QTLS Terms and Conditions October 2022

Pre-Registration

1. Prior to registration, participants are responsible for checking they meet the eligibility criteria to undertake Professional Formation leading to QTLS. Participants must use the full eligibility guidance available on the SET website to make an informed decision if the programme is right for them. If participants have any questions about the eligibility criteria, they should contact membership@etfoundation.co.uk. 

2. Participants must also check that the qualifications held are on our approved lists for Initial Teacher Training, English and maths. They should contact membership@etfoundation.co.uk with any specific questions about qualifications that do not appear on these lists.

3. Participants must have access to original qualification certificates in advance of registration. Any certificates dated after the official portfolio issue date will not be accepted. 

Registration 

4. To register for Professional Formation leading to QTLS, participants must join SET as a member at either ‘Member’ or ‘Fellow’ grade.

5. SET only accepts registrations in 'windows' throughout the year, in advance of issuing portfolios. Please check the website for the next available window. 

6. During the registration process, participants must use the ‘eligibility checker’ tool on the SET website to complete a final check of eligibility. 

7. Once participants have successfully registered, they will receive confirmation via the email address associated with their SET membership. 

8. If a participant requires reasonable adjustments, they should read the Reasonable Adjustment policy and contact membership@etfoundation.co.uk during the registration process to discuss any further support required. 

Payments 

9. The fee for undertaking Professional Formation is £490. This price is reviewed each year, with price increases agreed by the SET Management Board in line with the Consumer Price Index. Any changes to the price will be confirmed on the SET website at least one month before the registration date. 

10. The fee can be paid by: 

1. 1. Single payment: £490 is paid by credit/debit card at registration 
   2. Direct Debit: A deposit of £115 is paid by credit/debit card at registration, followed by three consecutive payments of £125 paid by direct debit. Payments will be taken in the first three months of the programme. 
   3. Employer payment: An invoice is sent to the participant for their employer to settle via BACs transfer. 

11. Payments can be made online or over the phone. Confirmation of all payments will be sent via email to the address associated with the membership. 

12. All fees are non-refundable, except during the 14-day cooling-off period (see point 14), or in the case of a participant being found to be ineligible during verification (see point 20). The cooling-off period only applies to first-time participants, and not to Restarts. 

Professional Formation

13. Professional Formation refers to the self-guided and forward-looking period of development, where participants build up a portfolio of evidence, which is submitted to be considered for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status.

14. Whilst SET will make every attempt to issue a portfolio to all participants on the portfolio issue date, it is the obligation of the participant to ensure they can access the portfolio. Participants who cannot access their portfolio should contact membership@etfoundation.co.uk within 14 calendar days of the portfolio issue date to ensure this is resolved.

15. Participants have access to a '14 day cooling off period', from the date the portfolio is officially issued, in which the participant can withdraw from Professional Formation and will be entitled to a full refund of all programme fees (up to £490). After the 14-calendar day period, usual payment terms and conditions apply (see 'Payments').

Eligibility 

16. Participants must complete the initial sections of the portfolio (About You, Qualifications and Roles & Responsibilities), which includes uploading the required qualification certificates and submitting the initial portfolio checkpoint, by the checkpoint deadline. If the participant does not complete the initial sections, upload their certificates and submit the checkpoint within this timeframe, SET cannot be held accountable, and the participant waives their rights to a refund if found to be ineligible at any point. 

17. By uploading the qualification certificates the participant is confirming that to the best of their knowledge they are a true reflection of the qualifications and grade(s) achieved. Action will be taken against any participant who uploads altered or modified certificates, in line with our actions against members policy.

18. SET reserves the right to withdraw any participants who have not uploaded all of the required certificates to the portfolio by the initial checkpoint deadline as they have been unable to demonstrate their eligibility within the given timeframe. 

19. Once a participant has submitted the initial portfolio checkpoint, the rest of the portfolio is automatically unlocked and they can proceed with the remaining sections, while their eligibility is checked by the Professional Status and Standards team.

20. The Professional Status team will check participants qualification certificates at the earliest available opportunity and contact the participant if further information is required or concerns are raised. If during the verification process, a participant is found to be ineligible to undertake Professional Formation, providing they met the initial checkpoint deadline, a full refund will be given.

21. If a participant is found to not already hold the required qualifications, or qualification certificates are dated after the official portfolio date, SET reserves the right to withdraw the participant. In this case, participants cannot undertake a qualification during Professional Formation to meet eligibility, they would need to restart with the next available cohort once they have achieved qualification on our approved list. 

22. Participants who are restarting Professional Formation are not eligible for a refund during the 14-day cooling-off period, as this is their second attempt to undertake Professional Formation. 

Submission 

23. The submission deadline is different for each cohort and is determined by the date the portfolio is issued. Exact dates will be sent to the participant upon registration and can be found both in the portfolio and on the SET website. 

24. To submit their portfolio, participants will need to have fully completed all sections of their portfolio, obtained a supporter statement, paid the full fee and shared their portfolio with SET via the ePortfolio platform. All participants must also be active members of SET to access their portfolios and to submit and receive their results. 

25. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure they have provided all the evidence required to achieve QTLS status. Portfolios are not monitored by SET for the duration of the programme, and participants should utilise their supporters for support during the process. 

Extensions to the submission deadline 

26. The Professional Formation programme does not allow for automatic extensions to the submission deadline. However, an extension may be granted to a participant under some exceptional circumstances that are out of their control. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and SET may request evidence to substantiate a request. Examples may include: 

1. 1. Reasonable adjustments form was submitted at the start of the programme and an extension has already been agreed.
   2. Serious ongoing technical issues beyond the members control and identified more than five working days before the submission deadline. 
   3. Illness, accident or severe trauma or unexpected deterioration in an ongoing illness or chronic medical condition of the participant or a person for whom the participant has caring responsibility. 
   4. Recent bereavement of someone close to the participant. 
   5. Serious personal disruption such as burglary, fire or requirement to appear in court in the lead up to the submission deadline. 
   6. Significant change of employment circumstances. 

27. Where an extension is granted, confirmation will be provided via email. The portfolio will then be reviewed alongside the next cohort's submissions. 

28. Participants should apply for an extension by email to membership@etfoundation.co.uk no later than six weeks before the submission deadline. Where they have been prevented from submitting a request before the deadline by the same unforeseen event, they can apply for an extension up to five working days after the deadline. SET will endeavour to respond before the deadline wherever possible. 

Results Release 

29. The award date is different for each cohort and is determined by the submission deadline. Exact dates will be sent to the participant after submission. 

30. Results will be released via email, throughout the day on the nominated results release day. 

Awarded QTLS

31. The details of awarded participants who remain current members of SET will be added to the publicly searchable Professional Status Register. The details include the participants' full name, membership number, membership status, grade and the title of the status awarded. To opt-out, please email membership@etfoundation.co.uk

32. Awarded participants will be able to request a digital copy of their certificate, via their SET dashboard, at the point of release. They will also be sent formal documentation no later than 8 weeks from their award date. Additional or supplementary certificates will not be provided. 

33. After completing Professional Formation, participants will need to remain a member of SET to maintain QTLS status, including its parity with QTS. 

Criteria not met

34. Participants who do not meet the required criteria for Professional Formation will be offered feedback and asked to resubmit their portfolio. 

35. All participants will have 6 months to resubmit their portfolio, from the date the result was released. Depending on the amount of evidence required in the resubmission, participants can resubmit at the earliest available opportunity. Upon resubmission, the additional evidence will be reviewed within 4 weeks and feedback provided within 6 weeks.

36. If the participant does not resubmit within 6 months, they will be required to restart with a new portfolio, in a new cohort. 

37. In some cases, if there are significant areas for development in the initially submitted portfolio a participant will be asked to restart Professional Formation with a new portfolio. In this instance, the restart fee will be waived.

38. If the resubmission is still deemed not to meet the criteria, participants will be asked to restart the programme with a new portfolio (see 'Withdraw and Restart') in a future cohort. Participants may be advised at this point to take a year to develop their practice before restarting Professional Formation. If the participant has previously restarted, they will be asked to pay the full fee (see point 44).

39. If a participant disagrees with the decision not to award QTLS, they should follow the process set out in the SET Objections Policy.

Withdraw and Restart

40. Participants who are unable to submit by the deadline must either request their portfolio is “Withdrawn” or the Professional Status and Standards team will withdraw the portfolio on their behalf after the deadline has passed. 

41. SET reserves the right to withdraw any participants who do not meet the eligibility criteria.

42. If a participant wishes to “Restart” having not being awarded in the first attempt they are required to restart with a new portfolio in a future cohort. All restarts take place with a new (blank) portfolio. 

43. A Restart incurs an administration fee of £50. 

44. Participants are only able to Restart once. If a SET Member wishes to undertake Professional Formation again, they would be considered a new participant and be required to pay the full programme fee. 

Ethical Considerations 

45. Any information submitted to SET, including details about employment, must be submitted in good faith and as an accurate reflection of a participant’s current situation. By providing SET with employers' details, participants consent to SET contacting them if required to verify participants role/s and responsibilities. 

46. By uploading certificates, participants confirm to the best of their knowledge that they are a true reflection of the qualification and grade(s) achieved. If SET suspect authenticity concerns, we reserve the right to contact the awarding body to verify the results. 

47. Participants will be able to download a copy of their portfolio once they have been awarded QTLS. Participants must not, under any circumstances, provide this portfolio or its contents to current or future participants. 

Academic misconduct

48. All SET members must adhere to the SET Code of Ethics and Conduct and be upstanding members of the teaching and learning community. Any inappropriate activity or behaviour by a Professional Formation participant that is considered to be a breach of the Code, may result in the actions against Members Policy being implemented. 

The following are examples of academic misconduct. This is not an exhaustive list and other instances of misconduct may be identified and considered by SET at their discretion. For example: 

1. The alteration or falsification of any results document, including certificates. 
2. Collusion: cooperation with others to gain an unpermitted advantage. This includes instances where participants have consciously collaborated on a piece of work and presented it as their own efforts. 
3. Copying from another participant or allowing work to be copied. 
4. The deliberate destruction of another member’s work. 
5. Making a false declaration of authenticity in relation to the authorship of the contents of a portfolio. 
6. Recycling: the submission by a participant of work that they have submitted as part of their teacher training or other qualification 
7. The inclusion of inappropriate, offensive, obscene, homophobic, transphobic, racist, or sexist material in portfolios. 
8. Plagiarism: representing another person's work or ideas as one’s own, unacknowledged copying from, or reproduction of, published sources or incomplete referencing.
9. Theft of another participant’s work. 
10. Behaving in a manner that raises concerns about members honesty and integrity whilst undertaking Professional Formation. 
11. Financial gain by allowing others to purchase and use part or all of a participant’s portfolio 

49. In instances of suspected fraud or deceit, SET reserves the right to contact external bodies, including but not limited to awarding organisations, employers and other regulatory authorities. 

Suspension and removal of QTLS status 

50. Professional Formation participants are subject to the SET Conditions of Membership and Membership policies and as such if SET considers that the information received may give rise to a concern about a member's suitability to hold QTLS status, it may consider that issue at the same time.