Guidance

List of specified further education initial teacher education training courses

Updated 15 April 2026

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-initial-teacher-education/list-of-specified-further-education-initial-teacher-education-training-courses

1. Overview

This list is published by the Secretary of State pursuant to The Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026 (the Regulations) and has effect for all specified courses commencing from the 2026 to 2027 academic year onwards.

2. List of specified FE ITE training courses

From the date on which the Regulations come into force, and in accordance with Regulation 3, courses are specified as courses of initial teacher training for further education where they meet the below criteria.

The criteria that determine a course is specified for the purposes of the Regulations are as follows:

(1) The course is at level 5 or above and satisfies ONE OR BOTH of the following statements:

a. the course allows a student to meet the full requirements of the Learning and skills teacher occupational standard;

b. the course is intended to prepare a student to teach wholly or mainly in a further education institution in England.

AND

(2) The course does not confer Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).

These criteria apply regardless of the specific title of the course.

Example course titles may include, but are not limited to:

At level 5

  • The Diploma in Teaching (Further Education and Skills)

  • The Certificate in Education (CertEd)

  • The Learning and Skills Teacher (LST) apprenticeship

At level 6

  • The professional Graduate Certificate in Education (PgCE)

  • The Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PgDE)

At level 7

  • The Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE)

  • The Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE)

2.1 Funding eligibility

Inclusion on this list does not automatically confer eligibility for any form of public funding.

The list of courses eligible for higher education student support is available on GOV.UK

2.2 Review

This list will be reviewed and updated by the Department for Education on at least an annual basis.

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