Important information for teachers based in schools

Important additional information for teachers based in schools regarding professional formation leading to the award of QTLS status.  

The revised QTLS eligibility criteria has now been published. The changes have been agreed in collaboration with the DfE and sector feedback. The updated criteria will have an impact on teachers working in a school setting. who do not teach:   

• A technical subject or subjects to post-14 learners and/or  
• Maths and/or English to post-16 learners 

If you do not fall into one of the above ‘exceptional circumstances’, then you will not be eligible to apply for professional formation leading to QTLS. Your route to becoming a fully qualified teacher is either QTS or the new teaching apprenticeship launching this Autumn. You can also find out more information by visiting the Department for Education’s Get into Teaching website.  

We understand that the changes to the eligibility criteria may have an impact on your professional development plans. SET annually reviews the criteria, which is updated in collaboration with the DfE and the sector, to ensure that QTLS remains fit for purpose as a high-quality professional status designed for and used by those teaching in the FE and skills sector and that the legal parity between QTLS and QTS creates an expectation that the respective status for each sector has the same focus on quality and rigour.