Provide training for postgraduate teaching apprentices
Source: gov.uk (2025-05-09)

How initial teacher training providers can train postgraduate teaching apprentices.

Eligible initial teacher training (ITT) providers can train postgraduate teaching apprentices.

The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship is an initial teacher training route leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/qualified-teacher-status-qts).

These apprentices are trainee teachers employed by schools. They combine paid work with on and off-the-job training.

The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship will be inspected as part of your normal initial teacher education Ofsted inspection.

Candidates who want to use the Apply service (https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-teacher-training) to become a postgraduate teaching apprentice can find guidance on the Get Into Teaching website (https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/explore-my-options/teacher-training-routes/school-led-training/school-direct-salaried).

There is separate guidance for employers and local authorities, on how to employ these apprentices (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/recruit-a-postgraduate-teacher-apprentice-guidance-for-employers).

Check if you’re eligible

Accredited providers are higher education institutes or school-centred initial teacher training providers, who have been accredited to offer ITT.

You can only provide the training if you are on the apprenticeship provider and assessment register (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-the-apar-as-an-apprenticeship-training-provider) and also either:
- accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS
- subcontracted to a provider that is accredited by DfE to deliver ITT leading to QTS
Plan the apprenticeship

Check that apprentices meet the ITT entry requirements before they start. These are the same as for other teacher training routes.

Before the apprentice starts, you must agree:
- the overall structure of the apprenticeship with the employer
- a training plan with the apprentice
Apprentices can start at any point in the academic year, but the apprenticeship must last for at least 9 months.

The apprentice must spend a minimum of 20% of their paid hours in off-the-job training. This is approximately 278 hours.

This includes developing the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours set out in the teachers’ standards (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards).

Register trainee teachers

You must record teaching apprentices on Register trainee teachers (Register) (https://www.register-trainee-teachers.education.gov.uk/).

Assess the apprentice

You must assess whether the apprentice has met the standards for QTS.

If so, make the award and enter the details on Register.

End point assessment

You must arrange the apprentice’s end-point assessment.

The apprentice must take this at the end of the training. This is to show their readiness to teach.

You will only get full payment when the apprentice has completed the end-point assessment.

The end-point assessment is carried out by an accredited ITT provider, who must:
- be separate from you or the employer
- have no other conflict of interest
Use Find an end-point assessment organisation for your apprentice (https://find-epao.apprenticeships.education.gov.uk/) to find a list of organisations who can do this.

Advertise courses

Use Publish teacher training courses (Publish) (https://www.publish-teacher-training-courses.service.gov.uk/how-to-use-this-service) to create courses and publish them to Find teacher training courses (Find) (https://www.gov.uk/find-teacher-training-courses).

Candidates can then use our Find and Apply services to search for courses, and apply to them.

If you’re already registered on Publish, you can list your courses using your DfE sign-in account (https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/).

You can also put an advert on Recruit an apprentice (https://www.gov.uk/recruit-apprentice). It will not affect your funding if you do not do this.

Contact

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) to discuss the postgraduate teaching apprenticeship route.

Email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx) if you have any questions about advertising courses.