Offer a teacher degree apprenticeship
Information for accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers, lead partners and schools on offering the teacher degree apprenticeship (TDA).
Applies to England
Overview
The teacher degree apprenticeship (TDA) is an undergraduate salaried route into the teaching profession. Successful candidates will gain an undergraduate degree and qualified teacher status (QTS) while working as an apprentice in a school.
Apprenticeship courses are delivered through accredited initial teacher training (ITT) providers and degree-awarding institutions, working with employing schools to deliver high-quality training in relevant subject knowledge and teaching skills.
Structure of the teacher degree apprenticeship
Training period
The TDA typically takes 4 years to complete and awards successful candidates with an undergraduate degree and QTS.
Course structure
All apprenticeships require off-the-job training, which is defined in the apprenticeship funding rules. How much time a candidate spends on their off-the-job training may vary across training years and between different ITT providers. However, trainees must spend a minimum of 2,200 hours of their paid time over the duration of the course undertaking off-the-job training to work towards their degree and qualified teacher status.
The teacher degree apprenticeship standard and are designed to support providers with the development of courses and should be viewed together.
The teacher degree apprenticeship standard provides guidance on:
- how the apprentice will be assessed at the end of their course
- occupational profiles
- entry requirements
The teacher degree apprenticeship degree specialism provides guidance on:
- how to create and name TDA degree courses
- degree-naming conventions
- subject specialisms
Knowledge, skills and behaviours
The teacher degree apprenticeship uses the teachers’ standards for its knowledge, skills and behaviours.
Providers must fulfil the requirement for ongoing, formative assessment of trainees’ progress in relation to the ITT curriculum, which will incorporate the ITT early career framework in full.
This will ensure that during the course, assessment:
- will identify aspects of the ITT curriculum where trainees may need additional support and input from the provider
- can be used to adapt approaches to delivery or reshape trainee practice
Teacher degree apprenticeship progress reviews will enable providers to monitor progress towards the teachers’ standards and knowledge, skills and behaviours.
We work with sector colleagues, including Ofsted, to ensure there is shared clarity about ITT assessment for all ITT courses leading to QTS, including the teacher degree apprenticeship.
Apprentice assessment
The assessment for the teacher degree apprenticeship reflects the requirements for awarding QTS. The knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the occupational standard fully align with the outcomes listed in the ITT criteria, and the assessment result confirms the apprenticeship has been completed.
Roles and responsibilities for the apprentice assessment are set out on the Skills England website.
The assessment must be carried out by an accredited ITT provider that is registered on the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR) as an assessment organisation.
Use find an end-point assessment organisation for your apprentice to find a list of organisations that can do this.
Salary
The teacher degree apprenticeship is an employment-based teacher training route leading to QTS and is therefore covered by existing pay structures.
For the duration of their course, teacher degree apprenticeship trainees must be paid in line with their employing school’s pay policy. For more information, read school teachers’ pay and conditions.
Requirements for apprenticeship providers
Eligibility
You can only provide the teacher degree apprenticeship if you are:
- a degree-awarding institution
- an accredited ITT provider
- on the apprenticeship and assessment register (APAR)
You can offer the teacher degree apprenticeship as a partnership between an accredited ITT provider and a degree-awarding institution. In these partnerships, ITT providers offering only the ITT aspect do not need to be degree-awarding.
For guidance on how accredited ITT providers and other organisations form partnerships and clarify roles and responsibilities, view the initial teacher training forming partnerships guidance.
New apprenticeship providers
Guidance on how to apply to the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR) is available.
Accredited ITT providers and their training partners can request access to apply to the APAR through the current ‘growing capacity’ entry route. To request access, download a ‘request an invitation to apply to the APAR form’ from the apply to the APAR as an apprenticeship training provider page and send it to APAR.mailbox@education.gov.uk.
Email helpdesk@manage-apprenticeships.service.gov.uk for any questions relating to becoming an accredited ITT provider.
Apprenticeship agreement and training plan
Before the apprenticeship starts, you must:
- obtain evidence that the apprentice has an apprenticeship agreement with the employer
- have a training plan with the apprentice and the employer
Information about the apprenticeship agreement and training plan is available in the apprenticeship funding rules.
Ofsted
Ofsted will inspect ITT delivery for all accredited ITT providers every 4 years in line with the initial teacher education (ITE) inspection: toolkit, operating guide and framework.
For all queries relating to Ofsted inspections, contact ite@ofsted.gov.uk.
Funding and training costs
The teacher degree apprenticeship standard has been costed at £27,000. This means that an employer can use up to £27,000 of their apprenticeship service account. Funding can be used to support recruitment and course development.
You must agree the total cost of the apprenticeship training and assessment with the employer.
Apprenticeship governance
Several bodies have responsibilities for apprenticeship quality assurance and regulation. Find out more from the apprenticeship training provider accountability framework.
Recruitment: what schools must do
Choose a provider
You must choose an ITT provider or partner that will deliver the off-the-job training for the teacher degree apprenticeship. Your chosen provider must be on the APAR.
Advertise courses
Accredited ITT providers will work with employing schools to advertise courses through find teacher training courses.
Employers or employing schools do not need to be on the APAR. However, if they are delivering any part of the apprenticeship off-the-job training, they must obtain a place on the APAR to claim funding for delivering the training aspect.
Candidate information
You can find out more about applying for an apprenticeship on the Get Into Teaching website.