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Guidance

Initial teacher training (ITT): criteria and supporting advice

Advice on the mandatory criteria that organisations should meet to provide initial teacher training leading to qualified teacher status in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.

Updates to this page

From:
Department for Education
Published:
15 March 2012
Last updated:
1 September 2026
Show all updates

  1. Updated for 2026 to 2027. Removed references to the ITT quality requirements following their integration into the criteria. Revisions have been made to fee charging arrangements, including the introduction of a simplified fee table and updated fee limits, and the GCSE grade structure link has been updated. Wording has been added to clarify requirements for salaried training routes, school placements, and the use of updated SEN terminology, while recruitment practices guidance has been revised to include digital services requirements. References to minimum training times for lead mentors have been removed, and references to the teaching development assessment (TDA) have been added within the assessment requirements. In addition, lifelong learning entitlement (LLE) information and supporting links have been added.

  2. Updated 'Initial teacher training (ITT): criteria and supporting advice' for 2025 to 2026.

  3. ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’ updated to reflect changes to the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship requirements and a correction to C2.1 Programme structure, to include reference to the additional compulsory subjects that are not part of the national curriculum in ITT curriculums for primary trainees.

  4. ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’ updated to reflect changes to the ITT general mentor training time requirements, and additional clarifications on the 80% contact ratio time requirement for part-time ITT courses.

  5. Updates to ‘Initial teacher training (ITT): criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’, as follows. Removed out-of-date references in C1.3 Suitability and C3.3 Legislation. Clarified time allowances in C1.4 ITT Recruitment practices. Added a footnote to Table 1 in C2.1 Programme structure. Clarified references and expectations to support part-time courses and flexibility in C2.4 School placements and C2.5 Mentoring. Updated the resource link in C3.1 Management. Clarified the wording on Teachers’ Standards in C3.4 Quality assurance. Removed 'Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice - 2023 to 2024'.

  6. Updates to ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’: updated ‘Fee-charging arrangements’ to reflect changes to funding regulations. Updated C1.2 Degree criteria to correct reference to the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). Changes have been made for clarity in C1.4 ITT recruitment practices for reference checks, and in C2.2 Intensive training and practice for intensive training and practice taking place in placement schools. Updated C2.5 Mentoring to clarify consideration of prior learning, and added footnote to minimum time allocations table. Renamed C2.6 from ‘Assessment of programmes’ to ‘Assessment’. Hyperlinks have been updated throughout the document.

  7. Updated the 'Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice 2023 to 2024’. Section C.2.3 School placements reintroduces the reference to suggested timings for placements in schools/education settings. This was in previous versions of the criteria and remains as suggested timing for 2023 to 2024.

  8. Updated ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2023 to 2024’ for the academic year. Made changes across criteria to make them clearer. Added C1.4 ITT recruitment practices. Renamed C2.3, from 'Training in schools' to 'School placements'. Moved separate sections C1.4 Professional skills tests, C4.1 Employment, C4.2 Admissions, and C4.3 Teaching into relevant parts of the criteria. Added ‘Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice – 2024 to 2025’.

  9. Updated section C1.2 Degree criteria with information about accepting candidates whose graduate status is delayed.

  10. Updated for the 2022 to 2023 academic year. COVID-19 guidance has also been removed and criterion C1.3 has been updated.

  11. Added information to support providers who could not meet school placement criteria in 2021 to 2022 academic year because of COVID-19 disruption.

  12. Updated to reflect that this current guidance applies to accredited providers delivering ITT courses until 31 August 2024. After this date, new published ITT criteria and quality requirements will be in place.

  13. We updated section 'C2.3 Training in schools' of the guidance about the requirement for training to take place wholly or mainly in England.

  14. Revised guidance to revert to pre-COVID-19 advice.

  15. Updated ITT criteria in line with the coronavirus (COVID-19) amendment to the School Teacher Qualification Regulations that came into force in April 2021.

  16. Update to C1.3 Other background checks section. Added links to Changes to checks for EU sanctions on EEA teachers and Recruit teachers from overseas.

  17. Updated temporary guidance changes due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

  18. Temporary guidance changes due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

  19. Guidance updated based on current public health advice, to help initial teacher training (ITT) providers reduce the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on their ITT provision.

  20. We have added temporary changes to this guidance due to coronavirus (COVID-19).

  21. Updated information about the withdrawal of accreditation criteria.

  22. Edits to reflect the new ITT core content framework.

  23. Edits to reflect the changes to skills tests.

  24. Updated the criteria and supporting advice.

  25. Updated to add information on fee charging and student support for part-time courses.

  26. Updated the legislation that providers must follow and to which this advice refers.

  27. Updated guidance for the 2019 to 2020 academic year.

  28. There have been no changes to the statutory requirements since the last publication. Updated Accreditation section, updated supporting advice (C1.1, C1.2, C1.3 and C2.1) and updated language throughout.

  29. Initial teacher training criteria and supporting advice attachment updated.

  30. Update statutory guidance document to include supporting advice.

  31. This is an update to the previous ITT criteria document, which takes into account amendments to criteria 2.2, 2.3, and 4.1.

  32. Updated PDF uploaded

  33. First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Initial teacher training: criteria and supporting advice, 2026 to 2027

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This advice is for:

  • accredited ITT providers and their partners
  • Ofsted

It sets out what accredited ITT providers should do as a condition of their accreditation.

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