During August and September 2023, we planned a series of email communications to training providers to help them prepare for the end of the recruitment cycle for initial teacher training (ITT).
The issue
The 2022 to 2023 recruitment cycle ends on the last Wednesday of September every year. This year that date was 27 September 2023.
To help providers prepare for the end of the cycle, we put together an email communication plan with our policy colleagues.
Every year we send emails out to training providers and candidates, this plan would help us write and send emails in good time. It would also help us next year when we need to do this again.
View what we sent to candidates who use Apply for teacher training (Apply).
What we did
We drafted the following email communications to training providers.
14 September 2023 – telling training providers to move candidates to ‘recruited’ status
We sent 2 emails to:
- school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) providers who use Manage teacher training applications
- higher education institutions (HEIs) who use their own student record systems through the Apply API
In this email we needed to remind providers that candidates with the status of ‘conditions pending’ should be moved to ‘recruited’ status if they had met all their conditions. Once they are in recruited status, candidate information would be imported to Register trainee teachers (Register) so they can be recorded as starting their training.
We also needed to explain what providers should do if candidates have not received all their references yet and if they had not completed their subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course.
Email to SCITT providers:
Dear [First name]
The 2022 to 2023 recruitment cycle ends on 27 September 2023. Training providers will soon be registering new trainees in Register trainee teachers (Register).
Currently, when an application reaches ‘recruited’ status in Apply for teacher training (Apply), it will be imported into Register as a draft trainee record.
You should not move a candidate to ‘recruited’ status before they have met all their conditions. However, they can start their training and you can manually create a record for them in Register.
We’re working on a change to the services to improve this process in future. While this work is happening, you can follow this guidance for candidates who are due to start training in September 2023.
Candidates who have not received all their references
Where possible, references should be received before a candidate starts training.
However, if no safeguarding issues have been raised during the application process, you can allow a candidate to start their training if you’ve not received any references yet.
If you’ve only received one reference so far, and it does not raise any issues with the candidate’s suitability to work with children, then the candidate can also start their training.
You can register these candidates manually in Register while you wait for references to come back.
Candidates who have not completed their subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) course
It’s fine for candidates to start their training if they have not completed their SKE course.
If you’re confident they will complete it during their training, you can register these candidates manually in Register.
Candidates providing evidence of GCSE equivalent qualifications
If a candidate is taking a GCSE equivalency test for English, mathematics or science, they must provide evidence they have done the test before their training starts.
It’s fine for them to provide the certificate of their results after their training starts. In these cases, you can register these candidates manually in Register.
If a candidate has started their training but does not meet the GCSE standard from their test, the candidate should not continue training. The recovery of any fees already paid should be handled between you and candidate.
Get help
If you need any help, contact us at becomingateacher@digital.education.gov.uk
For the email to HEIs, we did not mention how Apply works with Register. HEIs use their own student record systems and use Register in a different way to SCITTs through the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
20 September 2023 – telling training providers to respond to applications submitted by candidates
We needed to remind training providers to respond to candidates who were still waiting for a decision on their application.
We also used it as an opportunity to tell providers what the 2023 to 2024 recruitment cycle dates are.
Email content:
Dear [First name]
The 2022 to 2023 recruitment cycle ends on 27 September 2023 at 11:59pm.
You should respond to candidates who have submitted an application but are still waiting to hear if they will get an offer to start training in the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
2023 to 2024 recruitment cycle dates
From 3 October 2023, candidates will be able to find courses that start from September 2024.
On 10 October 2023 at 9am, candidates will be able to start submitting their applications.
Your organisation should make sure all your courses are published by this date so candidates can find them on Find postgraduate teacher training courses (Find).
View the 2023 to 2024 recruitment cycle dates.
Get help
Contact us at becomingateacher@digital.education.gov.uk if you need any help preparing for the end of this recruitment cycle and the start of the 2023 to 2024 cycle.
21 September – Becoming a teacher newsletter
Every month, our division sends a newsletter to all training providers. Each team can contribute to the newsletter if they have something to communicate.
We took this as an opportunity to tell all training providers about how we were changing the application process for the 2023 to 2024 recruitment cycle.
Content we added to the newsletter
Changes to how candidates apply for teacher training in the 2023 to 2024 recruitment cycle
Candidates will be able to submit their applications for the next recruitment cycle from 10 October 2023 at 9am. View the new recruitment cycle dates.
We’re changing the way candidates apply for courses. These changes will be in Apply for teacher training (Apply).
Training providers will process applications in the same way in Manage teacher training applications (Manage) or your own student record systems.
We’ve detailed the changes we’re making below.
Applications will not be rejected automatically after 40 working days
To give you more time to make decisions, we’re removing the 40 working day deadline where an application gets rejected automatically.
All applications will have a status of ‘Received’ in Manage and your student record system until you make a decision, or the candidate withdraws the application.
If candidates don’t get a decision within 30 working days, they can apply to another course. You’ll still be able to make a decision on all applications after 30 working days.
Candidates will be able to apply to a different course as soon as they receive a rejection or withdraw
Allowing candidates to apply again as soon as they receive a rejection or withdraw, means they do not have to wait for a response from all 4 course choices and can act on feedback quickly.
Offers will not be declined automatically after 10 working days
Less than 3% of offers are declined automatically so we’re removing this time limit.
You should give candidates at least 20 working days to respond to an offer. We’ll also be sending candidates a series of emails to remind them to accept, or decline, offers.
Candidates will be able to edit parts of their application after submission
Once a candidate submits an application, they’ll be able to edit:
- Personal information
- Contact information
- Adjustments (asking for support with a disability and interview availability)
- Equality and diversity information
We’ll show any edits a candidate makes on their application in Manage or your student record system.
We’ll also send you weekly emails telling you which applications have been updated. You’ll be able to select if you do not want to receive these emails in your account settings in Manage. We’ll implement these emails later in the next recruitment cycle.