Almost two-thirds of initial teacher training providers who applied have not passed the first round of the government’s new reaccreditation process, Tes understands.
In total, 80 providers have been awarded accreditation, the Department for Education has said today.
Tes understands that this is just over one third (37 per cent) of the 216 initial teacher training (ITT) providers who applied for accreditation in the first round to continue in the sector.
The news comes after at least half a dozen providers - of which Tes is aware - were asked to submit extra information last month as part of their applications.
This request for information is understood to have led to concerns in the sector about what it might mean for the initial pass rate.
A shake-up of the ITT sector has meant the Department for Education is requiring all providers to apply to be reaccredited.
The deadline for the first round of reaccreditation was in February of this year, with the results of the outcomes revealed today, ahead of the second-round deadline in June.
Today, the DfE has said that there “may be future accreditation rounds if required”.
James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET), said the organisation was “surprised” and that “we would have wanted a process that allowed the vast majority” of providers to get through.
He added that UCET also felt the accreditation process had been a “costly, unnecessary, disruptive and time-consuming process” that had “yielded no benefits” and had been “an unnecessary distraction for our members who continue to face a crisis in teacher recruitment and, at the same time, deal with the ongoing effects on initial teacher education of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
Mr Noble-Rogers said UCET would continue to support all its members wishing to apply (or re-apply) for reaccreditation in round two.
Emma Hollis, executive director of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT), said: “While we are obviously disappointed by the headline figure that only 80 providers have been successful in round one, it is important to stress that we are only part-way through the process and, as such, no provider has been counted out.
“Providers who have not yet been accredited are able to re-apply in round two - which opens on 23 May with a deadline of 27 June - and, importantly, have been given feedback from the DfE that will support their resubmission.
“They will only have to submit responses to the question or questions they did not pass, so they can invest time over the next two months developing their applications in the specified areas.”
Ms Hollis said that NASBTT was committed to supporting its members through the accreditation process, and encouraged all providers who have not yet been accredited to continue with their applications into round two.
Commenting on today’s release, schools minister Robin Walker said “great teachers” were “central to children and young people’s education, and fundamental to having great teachers is having high-quality teacher training”.
Mr Walker said it was “vital” for trainee teachers to be provided with the “best, most comprehensive support possible so they can, in turn, deliver an excellent education to all their pupils”.
The 80 providers accredited so far “will meet that high standard”, he said, and he looked forward “to more great quality provision being accredited” in the second round.
He also encouraged all those providers not yet accredited “to continue through the second round, so that together we can continue to develop and grow teacher training in this country, which in turn will help level up education for all”.
