Initial teacher training (ITT) market review: overview
Updated 29 September 2022
Applies to England
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This government is committed to driving up and levelling up education standards so that children and young people in every part of the country acquire the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need to progress.
Central to this is making sure that we have great teachers in every classroom. The Department for Education (DfE) is making England the best place in the world to become a great teacher through giving every teacher, particularly those in the most disadvantaged areas, access to world-class training and professional development opportunities throughout their career.
To support this, DfE published a new ITT core content framework, which sets out the fundamental knowledge, skills and teaching opportunities that all new entrants to the profession need.
Changes to ITT
Since September 2020, new teachers have been entitled to at least 3 years of evidence-based professional development and support.
They start with ITT, based on the core content framework, which is followed by a 2-year induction underpinned by the early career framework.
Work began on the initial phases of the review in early 2020, but these efforts were paused so that the government and ITT sector could focus on the challenges caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. DfE announced in January 2021 that work on the review had resumed, with a focus on making further improvements across the sector.
ITT review aims
The review considered how the ITT sector can provide consistently high-quality training, in line with the core content framework, in a more efficient and effective market.
The aim of the review was to make well informed, evidence-based recommendations on how to make sure:
- all trainees receive high-quality training
- the ITT market maintains the capacity to deliver enough trainees and is accessible to candidates
- the ITT system benefits all schools
Expert advisory group
The review was led by Ian Bauckham, CEO of Tenax Schools trust, with the support of officials and a small expert group including:
- Professor Sam Twiselton, Director of Sheffield Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University
- Richard Gill, Chair of the Teaching Schools Council, CEO of The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership
- Reuben Moore, Director of Initial Teacher Training, Star Academies
- John Blake, Head of Public Affairs and Engagement, and former Head of Curriculum Design, Ark
Report and consultation
The expert advisory group worked closely with the sector during the review to help shape the recommendations of the ITT market review report which was published in July 2021.
DfE sought views on the recommendations of the report through a public consultation. The government response to the expert advisory groups recommendations and the consultation feedback is now available.
An additional document is included alongside the government’s response that accompanies the new quality requirements, which will be in place from academic year 2024 to 2025. This document is designed to support the sector by providing further clarity about the policy intention for the new ITT requirements and for how DfE expects the some of those requirements to be implemented.
Accreditation
All providers wishing to offer ITT that leads to qualified teacher status from 2024 were required to take part in an accreditation process carried out by DfE.
The accreditation process was undertaken over 2 rounds across 2022. The first round concluded in May 2022 and the second round concluded in September 2022. Outcomes and feedback were communicated to all applicants. Eighty providers were successfully accredited through round 1, and 99 providers were accredited through round 2.
In total 179 providers have been accredited to deliver ITT courses in the reformed market from the 2024 to 2025 academic year. A list of providers accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024 is available.
This concludes the accreditation process. We do not intend to run any further accreditation rounds before first delivery of the reformed ITT in 2024 to 2025.
We currently expect the next accreditation round to take place during the 2025 to 2026 academic year and will provide further information to confirm the time and process.
More information on next steps for successful providers is available.