Guidance

Apply to provide international qualified teacher status

Information for English initial teacher training (ITT) providers about the Department for Education international qualified teacher status roll-out.

From:
Department for Education
Published
15 November 2021
Last updated
21 November 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England

Applications to provide an international qualified teacher status (iQTS) programme from September 2024 are now closed. The application window will open again in 2024 for delivery from academic year 2025 to 2026.

Overview

The iQTS is a new international teaching qualification. It is recognised by the Department for Education (DfE) as equivalent to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England. Further information is available in the introducing iQTS policy paper.

The iQTS pilot ran from September 2022 to summer 2023. The first year of the wider roll-out started in September 2023. The second year will start in September 2024.

There are already 14 providers delivering iQTS and an additional 4 providers approved to start delivering from September 2024.

There is no cap on trainee numbers in the wider roll-out phase, but providers must seek additional permission from DfE if they wish to recruit more than 200 trainees.

No DfE funding is available for the delivery of the iQTS programme. Providers participate at their own risk.

We expect providers to set their own course fees, which should be affordable in a number of global settings, so that the iQTS programme is an attainable qualification worldwide.

Providers must deliver a training programme that meets the:

  • needs of candidates and providers
  • quality-control standards set by English ITT providers and DfE
  • practical, logistical and financial requirements to scale the training

Eligibility

To apply for the next iQTS approvals round, providers must already be accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS in England. Providers must have been successful in the reaccreditation process that took place as part of the ITT market reforms. Approval to deliver iQTS is an extension of ITT accreditation.

We will only accept applications from accredited providers that have an inspection rating of 1 (outstanding) or 2 (good) for their primary or secondary QTS provision.

We are unable to accept applications from recently accredited ITT providers that have yet to be inspected.

Providers that have taken part in the pilot year or the first or second years of wider roll-out do not need to apply again for approval.

What approved providers need to do

Approved providers must:

  • sign an agreement of mutual expectations
  • create a programme incorporating the iQTS version of the Core Content Framework (CCF) that meets the requirements in the iQTS criteria and allows trainees to meet the iQTS Teachers’ Standards, including the requirements that will come into force from 2024 in response to the ITT market reforms
  • produce a vision or mission statement for their programme
  • develop training for in-school mentors to support trainees
  • ensure trainees can feed back on the programme to raise any concerns, and share information on successes and challenges with DfE
  • award iQTS to all trainees who meet the iQTS Teachers’ Standards at the end of the course, and submit data accordingly to DfE

Security of data

DfE expects providers to treat and protect iQTS personal data in the same way as ITT data, in line with UK GDPR requirements. You will need to provide a copy of your security plan, if requested. It is agreed that statutory and other constraints on the exchange of information will be fully respected, including the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the Human Rights Act 1998, and any successor or amended legislation to the same.

Providers will be required to submit candidate data to DfE through the register trainee teachers service.

Withdrawal of iQTS approval

Approved iQTS providers must comply with the iQTS criteria and supporting information.

In all but the most serious cases of non-compliance, we will give providers the opportunity to address the problem before we start the formal process of withdrawing iQTS approval.

DfE may withdraw approval, if:

  • the provider loses their domestic (English) ITT accreditation
  • the provider fails to adhere to any DfE guidance relating to iQTS
  • provision is non-compliant with one or more of the specified iQTS criteria
  • the provider fails to comply with DfE data and reporting requirements
  • the provider ceases to offer provision
  • the provider fails to deliver the requirements they have set out in their submitted application
  • DfE has been presented with proof of non-compliance with a provider’s submitted application from a third party
  • the provider receives a grade 4 at iQTS inspection and subsequently fails the iQTS reinspection

Evidence of non-compliance might include:

  • DfE monitoring and evaluation
  • inspection feedback
  • feedback from schools, trainees, or providers themselves

In all but the most serious cases of non-compliance, DfE will give providers the opportunity to address the problem before we start the formal process of withdrawing your iQTS approval status.

Process for withdrawal

The timeline for the withdrawal of iQTS approval status is:

  1. We will contact you to tell you we have been presented with evidence of non-compliance and we are starting the withdrawal process.

  2. You will have 2 working days to acknowledge receipt of the email and advise us if you intend to ask for the decision to be reviewed. If you do not respond to this email, we will assume that you do not intend to challenge the decision.

  3. You will have an additional 5 working days to submit your grounds for the review. This must directly address the evidence of non-compliance we have been presented with and include any evidence you would like us to consider. You should email your evidence to iqts.policy@education.gov.uk.

  4. We will review the evidence you have provided within 2 working days. We’ll let you know if we can make a decision based on the documentation only, or if we intend to arrange a call to discuss.

  5. If we can make a decision on the documentation only, we will contact you within 2 working days to advise of the outcome. Either DfE will uphold the decision and your iQTS approval status will be withdrawn, or it will overturn the decision to withdraw your iQTS approval status. The latter may come with conditions that we will then arrange to discuss with you.

  6. If we do need to arrange a call with you to discuss the evidence you’ve provided, we will contact you with a date and time within 2 working days.

  7. Following this call, we will contact you within 2 working days to advise you of the outcome. Either DfE will uphold the decision and your iQTS approval status will be withdrawn, or it will overturn the decision to withdraw your iQTS approval status. The latter may come with conditions that we will then arrange to discuss with you.

  8. If your iQTS approval status is withdrawn, and depending on the reasons for this, we may allow you to continue to deliver iQTS until the end of the academic year, or we may arrange for another provider to take over the delivery of iQTS to your trainees.

  9. If you wish to request a reconsideration of our decision to withdraw iQTS approval, you must send your request to iqts.policy@education.gov.uk within 2 working days of us informing you of our decision to withdraw approval. Your email should outline the reasons for the request and provide any additional evidence you would like DfE to consider.

  10. The reconsideration of the decision will be led by a DfE official not involved in the original decision to withdraw and of at least equal grade to the official who took the withdrawal decision. You will be informed of this decision by email. This decision will be final and there will be no right to a further reconsideration.

  11. The decision to withdraw approval will not impact your domestic ITT accreditation.

Published 15 November 2021
Last updated 21 November 2023 + show all updates

  1. Updated dates and information about the second year of the wider roll-out.

  2. Updated to reflect end of pilot year.

  3. Guidance has been updated to show that applications are now closed.

  4. Added an application form for providers wishing to offer iQTS training, and the email address to which it should be sent. Corrected the date in 'The first year of wider roll-out will start in September 2024' to '2023'.

  5. Updated to reflect the application process for the academic year 2024 to 2025.

  6. Updated the attachment 'Withdrawing iQTS provider approval' to clarify that all providers need to be domestically accredited to deliver iQTS.

  7. Timelines have been updated to show that the deadline for providers to submit applications has now passed.

  8. Have added application form for approval to deliver iQTS.

  9. Updated the main page and the documents 'Withdrawing approval' and 'Terms and conditions' to provide information for the wider roll-out of iQTS. Updates confirm how the roll-out will work, the timetable for it and the requirement on providers to submit candidate data to DfE.

  10. Updated to reflect that applications to become pilot providers have now closed.

  11. First published.

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