Million Plus

MillionPlus, the Association for Modern Universities, has today (29 September) commented on the initial teacher training accreditation stage two results and the publication of the outcomes of the ITT accreditation rounds in full.

Professor Rama Thirunamachandran, Chair of MillionPlus and Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University, said:

“We welcome the publishing of the outcomes of the ITT accreditation rounds. MillionPlus, through its Deans of Education Network, has engaged constructively with the department throughout the ITT Market Review and remain steadfast in their ambition to continue to deliver the highest quality teacher education anywhere in the world. We are pleased that almost 80% of MillionPlus Deans of Education Network university providers have received re-accreditation.

“However it is concerning to see that a number of well-established and trusted university ITT providers have not been successful in applying for re-accreditation despite being judged Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. MillionPlus does not oppose genuine quality assurance and the goal of maintaining high standards but we continue to question the necessity and design of the accreditation process which means they are left in an uncertain position.

“It is unclear whether the ramifications of today’s announcements have been fully considered, given the risk to teacher supply, which is already under significant strain and the risk of extending regional ‘cold spots’ in teacher training, impacting schools in these areas. The DfE’s own statistics, released earlier this week, suggest an 18% and 40% shortfall in their recruitment targets for primary and secondary ITT trainees.

“Schools and universities have been under incredible pressure over the past two years and, as MillionPlus has argued previously, a period of greater stability would be the recipe for the successful implementation of the government’s ambitions in this space.

“We will continue to work with the government and our member universities to ensure that providers, accredited or not, can take the next steps in this process with confidence.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. MillionPlus is the Association for Modern Universities. More information can be found at www.millionplus.ac.uk
2. More information on the MillionPlus Deans of Education network is here
3. The results of the ITT Market Review accreditation process can be found here
4. Initial teacher training applications for courses starting in the 2022 to 2023 academic year published by DfE
5. For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact MillionPlus Chief Executive, Rachel Hewitt, on 07795 645 241 or email ceo@millionplus.ac.uk