There is a tendency for schools to view the Assessment Only route as a ‘fast track’ pathway to Qualified Teacher Status. This simplistic label, while highlighting its efficiency, inadvertently overshadows its strategic value for school leaders to develop their existing unqualified teacher and the rigorous demands it places on candidates.
Far from being a shortcut for those wishing to gain QTS, AO is a robust, evidence-based pathway designed for experienced practitioners who have already demonstrated their mastery of the Teachers’ Standards. When properly understood and strategically deployed, AO emerges as an indispensable tool for retention, and recruitment, offering significant benefits to individuals, schools, and the wider educational landscape.
NASBTT’s manifesto, The Future of Initial Teacher Training: How can we attract more people to the teaching profession and support school-based ITT providers to deliver high-quality training?, has a focus on incentivising schools to fully engage in ITT – and Assessment Only is an important vehicle for facilitating that engagement from a strategic perspective.
Dispelling myths and highlighting rigour in the route
The most persistent misconception surrounding the Assessment Only route is that it somehow represents an ‘easier’ or ‘less demanding’ pathway to QTS. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Unlike ITT programmes where individuals learn how to teach, AO candidates are required to prove that they already can teach – consistently, effectively, and to a very high standard – across two key stages, in a minimum of two school settings. The process focuses on verification, not on providing instruction.
Candidates for the AO route are not novices. They are professionals who have acquired their pedagogical skills through extensive unqualified teaching roles and in many cases significant overseas teaching experience. Their “training” has occurred organically through years of practical application and continuous self-improvement in real classroom environments. The AO process simply provides the formal framework through which this existing expertise is evaluated against the Teachers’ Standards.
AO is a rigorous benchmark for experienced unqualified teachers ensuring that the standard of QTS awarded via AO is precisely equivalent to that achieved through other ITT routes.
It serves as a testament to their established capabilities, ensuring that every teacher awarded QTS through this route is a capable and confident professional able to contribute effectively to any school environment. While not a training route, the intense 12-week program is often described by candidates as a transformative professional experience.
Targeting the right talent: AO as a retention and recruitment tool for schools
The rigorous nature of the Assessment Only pathway makes it clear who the ideal candidate is; an individual already excelling in the classroom, not someone with limited teaching experience. AO is specifically designed for experienced unqualified teachers – those who’ve been successfully teaching for two years or more and meet all AO eligibility are most likely already vital members of their school communities.
For these professionals, AO offers a crucial opportunity to gain formal recognition for their existing skills and experience. It opens doors to career progression, boosts their professional standing, and validates their teaching journey without making them repeat training they’ve essentially already completed through practical experience. It’s a less disruptive and more logical route for individuals already performing the role at a high level.
Schools should be incentivised to engage with AO because it demonstrates profound commitment to staff development, identifying and supporting these individuals through AO is a highly strategic decision. It prevents the potential loss of effective, established staff members who can’t progress without QTS, and safeguarding valuable expertise, it demonstrates a profound commitment to their staff’s professional development and career aspirations. This acts as a powerful motivator whilst strengthening the school’s internal talent pipeline.
For forward-thinking schools, AO is a crucial component of a comprehensive “grow your own” strategy that can be used as part of a wider professional development suite. It empowers schools to proactively cultivate their workforce, nurturing talent from within and creating a sustainable supply of high calibre teachers tailored to the school’s specific needs and culture.
Looking ahead: The evolving landscape of AO
With the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing Schools Bill, the Assessment Only route is poised to play an increasingly significant role as all new teachers should have or be working towards QTS from September 2026. There is a growing recognition by DfE and individual schools of AO’s specific value, moving it from a niche offering to a more integrated component of strategic workforce planning.
Current trends in recruitment to the AO route this academic year suggest that AO will become further embedded in broader teacher recruitment and retention strategies, particularly as schools seek innovative solutions to persistent teacher shortages in key subject areas. The ability to formalise the status of existing, effective unqualified staff, or to attract experienced overseas teachers, will become even more critical.
AO also fits perfectly into the broader drive for more flexible career pathways in education. It acknowledges that not all career journeys are linear and provides a viable route for talented individuals whose paths might have diverged from traditional initial teacher training.
Reclaiming the narrative
It is time to definitively move beyond the label of ‘fast track’ and fully embrace the strategic value of the Assessment Only route. By investing in and utilising the AO route, schools are not just qualifying teachers; they are strategically cultivating a resilient, skilled, and highly motivated workforce. Adaptable and efficient pathways to QTS are crucial for the future of education, and the Assessment Only route is perfectly positioned to meet that demand.
Clare Foulsham is Assessment Only Lead/Secondary Mid Kent Course Programme Lead at KMT.