Assessment Only Route to QTS

We are please to be offering the Assessment Only Route to Qualified Teacher Status, and we are now accepting applications for candidates who wish to complete this route in the 2024-25 academic year.

The Assessment Only Route (AOR) is suitable for applicants who already meet the standards for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), through significant prior experience as a teacher. The AOR is not a training route, so if you do not meet this requirement, please view the details of our SCITT and Postgraduate Apprenticeship routes to QTS/ QTS and PGCE instead.

Schools and candidates interested in this route can contact [email protected] for more information at any stage.

The Assessment Only Route (AOR) route offers experienced teachers a pathway to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) while they continue to work in schools, it is aimed at individuals who do not hold QTS but can already evidence professional competencies, experience and meeting the Teachers’ Standards. Applicants for the AOR will need to have support of their employing school prior to application, so you should ensure that you speak to relevant senior leaders at your school about this route.

Applicants could be experienced, unqualified teachers, or overseas trained teachers who cannot convert their existing teaching qualification to QTS. You should check whether you can apply to have an existing teaching qualification converted to QTS in advance of applying for the AOR; this is usually only possible for some countries and some subject areas, more information about this can be found via the DfE.

The AOR will be assessed in primary 3-7 or 5-11 and secondary 11-16 or 14-19 age ranges. The AOR lasts for 12 weeks and can begin at any point in the academic year between September and the start of term 5, Tuesday 22nd April 2025. 

Throughout the 12-week AOR you will be supported by a school-based Mentor, who you will meet regularly, to complete observations, teaching and reflections, in order to collect evidence of ongoing practice and to demonstrate that you are consistently meeting the Teachers’ Standards. We will provide templates, guidance and an online evidence portfolio for you and your mentor to complete all relevant documentation.

You will also be assigned a SCITT Tutor who will support you and your employing school in successfully undertaking all aspects of the process and assessment. Your SCITT Tutor will conduct the initial assessment visit (see below for more information about this) and an interim visit at week 6. A second Visiting Tutor will then conduct the final review in week 12 to ensure that evidence is in place for the award of QTS.

The Assessment Only Route to QTS fee for the academic year 2024-25 is £2,750. It is expected that this cost will usually be covered by the employing school. The fee will be payable in instalments as follows:

• Instalment 1:  £500 due before the selection visit;
• Instalment 2: £1,125 due at the commencement of the 12-week AOR period;
• Instalment 3: £1,125 due after the 6-week interim visit and before completion / award of QTS. 

Schools will be invoiced by The SCITT at the appropriate intervals to pay the fee.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the AOR you must:

• have a minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience and evidence of your prior teaching experience, across two key stages and in at least two schools*
• be employed in a school which has committed to supporting on the Assessment Only Route to QTS, with teaching responsibility:
  • for secondary, teaching your subject to full classes for at least 50% (approximately 12 hours per week) of a full school timetable in the assessed age range
  • for primary, teaching core subjects (English, maths and science) to full classes for at least 50% (approximately 12 hours per week) of a full school timetable in the assessed age range
• have a first/bachelor’s degree from a UK university, or a recognised non-UK equivalent
• have an English language qualification that is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE
• have a maths qualification that is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE
• for primary AOR, you must also have a physics, chemistry or biology (science) qualification that is the same standard as a grade 4 GCSE
• Please note that for overseas qualifications, you may be required to provide a statement of comparability or additional evidence so that we can ensure your degree and/or GCSE equivalent qualifications are at the required standard for entry to this route

*Teaching experience for the purposes of AOR is not restricted to taking place wholly or mainly in England, and therefore overseas teaching experience can count towards this criterion. Applicants who have two years’ experience but only in one school will need to be able to complete a three-week placement in another setting to meet this requirement.

Please view our AOR Person Specification for full details regarding eligibility and expectations.

Applications

Applications are submitted online, via a separate application portal. Once you have checked your eligibility and have confirmed that your school is supporting you on the route please contact us directly by emailing [email protected] and we will send you the link to submit your application form.

The application will ask you to provide contact information, qualification details, employment history and statements regarding your teaching experience. You will also be required to submit and upload copies of your identity and qualification certificates. Please ensure that you have the original hard copies of these documents as they will be checked and verified as part of your selection visit.

Selection Visit

Once your application has been submitted, and your school has confirmed their support, we will arrange a Selection Visit with you and your school’s Headteacher or Senior Leader held at your employing school:

• In advance of the visit you will be required to prepare and submit an Initial Evidence Document, to demonstrate your experience and the evidence you have for meeting the Teachers’ Standards.
• During the visit you will meet with your SCITT Tutor to evaluate your teaching experience, validate your qualifications, and review the initial evidence submitted. Your Tutor and Headteacher will also complete a lesson observation.
• At the end of the Selection Visit the SCITT Tutor will provide information about the 12-week assessment period and a ‘next steps’ summary, and a proposed start date will also be identified, pending successful completion of the application and enrolment process. 
• After the Selection Visit the SCITT Tutor will review all the evidence provided and will write to you and your school to confirm whether your application and selection were successful, and to confirm the start date for you to commence the AOR.

Full guidance about the Selection Visit will be provided after your application has been reviewed.