Guidance

List of specified further education initial teacher education training courses

Updated 21 January 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

This is a draft document published at this stage in order to support Parliamentary consideration of the underpinning regulations.

1. Overview

This list is published by the Secretary of State pursuant to The Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026 (the Regulations).

2. List of specified FE ITE training courses

From the date on which the Regulations come into force, and in accordance with Regulation 3, the following are specified as courses of initial teacher training for further education:

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)

A course with one of the titles given above is specified for the purposes of the Regulations only if it is explicitly designed and delivered:

(a) to allow a student to meet the full requirements of the Learning and skills teacher occupational standard, or

(b) otherwise to prepare a student to teach wholly or mainly in a further education institution in England

And it does not confer Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) or Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).

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

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

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