Guidance

Overview: the initial teacher education system for FE

Updated 4 September 2024

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-initial-teacher-education/overview-the-initial-teacher-education-system-for-fe

Further education (FE) initial teacher education (ITE) is critical to ensuring the supply of high quality teachers to the FE sector. Read our expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE.

ITE qualification framework

Experts from the FE teacher training sector have developed a framework for a FE ITE qualification. They have based this on the learning and skills teacher occupational standard.

Qualifications developed under this framework are called the ‘diploma in teaching (further education and skills)’.

Funding for FE ITE qualifications

Only FE ITE courses on the list of recognised further education teacher training courses can receive student support funding from the 2024 to 2025 academic year onwards.

Every course on the list must allow a student to meet the learning and skills teacher occupational standard. This standard sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that FE teachers must demonstrate to reach occupational competence.

The list of recognised courses does not affect:

  • trainees undertaking a course that started prior to the 2024 to 2025 academic year, such as a level 5 diploma in education and training (DET), or a DET-compliant qualification validated by a higher education provider at level 5 and above, or
  • the funding for FE ITE qualifications through government-backed programmes such as Taking Teaching Further

We will review the list of recognised courses at least annually. For more information, see the government’s response to the consultation on FE ITE reform.

All publicly funded FE ITE is subject to inspection by Ofsted.

FE ITE courses cannot be funded via other routes such as advanced learner loans, as specified in qualification funding approval: common approval principles.

Financial support

Financial support is available for people undertaking FE ITE through:

Employers and apprenticeship providers can get up to £7,000 funding per learning and skills teacher apprentice. This is through the apprenticeship levy.

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