Initial Teacher Training (ITT): programme guide

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is a practical route into teaching that leads to a recommendation for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) when you successfully complete the programme. You train in two placement schools, learn in the classroom from the first day and join a national network of trainees.

Who can apply for Initial Teacher Training

Initial Teacher Training is suitable for graduates from any subject who are ready to begin a teaching career. You could be a recent graduate looking for your first role or someone changing career, provided you meet the entry requirements.

To apply, you must already live in England and have the right to live, work and study in England. Best Practice Network (BPN) does not offer visa sponsorship.

How long the programme takes

The full-time Initial Teacher Training programme runs over three terms, or about 11 months. You must train for at least 30 hours each week.

You spend four days each week in school and one day attending online or in-person training. There is also an induction before the school term begins.

A flexible part-time Primary and Secondary route is available, although only selected Secondary subjects are offered part-time. It follows the same curriculum and has the same outcomes as the full-time programme but is delivered over 18 months, allowing you to balance training with other commitments.

What qualifications you need

You will normally need:

• An honours degree at 2:2 or above from a United Kingdom higher education institution, or an equivalent qualification.
• General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) English and maths at grade 4 (C) or above, or equivalent qualifications.
• For Primary and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) training, GCSE science at grade 4 (C) or above, or an equivalent qualification.

GCSE equivalency tests can be accepted. Functional Skills and Key Skills qualifications do not meet Initial Teacher Training entry requirements because they do not cover the same breadth as GCSEs, even though they are Level 2 qualifications.

What happens if you do not have GCSEs

You can apply if you do not currently have the required GCSEs, but you will need to take GCSE equivalency tests. Speak to Best Practice Network about the available options and preferred providers.

Whether an ordinary or third-class degree is accepted

Best Practice Network will consider applicants who hold an ordinary or third-class degree, as well as applicants with a 2:2, 2:1 or first-class honours degree.

However, you must hold an honours degree and be eligible for student finance to qualify for a Secondary bursary.

Whether an overseas degree is accepted

An overseas degree can be accepted if you obtain a UK ENIC Statement of Comparability and the qualification meets the government’s entry regulations for the teaching profession.

ENIC stands for the European Network of Information Centres

Best Practice Network does not have degree-awarding powers. As an accredited Initial Teacher Training provider, it must show that every entrant meets the academic requirements set by the Department for Education (DfE), including when assessing eligibility for a bursary.

If you hold a non-UK qualification, independent verification must confirm that it is equivalent to a UK degree that meets Initial Teacher Training entry requirements. The recognised method of verification is an ENIC Statement of Comparability.

If your ENIC Statement of Comparability does not confirm that your degree is equivalent to an honours degree, Best Practice Network cannot accept other evidence of bursary eligibility unless it comes from an organisation with degree-awarding powers. Best Practice Network cannot replace this requirement with its own academic judgement or with external assurances.

Providers with degree-awarding powers may sometimes conduct their own academic assessment of overseas qualifications, but Best Practice Network is not permitted to do this. Without an ENIC Statement of Comparability confirming that your degree is an honours degree, Best Practice Network cannot confirm your bursary eligibility, regardless of your academic or professional background.

Whether a master’s degree without a bachelor’s degree is accepted

A master’s degree without a bachelor’s degree is accepted only if you can provide evidence of academic engagement equivalent in breadth and duration to a first degree. This would typically cover at least three years.

What is assessed before you start

The selection process assesses your competence in spoken and written English as part of deciding whether you are suitable for the programme.

Any offer is conditional on completing:

• Health checks.
• An enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
• A mandatory online safeguarding course before training begins.

Whether you need previous school experience

Previous school experience is not essential, but it can strengthen your application and help you understand the role of a teacher.

If you volunteer in a school, the school may ask you to complete a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Apply early because these checks can take time.

How school placements work

Best Practice Network aims to place you within approximately one hour’s travel from your home. Your circumstances are considered when finding a suitable school setting.

On the full-time route, you train mainly in a host school, known as School A, for around 30 weeks. In the spring term, you complete a contrasting six-week placement in a different school, known as School B.

Induction and taught training take place throughout the full-time programme. You do not teach independently for four days a week from the beginning: your teaching load increases during the year, and you may initially team-teach or support groups in a way similar to a teaching assistant before taking on more independent teaching.

On the part-time route, you spend your first year in one school and your final year in a second, contrasting school.

What English and maths skills you must maintain

All student teachers must maintain their fundamental English and maths skills, regardless of the qualifications they already hold.

The Department for Education’s Initial Teacher Training criteria require providers to ensure that student teachers can demonstrate competence in:

• English, including speaking and listening, reading and writing.
• Maths.

You must address any gaps or shortfalls in these skills in addition to completing the other parts of your training.

The Initial Teacher Training curriculum includes opportunities to practise and develop speaking, listening, reading and writing. You demonstrate these skills through activities such as writing reflections, engaging with research and delivering presentations.

You must also complete a GCSE Maths Higher Course to practise your maths skills and ensure they remain at GCSE level, regardless of your previous qualifications. Your personal tutor can guide you through this course.

Which phases and subjects you can train to teach

Primary trainees choose either the 3-to-7 or 5-to-11 age range. Both options lead to Qualified Teacher Status across the Primary phase and include special educational needs provision.

Secondary trainees specialise in a subject such as:

• English.
• Maths.
• Chemistry.
• Biology.
• Computing.
• Geography.
• French.
• Spanish.

Secondary trainees must teach in two schools before they can be recommended for Qualified Teacher Status.

What qualification you receive

Qualified Teacher Status is the qualification you need to be employed as a qualified teacher in England. A Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) is an additional academic award offered by some providers, but it is not required for employment as a qualified teacher.

Best Practice Network offers Qualified Teacher Status only and does not offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Education.

Which training routes are available

Best Practice Network offers postgraduate fee-funded and employment-based apprenticeship routes. It does not offer an undergraduate Qualified Teacher Status route or an assessment-only route.

The fee-funded route is unsalaried and is typically financed through a student loan. On the apprenticeship route, your employer pays you a salary and the programme fees are covered through the Apprenticeship Levy.

Whether Early Years Teacher Status holders can apply

If you already hold Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), you can pursue Qualified Teacher Status. If your current setting includes Key Stage 1 or above, the apprenticeship route may be worth considering.

Residency requirements for the apprenticeship route

If you have recently moved to the United Kingdom, you may be eligible for the apprenticeship route if you have the right to work, such as through settlement status, and have lived in the United Kingdom for the previous three years.

How much the programme costs

For the current Initial Teacher Training tuition fee, visit the relevant programme page on the Best Practice Network website. 

What loans may be available

Home and European Economic Area (EEA) students may be eligible for a tuition fee loan from Student Finance England. Home students living in England may also be eligible for a maintenance loan towards living costs.

Repayments begin only when you are in full-time employment and earning above the applicable threshold. Check the programme page on the Best Practice Network website for current student finance information and the repayment threshold. 

Whether bursaries and scholarships are available

Bursaries and scholarships are available for selected Secondary subjects. Check the current guidance at https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/funding-and-support/scholarships-and-bursaries.

When you may need Subject Knowledge Enhancement

If you apply for a Secondary specialism and need to strengthen your subject knowledge, completing a Department for Education-funded Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) course may be a condition of your offer. This may apply if you have been away from the subject, hold a degree in a related subject or need additional language knowledge.

An SKE bursary may be available to eligible candidates. Check current course and bursary information at https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/how-to-apply-for-teacher-training/subject-knowledge-enhancement.

You can apply for an SKE course with the provider of your choice only after accepting a teacher training offer that requires you to complete one. The SKE provider will contact Best Practice Network, as your training provider, to confirm your eligibility.

How to understand the role before applying

Before applying, review the Student Teacher Role Description and Person Specification linked from the programme page. These documents set out the duties, competencies and personal attributes Best Practice Network looks for in trainees.https://www.bestpracticenet.co.uk/initial-teacher-training