inVIEW


ATS offers a clear ladder of progression – are you ready for the next challenge?


By David Russell


inTuition is also available in digital


and PDF formats To access the digital version of your inTuition log in to the SET site and click on ‘Publications’ and ‘inTuition’.


Like many people who work in further education, I spend a fair bit of time evangelising about the sector to people outside it; not people just in government, but in other parts of education and completely outside it. One of the things that often surprises people not familiar with FE is when I explain that there is no regulation about what qualifications are needed to work in the profession. This is not unique; but what is unusual is that there has not been a universally understood recognised status of practitioner and chartered practitioner that teachers can aspire to, be assessed against and achieve. All of that is changing now. There are many creative tensions within the sector about who we are and what we do, which arise from the amazing diversity of the sector itself. But there are also commonly emergent themes about what makes effective practice in our sector, and what teachers should focus on and be able to do well in order to feel confident in their practice. These are codified in the Professional Standards, and are the basis for QTLS, which is the sector’s core professional status. But every profession needs ladders of progression, and FE teaching is no exception. In recent years those ladders have diversified and disintegrated. There can be great strength in diversity of course, but when it comes to career progression every professional needs a clearly defined national standard they can aspire to, and a professional status in which they can have 100 per cent confidence. Senior leaders and recruiters in FE need this too, to help them focus on quality of teaching in their recruitment decisions and their strategic CPD planning. Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) fills that space for FE, and brings with it Chartered Teacher status. The early cohorts of teachers have been through it successfully, and the feedback from successful participants is absolutely inspiring, hearing how the


6 ISSUE 36 • SUMMER 2019 inTUITION


12-month process has inspired, informed, challenged and rewarded them. If you have not yet looked at ATS, now is the time. It is not for everyone, as it is consciously pitched towards more experienced practitioners. But if you are ready to take your career to the next level and get national, transferable recognition for your advanced skills, see what your colleagues who have already been through ATS say about the process. There is never a better time than now to invest in your own career.


“The feedback


from successful ATS participants is absolutely inspiring.”


Professional Workforce Development A slimline version of our new professional workforce development brochure for 2019/20 can be found alongside this InTuition issue, giving an overview of how we get behind you and your colleagues. The


brochure offers information on all the practical support you need to help you excel, how the programmes can be booked, and who is leading


each area at the ETF if you wanted to contact them directly for more information. We work with sector bodies, teachers and leaders


to identify the key professional development priorities of today and tomorrow. We then use our DfE grant to commission and deliver high-quality training and development programmes which are designed to meet those needs. Our programmes range from top leadership


development, maths and English enhancement, through to Prevent and EdTech support. This year we are providing a large professional development programme in advance of the arrival of T Levels and managing the national network of Centres for Excellence in Maths. We are still the only organisation which offers FE practitioners a clear professional progression pathway with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status through to Advanced Teacher Status (ATS). You can read the full version of the brochure on the


ETF website.


David Russell is chief executive of the Education and Training Foundation and the Society for Education and Training.


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