Assessment Only

Our Assessment Only route enables you to be independently assessed against the English Teachers’ Standards and gain qualified teacher status (QTS) within three months, without leaving your current school.

Assessment Only

Key details

  • Duration

    3 months
  • Location

    in school
  • Cost

    £3,000 plus VAT (as applicable)
  • Funding

    self-funded
  • Level

    primary and secondary

Course description

If you’re a member of school staff such as an unqualified teacher and you can already show that you meet the English Teachers' Standards then our Assessment Only route could be ideal for you.

Our Assessment Only route will help you to:

  • Become employed as a fully qualified teacher

  • Be promoted/and or gain more job security

  • Increase your salary by up to £7,000* per year

  • Play a more significant role in school leadership and management

We currently offer Assessment Only in primary (age ranges 3-7, 5-11 and 7-11) and all main secondary subjects (age ranges 11-16, 11-19 or 14-19).

You can learn more about this course by watching our on-demand webinar.

If you need some extra preparation before applying for our Assessment Only route, you can develop your teaching practice and build evidence against the Teachers' Standards with our personalised QTS preparation course, Straight to Teaching.

Entry requirements

To achieve QTS via our Assessment Only route you must:

  • Be employed in a school in a teaching role with sole responsibility for teaching, assessment and planning

  • Hold GCSEs at level 4/grade C or above in English language and maths, plus science if you want to teach in primary 

  • Hold a bachelor degree (300 UCAS points) awarded by a UK university or a recognised international qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelor's degree. If your degree was completed outside of the UK you will need to provide an ENIC statement to demonstrate the comparability of your qualification

  • Have undertaken at least two years of teaching experience that includes evidence of whole class teaching with sole responsibility for planning, marking, assessing and reporting on pupils’ work

  • For the primary phase you need to be teaching the full curriculum including the core subjects of maths, literacy – phonics and science as well as a range of foundation subjects such as geography, history, art and music. You can't be a subject specialist such as PE or music

  • When enrolled you will need to provide a detailed written justification and evidence from prior experience that demonstrates you meet the English Teachers’ Standards by providing a testimony

  • Provide evidence of having taught in at least two schools

  • Evidence that you meet the Teachers’ Standards across a minimum of two consecutive age ranges for your chosen teaching specialism

  • Demonstrate the required fundamental skills in maths and English as defined by the DfE. Further details will be provided following your application

Course delivery

One of our experienced pathway tutors will initially meet you virtually through a Keeping in Touch meeting. This will enable you to ask any questions and plan your main meeting called a Pre-Entry Assessment Visit – PEAV. They will then arrange a face-to-face visit in your school to perform lesson observations and review your eight justifications to verify that you meet the English Teachers’ Standards and other criteria before recommending you for QTS assessment.

At the assessment, the independent assessor will observe two lessons and scrutinise your eight justifications and, if you’re successful, recommend you for QTS. Everything will then be reviewed through internal moderation processes and a QTS panel. The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) will award QTS based on the final recommendation from these processes.

Course leader

Andrew Locke Learner story image


Andrew Locke

Andrew brings 25 years of school experience to his role as Deputy Programme Director of Assessment Only. Starting as a history teacher, he progressed to become a secondary headteacher, holding various leadership positions. Dedicated to aiding eligible staff in gaining QTS, Andrew works to address challenges in recruitment and retention. Eager to leverage his experience, he aims to support teachers, making a lasting impact in schools and classrooms.

Course fees and funding

Our Assessment Only route costs £3,000 excluding VAT.

Assessment Only route fees may be paid for by you or your school, in full, at the start of the course.*

If you are an international applicant, we will aim to find you an in-country pathway tutor and assessor to support you on the route. Where pathway tutors and assessors aren't available, you must pay and provide costs for flights, hotel, transfers and sustenance for the visit. These will be discussed with you.

Please note, if you withdraw before your PEAV, you will incur a fee of £150 to cover administration costs.

Course application and start dates

We have a rolling start date for Assessment Only. As soon as you apply and can show you meet the course entry requirements you'll be enrolled.

Next steps

You can apply for our Assessment Only route by:

  1. clicking the 'Apply' button
  2. emailing your 2 completed testimonials and Confirmation of School Support Form to institute.admissions@tes.com
  • 1
    Apply online
  • 2
    Application review and confirmation
  • 3
    Enrolment

Documents you will need

Please print off the Confirmation of School Support form below for a Senior School Manager (or staff member with equivalent authority) at your employing school to review and sign.

Your testimonials should prove that you have taught in two schools, for two years or more, with full responsibility for planning, teaching and assessing pupil progress.

These must be hand-signed (wet signature) by your head teacher.

Confirmation of School Support Form - Download

Testimonial FormDownload

Apply for Assessment Only

Need more information?
Contact us about this course.

FAQs

*The full amount must be paid within 30 days of the date you are enrolled on the course. Failure to do so will mean your final assessment will be delayed.