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FEATURE FOCUS: RECRUITMENT


training. Also requirements around ITT structures and partnerships, and curriculum content and design. We had previously warned, in our response to


the consultation, that the then recommendations collectively represent an immediate and catastrophic risk to the teacher supply chain and quality and availability of provision. We remain concerned that it could force some providers out of the market and further undermine teacher supply at a time when ITT applications are back to pre-pandemic levels. Yet our legitimate and widely expressed


concerns about the accreditation process have been ignored and the government is intent on pursuing a risky, expensive and entirely unnecessary accreditation process. That said, the political direction of travel is set, and so our focus now is on supporting the development of ITT providers. So, what do those involved in ITT – School


Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) providers, School Direct Lead Schools, Teaching School Hubs, Higher Education institutions as well as a range of other organisations involved in the education and professional development of teachers – need to know about the ‘what next?’


Overall pathway to accreditation An accreditation process is taking place in 2022 (February and June application dates) for all providers wishing to deliver ITT from September 2024. This consists of two stages, the first a paper-based exercise (carried out by DfE, supported by Ofsted), and the second an ongoing development process. This will take place between the point of accreditation and the start of programme delivery during which providers will be asked to submit a number of curriculum samples and discuss their mentoring plans and partnership proposals. Providers that pass accreditation in 2022 will receive a grant of £25,000 to support them to implement the ITT market review’s recommendations. In addition to (re)accreditation, Ofsted will continue to inspect ITT delivery, which started in January. However, the current inspection cycle will be completed earlier than expected, by July 2024. Ofsted will then move to a three-year inspection cycle for ITT, compared to the current six-year cycle, from September 2024.


ITT curriculum development and implementation Leading universities had threatened to end their teacher training courses after fears of a “highly prescribed curriculum” when plans were announced. However, DfE said it will not “define an evidence base” beyond that set out in the Core Content Framework, instead using the quality assurance process to make sure that all evidence is “coherent with the framework”. It adds that ITT providers should “continue to exercise their autonomy in designing curricula appropriate for the particular subjects, phases and age ranges that their trainees will teach”. Curriculum maps should show that a coherent approach has been taken to curriculum design and sequencing, leading to cumulatively sufficient knowledge, and incorporating all elements of the Core Content Framework. The curriculum map


March 2022


should draw upon the evidence available for subject-specific teaching and demonstrate the process undertaken to ensure the subject is incorporated thoroughly within training.


Mentoring and teacher development High-quality mentoring must be used to develop trainee expertise. ‘Lead’ mentors, required to support early career teachers, are now redefined as a ‘mentor leadership team’ model. Lead mentors/members of a mentor leadership team will have initial training of 30 hours and 12 hours of annual refresher training. ‘General’ mentors will undertake 20 hours initial training and six hours of annual refresher training. They will be required to support trainees for a minimum of 1.5 hours per week. The DfE has committed £15 million in grant funding for general mentor training and £10 million for lead mentor training in the financial year 2024-25. However, mentoring in schools is undoubtedly a big issue: in November we released research which found that 97% of ITT providers are concerned about the time and capacity for mentoring and a further 93% of respondents reported they do not expect the availability of mentoring to improve within the next 12-18 months.


Delivering intensive training and practice Intensive placements as part of ITT programmes have been redefined as ‘intensive training and practice’ with flexibilities confirmed over how and where these can be delivered. They will take place over a minimum of four weeks for a one-year programme (not necessarily consecutively) and will be in addition to the 120 days in school. Up to £5.7 million will be made available to providers in the 2024-25 financial year to help meet the requirements around intensive training and practice. We have been asked to work with the sector and DfE to produce exemplars of intensive training and practice. Whilst the government may have committed to 500,000 placements by the end of this Parliament through the Early Career Framework, achieving these levels of training will be extremely challenging for the sector without additional intervention. This should include, as ITT providers are advocating above, much more emphasis on the importance of mentoring.


ITT partnerships moving forward Providers need to set out a high-level implementation timeline which demonstrates how they will use the time prior to delivery to develop their partnerships and ITT programme, including full curriculum materials. Local recognition and relationships are critical for securing and maintaining the confidence of potential trainees. Responses should demonstrate they have considered this carefully in the make-up of their partnerships, and that they are ensuring that at a local level, schools and other partners are well-placed to recruit trainees. Teaching School Hubs (around a quarter are NASBTT members) are a key player in the future ITT landscape and must be part of an accredited provider partnership. Not all ITT providers will be mandated to work with a Hub – although they are strongly encouraged to form relationships with them and need to demonstrate how they have considered existing teacher development


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architecture in forming their own delivery networks. There is a lot to do, and quickly. The timeline


proposed for the accreditation process – two application rounds taking place in 2022 – demonstrates a complete lack of recognition of the pressures in the school sector and shows the government to be unresponsive to the reasonable arguments put to it before and during the consultation regarding the incredible strain everyone is under. However, at the same time, government has indicated that the accreditation process will recognise the need for development over time and will not seek to exclude providers who have capacity to meet the quality requirements but who, for legitimate reasons, may need more time to develop their offer. In fact, the ITT market review report confirms


“the importance of enabling providers of different types and sizes, and in different contexts, to operate in the market” and that DfE “do not intend to be prescriptive on the structure of the partnerships”. We are also told, and this is in black and white, that applicants will be assessed against the new quality requirements, and there is no preferred size, structure of partnership, or curriculum. There is no minimum or maximum number of providers who can become accredited. Needless to say we are supporting our


members through the process of accreditation and have held a series of events. In a poll commissioned during our 8th December event, 79% of respondents said they would apply to be a lead provider in the February application round and 9% in the June application round. A further 7% will seek to join another provider who is applying in February, and 1% will seek to join another provider who is applying in June. Only 3% indicated that they would exit the market altogether at the end of 2023-24. We are 100% committed to working with school-based ITT providers to ensure the sector remains at the forefront of developing the next generation of teachers. And, going back to the wider recruitment


piece, we will do everything in our power to ensure that children’s education is not affected by any unintended consequences of all this in terms of negatively impacting on teacher supply.


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