UCET's statement on the outcomes of Round 1, Stage 2 of the Market Review

29 September 2022

We are pleased that more than 80% of UCET members have been successfully accredited. We are however extremely concerned that a number of high quality, long-established and tried and tested ITE providers have not been successful. This will have a negative impact on teacher supply and on the life chances of children in the areas concerned. We are disappointed that constructive and pragmatic suggestions from UCET, which would have allowed DfE to meet its stated policy objectives while at the same time securing the teacher supply base, have been ignored. The accreditation process was both unnecessary and flawed. The quality of ITE programmes that do not even exist yet cannot be accurately assessed through a paper-based exercise involving subjective judgements being made. DfE are assuming that any gaps in teacher supply resulting from this exercise will be met through the accreditation of new providers and the expansion of existing suppliers, ignoring the fact that new providers are untested and that significant barriers will prevent others from growing their provision to any meaningful extent. Neither is there any guarantee that student teachers who would have gone to providers that have lost their accreditation will be willing to train elsewhere, or that the schools that work with those providers will be willing to join new partnerships. UCET will support any actions taken by its members in response to the accreditation results, including those who plan to diversify away from QTS provision, engage in legal challenge or adjust their provision in the light of the new markets.