Tighter scrutiny of FE teacher training to root out poor-quality courses has been put before MPs.
From April, providers of further education initial teacher training (ITT) must register with the government, submit mandatory student data and follow guidance on curriculum and delivery.
Skills minister Jacqui Smith said ITT providers needed more government scrutiny after finding “persistent” poor-quality provision.
Ofsted previously warned that some FE teacher trainees were being taught outdated concepts that lacked “evidence-based approaches”.
In a letter to the House of Commons education committee, Smith said the quality of teacher training in FE was subject to “much less direct scrutiny from government” compared to equivalent provision for schools.
The Further Education (initial teacher training) Regulations 2026 have now been presented to MPs, with a date for a vote yet to be set.
It follows a public consultation and commitments in the post-16 white paper to evidence-based training for budding FE teachers.
Statutory standards
FE teacher trainee figures and course provision are currently unregulated. Smith said the proposed legislation was the first step towards a clear regulatory framework for FE teacher training.
Once Parliament approves the changes, dozens of ITT providers delivering level 5, 6 and 7 courses will have to comply with statutory curriculum guidance and delivery standards.
The curriculum guidance outlines the professional behaviours, subject expertise and student progression that trainee teachers should learn and receive.
Providers should consider the advice “seriously”, and any organisation designing content contrary to the guidance would have to justify the reasons why.
FE employers, such as colleges, that recruit in-house trainees and pre-service FE ITT providers, must also ensure learners reach minimum standards in English, maths and digital skills and teach for at least 250 hours on placements.
Providers will also have to collect and report data on trainee outcomes and employment destinations with the Department for Education within six months of a learner’s completion.
“There have been unquestionably pockets of excellent practice in the FE teacher training sector,” Smith’s letter says.
“But there have also been instances where poor-quality provision has been allowed to persist, to the considerable detriment of both trainee teachers and their potential employers and students in the FE sector.”
The regulations will also require ministers to publish an annual report on FE ITT compliance, plus a list of appropriate courses and providers for students.
Evidence for high-quality teacher training
Officials have spent recent years seeking evidence to root out low-quality providers.
The government signalled incoming legislation in October when it opened a call for evidence of “relevant, high-quality theory and knowledge” to inform early career training for FE teachers.
The evidence was considered by an ITT expert advisory group chaired by Wigan and Leigh College principal Anna Dawe, who went on to recommend the proposed statutory guidance for FE teaching programmes.
Officials also launched a consultation in 2023 seeking to block funding for private teacher training providers that lacked partnerships with higher education providers.
The DfE said there was no evidence they delivered high-quality provision, or that they supplied “significant” numbers of FE teachers to the sector.
The proposal indicated 13 independent training providers would lose around £27 million in fee income and could affect nearly 4,500 students, according to 2022-23 student loans company data.
Meanwhile, ongoing FE teacher recruitment concerns were addressed in a teacher training policy document published alongside the schools white paper this week, which detailed strategies to boost secondary, special school and college teacher numbers by 6,500.
The DfE said it was “exploring” how the future high-potential ITT scheme – currently run by Teach First in schools – could give opportunities to trainees to gain experience in FE colleges.
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