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Institute of Teaching won’t take first trainees until 2023 after pilot year dropped

Teacher training data

The government’s new Institute of Teaching won’t take on its first trainee teachers until 2023 after plans for a limited pilot next year were dropped.

The Department for Education had originally stated in tender documents for the £121 million, six-year contract that the IoT would be expected to deliver a “pilot” initial teacher training (ITT) from September 2022, before expanding delivery to 500 trainees in 2023.

However, contract documents have now been amended to simply state that the IoT “will commence delivery of ITT cohorts from September 2023”.

Documents show the targets of reaching at least 500 trainees from September 2023 and then at least 1,000 a year from 2024 remain in place. Delivery of the early career framework (ECF) and national professional qualifications (NPQs) from 2022 also remain in the contract.

Ministers announced earlier this year that they would create a new institution to become the country’s “flagship teacher and leader development provider”, with four campuses across the UK.

The government is currently looking for a bidder or coalition of bidders to run the IoT, which will deliver teacher training alongside the ECF for new teachers and NPQs for more experienced staff.

The institute will also be expected to deliver the national leaders of education development programme.

DfE had planned limited 2022 ITT pilot

The government said earlier this year that following a limited ITT pilot in 2022, the institute would train 500 trainees from September 2023 and 1,000 a year thereafter.

From 2022 it is also expected to cater for at least 2,000 early career teachers and their mentors, and at least 1,000 national professional qualification (NPQ) participants each year.

Documents show this is still the plan for the ECF and NPQ elements of the Institute’s work, but that ITT won’t commence until 2023.

Schools Week revealed last month how the DfE could require the Institute to cater annually for a further 1,000 early career teachers and mentors, and another 1,000 NPQ participants, depending on capacity and future budget announcements.

However, even with these expansions on the cards, the DfE said it did not expect to spend the £121 million allocated for the scheme over six years, with final funding depending on take-up and future spending reviews.

The DfE was approached to comment on the move to scrap the ITT pilots, and asked whether this would result in a reduction in the overall budget available.

The deadline to bid for the contract has also been extended from June 4 to June 18.

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  1. Patrick Ainley

    What will be the relation of this “flagship teacher and leader development provider” to existing teacher training in university departments of education?