Assessment Only Route to QTS

Program Overview

Assessment Only Route to QTS

Overview

The Assessment Only route provides a fast-track route for experienced practitioners in school to gain qualified teacher status without the need for further training. It is ideal for those practitioners with significant and current experience of teaching in a school setting who can demonstrate that they continue to meet the Teachers’ Standards for the award of QTS.

Key features

• The Assessment Only route is work-based and allows you to demonstrate that you have already met and can continue to meet the Teachers’ Standards for the award of QTS, without the need for further training.
• Each unqualified teacher enters the Assessment Only route with unique knowledge, skills and experience of teaching across at least two different settings.
• Following an initial assessment, you will build up an electronic portfolio of evidence to demonstrate your capability to meet the Teachers’ Standards.
• You will be assessed by experienced phase/subject specific specialists.
• Your school will need to commit to offering you with an Assessment Only advocate who will provide evidence of your capabilities during the assessment period.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

To be eligible for the Assessment Only programme you will need to be working in a school setting and have had:

• Teaching responsibility* as an unqualified teacher for at least 2 years
• Taught in a minimum of two different schools (for a minimum of 6 weeks)
• Taught across two consecutive age ranges within the Primary or Secondary phase
• Have support from your current employer

*This includes planning, delivering and assessing.

Other information

You will need to have a first degree or equivalent qualification. If you are yet to complete an undergraduate course, you may wish to consider one of our undergraduate pathways into teaching.

You will need to hold a standard equivalent to grade 4 or above in GCSE English and Maths. For applicants applying to the primary phase, a standard equivalent to grade 4 or above in GCSE Science is also required. If you don’t have one of these, you can take an equivalency test to provide you with your missing qualification.

Course content

Mandatory module

Teaching and assessment

Contact time

For the duration of the assessment period, you will be teaching in your current setting while continuing to demonstrate the Teachers’ Standards and enhancing your evidence in school engaging in teaching and learning related activity and collecting evidence against the Teachers’ Standards.

Independent self study

As with any teacher, you will be required to undertake some professional development including reading, research and reflection. This will support your portfolio of evidence and this will be bespoke to the individual candidate.

Duration

A maximum of 12 weeks.

Teaching staff

Assessment throughout the course will be undertaken by our team of experienced tutors from the Institute of Education with relevant subject and phase expertise.

Assessment

Following your application, you will be invited to an initial online interview. In preparation for this you will be asked to complete a number of audits, including one against the Teachers’ Standards which will require you to gather evidence.

If successful during this initial assessment of your suitability, there will be a second interview within your school setting which will include a lesson observation. This will spark an evidence enhancement plan for the assessment period.

Throughout the assessment period you will have bi-weekly lesson observations from your Assessment Only advocate, as you work together to enhance your evidence of the Teachers’ Standards. You will add this to your electronic portfolio with other evidence e.g. professional development activities.

The final assessment will also include a lesson observation as well as a review of your electronic portfolio and Meeting the Teachers’ Standards Audit.

On successful completion of the Assessment Only Route, you will be recommended for the award of QTS to the Department of Education.

Careers

Employability

Assessment Only teachers will either continue in their employing school as a qualified teacher or look for employment in another school. The Assessment Only route recognises AO teachers' directly transferable skills and understanding of the contexts in which they are currently employed, which is also the setting in which they undertake their formal assessment period. This provides them with directly transferable skills and understanding of the contexts in which they will be employed in the future.

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees