IOE reaffirms its commitment to research-informed initial teacher education

Through our breadth of expertise, our unique training approach and our long-term partnerships with more than 500 diverse and innovative partner schools, we ensure a secure supply of more than 1500 flexible, motivated and research-literate new teachers. We believe this is fundamental to supporting an intellectually confident teaching profession, addressing educational disadvantage and maximising life chances for all.

From 2021 the IOE will focus its initial teacher education (ITE) provision on its PGCE programmes (including the School Direct Tuition Fee route), winding down its Teach First offer. The IOE will also discontinue its School Direct Salaried and School-Centred ITE. Student teachers currently enrolled on any of these routes at the IOE will not be affected by this change and their programmes will continue as normal.

The IOE is proud to have supported Teach First since its outset, initially helping to adapt the Teach for America model for the English context, and, since 2011, delivering Teach First training for the London region. As Teach First enters into a new national contract from 2021, one that moves away from partnership with ITE providers towards a sub-contracting model, we have taken the decision not to continue as a provider for Teach First beyond our current cohort.

This decision will ensure that the IOE continues to be an outstanding and substantial provider of teacher education for London and beyond. It will allow us to focus anew on our PGCE programmes (including School Direct Tuition Fee) and our emphasis on developing research-informed teacher education and teacher professionalism, in line with our social justice mission.

Preparing new teachers has sat at the heart of the IOE’s work since its establishment in 1902. Today, our PGCE provision is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and spans early years, primary and secondary phases, including, for the secondary phase, 18 subject areas. In emphasising research literacy we seek to support teachers’ and schools’ critical engagement with a breadth of rigorous research and innovation, to support outstanding practice and meet the challenges of the future.

As the exceptional class of 2020 enters the teaching profession and a new cohort prepares to join us, armed with equal determination to improve lives, we look forward to working alongside our ITE partners to prepare tomorrow’s teachers for a long-term future in a career that has never been more challenging, rewarding or important.

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Credit: Phil Meech for UCL Institute of Education