The length of teaching apprenticeships will be cut to get more new teachers into the classroom sooner.
From August, the duration of postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) courses will be reduced to nine months, down from 12 months, the Department for Education has announced.
The move comes after Labour pledged during its election campaign to recruit an additional 6,500 new expert teachers over the course of its five-year parliamentary term.
More than 1,400 people trained to teach via the apprenticeship route this year, but around 2,800 were unable to secure a place last year owing to the high demand for places, the DfE said.
It added that courses will still offer the same high-quality content but at a reduced length, with trainees gaining qualified teacher status (QTS) after they have completed the programme.
The PGTA courses currently run from September to September, which means trainees typically have to wait months before starting their careers.
Government ‘plugging the gaps’
Schools minister Catherine McKinnell said: “Bringing teaching apprenticeships in line with the school year is not only logical, it will open the doors for more and more people to become brilliant teachers, shaping the lives of the next generation.”
She added: “Recruiting and keeping high-quality teachers in our classrooms is the single biggest driver of high standards in schools, which is why our plan for change has a clear commitment to recruit an additional 6,500 expert teachers by the end of this Parliament.
“Our schools are crying out for more expert teachers, and this government will continue to pull every lever it can to plug the gaps and build on the green shoots we are already seeing.”
The government is offering schools up to £28,000 to cover the cost of training apprentices in mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, computing and modern foreign languages.
‘An act of common sense’
Reuben Moore, executive director of programmes at the National Institute of Teaching, said: “The hands-on learning offered alongside critical reflection through the apprenticeship route means that trainees can become fully qualified teachers in less time, without compromising on the quality of teaching or educational outcomes.
“We welcome the government’s efforts on removing barriers to this important training route, not only focusing on its impact but the opportunity to grow it further and help ensure that all children have access to an excellent education.”
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said: “Bringing the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship calendar in line with all other teacher training programmes is a welcome move and an act of common sense.
“It is extremely challenging for schools to support trainees properly in the current funding environment.”
He added: “Clearly, if the deep problems in teacher retention are not solved then there will be fewer experienced teachers to support the new entrants.
“The government needs a plan not just for recruitment but retention also, and one that properly addresses the real-terms funding shortfall that schools have endured for far too long.”
The importance of support
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The most important thing is that apprentices continue to receive high-quality support and training during their course so that the profession has confidence in employing them once they have achieved QTS.
“The reason why there are such a limited number of apprenticeship places available is largely due to the demand they place on employers. There are workload implications for the school as a whole, as well as individual teachers and the apprentice themselves, and this needs to be supported with appropriate investment.”
He said that shortening the apprenticeship so that it is contained within a single academic year “will make this easier to accommodate”, but added “the fact remains that apprenticeships are only a suitable route into teaching for a relatively small number of people”.
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