Initial teacher training (ITT) providers may need to allow trainees to start courses before their degrees have been confirmed after a University and College Union (UCU) marking boycott has led to a delay in the awarding of higher education qualifications, the government has warned.
However, the Department for Education has said that ITT providers will need to subsequently make sure the degree has been awarded to the trainee before they are able to graduate with newly qualified teacher status.
In a blog published this afternoon, the DfE told providers that in order to make sure that candidates can start their ITT as planned in September, universities and school-led ITT providers that offer training “will be able to recruit trainees whose degree status has not yet been confirmed because they have been impacted by the boycott”.
It comes as a marking and assessment boycott by UCU members continues at 145 universities across the UK in a dispute over staff’s pay and conditions, meaning many university students could receive their final grades later than planned this year.
University staff have staged a series of strikes this year in two separate disputes - one on pensions and one on pay and working conditions.
Potential trainees are required to have completed a degree to begin their ITT, however, this temporary change means candidates will be able to begin their training even if they have not received their final grade.
Candidates “will only be able to complete ITT once their graduate status has been confirmed” and universities “must make this clear to candidates starting the ITT”, the DfE has said.
The DfE blog added: “The government has no direct role in UCU industrial action as it’s the responsibility of individual colleges and universities to set pay for their staff.
“However, we want this disagreement resolved in a way that avoids disrupting students’ learning, especially given the difficulties students have faced during the pandemic.
“We strongly encourage a resolution that delivers good value for students, staff and universities.”
James Noble-Rogers, executive director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers, said: “The relaxation of the ITT criteria is a pragmatic response to what might have become a serious issue. We will be monitoring the situation carefully to see if any further actions are needed”.
Earlier this year, experts warned that the government is set to miss its teacher trainee recruitment target for the second year in a row, despite a hike in bursaries.
