The Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) Programme
The Education Training Foundation’s (ETF) Professional Standards form the basis of the ATS programme. If you undertake ATS you’ll be assessed against these standards and will be asked to log all of your development activity in an online portfolio.
ATS online portfolioThe core sections in the portfolio include:
Your chance to sell yourself. Tell us about your current roles and responsibilities, your motivation for applying for ATS and evidence that you meet the eligibility criteria.
An opportunity to assess yourself and identify areas to focus on, and the impact this will have on your personal development.
A chance to showcase your professional development during the process in relation to the Professional Standards and your area of focus.
Provide examples of how you support and mentor colleagues.
Document how your ATS process has positively impacted your organisation, in particular its strategy to improve the quality of teaching.
An opportunity to demonstrate how you will continue to develop your teaching practice.
ATS assessment
After all your hard work is complete, it’s over to us to review whether you have been successful. There are two steps:
1. Portfolio assessment
Once you submit your portfolio our team of experienced reviewers will assess it against the following criteria:
- Authenticity - does your evidence appear to be authentic?
- Sufficiency - is your evidence sufficient to be awarded ATS?
- Reliability - is your evidence relevant to you and your current role?
We also have a team of moderators ensuring consistent judgements are made by the reviewing team.
If your portfolio was successful you will then be asked to attend a Viva interview, otherwise we will recommend you make some modifications to your portfolio before re-submitting it.
2. Viva Interview
The Viva interview is the final step in achieving ATS. It’s your last opportunity to demonstrate how you have developed during the process. All interviews are held with the lead ATS moderator and a Head of one of ETF’s programmes.
3. Results
If your viva interview is successful, you will be notified that you have achieved ATS. Your certificate will be mailed out to you.
Support for participants during the process ATS Support
Participants will be supported throughout the process by a mentor. Ideally, the mentor should be a more experienced colleague working in their organisation or professional network. Alternatively, you can request a mentor from SET. It remains your responsibility to nominate a mentor before starting your portfolio. The role of the mentor will include:
- supporting you in scoping your professional development plan
- providing support with action planning
- providing support during the process through professional discussion
- writing a supporting statement once you have completed their portfolio.
ATS timeline
The ATS programme involves a number of stages as detailed in the table below.
| Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | Viva |
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| Programme | Application registration | Portfolios issued | Deadline for submitted completed portfolio | Portfolios reviewed | Results released | Deadline for resubmission (if applicable) | |
| ATS Oct-21 | 1 Apr - 31 Aug 2021 | 4 Oct 2021 | 5pm, 31 Oct 2022 | Nov 2022 | 7 Dec 2022 | TBC | w/c 9 Jan 2023 |
| ATS Oct-22 |
1 Apr - 9 Sept 2022 | 3 Oct 2022 | 5pm, 31 Oct 2023 | Nov 2023 | 6 Dec 2023 | TBC | w/c 15 Jan 2024 |
| ATS Oct-23 | 1 Apr - 11 Sep 2023 at 12pm | 2 Oct 2023 | 5pm, 31 Oct 2024 | Nov 2024 | Early Dec 2024 | TBC | Early Jan 2025 |
Further information ATS Brochure
Download a copy of our latest ATS brochure which provides full details of the Advanced Teacher Status programme.
ATS Brochure Web Version 2023