School Onsite Training Programme

The School Onsite Training Programme (SOTP) provides funding for places in school-based Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. It is meant to give student teachers the opportunity to gain practical teaching experience in a host school, while studying towards their teaching qualification.

For the 2026 SOTP intake, there are 465 funded places available for primary and secondary schools, including kaupapa Māori and Māori medium kura. 

Purpose and benefits of SOTP

School-based ITE allows student teachers to gain extended practical classroom experience throughout the full school year as they complete their coursework. This hands-on approach helps build their confidence and ensures they are ready for their first year as provisionally certificated teachers.

The SOTP funding supports this pathway. It also helps student teachers build relationship with their host schools, which could support their journey as beginning teachers. 

Funding

The Ministry pays the SOTP funding to ITE providers. It is the ITE providers’ responsibility to distribute this funding to schools and student teachers participating in their eligible programmes.

ITE providers should note that student teachers awarded a 2026 SOTP funded place are not eligible to be a recipient of a TeachNZ Scholarship.

Each participating SOTP student teacher receives a bursary totalling $19,930 – this can be used to support the student’s education. The bursary is to be paid by the ITE provider at regular intervals to the student teacher, over the course of the academic year. Unlike previous years, there is no funding component specifically to cover fees. SOTP participants must cover their tertiary fees.

Host schools also receive a contribution of $2,000 per student teacher, to cover the cost of hosting onsite for the duration of a school year.

Applications for 2026

The Ministry wants to make the funding application process more efficient for everyone involved. Our approach for the 2026 SOTP funding cycle is to have ITE providers as lead applicants – meaning they should be leading the submission of application forms on behalf of their host schools.  

The 2026 SOTP has a two-step application process.

Step one:  

• ITE providers submit their programmes for assessment against the SOTP provider criteria.  
• Applications for this close on 25 July 2025.  
• Outcomes will be communicated to providers by 1 August 2025.

Step two:  

• ITE providers submit their SOTP application with input from their host schools for places on the 2026 programme.  
• Host schools will then be assessed against the SOTP school criteria.  
• Applications for this open on 4 August and close on 5 September 2025.  
• Outcomes for places will be communicated to Providers by 19 September 2025. 

Information for ITE providers

To be considered for the 2026 SOTP, ITE providers should be able to establish that they have an approved 1-year graduate or post-graduate ITE programme that:  

• will lead to teacher registration  
• is focused on primary or secondary education.

Additional requirements for ITE providers in this funding cycle include:

• Demonstration of their understanding and integration of work-based pedagogy in their programme design and delivery, including confirmation of school partner involvement in course design and delivery and evidence of how the SOTP delivers differentiated wraparound support and structure for student teachers.
• Proof that their assessment includes authentic evidence generated through practice, including on-site assessment involving mentor teachers and other school staff where appropriate.
• Having clear agreements with schools, addressing how student teachers will be supported onsite by appropriately experienced mentor teachers within a whole-school approach.
• Confirmation that they offer opportunities for mentor teachers to engage in learning and development to improve their ability to support student teachers, working with host schools to ensure it is relevant and accessible.
• Having clear agreements with schools on how they work together to select student teachers, where appropriate.
• For primary school ITE programme only: Demonstration that their programme includes an explicit focus on preparing teachers to teach to the new curriculum, including key focus areas of structured literacy, structured mathematics, and the science of learning and use of explicit instruction. 

ITE providers and schools who can demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be prioritised in the allocation of 2026 SOTP funded places.

The Ministry has already contacted eligible ITE providers to discuss application requirements and process.

If you have not received communication from the Ministry and you believe that you have an eligible programme, please email us at info.sotp@education.govt.nz.

Information for schools or kura  

Schools and kura wanting to be a host school for the 2026 SOTP intake should contact their partner ITE provider to express their interest.

Schools who do not have a partner ITE provider can refer to the list of providers available on the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand website. We encourage schools to directly get in touch with ITE providers whose programme is best suited to their needs so they can establish rapport. 

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