ATS Terms and Conditions - October 2022

Pre-Application 

1. Prior to Application, participants are responsible for checking they meet the eligibility criteria to undertake Professional Development, leading to ATS. 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 SET’s 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 application. Any certificates dated after the official portfolio issue date will not be accepted.

Application 

4. Participants are required to submit an application to SET to be considered for Professional Development, leading to ATS. 

5. Application forms can be downloaded from the SET Website and should be submitted to membership@etfoundation.co.uk between 01 April and 31 August.

6. SET will only accept application forms complete on the official SET template 

7. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified, via email, within 6 weeks of application and given one final opportunity to resubmit their application. No further submission opportunities will be provided.

8. Successful applicants will be notified, via email, within 6 weeks of application and be invited to register when the next window opens  

Registration 

9. After successful application, to register for Professional Development leading to ATS, participants must join SET as a member at either ‘Member’ or ‘Fellow’ grade.

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

11. To proceed to the registration process participants must have successfully applied and been awarded a place on Professional Development leading to ATS

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

13. 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 

14. The fee for undertaking Professional Development, leading to ATS is £775. 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.

15. The fee can be paid by, either:

1. 1. Single payment: £775 is paid by credit/debit card at registration
   2. Direct Debit: A deposit of £175 is paid by credit/debit card at registration, followed by six consecutive monthly payments of £100 paid by direct debit.
   3. Employer payment: An invoice is sent to the participant for their employer to settle via BACs transfer.

16. 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.

17. Bursaries from any previous ATS attempts cannot be carried forward and used toward programme fees if a participant is restarting. 

Professional Development period 

18. 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.

19. New Participants (this does not apply to secondary attempts (restarts)) have access to a '14 day cooling off period', from the date the portfolio is officially issued, in which the participant can withdraw from ATS and will be entitled to a full refund of all programme fees (up to £775). After the 14-calendar day period, usual payment terms and conditions apply (see 'Payments').

20. The Professional Development period is approx. 13 months, from portfolio issue to submission.

Submission 

21. 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.

22. 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, submit and receive their results.

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

24. If the participant is unable to meet the submission deadline, point 25 of these terms and conditions applies.

Extensions to the submission deadline 

25. The ATS 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. 

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

27. 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. 

Provisional Results Release 

28. The provisional results release date is different for each cohort and is determined by the submission deadline. Exact dates will be sent to the participant after submission. 

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

Criteria not met 

30. During the portfolio review, if weaknesses are identified in the participant’s portfolio, the outcome would be Criteria Not Met (CNM). Participants who have a portfolio status of CNM will be given feedback on the areas for development and asked to resubmit their portfolio. 

31. All participants will receive an individualised deadline 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.

32. If the participant does not resubmit within the resubmission timeframe provided, they will be required to restart with a new portfolio, in a new cohort. This will incur a £50 restart fee. 

33. In some cases, if there are significant areas for development in the initially submitted portfolio a participant will be asked to restart Professional Development, leading to ATS, with a new portfolio. In this instance, the restart fee will be £50. 

34. 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. This will incur a £50 restart fee. 

35. If a participant disagrees with the decision not to award ATS, they should follow the process set out in the Appeal against QTLS/ATS Award Policy. 

VIVA 

36. All participants who submit a portfolio that is provisionally awarded will be required to attend an online VIVA interview to further discuss their portfolio and its content, prior to ATS award. 

37. If the Professional Status and standards team require further information to award ATS, they can request a re-VIVA. The participant will have one final opportunity to pass the VIVA component of the programme. 

38. Participants must not share the content of the VIVA to ensure that all participants have an opportunity to complete the process. 

Awarded ATS 

39. Participants are awarded ATS if they pass both the portfolio and VIVA components of the Professional Development programme. 

40. 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

41. 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. 

42. After being awarded ATS, holders will need to remain a member of SET and ensure that they reaccredit their status every three years to keep their ATS status active.

Withdraw and Restart 

43. Participants who are unable to submit by the initial or resubmission deadline must either request that their portfolio is “Withdrawn” or the Professional Status and Standards team will withdraw the portfolio on their behalf after the deadline has passed. Unfortunately, participants are unable to defer mid programme.

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

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

46. A restart incurs an administration fee of £50. 

47. Participants are only able to restart once. If a SET Member wishes to undertake Professional Development, leading to ATS again, they would be considered a new participant and be required to pay the full programme fee.

Ethical Considerations 

48. 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. 

49. 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. 

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

Academic misconduct 

51. 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 SET Member 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. 1. The alteration or falsification of any results document, including certificates. 
   2. Collusion: cooperation with others to gain 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 the QLTS. 
   11. Financial gain by allowing others to purchase and use part or all of a participant’s portfolio

52. SET reserves the right to contact external bodies, including but not limited to awarding organisations, employers and other regulatory authorities, if an allegation of a breach of the Code of Ethics and Conduct is upheld.

Suspension and removal of ATS status 

53. Professional Development participants and ATS holders are subject to the SET Conditions of Membership and other membership policies. If SET considers that  information received may give rise to a concern about a member's suitability to hold continue holding ATS status, it may consider that issue at the same time as any other action taken against a member.