Guidance

Early years initial teacher training (ITT): a guide for providers

Find out how you can get involved in recruiting and training early years teachers.

Applies to England

Overview

This information is for early years initial teacher training (ITT) providers.

If you want to apply as a trainee for an early years ITT place starting in September 2018, complete the early years registration of interest form on the Get into Teaching website. View our list of early years initial teacher training providers with training places for September 2018.

Advice for employers can be found in the early years initial teacher training: a guide for employers.

Early years ITT leads to the award of early years teacher status (EYTS).

Training places

Requesting places for the academic year 2019 to 2020

To request places to provide early years ITT for the 2019 to 2020 academic year you must register your request on the ITT data management system.

The request period for 2019 to 2020 will open summer 2018. Details of how to register your interest will be available nearer the time.

Recruiting trainees

Once we’ve confirmed your allocation of places and have received your signed grant offer letter(s), you can start recruiting candidates. Candidates will submit applications directly to you, and you will be responsible for managing this process.

Becoming an accredited training provider

To offer early years ITT, you must be accredited to run at least 1 programme leading to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS). Early years ITT places are only allocated to accredited ITT providers who hold an Ofsted rating of good or better in their latest inspection of ITT.

Find out more about becoming an accredited provider and the accreditation withdrawal process: initial teacher training.

Working in partnership to provide training

If you’re not accredited to provide early years ITT training, you can work with an existing accredited provider. You must have a partnership agreement in place with your accredited provider which explains the roles and responsibilities of each partner.

Training

You’ll need to design your training programme to enable each of your trainees to meet the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years). They’re designed for high quality work with the birth to 5 years age range. Your programme will include:

  • the content they must cover
  • how you structure and assess their performance

Trainee teachers must be trained to teach across the early years foundation stage (from birth to 5 years old). They must also understand how early education links beyond age 5 and into key stages 1 and 2 in school.

Your training programme will need to provide trainees with enough time in early years settings or schools to allow them to show they meet the standards.

Assuming trainees are full time, this would mean:

  • 160 days (32 weeks) for a 4 year undergraduate programme
  • 120 days (24 weeks) for a 3 year undergraduate programme or graduate (university-based) route

Placements should take place in at least 2 schools or early years settings and include at least 2 weeks in a school in key stage 1.

For graduates on an employment-based route, the amount of time will be determined by their specific training programme.

You shouldn’t recommend any trainee for the award of EYTS until they have met all the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years).

Training routes

There are 4 routes that lead to the award of early years teacher status. Details of available funding, including bursary rates for the academic year 2018 to 2019 are in our early years initial teacher training (ITT): funding guidance.

Graduate entry (full-time)

We fund this route and training is typically over a 1 year period. Some trainees may be eligible for a bursary.

Graduate employment based (part-time)

This is for graduates working in an early years setting who require training and further experience to meet the requirements of the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years). We provide funding for training costs and additional funding is also available to contribute towards employers’ costs.

Undergraduate entry (full-time)

This is for those who wish to undertake a level 6 degree in an early childhood related subject along with early years teacher training. It is typically a full time 3 or 4 year route for those entering the profession.

Funding for course fees may be accessed by eligible trainees through tuition fee loans from Student Finance England (SFE).

Assessment only

This is for graduates with experience of working with children from birth to 5 years old who can meet the requirements of the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) without further training. An example of this is an early years teacher from overseas. Assessment typically takes place over 3 months.

We don’t fund this route; it’s self-funded.

Please see our early years initial teacher training: funding guidance for further information.

Entry requirements for candidates

You must ensure candidates:

  • have achieved GCSEs, grade 4 (or equivalent) in English, mathematics and a science subject
  • hold a degree (Level 6) from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification (in the case of graduate routes)
  • have taken part in a rigorous selection process designed to assess their suitability to teach
  • have passed the professional skills tests

Qualifications in key and functional skills at level 2 are not equivalent to GCSEs in terms of content. You should look for additional evidence of knowledge and understanding for applicants with these skills certificates but without GCSEs at grade 4 or above in English and mathematics.

Applicants with a GCSE grade 4 or above in English language meet the requirement. You should look for further evidence of a breadth of achievement in English where applicants have achieved a GCSE grade 4 or above in English literature.

Inspection arrangements

Ofsted has been asked by the Secretary of State for Education to inspect the quality of early years ITT. This has further aligned the arrangements for the training leading to EYTS and QTS. From summer 2015 there has been a single inspection format. It will ensure a more streamlined approach for ITT providers who will be subject to 1 quality assurance arrangement for their ITT provision.

Quality assurance

You must ensure:

  • your management structure supports the effective operation of the training programme
  • you establish a partnership agreement setting out the roles and responsibilities of each partner, demonstrating the significant role of early years settings or schools in recruiting, selecting, training and assessing trainees
  • you monitor, evaluate and moderate all aspects of provision rigorously and show how these contribute to securing improvements in the quality of training and the assessment of trainees

Employment-based requirements

All accredited providers of employment-based early years ITT must ensure all of the following:

  • for the period of training, all applicants who are undertaking the employment-based training route must be employed in a setting offering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
  • employers must not expect trainees to carry out more than 90% of the duties normally required of a full-time early years teacher

Find out more

More guidance on programme requirements can be found in the early years ITT requirements: supporting advice document.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please use our contact us form.

Published 3 April 2014
Last updated 2 June 2017 + show all updates
  1. Updated information on requesting ITT places for the 2018 to 2019 academic year.

  2. The link to the list of early years initial teacher training providers and School Direct (Early Years) lead organisations has been added.

  3. Requesting an allocation of places for 2016 to 2017 is now open

  4. New Ofsted inspections of early years ITT

  5. New Ofsted inspections for early years ITT providers

  6. First published.