DfE: Additions to partnership guidance (Feb 2023)

Summary

Further guidance from the DfE on new partnerships.

Additions to Partnership guidance

1. Curriculum Development

Curriculum for post graduate ITT courses

Accredited providers will be accountable for the content and delivery of post graduate courses leading to QTS (although the delivery itself may be undertaken by a lead partner) and for ensuring the CCF and the new quality requirements are incorporated in full. Any organisations in a partnership may have some involvement in the development of the ITT programme and, in some cases, the accredited provider may wish to delegate aspects of their course design to lead partners.

Given the focus on curriculum design in the new Quality Requirements, it is important that every trainee within the ITT partnership gains the benefits of the high-quality and coherent curriculum that has been designed. Regardless of where the curriculum is being delivered, the accredited provider will be responsible for the delivery of all curricula in their partnership and for ensuring they meet the Core Content Framework and the Quality Requirements in full. As such, we would expect one core curriculum to be delivered across a partnership for each single phase and subject. It is up to the accredited provider to allow any flexibility or variation in the curriculum across the partnership and ensuring they meet all the requirement, including full incorporation of the CCF and Quality Requirements. All curriculum delivery within a partnership is within the remit of the Ofsted inspection and the accredited provider will be accountable for all ITT content and delivery throughout the partnership and should ensure they have robust quality assurance processes in place to ensure consistently high quality ITT.

Curriculum for undergraduate ITT courses

We expect that across a partnership there will be some universal core elements to undergraduate ITT courses for each phase and subject across a partnership.

Accredited providers may delegate the development and/or delivery of undergraduate degree content and academic award to lead partners registered with the Office for Students, as long as they have clear and robust quality assurance processes in place to ensure consistently high-quality ITT courses. For undergraduate programmes, the accredited provider will make recommendations for QTS at the end of the course and will be accountable for all content and delivery throughout the course that relate to QTS recommendation and for fully incorporating the CCF and ITT Quality Requirements.

2. Lead Partners working with multiple accredited providers of ITT

Lead partners will continue to play a critical role in the design and delivery of ITT. Strong, stable partnership arrangements are therefore critical to implementing the Quality Requirements. We understand that there may be circumstances where a lead partner chooses to work with more than one accredited provider in order to be involved in ITT delivery across the phases and subjects that they require.

When lead partners work with more than one accredited provider, they will need to carefully consider mentor workload. All ITT mentors should understand the ITT curriculum of the trainees that they support. Mentor training must therefore be closely aligned to the accredited provider’s ITT curriculum. ITT partnership arrangements will need to ensure that the training expectations and workload placed on individual mentors is realistic.

3. Student registration, degree awarding powers and student fees across ITT partnerships

Ensuring sufficient ITT national and geographical coverage is a strategic priority of the ITT reforms and DfE wants to ensure that partnership arrangements can be facilitated to maximise the availability of ITT across England.

Ultimately, it is at the accredited ITT provider’s discretion how roles are delegated across partnerships, and it is the accredited provider who is accountable for the delivery of all ITT across their partnerships.

For undergraduate or post graduate ITT, there is nothing in the regulations that would prevent accredited providers delegating:

· degree awarding powers to a lead partner registered with the OfS;

· applications to undergraduate courses through UCAS to be delegated to a lead partner registered with OfS; or

· the setting and receiving of student fees to a lead partner registered with the OfS.

Undergraduate ITT

UG ITT academic award and accountability

For undergraduate programmes, the accredited ITT provider will make recommendations for QTS at the end of the course and will be ultimately accountable for all elements throughout the programme that relate to the QTS recommendation. While we recognise that it will not always be possible to draw a clear distinction between aspects of programmes relating to the awarding of an undergraduate degree and making recommendations for QTS, compliance with regulatory requirements in respect of academic awards (e.g., to the QAA and OFS) can rest with the delivery partner that awards the undergraduate degree rather than with the accredited provider. It is the responsibility of the accredited provider to agree roles with their partners which must be clearly set out in formal partnership agreements.

Ofsted will inspect all TT courses being delivered within the partnership as part of the inspection of the accredited provider. For undergraduate ITT, Ofsted will inspect undergraduate courses in the same way that they do now, where they look at trainees/students’ experiences across the 3 or 4 years. Inspection will ensure the CCF and the Quality Requirements are incorporated in full into all ITT leading to QTS.

Marketing and applications

Applications for undergraduate ITT go through UCAS. Where both the accredited provider and the lead partner are HE institutions, it is at the discretion of the accredited provider to determine which institution handles applications for undergraduate ITT leading to QTS. However, consideration should be given to ensuring that application processes are as straightforward as possible for trainees, and that there is no confusion about where the training will take place and where the student will be registered and studying. Marketing and branding must be clear on who the accredited provider is, so it is always clear to candidates and trainees who is accountable for an ITT course. Organisations involved in the delivery of ITT should not be misrepresenting their role in the delivery of ITT, so no organisation should be marketing, naming or in any other way presenting themselves as an accredited provider unless they have been accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024. Further guidance on this will be published in later this term.

Funding

The accredited provider may delegate the setting and receiving of fees to the HEI that is awarding the degree.

Post Graduate ITT

PGITT Academic award and accountability

Only the accredited provider can make recommendations for the award QTS, however, if a lead partner has degree awarding powers, there is nothing in the ITT regulations or the HE regulations that would prevent a lead partner from being the awarding body for a PGCE. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the accredited provider to agree roles with their partners.

Marketing and applications

As with undergraduate ITT – accredited providers have the discretion to delegate responsibilities, including recruitment and managing applications, to their lead partners, through the Apply digital service. Marketing and branding must be clear on who the accredited provider is, so it is always clear to candidates and trainees who is accountable for an ITT course. Organisations involved in the delivery of ITT should not be misrepresenting their role in the delivery of ITT, so no organisation should be marketing, naming or in any other way presenting themselves as an accredited provider unless they have been accredited to deliver ITT from September 2024. Further guidance on this will be published in later this term.

Funding

DfE will continue to award specific course designation to accredited providers who are not registered with the Office for Students for eligible courses or programmes of Initial Teacher Training leading to QTS in England.

In partnerships where a lead partner is registered with the Office for Students, there is nothing to prevent the accredited provider delegating the setting and receiving of student fees to the lead partner. However, any such arrangements are at the discretion of the accredited provider.

It will not be possible for accredited providers to delegate the responsibility for fees to a non-OfS registered lead partner.

HE Data Collection

For both undergraduate and post graduate courses where the accredited provider and the lead partner are both HEIs, arrangements must give due consideration to ensuring clarity around Office for Student’s data collection and surveys, and how particular trainee teacher/students data and surveys are capture&