Initial education for teachers in Wales may be referred to as initial teacher education (ITE); initial teacher education and training (ITET); or initial teacher training (ITT).

ITE prepares student teachers to meet the Welsh Government’s Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership and obtain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), the professional accreditation that is required for appointment as a qualified teacher in a maintained school. This article focuses on both of these, alongside providing brief information on the non-QTS route to leading / teaching in early childhood education and care through Children’s Care, Learning and Development Diplomas.

QTS is not age- or subject-specific, and teachers with QTS can legally be employed to teach any subject and any age range (3-19) catered for in maintained schools (including early years education and care / nursery classes). It is, however, usual for schools to appoint teachers trained for the relevant subject / age group. Providers of ITE must ensure that all those achieving QTS are able to teach across at least two consecutive key stages.

Both concurrent (undergraduate) and consecutive (postgraduate) programmes are available, and involve school experience. Learners may complete their ITE at one of three regional university centres or on an employment-based teacher training scheme whilst working in a school.

An academic qualification in education is also awarded on successful completion of most programmes leading to QTS.

The Bachelor of Education and concurrent (undergraduate) progamme is abbreviated to BEd. The Professional Graduate Certificate in Education and the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, which are consecutive (postgraduate) programmes, are both abbreviated to PGCE.

All teachers are trained to have an understanding that individuals have diverse learning needs and that they must differentiate their teaching accordingly to enable each learner, including those with additional learning needs (ALN), to fulfil their potential. Teachers who specialise in teaching learners with very specialist needs are qualified teachers who pursue additional training either on a full- or part-time basis. See the subheading ‘Additional qualifications for specialist ALN roles’ below for further information.

Institutions, level and models of training

There are a range of routes into teaching and a range of providers of initial teacher education (ITE).

In line with the Criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales, schools and higher education institutions (HEIs) are required to work in partnerships to plan ITE programmes. Within these, ‘lead partnership schools’ lead and manage the ITE programmes, including their design and content and the selection of students. Partnerships are required to show evidence of systematic and systainable collaboration, through (for example), work with regional education consortia.

Partnerships are also required to submit their programmes for accreditation by the Education Workforce Council (EWC). This is under the Education Workforce Council (Accreditation of Initial Teacher Training) (Additional Functions) (Wales) Order 2017. Accreditation is awarded for a five-year period, but may be withdrawn by the EWC where there is evidence of non-compliance with the accreditation criteria.

This system has replaced the previous process of accreditation of ITE providers by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW). The changes form part of a suite of reforms to ITE being made in response to Professor John Furlong's report, Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers, published in 2015.

The remainder of this section outlines the routes into teaching in more detail and is divided into two parts:

• Routes to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for intending teachers of children and young people within the age range 3 to 18/19. These routes involve undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications.
• Other (non-QTS) routes to teaching / leading practice specific to early years education and care. 

Routes to Qualified Teacher Status

The Welsh Government sets a quota of students for primary (including early years) and secondary ITE courses leading to QTS, taking into account the estimated demand for new teachers in Wales. The Education Workforce Council (EWC) then allocates intake targets to each accredited ITE partnership (of schools and higher education institutions). Targets are further divided into undergraduate (concurrent) ITE programme numbers, and postgraduate (consecutive, PGCE) programme numbers. In addition, there are specific targets for each subject pathway within the secondary programme targets. The intake targets for the 2019/20 academic year are available on the EWC website.

The Welsh Government also allocates intake targets for the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP).

The table shows the main training routes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) for intending teachers of children and young people in schools from age 3 to 18/19.

Routes to other qualifications specific to early childhood education and care (ECEC)

Professionals working in early childhood education and care in maintained schools (ie. nursery schools and nursery classes in maintained primary schools) must hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) – see above.

Professionals working in private and voluntary settings are not required to hold QTS; instead, they may work towards a Children’s Care, Learning and Development Diploma (CCLD), a recognised qualification overseen by Social Care Wales. CCLDs are available at different levels (Level 2, Level 3 and Level 5 of the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales), depending on the role being undertaken. Further information is available on the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years website.

Admission requirements

Specific admissions criteria for ITE programmes are determined by individual providers and admission decisions are the responsibility of the accredited partnerships providing the programmes. These criteria and decisions must operate within the framework of the Welsh Government’s Criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales.

For admission to both consecutive and concurrent programmes, the Welsh Government requires accredited ITE partnerships to satisfy themselves that prospective student teachers:

• have the aptitude, capability, and resilience to meet the required Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) outcomes by the end of their ITE programme
• possess the appropriate personal and intellectual qualities to become excellent practitioners
• have, as a minimum, achieved a standard equivalent to a grade B in the GCSE examination in English and/or Welsh and mathematics; in addition, all entrants pursuing Foundation Phase/primary age range ITE programmes must have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade C in the GCSE examination in a science subject
• can read effectively and are able to communicate clearly and accurately in spoken and written English and/or Welsh
• are assessed on entry as having the appropriate personal functional skills in literacy and numeracy
• have taken part in aptitude testing and group and individual interview to assess their suitability for teaching.

Providers must also ensure that prospective trainees have been vetted to ensure they don’t have a criminal background which might prevent them from working with children or young people, or as a teacher. The checks must also ensure that they have not previously been excluded from teaching or working with children.

Entrants to consecutive (postgraduate) ITE courses must also hold a bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, from a UK higher education institution (HEI). The law does not stipulate that teachers should have a degree in a particular subject in order to teach, but it is normally expected that entrants to secondary programmes hold a degree in a subject which is relevant to the subject(s) they wish to teach.

For entry to concurrent (undergraduate) ITE programmes, in addition to the GCSE requirements outlined above, candidates will normally be expected to have achieved a minimum number of UCAS tariff points at A level or equivalent.

Entrants to the Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) must have:

• achieved a standard equivalent to a grade B in the GCSE examination in maths and English language, English literature, Welsh language or Welsh literature; in addition, all entrants pursuing primary courses or those bridging primary and secondary school age must also have achieved a standard equivalent to a grade C in the GCSE examination in a science subject
• a first degree of a United Kingdom higher education institution or equivalent
• been assessed as having functional personal skills in literacy and numeracy applicable in a professional teaching context
• taken part in an appropriate interview
• been vetted to ensure that they don’t have a criminal background which might prevent them / make them unsuitable for working with children or young people, and to ensure that they have not been previously excluded from teaching or working with children.

Applicants to Teach First Cymru need to also demonstrate that they have the qualities to meet the above standards through following an accelerated style of programme. Applicants who meet Teach First’s criteria attend ‘assessment centres’ which involve rigorous recruitment processes including group activities, problem-solving tasks, mini-teaching and assessed self-evaluation of candidates’ performance. They are assessed against an explicit competence framework.

The central clearing house for higher education applications for the UK as a whole – the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) – handles applications for all routes to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) except Teach First Cymru. The undergraduate UCAS system handles undergraduate (concurrent route) admissions, while the UCAS Teacher Training system handles postgraduate (consecutive route) admissions. UCAS does not make admissions decisions.

Curriculum, level of specialisation and learning outcomes

Programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)

In accordance with the Criteria for the accredication of initial teacher education programmes in Wales, all accredited initial teacher education (ITE) partnerships must provide details of the conceptual framework, course aims, course design and studies for their ITE programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). These programmes must enable trainees to meet the Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership (2017).

The new standards, which became statutory for all ITE programmes in September 2019, set out the values and dispositions which every individual working with learners should demonstrate. They are divided into five main standards for teaching and leadership, each of which is divided into a number of key areas, which contain a number of descriptors that exemplify how a standard could apply to a teacher's work.

Descriptors for teaching under the key areas describe expectations for the award of QTS and for the successful completion of induction as a newly qualified teacher (NQT).

The five standards and their associated key areas are listed below.

1) Pedagogy - the teacher secures the best outcomes for learners through three key areas:

• refining teaching
• advancing learning
• influencing learning.

2) Collaboration - the teacher takes opportunities to work productively with all partners in learning in order to extend professional effectiveness by:

• seeking advice and support
• working with in-school colleagues
• supporting and developing others
• enabling improvement.

3) Leadership - the teacher exercises leadership through all aspects of professional practice to support the efforts of others across the school and beyond to fulfil the educational ambitions for Wales, by:

• taking responsibility
• exercising corporate responsibility
• leading colleagues, projects and programmes
• supporting formal leadership roles.

4) Innovation - the teacher employs an innovative outlook, which is exemplified through the controlled and measured development of techniques and approaches to improve pedagogic outcomes, by:

• offering expertise
• developing new techniques
• evaluating the impact of changes in practice.

5) Professional Learning - the teacher consistently extends knowledge, skills and understanding and can show how reflection and openness to challenge and support informs professional learning to progressively develop pedagogy, by:

• wider reading and research findings
• professional networks and communities
• continuing professional learning
• Welsh language skills.

The new Professional Standards replace the Qualified Teacher Status Standards Wales 2009.

School management and administration skills are not specific elements of ITE courses in Wales.

A teacher with QTS is permitted by law to teach pupils of any age (3 to 19) in a maintained school, although it is usual for schools to appoint teachers trained for the relevant subject/age group. Student teachers achieving QTS in Wales are qualified to teach across the UK.

Additional qualifications for specialist ALN roles

The Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership require all teachers to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and experience of high expectations and effective practice in meeting the needs of all learners, whatever their different needs.

For teachers of classes of pupils with hearing impairments, visual impairments or multi-sensory impairments, there are additional specialist qualifications known as ‘Mandatory Qualifications’. Circular 34/2005 requires these teachers to hold a mandatory qualification in addition to qualified teacher status.

Some qualified teachers may choose to study for additional specialist qualifications on a part-time basis to further support children with additional learning needs (ALN).

Teacher Educators

There is no minimum qualification requirement for teachers working in higher education institutions (HEIs) and providing initial teacher education (ITE) as part of an accredited ITE partnership. However, there is an expectation that teacher educators in HEIs who are responsible for ITE will possess a bachelor’s degree and qualified teacher status (QTS); many also have a master’s degree or doctorate. They may also work towards the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) while in post.

School staff in accredited ITE partnerships act as mentors and / or senior mentors to student teachers. Mentors are classroom teachers. In primary schools, a mentor will generally be someone who teaches the same age range as the candidate. In secondary schools, the mentor teaches the same subject as the student teacher. Senior mentors are usually members of a school’s senior leadership team. Both categories of mentor must have QTS.

The Criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales require all mentors working with student teachers to be trained, experienced practitioners, and either phase or subject specialists.

Qualifications, evaluation and certificates

All maintained schools in Wales are required by law to ensure that teachers hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). This is a professional accreditation based on assessment against standards set by the Welsh Government: the Professional Standards for Teaching and Leadership. The Professional Standards have applied to all courses of initial teacher education (ITE) since September 2019, when they replaced the Qualified Teacher Status Standards Wales (2009).

Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC) on behalf of the Welsh Government. The EWC awards QTS when it is informed by an accredited provider of initial teacher education (ITE) that a student teacher has met all the Standards.

The method of assessment for QTS is determined by the training provider, but is underpinned by the requirement for all accredited ITE providers to ensure that the content, structure, delivery and assessment of programmes are designed to enable student teachers to meet all the QTS Standards across the range of training.

Not covered here is the PGCE for Post Compulsory Education and Training (PGCE PCET), a teaching qualification for the further education sector. Further information on this (and other forms of accreditation to teach in the FE sector) is available in the article ‘Initial Education for Adult Education and Training’.

Academic qualifications (PGCE, BEd)

Most initial teacher education (ITE) programmes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) also lead to an academic award from a higher education institution.

The concurrent (undergraduate) model usually involves a three-year programme leading to the award of a bachelor’s degree (a Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc)) with QTS. These are Bologna first cycle qualifications, at Level 6 of The Frameworks for HE Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies(FHEQ).

The consecutive model most commonly refers to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). The academic level of the PGCE may be the equivalent of the final year of a bachelor’s degree (with honours), that is, Bologna first cycle, Level 6. It may also be set at master’s level (Bologna second cycle, Level 7). Some PGCE courses are a combination, incorporating modules at each of these levels.

Alternative training pathways

In addition to the main routes leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in Wales described above, candidates without a degree or with low level qualifications can become secondary teachers in Wales in specific priority subjects by taking the ‘Certificate of Higher Education – Introduction to Secondary Teaching’. Offered by the University of South Wales, this one-year full-time (or two-year part-time) course involves students taking one of the two-year Bachelor of Science degree programmes for secondary teaching available. These allow students to gain QTS in the priority subjects of mathematics, science, ICT, or design and technology. There are no formal academic entry requirements for the Certificate of Higher Education, but candidates need to demonstrate suitable levels of literacy and numeracy skills during the application process.

Teachers qualified in the UK outside of England or Wales are entitled to apply for the award of QTS in Wales without being required to undertake any further training.

An individual who is recognised as a qualified teacher by any European Economic Area (EEA) member state and Switzerland may also apply for direct recognition of their status in Wales under the terms of Council Directive 2005/36/EC, as outlined on the Education Workforce Council website.

Article last reviewed April 2021.