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Guidance

Further education: initial teacher education

Information for providers of initial teacher education (ITE) for the further education (FE) sector.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
30 May 2023
Last updated:
9 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added 'List of registered providers of specified FE ITE courses' for academic year 2026 to 2027.

  2. Updated 'Registration requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education courses' to state that the registration window for the 2026 to 2027 academic year is now closed.

  3. Updated links to guidance on delivering courses of further education initial teacher education in 'Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) qualification framework'.

  4. Updated 'Registration requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education courses' with a link to 'Register to provide a specified ITT (FE) course'.

  5. Updated to account for The Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026 having force from 15 April 2026. The following documents have changed from being in draft to being guidance documents that providers of FE ITE courses should follow: ‘List of specified further education initial teacher education training courses', 'Registration requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education', 'Delivery guidance for courses of further education initial teacher education', 'Curriculum content guidance for further education initial teacher education', and 'Provision of information requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education courses'. The Overview page has been updated to reflect this change, and the previous version of delivery guidance (‘Expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE’) has been removed. The ‘Recognised further education teacher training courses eligible for student support’ page has been updated to include LLE credit value maxima.

  6. Added Annex B – reference list to 'Curriculum content guidance for courses of further education initial teacher education'.

  7. Updated to account for the publication of 'The Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026'. The following draft documents have been added to support Parliamentary consideration of the regulations: 'List of specified further education initial teacher education training courses', 'Registration requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education', 'Delivery guidance for courses of further education initial teacher education', 'Curriculum content guidance for further education initial teacher education', and 'Provision of information requirements for providers of specified further education initial teacher education courses'. The 'Overview' page has also been updated to reflect proposed changes for the academic year 2026 to 2027.

  8. Added a link to the 'Expert advisory group on further education (FE) teacher training and development'.

  9. Updated 'Expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE' for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

  10. Updated 'Overview: initial teacher education (framework, funding, and financial support) for FE' for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

  11. Added examples of suitable online and remote teaching experience to the 'Study and placement hours' section of 'Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) qualification framework'.

  12. Updated with information for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

  13. Updated 'Overview: the initial teacher education system for FE' and 'Expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE' for the academic year 2024 to 2025.

  14. Added 'Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills) qualification framework'. Updated information about entry requirements and selection processes in ‘Expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE’.

  15. Added 'Recognised further education teacher training courses eligible for student support: 2024 to 2025' document. Updated 'Overview: the initial teacher education system for FE' to reflect this change.

  16. Information has been added to 'Expectations for the delivery of initial teacher education for FE' on the teacher mentoring programme developed by Cognition Learning Group.

  17. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

FE ITE overview: guidance documents, framework, funding and financial support

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List of specified FE ITE training courses

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List of registered providers of specified FE ITE courses

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Registration requirements for providers of specified FE ITE courses

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Delivery guidance for courses of FE ITE

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Curriculum content guidance for courses of FE ITE

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Provision of information requirements for providers of specified FE ITE courses

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Diploma in Teaching (FE and Skills) qualification framework

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Recognised FE teacher training courses eligible for student support

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Details

This guidance is for:

  • providers of further education (FE) initial teacher education (ITE) courses that are included on the specified list
  • organisations developing qualifications or curricula for FE ITE programmes

Both of these groups should note that from the 2026 to 2027 academic year onwards, providers delivering specified FE ITE courses are subject to the Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026 and should refer to the supporting materials provided on this page.

Prospective FE teachers may also find this information helpful, alongside information on how to teach in further education.

If you have any queries, contact FE.ITE@education.gov.uk.

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