Teacher training

High Court challenge lodged over £121m Institute of Teaching

Ambition Institute launches legal claim against the Department for Education

Ambition Institute launches legal claim against the Department for Education

Exclusive

A leading education charity has lodged a High Court legal challenge against Nadhim Zahawi over his department’s handling of the flagship £121 million Institute of Teaching contract.

Schools Week revealed in March the contract was to be handed to a group of leading academy trusts. Rival bidders the Ambition Institute lost out over a financial compliance issue, despite scoring higher for the quality of its bid.

The charity – which is heavily reliant on government funding for its teacher training activities – has now lodged a legal claim against the Department for Education, Schools Week has learned.

The move is particularly damaging for the government, given Ambition is one of the lead providers under another of its flagship programmes, the early career framework (ECF).

The legal spat leaves the supposed September opening of the teacher training provider hanging in the balance.

However, Schools Week understands the department it still working towards the IoT launching in time for the new year. They are confident of a “robust” procurement process and that they have a strong case.

The IoT will be the country’s “flagship teacher and leader development provider”. It is supposed to have 500 trainees from September 2023, and 1,000 the following year.

Academy trust group won teaching contract

The School-Led Development Trust, led by the Harris Federation, Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), Star Academies and Oasis Community Learning, has won the contract, as first revealed by Schools Week.

Ambition lodged its legal claim in the High Court on April 22. It is not clear whether Ambition is pushing for the contract to be re-awarded, or wants compensation for what it believes is a government gaffe.

Both Ambition and the DfE declined to comment.

It comes soon after the DfE had to axe Randstad from running the National Tutoring Programme – another flagship scheme – following poor performance.

The HR firm had won the £32 million contract despite a bid led by the EEF, which ran the NTP in year one, scoring more highly. Like Ambition, it lost out on a financial technicality.

However, the legal move is also potentially risky for Ambition. Its most recent accounts, for the 2019-20 year, show £12 million of its £16 million income was from the DfE – meaning any souring of relations could impact its future viability.

The IoT will deliver the ECF for new teachers and national professional qualifications (NPQs) for more experienced staff as part of the DfE’s wider overhaul of teacher training.

The IoT will also attempt to replicate the approach of schools which “combine high standards of pupil behaviour and discipline with a broad knowledge-based and ambitious curriculum”, according to the DfE.

Latest education roles from

Senior Quality Officer

Senior Quality Officer

University of Lancashire

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Minerva Learning Trust

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

Head of Programme 2D Studies – City Lit

FEA

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

Group Director of Governance & Company Secretary

New City College

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Helping every learner use AI responsibly

AI didn’t wait to be invited into the classroom. It burst in mid-lesson. Across UK schools, pupils are already...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Retire Early, Live Fully: What Teachers Need to Consider First

Specialist Financial Adviser, William Adams, from Wesleyan Financial Services discusses what teachers should be considering when it comes to...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Teacher training

Calls for national CPD strategy as ‘hundreds of millions of pounds wasted’

New report estimates £1bn is spent annually on teacher development - but provision is patchy

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Teacher training

DfE swings axe on teacher training bursaries after recruitment pick-up

Cuts revealed for teacher training incentives in English, maths, biology, geography music, and languages - despite Labour's recruitment pledge

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Teacher training

Revealed: 5 key findings from Ofsted teacher training review

'Inconsistent' mentoring experiences, the changing profile of applicants, and SEND training challenges

Lydia Chantler-Hicks
Teacher training

NPQs take-up collapses after government funding cut

Starts on qualifications for aspiring leaders fall by a third after most subsidies withdrawn

Freddie Whittaker

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *