ASCL comment on postgraduate teaching apprenticeship

Commenting on the government’s announcement about the new postgraduate teaching apprenticeship, Malcolm Trobe, Director of Public Affairs at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “This looks like a hastily developed way of enabling schools to claim back against the apprenticeship levy.

“Potential applicants into teaching are already faced with a confusing number of routes into the profession and the addition of another route which appears very similar to School Direct will only add to the confusion. It would be far better if schools were exempt from the apprenticeship levy and that the focus was on rationalising the existing routes into teaching.

“The proposals as they stand have practical difficulties that will need to be resolved including how QTS can be awarded after three terms and then a final assessment be signed off after four terms; indeed the whole implementation timetable is unrealistic in the extreme.”