Letter concerning Assessment Only Route To QTS

 

Further to your enquiry, to be eligible for the Assessment Only route with The Cambridge Partnership you need to be currently employed by a school in the UK as an unqualified teacher, planning and delivering whole class lessons.

 

There is a mandatory requirement that anyone seeking to gain QTS must have teaching experience in a minimum of two schools. One of these has to be in a state school. In many cases this is covered by the completion of a placement of about ten days (equivalent) prior to the 'assessment only' route commencing. Where the subject offered is one not commonly covered by the curriculum in many schools it is often covered by the candidate offering an alternative subject.

 

Another mandatory requirement is that you must show experience of teaching in two consecutive key stages. In many cases where the main subject is taught only in sixth form this involves the candidate offering an alternative subject at KS4

 

Your school would need to endorse your application with a reference and a signed agreement to support you through the programme. They would also need to provide you with a mentor through the programme. Currently the cost of an AO programme is £2850 which is invoiced in two tranches, one after the initial assessment and the other at the end of the programme. We are only able to issue invoices to the school, so if you were paying for the programme yourself or sharing the costs with the school you would need to make that arrangement with them so they could pay us.

 

Prior to the initial assessment you would be required to put together a portfolio of evidence showing how you match or exceed all of the Teachers' Standards laid down by the DfE. Whilst this is time consuming it is likely that as an experienced practitioner you will have much of the evidence readily to hand. It is also likely that you would be able to use substantial parts of that portfolio to go towards the similar body of evidence that you will need to provide the following year when you are going through the NQT process.

 

We would expect your portfolio of evidence to be complete (or very nearly so) at the time of our initial assessment visit.

 

A brief introduction and FAQs are available on our website (www.thecambridgepartnership.co.uk).

 

I hope this is to help to you.