Teacher training providers who face an Ofsted inspection in the new year will be given longer to apply for accreditation under the government’s controversial shake-up of the sector.
The Department for Education has told ITE (initial teacher education) providers that if they are being inspected by Ofsted before 7 February, the deadline for applying for accreditation can be extended by up to 10 days.
This follows concerns that it was unrealistic to expect providers to be facing both Ofsted inspections and the reaccreditation process at the same time.
Providers in this position will have until 21 February to submit their round one accreditation application, as Ofsted inspections are set to resume next month.
However, the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) has warned that the existing 7 February deadline for most providers “is unrealistic for everyone”.
In recently published FAQs, the DfE said they understood concerns about inspections taking place at the same time as preparations for applications.
However, it said that there would be “only be a small number of applicants affected being inspected between January and February 2022”.
Any currently accredited provider who has their ITT provision inspected up to 7 February 2022 will be eligible for an extension of up to 10 working days to the 7 February deadline, and may submit their application by 21 February.
Any organisation not inspected before 7 February should still submit their application by the initial date, providers have been told.
The long-awaited ITT market review, published on 1 December, revealed that while the start date for newly accredited courses had been pushed back, the first round of accreditation applications would still take place in February 2022.
If a provider is inspected, they should contact the DfE to confirm this and will be instructed on how to submit an application after the 7 February deadline.
February 7 deadline criticised
James Noble-Rogers, executive director of UCET, said: “The extension of the deadline for round one applications for providers being inspected is welcome as far as it goes.
“But it should really have applied to all providers. The 7 February deadline is unrealistic for everyone.”
It is understood that the DfE has no plans to change its deadlines for accreditation for most providers but is keeping the situation under review.
Sam Twiselton, director of Sheffield Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam University, said: “While the extended deadline for those providers being inspected during this period is welcome, the reality is that two weeks extra in a period of such intense pressure will not ease things very much.
“I really feel for any provider who finds themselves in this situation and dread the prospect we could be one of them.”
In an open letter to schools minister Robin Walker earlier this month, Mr Noble-Rogers said: “I have never seen my colleagues or ITE providers faced with such pressure. Things are at breaking point. Steps must be taken to alleviate the situation.”
Mr Noble-Rogers also asked that “steps be taken to mitigate the impact these are having on ITE providers and, potentially, on teacher supply”.
He added: “The impact of ever-increasing Covid cases, Early Career Framework-related demands on mentor capacity and school concerns about Ofsted inspections is having a significant impact on placement availability and therefore on the ability of ITE providers to recruit student teachers.”
The DfE has been contacted for comment.
