Early career teacher induction appeals
Appeal an early career teacher (newly qualified teacher (NQT) before September 2021) induction decision and how to attend an induction hearing as an observer.
Overview
After you have achieved Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) you need to complete a statutory induction period to teach in a maintained school, a maintained nursery school or a non-maintained special school in England.
The appropriate body decides whether you have met the induction standards. The appropriate body can be any of the following:
- a local authority
- a teaching school
- the National Induction Panel for Teachers
For independent schools, including academies and free schools, the appropriate body can also be the Independent Schools Teacher Induction Panel.
If you have failed to satisfactorily complete your induction period, your name will be added to the list of teachers who have failed to successfully complete their induction period and it will be clear on your individual teacher report. Employers will have password-protected access to the information online and members of the public can apply, in writing, to us for access to specific information on the list.
Appeal a decision
You can appeal to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA), which acts on behalf of the Secretary of State for Education, if you:
- have been formally notified by the appropriate body that you have failed to satisfactorily complete your induction period
- think your induction period should be extended
In order to appeal, you must write to us stating you wish to appeal (this is referred to as the notice of appeal) to:
Teaching Regulation Agency
Cheylesmore House
5 Quinton Road
Coventry
CV1 2WT
We must receive your notice of appeal no later than 20 working days after you received the appropriate body’s decision. This is calculated after adding one day to the date of the decision letter. A working day means any day, including school holidays, other than a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday.
Your notice of appeal must contain:
- your full name and address
- the name and address of the school at which you were employed at the end of your induction period
- the name and address of your employer, if employed in a teaching capacity, at the date of appeal
- the name, address and profession of anyone representing you in this matter and whether we should send documents concerning the appeal to your representative instead of you
- whether you request a hearing by our induction appeal panel
- your grounds of appeal
It is very useful if you include your teacher reference number and date of birth on the notice of appeal.
With your notice of appeal, you must send good quality copies of:
- the document from the appropriate body notifying you of its decision
- any document from the appropriate body outlining its reasons for coming to its decision
- every other piece of evidence which you intend to rely on during your induction appeal; for example, training needs assessments, notes of professional review meetings, lesson observation records and the assessment report forms (induct 1 to 3) completed at the end of each term
You must sign and date the notice of appeal for it to be valid. If any information is missing, or if you do not sign or date it, we will request this before we can accept your appeal.
To assist with the processing of your appeal, you would be expected to provide the:
- name of your initial teacher training (ITT) institution
- route to qualified teacher status (QTS), for example postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE)
- phase and subject specialism, for example secondary history
- term dates of your induction year
The induction appeals procedures document outlines the induction appeal process.
Induction appeal hearing
Once we have received an appeal, we will arrange for an induction appeal panel to hear it. Panel members are recruited through a public appointments process. A least 1 panel member will be a teacher or will have been a teacher in the previous 5 years.
You have the right to take part in the induction appeal proceedings and to be represented. You can also request that the appeal is decided without a hearing.
In deciding an appeal, the panel will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State based on whether it is satisfied that:
- you have failed to meet the Teachers’ Standards
- any issues regarding your support during induction were of sufficient importance to have seriously disadvantaged you in meeting the standards
- it appears that you would be able to meet the standards if your induction period were extended
- there are any other special circumstances that justify the appeal being allowed or the induction period being extended
The Secretary of State has the following options when deciding your appeal:
- allow the appeal
- dismiss the appeal
- extend the induction for a period
Attend a hearing as an observer
Induction appeal hearings are held in public. Members of the press and the public can attend hearings.
Details on attending a professional conduct panel hearing or meeting are available.
If you’re interested in attending a hearing, please contact:
- the teacher regulation team (for members of the public)
- the Department for Education’s central newsdesk (for journalists)
We can’t guarantee your place as an observer otherwise.
The panel may exclude the public and press from the hearing or part of the hearing where:
- it believes that a public hearing may adversely affect the fairness of the proceedings
- it is necessary to protect children’s interests
- either party requests that the hearing be in private and the panel is satisfied that this is not contrary to the public interest
This information is general and, in all circumstances, The Education (Induction Arrangements for School teachers) (England) Regulations 2012 take precedence. These are the basis for how the Teaching Regulation Agency operates the regulatory arrangements on behalf of the Secretary of State.
Contact
Teacher misconduct
Email misconduct.teacher@education.gov.uk
Telephone 020 7593 5393
Information about regulating the teaching profession and the process for dealing with serious teacher misconduct.
Lines are open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm, and on Friday from 9am to 4:30pm (except public holidays).