The government’s initial teacher training reforms have been described as “stressful” and “financially risky” in an of the changes introduced in 2021.
While the initial teacher training (ITT) curriculum and school placements were praised by interviewees, the controversial market review created a “stretched system” with “financial uncertainty”, the report finds.
In 2021, the Department for Education introduced a new set of quality requirements for all ITT courses leading to qualified teacher status, for delivery from September 2024.
That same year it also carried out a controversial review of the ITT market, leading to 68 training providers losing their accreditation.
Administrative and financial demands
Fears about the sustainability of the reformed market were raised “consistently” in interviews for the review, this week’s report says.
These concerns include a “perceived reduction in ITT offer in some areas”, a “more competitive landscape following reaccreditation” and the “loss of contextual programme elements”. The “administrative and financial demands placed on providers” are also highlighted in the report.
While partnerships between providers have developed as a result of the market review, the report warns that outcomes have been “variable”.
Some partnerships have helped to sustain local supply and led to stronger collaboration and a more coherent shared curriculum. But for other providers, partnerships have added pressure to an “already stretched system, with tight timelines and financial uncertainty shaping the terms of new relationships”.
The report says that developing partnerships could also be “time-consuming, administratively burdensome, financially risky and, at times, deeply stressful” for ITT providers.
It also identifies concerns that the “cumulative burden” of intensive training and practice (ITAP), mentoring and collaboration has led to a reduction in the availability of school placements and strained relationships.
School placements ‘created strain’
Trainees, providers and placement schools questioned for the review pointed to school-based practice as the most effective component of ITT courses, with this being “rated highly” by all.
Among trainees, some 77 per cent reported satisfaction with their school placements.
And 86 per cent of trainees said that school-based practice contributed to their readiness to teach. More than three-quarters also reported that it was central to improving the likelihood that they would stay in the profession.
The minimum time requirement for school-based training was reported to be “easy to implement” by over half of placement schools surveyed. Seven in 10 placement schools indicated that the requirement was effective in supporting the quality of training.
However, collaborative working with placement schools was identified as a difficult process by a “significant proportion” of training providers. “Strain” was placed on both providers and schools by the administrative demands of coordinating placements, the report finds.
The “operational burden” of sustaining the collaborations with schools contributed to a “perceived reduction in available placements in some areas”, the report further warns, which was a concern raised consistently in interviews with providers.
Support for the ITT curriculum
Providers said that the new curriculum was one of the easier components to develop, with 58 per cent indicating that it was effective or very effective in supporting the quality of training.
The structure of the curriculum was identified as the foremost driver of satisfaction among trainees; some 70 per cent said it had “meaningfully” supported their classroom preparation.
The curriculum may also have contributed to longer-term retention of teachers, the report says: among trainees, six in 10 indicated that the content was effective in determining their willingness to stay in the profession.
Concerns were raised, however, that the curriculum limited providers’ ability to tailor content to local needs, given its emphasis on standardisation.
What the DfE could have done better
Training providers interviewed for the review said there should have been a “less pressured” timeline for implementation of the reforms and “clearer and more consistent” guidance from the Department for Education.
The pace of change was “too fast”, in the aftermath of the disruption of the Covid pandemic, they said, leading to difficulties in introducing “major” reforms while existing programmes were running.
There were calls for future changes of policy to come only after close consultation with the sector that would reflect the “practical constraints” of capacity and resources in schools. There was a desire, too, for greater involvement of school leaders at this stage.
It was also suggested that the DfE should consider whether accountability frameworks, including inspection expectations, could better incentivise “meaningful” ITT engagement.
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