12 teacher training providers set for reaccreditation

Twelve institutions that lost teacher training accreditation following a bruising market review are on course to be reaccredited.

The initial teacher training (ITT) market review in 2021 forced all teacher trainers through a controversial re-accreditation process, resulting in around one-quarter of providers lose out.

Those that did were then forced to either “partner” with one of the 179 successful providers or quit the market.

But the Department for Education recently gave those who lost out an opportunity to reapply, through a “targeted accreditation round”.

Six universities and six school-centred initial teacher training providers (SCITTs) have successfully completed phase one, the DfE said on Thursday.

They are now set to be reaccredited to train teachers from September 2026, but must first complete “phase 2 of the process. This is called “accreditation to delivery” and will “ensure providers are prepared for delivery”.

They successful universities are the University of Greenwich, University of Cumbria, University of Sussex, University of East Anglia, Brunel University, and the University of the West of England.

The SCITTs are Bradford College, Teach East SCITT, North East SCITT, Forest Independent Primary Collegiate, Yorkshire and Humber Teacher Training, and Prince Henry’s High School and South Worcestershire SCITT.

Providers have welcomed the news.

A University of Greenwich spokesperson said: “As a long-standing provider of excellent teacher training, we are pleased that the Department for Education has reaccredited our initial teacher training programmes.

“This means we can continue to develop our courses and deliver the highest quality training to the teachers who make such a vital difference within our communities.”

A spokesperson for The Constellation Trust said it is “delighted that Yorkshire and Humber Teacher Training has successfully regained its accreditation”. “We are proud to contribute to the growing number of high-quality teachers and remain dedicated to ensuring that every trainee receives the support, guidance, and professional development needed to thrive in today’s classrooms,” they added.

‘It was wrong they lost accreditation’

James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), said “while we think it was wrong that they lost their accreditation in the first place, this is still a good step forward”.

It is unclear whether the providers that have been reaccredited were denied accreditation during the 2021 market review, or chose to voluntarily go into partnership at that point.

“We are very pleased that…all six of the HEIs, who applied to have their accreditation to deliver ITE programmes restored have been successful,” added Noble-Rogers.

“We would now like all previously accredited providers, including those who have chosen not to act as lead partners in the current year, to reapply. The process for reaccreditation has in our view been fair and robust.”

The 2021 market review was widely criticised for requiring a lengthy written application, which was described as “challenging” for providers.

Emma Hollis, CEO of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT), said she was “delighted” the SCITTs had been approved.