Academic year 2020/21

Initial teacher training performance profiles

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Introduction

National and provider-level information about the outcomes for final year teacher trainees in England in the academic year 2020/21.  Outcome measures presented are the proportion of final year trainees that gained qualified teacher status, and the employment rates of these qualified teachers. The publication also includes information on the number of assessment only candidates and the outcomes for early years ITT trainees.

Read statistical summaries, view charts and tables and download data files.


Headline facts and figures - 2020/21

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  • ITT Performance Profiles 2020/21 Provider Tables (xlsx, 725 Kb)

    These provider level tables contain the qualified teacher status and employment outcomes of postgraduate and undergraduate final year ITT trainees and their characteristics by provider. The data in this table covers data for 2017/18 to 2020/21 for qualified teacher status and 2017/18 to 2019/20 for employment outcomes.

About these statistics

The initial teacher training (ITT) performance profiles are designed to: 

  • provide transparent information on outcomes of trainee teachers to the public
  • help potential trainee teachers make informed choices about where to train

These statistics are based on final year trainees (see methodology for more detail on how final year trainees are identified).  For comprehensive statistics about new entrants to ITT and their characteristics, please refer to the ITT census publications, available on the ITT statistics webpage. 

These statistics cover those training to teach via both postgraduate and undergraduate routes, as well as separate sections on those undertaking early years initial teacher training (EYITT) and assessment only (AO).

The following tables are included. All contain data on QTS award rates and employment rates:

  • national tables for the academic years 2017/18 to 2020/21 by route, phase, subject, region, bursary eligibility status and trainee characteristics (main postgraduate and undergraduate routes).
  • provider-level tables for the academic years 2018/19 to 2020/21 by route and phase (main postgraduate and undergraduate routes). Provisional employment rates for the latest academic year are not published at provider level.
  • a national table from the academic years 2014/15 to 2020/21 by subject (AO route).
  • a national table for the academic year 2017/18 to 2020/21 by route and trainee characteristics (EYITT route).
  • national time series tables for the academic years 2012/13 to 2020/21 by route and for the academic years 2009/10 to 2020/21 by subject.

In this year’s publication, the main tables contain four years of data, from 2017/18 to 2020/21. Please see the methodology for more details on how provisional and revised employment rates are calculated.

Background on mainstream initial teacher training

To become a qualified teacher in England, trainees typically complete a programme of initial teacher training (ITT). This provides them with training, mentoring and teaching practice in schools, and leads to the award of qualified teacher status (QTS) for successful trainees.

There are several pathways into teaching which include an undergraduate route, over a three or four-year course, and postgraduate routes which normally run for one year full-time. Postgraduate fee-funded courses can be undertaken through a higher education institution (HEI), or via a group of schools delivering a school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) programme or a School Direct fee-funded programme. Postgraduate salaried routes include the School Direct salaried programme, the High Potential ITT programme and, since the 2018/19 academic year, the Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA)[1][2]. Two non-mainstream routes, early years ITT (EYITT) and assessment only (AO), are covered in separate sections below.

At HEIs, the university or college delivers the pedagogy of teaching supplemented by placements in schools. Successful trainees are awarded QTS and a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). On school-led routes, trainees are placed in a school from the first day of training. Most school-led routes also include a PGCE as many school-led providers will pair with an HEI.


Footnotes

[1] The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) was a new route introduced in 2018/19. It is a growing route, although relatively small (675 trainees in 2020/21) compared to other routes.

[2] High Potential ITT trainees were formerly reported as Teach First trainees.

Overall QTS and employment rates of final year trainees

Postgraduate Summary

  • There were 35,371 final year postgraduate trainee teachers in the 2020/21 academic year. Of these trainees, 30,865 were awarded qualified teacher status (QTS), up from 26,751 in 2019/20. When comparing award rates, 87% of trainees were awarded QTS in 2020/21. This is a 4 percentage point decrease compared to the previous year (91%). Prior to this year, the proportion of final year postgraduate trainees awarded QTS had remained stable since the 2013/14 academic year. The decrease seen in QTS award rates this year was largely due to an increase in the proportion of final year postgraduate trainees yet to complete[1]. Trainees who are yet to complete are those in their expected final year of ITT who have not completed the course by the end of the academic year. These trainees will go on to be awarded QTS, leave the course before the end or complete without being awarded QTS in a later academic year. 
  • We provisionally estimate that within sixteen months of qualification, 22,380 postgraduate trainees awarded QTS will be employed as a teacher in a state-funded school in England, up from 19,725 in 2019/20[2]. This represents 73% of postgraduate trainees awarded QTS, down from 74% (revised) in 2019/20 and 78% in 2018/19[3]. Note that this cohort will have been seeking employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • At the end of the 2020/21 academic year 2,909 (8%) final year postgraduate trainees were yet to complete and 1,597 (5%) were not awarded QTS[4]. This is an increase in comparison to 2019/20 where 1,391 (5%) of final year postgraduate trainees were yet to complete and 1,172 (4%) were not awarded QTS. This increase was driven in part by course extensions: for trainees whose training was disrupted due to reasons relating to Covid-19, providers could offer course extensions into the following academic year (where they deemed it to be appropriate) to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards. Another reason might be the growth in the number of trainees taking up the PGTA route [5], where courses often start later in the academic year. The final outcomes of trainees undertaking course extensions and those completing PGTA courses in a later academic year will be included in a future ITT performance profiles publication once they have completed their course. 
  • Provisional employment rates were 79% for those on a school-led route compared to 65% for those on a Higher Education Institution (HEI) route, with the highest rates seen for those on the High Potential ITT (91%), School Direct Salaried (87%), and Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (85%) routes.

Undergraduate Summary

  • There were 4,737 final year undergraduate trainee teachers in the 2020/21 academic year, an increase from 4,550 trainees in 2019/20. Of these final year undergraduate trainees, 4,131 (87%) were awarded qualified teacher status (QTS); this is a decrease in the proportion awarded QTS, compared to 2019/20 where 4,117 (90%) were awarded QTS[6].  
  • At the end of the 2020/21 academic year, 52 (1%) final year undergraduate trainees were yet to complete and 554 (12%) were not awarded QTS[7]. This is an increase in comparison to the 2019/20 figures - where 6 (0%) final year undergraduate trainees were yet to complete and 427 (9%) were not awarded QTS.
  • Provisional undergraduate employment rates indicate 65% of the trainees awarded QTS will be employed as a teacher in a state-funded school in England, within sixteen months of qualification, representing a drop of 6 percentage points compared to last year (71% of undergraduates in 2019/20 awarded QTS went on to be employed in a state-funded school in England, and 73% in 2018/19). As for postgraduates, this cohort will have been seeking employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.


Footnotes

[1] Due to the disruption to training caused by Covid-19, a small proportion of 2019/20 & 2020/21 trainees were offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

[2] Provisional figures are estimated as it is too early in the reporting cycle to capture everyone who is employed in a state school. Revised figures will be calculated following collection of the November 2021 school workforce data and will be published as part of the 2020/21 performance profiles publication; see the methodology section for further details.

[3] Revised figures for 2019/20 are calculated from more complete data using the November 2021 school workforce census; see the methodology section for further details.

[4] Trainees who were not awarded QTS includes those who left the course before the end (excluding those who left the course within 90 days of the start) and trainees who did not meet the standards.

[5] The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) was a new route introduced in 2018/19. It is a growing route, although relatively small (675 trainees in 2020/21) compared to other routes.

[6] Undergraduate trainees who were affected by Covid-19 were also offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.  As with postgraduate trainees, their outcomes will be recorded in a future ITT performance profiles publication once they have completed their course.

[7] Undergraduate courses have historically had a higher rate of trainees not awarded QTS than yet to complete their course. This is due to undergraduate trainees being excluded from the publication if they don’t have a recorded course end date (see methodology for more details). The exclusion of these trainees means those offered course extensions will not be included here and the increase in proportion of yet to complete trainees seen in postgraduate figures is less for undergraduates.

Outcomes of postgraduate final year trainees by subject

Summary

  • For primary postgraduate final year trainees, 12,704 were awarded QTS, an increase compared to 11,383 in 2019/20. This represents 85% of primary postgraduate final year trainees, a 6 percentage point decrease on 2019/20 (91%). There was an increase in the proportion of primary postgraduate final year trainees that were ‘yet to complete’ (from 5% in 2019/20 to 11% in 2020/21)[1][2]. The proportion of trainees who were not awarded QTS has remained at 4% since 2017/18[3].
  • There were 18,161 secondary postgraduate final year trainees awarded QTS in 2020/21, up from 15,368 in 2019/20. This represents 89% of secondary postgraduate final year trainees, a 2 percentage point decrease on 2019/20 when 91% were awarded QTS. There was an increase in the proportion of secondary postgraduate final year trainees that were ‘yet to complete’, and were not awarded QTS, both were 4% in 2019/20, and rose to 6% and 5% respectively in 2020/21. 
  • QTS award rates varied by secondary subject from 82% for computing to 95% for physical education.
  • Amongst postgraduate final year trainees the highest rates of trainees ‘yet to complete’ were seen in Computing and Primary (both 11%), a rise of 7 and 6 percentage points respectively. 
  • Of those final year postgraduate trainees awarded QTS, we provisionally estimate that within sixteen months of qualification, 8,984 (71%) primary postgraduate trainees and 13,396 (74%) secondary postgraduate trainees will be employed as a teacher in a state-funded school in England (compared to 8,165 (72%) for primary and 11,560 (75%) for secondary in 2019/20)[4][5].
  • Provisional employment rates vary by secondary subject from 52% for Classics (very small numbers) and 82% for Design & Technology.


Footnotes

[1] Due to the disruption to training caused by Covid-19, a small proportion of 2019/20 & 2020/21 trainees were offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

[2] Some trainees in their expected final year of ITT may not have fully completed their course at the end of the academic year. Trainees who are yet to complete the course will either go on to be awarded QTS, leave the course before the end or complete without being awarded QTS in a later academic year.

[3] Trainees who were not awarded QTS includes those who left the course before the end (excluding those who left the course within 90 days of the start) and trainees who did not meet the standards.

[4]  Provisional figures are estimated as it is too early in the reporting cycle to capture everyone who is employed in a state school. Revised figures will be calculated following collection of the November 2022 school workforce data and will be published as part of the 2021/22 performance profiles publication; see the methodology section for further details.

[5] Note that the 2019/20 & 2020/21 cohorts will have been seeking employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outcomes of final year trainees by route

Summary

  • There were 35,371 final year postgraduates and 4,737 final year undergraduates in 2020/21, increases from 29,314 and 4,550 in 2019/20 respectively. For both postgraduates and undergraduates, 87% of final year trainees were awarded QTS.  This is a decrease compared with 2019/20 figures of 91% for postgraduate and 90% for undergraduate trainees. 
  • QTS award rates vary by route, ranging from 51% for Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (PGTA) to 92% for High Potential ITT [1][2]. The PGTA route has a high number of trainees starting courses in January and the course duration is 12 months – therefore it has a larger proportion of trainees who have a status of ‘yet to complete’ (47%) at the end of the academic year.
  • In 2020/21, 89% of final year postgraduate trainees on a school-led route were awarded QTS, compared to 85% on a Higher Education Institution (HEI) route. Award rates were slightly lower than 2019/20 (which saw QTS award rates of 92% and 90% respectively).
  • Provisional employment rates vary by route [3]. They were 79% for those on a school-led route compared to 65% for those on a Higher Education Institution (HEI) route, with the highest rates seen for those on the High Potential ITT (91%), School Direct Salaried (87%), and Postgraduate Teaching Apprenticeship (85%) routes.


Footnotes

[1] The postgraduate teaching apprenticeship (PGTA) was a new route introduced in 2018/19. It is a growing route, although relatively small (675 trainees in 2020/21) compared to other routes.

[2] High Potential ITT trainees were formerly reported as Teach First trainees.

[3] Provisional figures are estimated as it is too early in the reporting cycle to capture everyone who is employed in a state school. Revised figures will be calculated following collection of the November 2022 school workforce data and will be published as part of the 2021/22 performance profiles publication; see the methodology section for further details.

Outcomes of postgraduate final year trainees by trainee characteristics

Summary

QTS award rates by characteristics

  • For 2020/21 final year postgraduate trainees, 89% of female trainees were awarded QTS compared to 84% of male trainees; these rates have decreased when compared to 2019/20, which were 93% and 87% respectively[1]. 
  • In 2020/21, 90% of postgraduate final year trainees aged under 25 were awarded QTS, compared to 86% of those aged 25 and over, this compares to 2019/20 figures of 93% and 90% respectively. Prior to this year figures have been the same since 2016/17. 
  • In 2020/21, 81% of postgraduate final year trainees who declared a disability were awarded QTS compared to 88% for those who did not[1]. Both figures show a 4 percentage point decrease when compared to 2019/20. This was due to a 3 and 4 percentage point increase seen in those trainees yet to complete for postgraduate final year trainees who declared a disability and did not declare a disability respectively[2][3]. Prior to 2019/20 these figures have been broadly consistent.
  • In 2020/21, for postgraduate final year trainees who declared their ethnicity, QTS award rates varied from 78% for Black trainees to 89% for White trainees, compared to 86% and 92% in 2019/20 respectively[4]. In 2020/21, QTS award rates were 81% for Asian trainees, 86% for Mixed ethnic group and 82% for Other ethnic group[5]. The proportion of postgraduate final year trainees not awarded QTS by ethnic group remained in line with historical years (ranging between 4-6% for each group)[6]. All groups saw an increase of at least 2 percentage points, in the proportion of trainees ‘yet to complete’. The largest increase of 6 percentage points was seen for the Asian, Black, and Other ethnic groups.

Employment rates by characteristics

  • Provisional employment rates for females in 2020/21 (73%) were higher than those for males (71%)[7]. This is a decrease from 2019/20 for females (from 76%), but an increase for males (from 69%).
  • Of those awarded QTS, it is estimated that 72% of those aged under 25 will be in employment at a state-funded school within sixteen months of qualification compared to 73% of those aged 25 and over. This is a decrease of 2 percentage points for those aged under 25 and 1 percentage point for those aged 25 and over compared to the previous year.
  • Provisional employment rates for those with a declared disability (68%) are lower than for those with no declared disability (73%). Employment rates for those with a declared disability were the same as 2019/20. For those with no declared disability, employment rates decreased by one percentage point when compared to 2019/20.
  • Provisional employment rates were lowest for Asian trainees (64%), and highest for White trainees (74%) followed by Mixed ethnicity trainees (72%). Asian trainees have had the lowest employment rates since 2017/18, except in 2019/20 when trainees of Other ethnicity had the lowest employment rate. Mixed ethnicity trainees have had the highest employment rates, although often alongside another ethnic group (Black trainees and White trainees each had the joint highest rates alongside Mixed ethnicity trainees in 2018/19 and 2019/20 respectively).


Footnotes

[1] In 2020/21, 419 out of 35,371 (1%) final year postgraduate trainees had an unknown disability status compared with 2% of final year postgraduate trainees in 2019/20.

[2] Due to the disruption to training caused by Covid-19, a small proportion of 2019/20 & 2020/21 trainees were offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

[3] Some trainees in their expected final year of ITT may not have fully completed their course at the end of the academic year. Trainees who are yet to complete the course will either go on to be awarded QTS, leave the course before the end or complete without being awarded QTS in a later academic year.

[4] In 2020/21, 1,755 out of 35,371 (5%) postgraduate trainees had an unknown ethnicity status compared with 6% of final year postgraduate trainees in 2019/20.

[5] Other ethnic group includes trainees with ethnic background recorded as Arab.

[6] Trainees who were not awarded QTS includes those who left the course before the end (excluding those who left the course within 90 days of the start) and trainees who did not meet the standards.

[7] Provisional figures are estimated as it is too early in the reporting cycle to capture everyone who is employed in a state school. Revised figures will be calculated following collection of the November 2022 school workforce data and will be published as part of the 2021/22 performance profiles publication; see the methodology section for further details.

Summary of final year postgraduate trainee outcomes for the 2020/21 academic year

Percentage awarded QTSPercentage of those awarded QTS teaching in a state school
AgeUnder 259072
25 and Over8673
DisabilityDeclared8168
None declared8873
Ethnic groupAsian8164
Black7865
Mixed ethnicity8672
Other8266
White8974
GenderMale8471
Female8973

Footnotes

  1. In 2020/21, 419 out of 35,371 (1%) final year postgraduate trainees had an unknown disability status compared with 2% of final year postgraduate trainees in 2019/20.
  2. In 2020/21, 1,755 out of 35,371 (5%) postgraduate trainees had an unknown ethnicity status compared with 6% of final year postgraduate trainees in 2019/20.
  3. Other ethnic group includes trainees with ethnic background recorded as Arab.
  4. For 2020/21, 69 out of 35,371 (0.2%) of postgraduate trainees had a gender status of Other. Other includes both trainees whose gender was not recorded and those trainees who identify as Other rather than as male or female. 0.1% of 2019/20 postgraduate trainees were categorised as Other.
  5. Trainees who were not awarded QTS includes those who left the course before the end (excluding those who left the course within 90 days of the start) and trainees who did not meet the standards.
  6. This publication includes final year trainees only. Undergraduate trainees with no recorded course end date are excluded from the publication (see methodology for more information).
  7. This is the first full academic year which has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. As provisional employment figures are estimated using the previous year's figures, the estimate may not capture the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on employment rates. See methodology for further details.

Outcomes of postgraduate final year trainees by degree class on entry

Summary

  • This section looks at the previous degrees obtained by postgraduate trainees before entering ITT.
  • In 2020/21, QTS award rates have all decreased compared to 2019/20, with an increase being seen in the proportion of trainees ‘yet to complete’[1][2]. However, the trends seen are in line with those seen in previous years, where the higher the degree class on entry, the higher the QTS award rate at the end of the academic year. Excluding those trainees whose degree class was unknown, QTS award rates ranged from 80% of postgraduate trainees with other degree class to 91% for those with a first-class degree on entry[3][4].
  • In 2020/21, there was an increase in the proportion of trainees ‘yet to complete’, the largest increase was seen for the degree classes of lower second and other (to 12% and 13% respectively) this was over 5 percentage points higher than the proportion of trainees with an upper second or first yet to complete (7% and 5% respectively)[5].
  • Provisional employment rates were highest for trainees who had a first class or upper second degree on entry (76% and 73%, respectively) compared to those with a lower second or other degree class (68% and 70% respectively).


Footnotes

[1] Due to the disruption to training caused by Covid-19, a small proportion of 2019/20 & 2020/21 trainees were offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards.

[2] Some trainees in their expected final year of ITT may not have fully completed their course at the end of the academic year. Trainees who are yet to complete the course will either go on to be awarded QTS, leave the course before the end or complete without being awarded QTS in a later academic year.

[3] In 2020/21, 1130 out of 35,371 (3%) final year postgraduate trainees had an unknown prior degree class compared to 6% of final year postgraduate trainees in 2019/20.

[4] Other degree class includes third class honours degrees, and ‘ordinary’ or ‘general’ degrees awarded after a non-honours course, and degrees awarded after a non-honours course that was not available to be classified. It also includes other categories from non-UK degrees.

[5]  ’Upper second’ includes undivided second class. In 2020/21, 29 final year postgraduate trainees had an undivided second class degree.

 

Outcomes of postgraduate final year trainees by region

Summary

  • In 2020/21, QTS award rates varied across English regions, from 83% in the North West to 92% in the East of England [1]. QTS rates have fallen in all regions apart from the South East (91%) where they remained the same as 2019/20. This decrease has been driven by an increase in the number of postgraduate final year trainees yet to complete their course[2][3]. For the North West, the increase in yet to complete was driven largely by one provider.
  • Provisional employment rates were lowest in the North West and North East (62%) and highest in the East of England (82%) although this trend is in line with 2019/20, the range has decreased (from 59% to 85% respectively)[4][5].


Footnotes

[1] Region is determined by the location of the provider, which is not necessarily where the trainee is located.

[2] Due to the disruption to training caused by Covid-19, a small proportion of 2019/20 & 2020/21 trainees were offered course extensions into the following academic year to enable them to gain adequate evidence of meeting the Teachers’ Standards. Regional trends have been impacted by an increase in the proportion of trainees yet to complete which has had a larger impact on certain routes/providers.

[3] Some trainees in their expected final year of ITT may not have fully completed their course at the end of the academic year. Trainees who are yet to complete the course will either go on to be awarded QTS, leave the course before the end or complete without being awarded QTS in a later academic year.

[4] Provisional figures are estimated as it is too early in the reporting cycle to capture everyone who is employed in a state school. Revised figures will be calculated following collection of the November 2022 school workforce data and will be published as part of the 2021/22 performance profiles publication; see the methodology section for further details.

[5] Revised figures for 2019/20 are calculated from more complete data using the November 2021 school workforce census; see the methodology section for further details.

Outcomes of candidates undertaking assessment only (AO)

Background

Gaining QTS through AO is a way for existing unqualified teachers, support staff or teaching assistants to demonstrate that they already meet all the QTS standards, without the need for any further training. AO is open to those with relevant teaching experience who hold a degree, or for those with a teaching qualification from another country. Candidates undertaking AO do not complete a course to achieve QTS, but are instead assessed against the Teacher’s Standards. The entry criteria for AO is the same as those for all initial teacher training (ITT) courses and must be met in full prior to registration. Only DfE-approved accredited providers of ITT can assess and recommend AO candidates for QTS. 

Typical candidates for AO might include:

  • unqualified teachers with experience in settings where QTS is not a requirement, for example independent schools, who wish to move into state-funded schools
  • unqualified teachers with significant teaching experience
  • teachers from overseas who wish to be awarded QTS in England[1]
  • higher level teaching assistants with the necessary qualifications and teaching experience

Summary

  • The number of assessment only (AO) candidates increased by 22% in academic year 2020/21, to 1,516, from 1,238 in 2019/20, and is in line with 2018/19 figures of 1,515. The decrease in 2019/20 was likely due, at least in part, to the impact of Covid-19 on assessments in the latter part of the academic year. Historically we have seen a larger proportion of AO trainees qualify in the second quarter (April – June), maximising the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
  • In 2020/21, 98% of AO candidates achieved qualified teacher status (QTS), a 1 percentage point increase compared to 2019/20 (97%) and a 1 percentage point decrease from 2018/19 (99%). Candidates who were aged under 25, female or of Mixed or Other ethnicity had higher QTS award rates than their counterparts (those who were aged 25 and over, male or belonging to another ethnic group respectively). There were no differences in QTS award rate for those who declared a disability and those who did not. However, trends in AO candidates should be treated with caution due to the relatively small number on the route. 
  • This higher rate of QTS award for candidates undertaking AO compared to mainstream ITT candidates is likely to be because candidates should already be experienced teachers, or hold a teaching qualification from another country, who can demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers’ Standards without any further training.

Subject breakdown of AO candidates

  • 51% of AO candidates in 2020/21 took primary assessments, which is greater than the mainstream ITT routes where primary trainees made up 42% of postgraduates for the same academic year[2].
  • The highest number of AO candidates in secondary subjects were for English (10%), physical education (7%) and mathematics (6%).

AO candidates' previous qualifications

  • Compared to mainstream trainees, AO candidates were less likely to have obtained a first or upper second class in their first degree (55% compared to 75% of new entrants on mainstream postgraduate programmes in 2020/21)[3].


Footnotes

[1] Some qualified teachers from overseas can obtain professional recognition and the award of QTS without undertaking ITT or AO. This applies to fully qualified teachers who trained in the European Economic Area (EEA), under the terms of Council Directive 2005/36/EC. Teachers who trained outside the EEA must have their qualifications recognised by an EEA member state and must have 3 years of experience in that state to be eligible to apply for QTS in England without undertaking ITT or AO. Teachers from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and United States can also apply for mutual recognition and must be fully qualified and eligible to teach permanently in the country in question. This must be documented from the recognised authority in that state. There is further information on the award of QTS on our webpage (opens in a new tab).

[2] Revised figure for 2020/21 taken from ITT Census 2021/22.

[3] Excludes those with unknown degree class, 2020/21 revised figures taken from the ITT census 2021/22.

Outcomes of final year trainees undertaking early years initial teacher training (EYITT)

Background

  • Early years initial teacher training (EYITT) provides specialist training covering the education and care of children from birth to the age of five and is distinct from primary education. Training is delivered by accredited ITT providers[1]. 
  • Successful EYITT trainees are awarded early years teacher status (EYTS). They are not eligible for the award of qualified teacher status (QTS) and are therefore not qualified to lead classes in a maintained nursery or school, unless they also hold QTS[2][3]. Early years teachers can lead teaching in all other early years settings in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector.
  • There are several routes leading to the award of EYTS. Trainees can undertake an undergraduate course, which allows them to earn a degree in an early childhood related subject and EYTS, normally over a three-year period full-time. Postgraduate EYITT courses can be undertaken through the graduate entry route (full time study, which includes the early years School Direct route) or the graduate employment based route (a one-year part-time route for graduates working in an early years setting). Postgraduate EYITT normally runs for one year full-time[4].

Summary

  • There were 527 final year postgraduate early years trainees in the 2020/21 academic year, of which 463 (88%)  were awarded early years teacher status (EYTS). This is a decrease in the award rate compared to 2019/20 when 332 (91%) of the final year postgraduate EYITT trainees were awarded EYTS. In 2018/19, 89% of the 398 postgraduate EYITT trainees were awarded EYTS. The decrease in EYTS award rate in 2020/21 may have been, at least in part, a result of the disruption caused by Covid-19 with some trainees potentially needing to extend their course into the next academic year.
  •  EYTS rates were highest for the EYITT graduate employment-based route compared to the Graduate entry or Undergraduate routes, although there were extremely small numbers on the Graduate entry and Undergraduate routes (80 and 16 trainees respectively) so this pattern should be treated with caution.
  • There were also differences in the EYTS award rates across several postgraduate EYITT trainee characteristics. In contrast with mainstream PGITT, trainees who were aged under 25 had a lower EYTS award rate (84%) than those aged 25 and over (88%) and when looking at ethnic group, Black trainees had the highest EYTS award rate (95%) and Asian trainees had the lowest (73%). Gender and disability status trends mirrored those seen in mainstream PGITT. Once again, these comparisons should be treated with caution due to very small numbers of EYITT trainees in some of the groups (see chart).


Footnotes

[1] Providers graded by the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted) as ‘requires improvement’, or below, cannot provide EYITT.

[2] 'Maintained’ refers to schools or nurseries where funding and oversight is provided through the local authority.

[3] Trainees with EYTS can work as level 3 support workers in a maintained nursery or school. They can work as unqualified teachers in some maintained schools or academies dependent on the school.

[4] Trainees can also undertake an assessment only route to earn EYTS. This is designed for graduates with experience of working with children from birth to five, who are able to demonstrate the Teachers' Standards (early years) without further training; for example, early years teachers who trained overseas.  The EYITT assessment only route is included in the Assessment Only section from 2020/21.

 

2020/21 year specific methodology

Data collection

The initial teacher training performance profiles are collected each year for trainees in the final year of their ITT training. This year, the DfE has again collected data on the Database of Trainee Teachers and Providers (DTTP) and its successor Register. The main collection period occurred from September to November 2021 but in some cases further changes were made directly by the DTTP team in agreement with providers.

The definition of final year trainees, as well as all other definitions in terms of data collected, remains the same as in ITT performance profiles for academic year 2017/18 (opens in a new tab) (see below), so all comparisons remain valid over time.

For the academic year 2020/21, we received data from all 239 providers. This consisted of 169 SCITTs, and 70 HEIs. All data were reviewed, confirmed and signed-off by a designated person at each provider.

This statistical release presents final year trainee outcomes and provisional employment data for 2020/21 and revised employment data for 2019/20.

Quality assurance 

Data for the ITT performance profiles were completed, reviewed and signed-off by providers. The data collection and publication team within DfE carried out additional quality checks and data validations throughout the data entry process. After data was extracted on 22nd March 2022 (excluding employment data which was extracted at a later date), a quality assurance process was undertaken by the publication production team. This process included detailed quality checks across the dataset. 

This quality assurance process identified a small number of issues. These, along with the solutions that have been implemented, are outlined below.

  • A small number of EYITT trainees were incorrectly recorded as being on other routes. For these 62 records the route information was manually recoded, and the data was then validated and signed-off by the production team.

Measuring Employment

The Department uses internal administrative data sources to estimate how many final year trainees awarded QTS go on to employment in a state-funded school in England. For full details on the methodology for measuring employment, see the publication methodology

For this publication, we calculate two employment rates:

  1. A provisional employment rate for final year trainees in the 2020/21 academic year
  2. A revised employment rate for final year trainees in the 2019/20 academic year 

 

Provisional employment rate: Departmental analysis has found that matching ITT trainee data to School Workforce Census (SWC) data from the year following qualification does not fully capture how many trainees go onto employment because some teachers do not start in time to be recorded in that SWC, while others start up to a year later. We account for these teachers by applying an uplift to the 2020/21 employment figures to estimate a provisional employment rate for 2020/21. The uplift is derived by comparing with data from previous years to determine what proportion of new teachers employed during the year were not included in their first school workforce census but were captured in the following year’s census (the uplift applied for 2020/21 was around 30.6% of those not captured in the first year). 

2019/20 year specific methodology

Data collection

The initial teacher training performance profiles are collected each year for trainees in the final year of their ITT training. This year, the DfE has again collected data on the Database of Trainee Teachers and Providers (DTTP). The main collection period occurred from September to November 2020 but in some cases further changes were made directly by the DTTP team in agreement with providers. High level summary tables of trainee numbers for each ITT provider were shared with the relevant provider in January 2021, for checking ahead of data cleaning. The figures shared at this time may differ from those in the final publication due to further data cleaning being carried out after the data had been signed off.

The definition of final year trainees, as well as all other definitions in terms of data collected, remains the same as in ITT performance profiles for academic year 2017/18 (opens in a new tab) (see below), so all comparisons remain valid over time.

For the academic year 2019/20, we received data from all 238 providers. This consisted of 170 SCITTs, and 68 HEIs. All data were reviewed, confirmed and signed-off by a designated person at each provider.

This statistical release presents final year trainee outcomes and provisional employment data for 2020/21 and revised employment data for 2019/20.

Quality assurance 

After data was extracted on 4th May 2021 (excluding employment data which was extracted at a later date), a quality assurance process was undertaken by the publication production team. This process included detailed quality checks across the dataset. 

This quality assurance process identified a small number of issues. These, along with the solutions that have been implemented, are outlined below.

  • A small number of trainees were identified which were incorrectly recorded as undergraduates when they should have been postgraduates. For these 208 records the ITT level was changed and the data was then validated and signed-off by the production team.
  • The proportion of postgraduate trainees with unknown degree class was higher this year than in previous years. To populate these missing fields, unique identifiers were used to match trainees from an alternative dataset to the cleaned record.

Measuring Employment

The Department uses internal administrative data sources to estimate how many final year trainees awarded QTS go on to employment in a state-funded school in England. For full details on the methodology for measuring employment, see the publication methodology

For this publication, we calculate two employment rates:

  1. A provisional employment rate for final year trainees in the 2019/20 academic year
  2. A revised employment rate for final year trainees in the 2018/19 academic year 

 

Provisional employment rate: Departmental analysis has found that matching ITT trainee data to school workforce census data from the year following qualification does not fully capture how many trainees go onto employment because some teachers do not start in time to be recorded in that SWC, while others start up to a year later. We account for these teachers by applying an uplift to the 2019/20 employment figures to estimate a provisional employment rate for 2019/20. The uplift is derived by comparing with data from previous years to determine what proportion of new teachers employed during the year were not included in their first school workforce census but were captured in the following year’s census (the uplift applied for 2019/20 was around 27% of those not captured in the first year). 

Help and support

Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

Official statistics

These are Official Statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

  • managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
  • meet identified user needs
  • produced according to sound methods
  • well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Initial teacher training performance profiles statistics and data:

ITT Routes Analysis and Research team

Email: ittstatistics.publications@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Sarah Amis

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Telephone: 020 7783 8300

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