Aspiring teachers to benefit from simpler application process

New service will be piloted across England, starting in the South West, and will be easier to use for both candidates and training providers

Aspiring teachers will benefit from a simpler application process to get into teaching following the launch of a brand-new service.

Designed to better meet the needs of potential trainees applying for teacher training, it will ensure universities and schools can make the best decisions on matching applicants with teacher training courses.

The government signalled its determination to attract the best talent into teaching and recognise the great work of hardworking teachers by raising teachers’ starting salaries to £30,000 – among the most competitive in the graduate labour market.

The South-West will be first to benefit from the pilot, before it is rolled out across England to fully replace the existing UCAS service from October 2021. Universities providing teacher training will also be able to join the pilot from October 2020.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said:

There’s never been a better time to become a teacher – this year we have announced a 2.75% pay rise for teachers, alongside outlining plans for starting salaries to rise to £30,000 by 2022-23.

We are removing the barriers that can deter some people who could be excellent teachers from applying and that includes making the application process simpler, more straightforward and intuitive. This new service does just that.

In the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, published in January 2019, the Government committed to help great people become teachers by introducing a new application system for initial postgraduate teacher training.

The service will be easier to use for both candidates and training providers and is fully integrated with Find Postgraduate Teacher Training.

James Noble-Rodgers, Executive Director of the Universities Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and Emma Hollis, Executive Director of the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) said:

As representative bodies for providers of teacher training, we are very supportive of the work the Department for Education is doing to simplify and modernise the service for candidates and providers, and have been working closely with the team to help shape Apply for Teacher Training.

We are pleased that our members are working with the Department for Education to test the service, with some SCITTs receiving applications through Apply for Teacher Training already, and universities signing up to start piloting from October this year. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Department for Education to support this important work.

Hester Hodgson, Senior Teaching Schools Administrator at Gorse School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) said:

At Gorse SCITT, we are delighted to be one of the providers taking part in the pilot for DfE Apply.

We are passionate about improving the application journey for candidates, so we jumped at the chance to test this new service. It’s great seeing candidates coming through, and we’re looking forward to continuing work with the Department for Education to shape the new Apply service.

Providers interested in the pilot can find out more here: https://www.apply-for-teacher-training.education.gov.uk/provider