Apply to provide international qualified teacher status

Overview

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

iQTS will be in its pilot phase from September 2022 to summer 2023. The first year of the wider roll-out will start in September 2023. Applications are now open to providers that wish to deliver a training programme in the second year of the wider roll-out, which starts in September 2024.

DfE has approved 6 providers to deliver the pilot phase and an additional 8 to join the first year of the wider roll-out. We will approve and announce the additional providers for the second year of the wider roll-out by September 2023.

There will be 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.

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

Apply to deliver iQTS

Timeline

Event	Dates
Additional providers submit an application to deliver a programme in the second year of the wider roll-out of iQTS	By midday on 26 May 2023
DfE evaluates additional provider applications	By July 2023
DfE announces approved additional providers	By September 2023

Eligibility

To apply to join the second year of the wider roll-out of iQTS, providers have to already be accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS in England. They need to 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 not been inspected.

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

How we will select additional providers

Applicants must demonstrate:

• a successful domestic ITT offer
• sufficient capacity to design and deliver a high-quality iQTS programme in a limited period (that is, in time to recruit candidates for courses beginning in September 2024)
• existing international relationships or partnerships to assist in the delivery of iQTS, or details as to how these would be developed

What approved providers need to do

Approved providers must:

• 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

How we will score applications

Each application will be given a score. The total potential score is 35.

If you exceed the specified word limit for any answer, any words over that limit will not be considered.

If you score 2 or less on any question, your application will be automatically removed from the process.

Question 2 is double-weighted – for example, if we score you 3, we will double that to 6.

We will score your application using the following criteria.

Assessment	Marks	Criteria
Excellent	5 (pass)	A comprehensive response that answers the question in full, addresses the key points and provides evidence to demonstrate that the ITT provider has the knowledge, experience, capability, resources and capacity to meet or exceed the requirement. Demonstrates an excellent understanding and high level of confidence, with no concerns or omissions identified.
Good	4 (pass)	A good response that answers the question, addresses the key points and provides evidence to demonstrate that the ITT provider has the knowledge, experience, capability, resources and capacity to meet the requirement. Demonstrates a good understanding and level of confidence. The response may include some minor concerns or omissions, but these are not considered to present a risk or have an impact on service delivery.
Minor omissions	3 (pass)	The response answers the question, but may not have fully addressed the key points or provided enough evidence to fully demonstrate that the ITT provider has the knowledge, experience, capability, resources or capacity to meet the requirement. Demonstrates a satisfactory understanding and level of confidence. The response may include some concerns or omissions that are considered to present an element of risk or that may have an impact on service delivery but can be reasonably managed or resolved.
Major omissions	2 (fail)	The response does not answer the question in full and fails to address all the key points or provide relevant evidence to demonstrate that the ITT provider has the knowledge, experience, capability, resources or capacity to meet the requirement. Demonstrates a lack of understanding or confidence. The response includes concerns or omissions that are considered to present a risk or would have an impact on service delivery requiring significant intervention to manage or resolve.
Unacceptable	1 (fail)	The response fails to answer the question, does not address the key points or provide evidence to demonstrate that the ITT provider has the required knowledge, experience, capability, resources or capacity, and the requirement is unlikely to be met. Demonstrates a lack of understanding or confidence. The response includes significant concerns or omissions that are considered to represent an unacceptable level of risk or would have a detrimental impact on service delivery.
No answer provided	0 (fail)	No answer provided.

How we will support providers

We will support providers in the initial years of wider roll-out and:

• appoint a relationship manager for each provider to ensure they have a named individual from the iQTS programme team with whom to discuss general queries and any concerns
• schedule regular workshops to highlight progress, successes and any potential blockers that providers may have
• survey providers, trainees, mentors and schools on the delivery of iQTS

We will host a start-up meeting shortly after we notify approved providers.

Security of data

We expect 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.

Next steps

We will announce the providers we have approved for the second year of the wider roll-out by September 2023. We will then ask approved providers to sign an agreement of mutual expectations.

No DfE funding is available for the wider roll-out and providers will be participating at their own risk.

We will invite providers to set their own course fees, with the expectation that they will be affordable in a number of global settings, so that iQTS is an attainable qualification worldwide.

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

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 procedures we will put in place for the withdrawal of iQTS approval status is as follows:

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.