Government relaxes requirement for QTS status at Academies

The Government has relaxed the requirement for Academies that all teachers must have QTS status. Thus,
Academies can now hire new teachers who do not have QTS status.

Government officials say this means academies will be free to hire "great linguists, computer scientists and
other specialists who have not worked in state schools before".

The change is immediate and Unions for head teachers and teachers have attacked the move, describing it as a
damaging backward step.

Until now, most state-funded schools could only employ people with what is known as "Qualified Teacher
Status (QTS)", meaning they have been trained and approved as meeting a range of standards, however
independent schools are exempt from this rule.

The change also brings academies in line with the new free schools, which are already free to employ people
without QTS.

Academies, like free schools, are funded by the state but are semi-independent, outside of local authority
control and have greater freedom over the curriculum and teachers' pay and conditions than other schools.

The government says it still expects "the vast majority" of teachers to have the qualification, but that the
change will allow head teachers to bring in professionals with "great knowledge and new skills".

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "This policy will free up academies to employ
professionals - like scientists, engineers, musicians, university professors, and experienced teachers and heads
from overseas and the independent sector - who may be extremely well-qualified and are excellent teachers,
but do not have QTS status."

Christine Blower, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "This is a perverse decision by
the Department for Education and a clear dereliction of duty.

"The NUT believes all children deserve to be taught by qualified teachers - Parents and teachers will see this as
a cost-cutting measure that will cause irreparable damage to children's education."

The changes will apply to schools switching to become academies. Existing academies will have to apply to
make the change by altering their contract (funding agreement) with the government.

About half of England's secondary schools are now either academies or are in the process of becoming
academies. Only a small percentage of primary schools have made the change.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19017544