About us

The Shire Foundation is a very well-established provider of primary Initial Teacher Training (ITT), established in 1994. We work with a large number of schools across Luton, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and beyond. In September 2022, we merged with Chiltern Training Group (CTG), an outstanding ITT provider and part of the Chiltern Learning Trust. We now operate as one of their primary hubs, with CTG providing the quality assurance and award of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). We also have a strong partnership with the University of Buckingham, who accredit our Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) route.

The Shire Foundation central base is situated at Hillborough Junior School,
which is where most of our centre-based sessions take place. Strong
partnerships with a number of local schools also means that trainees on our
Provider Led route have a range of opportunities to visit and train within
other school settings including 9 days of specialism training, visits to pre and
post age phases, early reading focused visits and learning walks, and a 3-day
block at Richmond Hill Special School.

Hillborough Junior School has been rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and has a long history of providing successful continuous professional development to teachers within the local area. They are our lead school for our School Direct
(salaried) route. Being situated on the site of Hillborough Junior and Infant Schools is a strength of our provision, as we are able to work alongside outstanding practitioners and also involve children from the schools in some of our sessions.