Special educational needs teachers from the European Economic Area won’t be eligible for partial qualified teacher status in England if the country leaves the EU without a deal, the government has announced.
At present, teachers from the EEA who are only qualified to teach SEND pupils can apply for partial qualified teacher status in England and be appointed to a qualified teacher post in a special or mainstream school.
But in an update on Brexit preparations posted today, the Department for Education said this deal will be scrapped in the event of a no-deal Exit.
In practice, it means teachers from the EEA who are only qualified to teach SEND pupils won’t be able to take a job as a qualified teacher in England without obtaining QTS here.
The DfE has also confirmed the rules that will apply to general teachers from the EEA and Switzerland under a no-deal Brexit.
Those teachers will have to show they obtained their professional training “mainly within the EEA or Switzerland”, show their teaching qualification is “recognised or required by a competent authority within the EEA or Switzerland” and “provide a letter of professional standing from a competent authority, or other relevant body, in the EEA country, or Switzerland, where you’re recognised”.
The letter should confirm that teachers are “recognised as a qualified teacher in that EEA country or Switzerland”. It should also show show the teacher is not subject to any restrictions, and be dated within three months prior to application.
If the government does manage to make a deal that includes an implementation period, there will be no change to arrangements during that time.
“Arrangements after the implementation period are subject to further negotiations between the UK and EU.”
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