If you’re a member of school staff such as an unqualified teacher and you can already show that you meet the English Teachers’ Standards then our Assessment Only route could be ideal for you.

Our Assessment Only route will help you to:

• Become employed as a fully qualified teacher
• Be promoted/and or gain more job security
• Increase your salary by up to £7,000* per year

We offer Assessment Only in primary (age ranges 3-7, 5-11 and 7-11) and all main secondary subjects (age ranges 11-16, 11-19 or 14-19).

If you need some extra preparation before applying for our Assessment Only route, you can develop your teaching practice and build evidence against the Teachers’ Standards with our support prior to commencing the assessment period.

The benefit of this route is that you can be assessed during your regular working day.

Do you qualify for the Assessment-Only QTS Route?

The Assessment-Only route to QTS has been explicitly designed for those graduates who can demonstrate sufficient breadth and variety of experience in schools or other settings to enable them to meet all of the Teachers’ Standards; therefore, they would not need to spend a year training to be a teacher.

Entry Requirements:

To achieve QTS via our Assessment Only route you must:

1. Be employed in a school in a teaching role with sole responsibility for teaching, assessment and planning
2. Have the support of your employing school
3. Hold GCSEs at level 4/grade C or above in English language and maths, plus science if you want to teach in primary 
4. Hold a degree from a UK higher education institution or equivalent qualification. If your degree was completed outside of the UK you will need to provide an ENIC statement to demonstrate the comparability of your qualification
5. Have undertaken at least two years of teaching experience that includes evidence of whole class teaching with sole responsibility for planning, marking, assessing and reporting on pupils’ work
6. For the primary phase you need to be teaching the full curriculum including the core subjects of maths, literacy – phonics and science as well as a range of foundation subjects such as geography, history, art and music. You can’t be a subject specialist such as PE or music
7. When enrolled you will need to provide a detailed portfolio of evidence from prior experience that demonstrates you meet the English Teachers’ Standards
8. Provide evidence of having taught in at least two schools
9. Provide evidence that you meet the Teachers’ Standards across a minimum of two consecutive age ranges for your chosen teaching specialism
10. Demonstrate the required fundamental skills in Maths and English as defined by the DfE (further details will be provided following your application).

We have a rolling start date for Assessment Only. As soon as you apply and can show you meet the course entry requirements you’ll be enrolled and the process will begin.

Recruitment Process

Once we receive your application we will request the relevant information from you.

• We will send you interview guidance to help you prepare
• You will be observed teaching in the age range you are applying to be assessed in
• You will be expected to talk through your teaching experience to date, your experience of different approaches to teaching and learning and to school organisation and management and your experience of teaching children and young people from different backgrounds across the ability ranges.

We will let you know on the day if you have been successful.

What happens after the interview?

You will be contacted within two working days with the interview’s outcome. If successful, we would require the school you are undertaking the process in to have a signed partnership agreement with us. You will be expected to fill in a Fitness to Teach form, and we will need to see your enhanced DBS certificate.

Courses for Qualified Teachers

Mentor Training
All teachers in our partner schools who mentor for us will be entitled to free access to a complete mentor training programme. Watch this space for more details.

Assessment-Only FAQs

What is the cost of Assessment-Only QTS?

The cost of qualifying as a teacher through the Assessment-Only route to QTS is £2,800. This is payable before the first visit.

Travel costs might apply if you work in a school far from the SCITT. Additional charges may apply if you are a teacher working abroad who requires an assessment team to travel to assess in your home setting. We will, of course, try our best to minimise any such costs.

When could you start the assessment period?

You can start the assessment period at any time during the year. We are happy to discuss the possibility of any start date with you when you apply.

What will happen once you have gained QTS?

You will enter the profession as an Early Career Teacher (ECT) for a two-year induction period. This period can be ‘fast-tracked’, subject to the approval of the appropriate body.

How do I apply for the Assessment-Only Route into Teaching?

If you want to apply for the Assessment-Only QTS route, you can apply directly to us using the form below.

If you have any questions, please use the ‘Contact Us’ form below, and a team member will contact you.