the general teaching council of england

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

• To be considered fully qualified to teach in England a teacher must attain QTS

• QTS is a set of standards laid down by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) and supported by regulation

• Those awarded QTS must be able to demonstrate proficiency against all the required standards

• In addition to meeting the teaching standards, the QTS requirements also lay down the minimum entry requirements for the teaching profession

Key features of QTS

• holders must be educated to degree or equivalent level

• holders must be able to demonstrate competence in the following areas:

a) Professional Values and Practice

b) Knowledge and Understanding

c) Teaching

• full details of the QTS standard are available at www.tda.gov.uk

How to obtain QTS?

QTS can be obtained in one of two ways

2) by completing a TDA approved course of teacher training

3) or by having existing teaching qualifications or experience recognised through one of the approved routes to QTS such as Council Directive 2005/36/ EC

Recognition of existing teaching qualifications or experienceStatutory regulations provide for teachers in the following categories to have their qualifications and experience assessed for QTS purposes:

• Scottish trained teachers

• Northern Ireland trained teachers

• EEA trained teachers

Induction

Since 7th May 1999 all Newly Qualified Teachers(NQTs) are required to complete a statutory induction period.

Only teachers who hold QTS can undertake an Induction period

The induction period is usually three schoolterms and once completed the NQT is considered to be fully qualified.

Any NQT who fails induction is not allowed to take up aposition as a qualified teacher in England and is ineligible to register with the GTCE.

Teachers from England exercising their right to free

movement under Council Directive 2005/36/EC

• Teachers from England should hold a QTS certificate or letter from the GTCE confirming their status

• If a teacher is required to undertake Induction in England they will also have an Induction certificate or letter confirming that they hold QTS and have passed Induction

• For the purposes of the directive an English qualified teacher must hold QTS and have passed Induction

• Confirmation of their status can be provided by the GTCE

Differences within the UK

The UK is made up of four separate jurisdictions.• England• Northern Ireland• Scotland• Wales

Each jurisdiction has separate regulations governing the

teaching profession and how teachers qualify.

Application process for QTS under Council Directive 2005/36/EC

The GTCE took over the administration of QTS awards from the Department for Education and Skills in June 2001.

As part of this role the GTCE has become the competent authority for the teaching profession in England.

There is currently no fee for assessing foreign (EEA) teaching qualifications for QTS purposes within the 05/36 framework.

The is no requirement for teachers seeking QTS through 05/36 to complete an adaptation period or sit anaptitude test.


Once the applicant has received their application form

they should read the guidance notes carefully and

complete the form in full returning it to the GTC with

the required supporting documentation.

GTCE acknowledges receipt of the form and informs the applicant of the date it was received and hence the date on which the four month processing time commences.


The GTCE will process the application in line with

standard directive requirements and best practices. • In line with the directive the GTCE responds to all

applicants who have missing documents. This response is issued within one month of the application being received.


On receipt of an application for QTS from a teacher in the EEA we first check that all supporting documentation is in place and that the form has been completed in full.

For national identification we accept the photocopies of the following passport, national ID card, birth certificate etc.

For each relevant qualification we require a photocopy of the certificate and a certified translation


Once we have established that the application form is complete we move into the assessment phase. Working through a tick list we systematically check that all regulatory requirements have been met.

Check 1 Nationality

To establish entitlement to recognition through 05/36 we check nationality by requesting sight of passport, national ID card etc.


Check 2 Qualifications

Qualifications are assessed to ensure they lead to an entitlement to teach as a qualified teacher in the country of origin.

To establish the standing and equivalence of specific qualifications we use the following resources

• UK NARIC

• Eurydice

• case files and precedents


Check 2 Qualifications (cont)

• EEA Contacts – IMI

Check 3 Mandatory Induction/Probation period

Many countries require newly qualified teachers to complete a period of supervised employment before they can be considered fully qualified. Before awarding QTS we must establish if this employment has been successfully completed.


Check 3 Mandatory Induction/Probation period(cont)

Examples include:• Austria Unterrichtspraktikum (Introductory year)• France CAPES (2nd year practical experience)• ROI the completion of a probationary period

If, after completion of the above checks the applicant meets the required standards, QTS can be awarded.


QTS Award

Successful applicants will be awarded QTS. They will be exempt from the requirement to serve an induction period and will receive a certificate confirming this fact.

They will also be allocated a unique teacher reference number that will identify them throughout their teaching career in England.

Once QTS has been awarded the teacher is free to seek employment as a qualified teacher in England.

Common reasons for failure

• Not completed induction year or equivalent (France, practical year of CAPES or ROI probation period not completed)

• Not a national of the EEA • Not trained in regulated age range (pre-school

(Finland) or further education(Sweden))• Special Needs trained

Common problems

Once QTS has been awarded it cannot be removed. Teachers from the EU sometimes find it difficult to gain jobs due to a lack of specific experience. They then wish to enrol on a course of Initial Teacher Training but do not qualify as they already have QTS.

QTS through 05/36 is essentially a recognition of academic achievement and experience. As no other considerations are taken into account there is a danger that convicted criminals will be awarded QTS. It is left to employers in England to make appropriate checks on a teachers suitability before they make an appointment.

Special Needs teachers

• England – gain QTS and then gain qualifications aimed at working in special needs sector

• special needs teachers in England are able to teach all children in all types of state school

• GTCE receives applications from teachers who are trained to only teach special needs children – e.g. Polish and Hungarian applicants

• GTCE is unable to award QTS to these applicants

Breakdown of QTS awards made under directive 2005/36 between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2010

68266Bulgaria

471631Italy

110Iceland

1426136Hungary

73370Greece

29920Germany

301020France

615Finland

725Estonia

918Denmark

26125Czech Republic

1257Cyprus

817Belgium

1019Austria

Total applications receivedUnsuccessfulQTS AwardsEEA

26914255Romania

2370EEA Totals Only

82014Switzerland

48414Sweden

8921393Spain

10013Slovenia

92269Slovakia

4299123Republic of Ireland

83224Portugal

71131644Poland

10002Norway

94320Netherlands

100010Malta

000Luxembourg

83630Lithuania

000Liechtenstein

85117Latvia

Code of Conduct – Best Practice

• European Employment Services (EURES) contact details provided

• GTCE does not charge for assessing applications and awarding QTS

• Only essential documents require certified translations

• Majority of applications processed in under 2 months• Unsuccessful applicants advised of their right to

appeal the GTCE’s decision

Changes - 1 April 2012

• From the 1 April 2012 the GTCE will no longer exist• Teaching Agency will award QTS and will be the

competent authority for EEA work• Envisaged there will be no change to procedures

Thank you

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