Before the 2022 to 2023 cycle, providers were asked to describe the academic qualification entry requirements for each course in a single free text field.
As there is a minimum initial teacher training (ITT) entry requirement across all courses, this led to the standard entry requirements being described in different ways by different providers.
For instance:
GCSE Maths, English and Science at Grade C or higher or equivalent
GCSEs: At least a Grade C or Grade 4 at GCSE (or equivalent) in English Language, Mathematics and Science is essential for all applicants.
GCSE in English (or approved equivalent) at grade C/Level 4 or above GCSE in Mathematics (or approved equivalent) at grade C/Level 4 or above GCSE in Science (or approved equivalent) at grade C/Level 4 or above
These small differences may be confusing for candidates. The way providers had written requirements could also be difficult to understand.
For the 2022 to 2023 cycle, we’ve changed the Publish teacher training courses (Publish) service to only ask providers to specify the entry requirements that may differ across courses.
These are:
- whether or not they accept pending GCSEs and GCSE equivalency tests
- the minimum degree class required
- any additional degree subject requirements (for secondary courses)
These changes allow us to use consistent language to describe the standard entry requirements.
New content structure
Primary courses
The standardised content is:
An undergraduate degree, or equivalent.
GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English, maths and science, or equivalent qualification.
Then the following paragraph is created from the provider’s answers to the pending GCSEs and equivalency tests questions, for example:
We’ll consider candidates who are currently taking GCSEs. We will not consider candidates who need to take GCSE equivalency tests.
or
We’ll consider candidates who are currently taking GCSEs. We’ll consider candidates who need to take a GCSE equivalency test in English, maths, or science.
Where providers do accept equivalency tests, they’re asked to give details, and this free text field is shown at the end.
Secondary courses
For secondary courses, a standardised paragraph is added about the degree subject:
Your degree subject should be in [course subject] or a similar subject. Otherwise you’ll need to prove your subject knowledge in some other way.
Providers are able to add additional text after this if they have further degree subject requirements, such as a percentage of modules being in the relevant subject.
The GCSE requirements for Secondary courses do not include science:
GCSE grade 4 (C) or above in English and maths, or equivalent qualification.
Findings from user research
There was confusion around the term ‘equivalent’, as it was used within both ‘equivalency test’ and also ‘GCSE, or equivalent’. To improve this, we’ve used the terms ‘GCSE equivalency test’ or ‘equivalent qualification’.
We learnt that providers handle GCSE equivalency tests differently. Some providers run them in-house, others only accept tests from specific third-party companies. This meant that we could not use terms like ‘offered’ or ‘accepted’. Instead the language refers to considering candidates who need to take a GCSE equivalency test, with the free text paragraph after giving details.