Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers but there is no denying it can be tough. At IFT we are committed to supporting your wellbeing and mental health at every stage of your programme and to equipping you with the tools necessary to ensure you are well prepared for a long career in the classroom. 

The IFT programme combines centre-based training, classroom teaching and independent study, which combine to develop you into an inspirational teacher. This one-year process is incredibly fulfilling, but it comes with a workload that will undoubtedly make demands on your time and pressure on your work-life balance. We believe the hard work is worth the reward.

To help you manage this, we will ensure that you have access to wellbeing support services, including dedicated people you can turn to when it gets tough.

What support does Inspiring Future Teachers provide to trainees during the Training Programme?

The IFT training programme can be intense, so it's important we put systems in place to safeguard your wellbeing and mental health.

We provide a range of resources and offer access to a specialist wellbeing coach as well as your in-school Mentor and Hub teams, who are trained to help you work through challenging situations. Importantly, having a curriculum which equips you with the skills you will need to thrive in the classroom is key to your wellbeing, which is why we ensure that your teaching load increases very gradually and is very closely linked to the skills and theory you will be learning at the centre-based sessions. If you find you need additional support, we can signpost you to various external services.

What is my school's role in supporting my wellbeing?

Your school have a duty of care to support you as they would any member of staff. Each school will have its own unique support in place for their staff, which your mentor and headteacher will be able to explain in more detail.

If you face any challenges in your school, remember that your Mentor and Professional Tutor in school are there to support you.

Why is it important for me to disclose any pre-existing health conditions (mental or physical)?

We are committed to providing the training and support needed to enable you to thrive in your role as a trainee teacher. By providing us with information about your needs, we will be in a much stronger position to ensure you have the right conditions to allow you to succeed. If we are not aware of these needs, we will be less able to provide effective support.

As part of your application process, you will be asked to disclose any pre-existing health conditions. You will also undertake an Occupational Health assessment and complete a pre-course neurodiversity questionnaire. With your agreement, we will share any information which may require adaptations to be made to the training programme, on a need-to-know basis, with the members of staff who will be immediately supporting you on the programme. This will allow them to make adaptations where possible according to your needs.

If you do not wish to disclose this information on your application, you can also disclose existing or emerging conditions to your Hub Lead at any time.

Support services

You're not alone. We can signpost you to appropriate support services, tools and contacts to help you manage your wellbeing including:

Contact Us | Samaritans

Education Support, supporting teachers and education staff

Home - Mind

DfE School Workload Reduction Kit

A government-led set of practical resources to help you reduce your workload. Produced with insight from experts in the education sector.

Further to this, your Hub Lead can refer you to extra support services should you need it.

School Mentors

All trainee teachers will have an in-school mentor based alongside them in their placement school. All IFT mentors are provided with a full programme of training to equip them for the role so they are on hand to support you every step of the way.

Further help and information

If you have any further questions regarding mental health and wellbeing whilst on the IFT Training Programme, please contact your Hub Lead.