To support providers to make adjustments (where appropriate) to the quality requirements for individual trainees with exceptional circumstances, DfE have worked with Ofsted to clarify where adjustments are possible and what providers should consider when making these adjustments.
The quality requirements set out in the initial teacher training (ITT) criteria and supporting advice aim to ensure that every trainee experiences a high-quality, and coherent programme of ITT. All accredited ITT providers should design a curriculum that is underpinned by the ITTECF and meets the requirements set out in the ITT criteria and supporting advice.
There are requirements in the ITT criteria and supporting advice that are set in legislation and therefore apply to every trainee, regardless of individual circumstances. These are the requirement that training should take place wholly or mainly in England, all trainees should hold a first degree (or equivalent) and should be assessed by the accredited provider against the Teachers’ Standards before gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Accredited ITT providers must also have due regard to wider legislation that impacts ITT, non-exhaustively listed in the ITT criteria and supporting advice.
The ITT criteria and supporting advice also sets out requirements that are vital to ensuring all trainees can gain a breadth of experience during their ITT programme. This includes the requirement for programmes to cover four consecutive school years and placements in two different schools. These requirements ensure trainees gain the knowledge, skills and experience of teaching pupils of different ages and backgrounds, and to gain exposure to different teaching strategies and approaches to curriculum design.
Other programme design requirements include the minimum time spent on ITT placements (days and minimum average hours in the classroom), intensive training and practice, and teaching an 80% timetable. DfE and Ofsted recognise that there will be exceptional circumstances where programmes will need to be adjusted to ensure that trainees are given the best chance to meet the requirements for QTS. This may include adapting the programmes for individual trainees who experience unforeseen circumstances at a placement school and/or barriers to their learning. In these cases, the minimum times outlined in the ITT criteria would not apply to those individual trainees.
DfE and Ofsted are unable to advise on the appropriateness of individual adaptations. During inspections, Ofsted will consider the extent to which trainees benefit from an ambitious curriculum that prepares trainees to teach their subject(s) and phase and prepares them well for the realities of teaching. Providers should use their judgement about whether it is possible to make adjustments to the programme design and still maintain a high-quality experience for the trainee. DfE and Ofsted expect that adjustments will only be made in exceptional circumstances. It is important that providers have the flexibility to adjust their programmes where needed to support a trainee to meet the requirements for QTS by the end of the course. Providers should be able to describe their intent behind the adjustments, their decision making and how they still ensured that the trainee experienced a high-quality curriculum that enabled them to demonstrate sufficiency with the Teachers’ Standards.