who are interested in a teaching career.

Now in its eighth year, the three-week paid programme welcomed its largest cohort yet, with 42 participants. For the second year running, the programme was also open to master's students, alongside undergraduates from many top universities.

Interns completed their placements at secondary schools across the Outwood family.

placeholder image — 2025 saw the biggest cohort yet

Interns gained classroom experience, benefited from mentorship by seasoned teachers and completed a bespoke training programme. They also received guidance and advice on applying for teacher training with Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) through the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT).

To fully immerse themselves in academy life, the interns engaged in a variety of activities. These included shadowing experienced teachers, observing lessons, collaborating on lesson planning and delivery, receiving personalised guidance, and networking with subject specialists.

Julie Slater, Chief Executive Principal (OIE), said: “Our Teaching Internship Programme has been a resounding success for years, and this year we proudly doubled our cohort size. The internship offers interns invaluable insights into school life, helping them make informed decisions about their future careers.

“For Outwood, it's always about showcasing the teaching profession, celebrating our incredible students and staff, and securing a future pipeline of dedicated teachers by demonstrating just how rewarding teaching can be. We're especially proud to see former interns who completed the programme, then trained with us, and are now valued teachers in our schools.”

The end-of-programme celebration event allowed the interns to celebrate their successes and discuss their experiences, and reflect on the programme together.

The internship is a paid programme with each participant getting a minimum of £900 for their participation and work.

The programme welcomed students from universities across the UK:

Durham University

Lancaster University

Newcastle University

Sheffield Hallam University

Teesside University

The Open University

University of Central Lancashire

University of Edinburgh

University of Hull

University of Leeds