University of Oxford statement on ITT Market Review Response

Thursday, December 2, 2021

Category: News

Department of Education Building

We are encouraged that the government’s response to the initial teacher training (ITT) Market Review consultation, published on 1st December, indicates that there have been some changes to the original proposals in light of concerns expressed by the University of Oxford and others. At first glance, the response to the recommendations (which were set out in the ITT market review report, published in July 2021) indicates an acknowledgement of some of the concerns around the original proposals, particularly with regard to their level of prescription and the potential constraints they might impose on the ways in which initial teacher education (ITE) partnerships could operate. Whilst we welcome this acknowledgement, and the amendments that have been made to the original recommendations following the consultation, we are nevertheless still very concerned about the level of prescription contained in the ‘Quality Requirements for ITT providers’, published as an annex to the report. These, along with the details of the accreditation process which were also published at the same time, give little indication of any flexibility in terms either of responsive curriculum design, or ways of operating as a partnership, or the timing and nature of individual school placement experiences. We are not convinced that the current levels of prescription, as set out in the document, will lead to increased quality in initial teacher education across the sector as a whole and certainly believe that they will compromise the principles that underpin the ITE programme that we currently offer.  We would also still question the need for any wholescale re-accreditation of all ITT providers, but accept that this is the government’s preferred approach. Overall, there is much to consider in the government response and the accompanying documents and we will, in time, produce a more detailed response to the ITT market review report. We intend to look very carefully at the detail before making any decision as to whether the University of Oxford will choose to apply for future accreditation as an ITT provider.

 

Katharine Burn, PGCE Course Director, Department of Education

Trevor Mutton, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Education

Jo-Anne Baird, Director, Department of Education