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Guidance
Children being sponsored
by a parent or legal
guardian: Homes for
Ukraine
Guidance for councils on the eligibility and
applications process for children being
sponsored by a parent or legal guardian.
From:
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Published
31 January 2025
Last updated
7 July 2025 — See all updates
A parent (or legal guardian) who holds permission
Related content
Collection
Homes for Ukraine: council
guides
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Contents
Eligibility—
Application process—
Safeguarding checks—
Funding—
under any of the Ukraine Schemes can apply to
sponsor their child under Homes for Ukraine.
Children sponsored by their parents (or legal
guardians) will hold permission to live in the UK for up
to 18 months. They will have access to education,
healthcare, benefits and employment (as appropriate
under UK law).
Please note that a parent or legal guardian who is
sponsoring their child will not qualify for thank you
payments.
Local authorities in Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland should read this guidance in conjunction with
the Scottish and Welsh or Northern Ireland guidance
pages.
Eligibility
Both the applicant child and their sponsoring parent
must meet all the requirements under the Homes for
Ukraine scheme for the visa to be issued. See the
Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme: caseworker
guidance for details of the immigration requirements
under the Homes for Ukraine scheme and the Homes
for Ukraine Scheme sponsor requirements.
The parent or legal guardian:
does not need to have settled status to sponsor their
child, but they must hold permission under any of the
Ukraine Schemes (or Leave Outside the Rules
granted due to the conflict in Ukraine before the
Ukraine Schemes were introduced)
must offer accommodation for the duration of their
child’s visa 
must be able to provide evidence of their
relationship with the child (birth/adoption/legal
guardianship documents)   
Invasion of Ukraine
UK visa support for
Ukrainian nationals
Move to the UK if you're
coming from Ukraine
Homes for Ukraine: record
your interest
Find out about the UK’s
response
Successful applicants will be granted a Homes for
Ukraine visa with permission to stay in the UK for up to
18 months. If the child’s parent has less than 18
months permission remaining the child’s visa will be
aligned with their parent’s.
Councils should be aware that if a child is not eligible to
be granted a visa under the Homes for Ukraine
scheme, they may be granted Leave Outside the
Rules. This is a decision for the Home Office.
Application process
1. The parent or legal guardian should complete the
Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme visa
application form on behalf of their child, naming
themselves as ‘sponsor’. When asked about their
immigration status on the visa application form, the
parent or legal guardian should choose ‘none of the
above’ and provide further information regarding their
permission in the UK, including the date of issue and
expiry, in the text box following this question. They
should also mention that they are the parent or legal
guardian sponsoring their child.
2. Passport numbers (alongside completion of
eligibility questions and other personal details) for both
child and parent (as ‘sponsor’) will be required to
complete the application online. The parent will also
need to upload a scan of their child’s passport.
3. The child will need to book an appointment to have
their photograph and fingerprints taken at a visa
application centre (VAC) as part of their application.
The child must submit their birth or adoption certificate
to be scanned at the VAC. If they are sponsored by
their legal guardian, they need to submit the legal
guardianship documents listed in the Homes for
Ukraine caseworker guidance. At the VAC
appointment, the child should also provide written
consent from the parent or legal guardian in the UK
who they are joining. The written consent must confirm
all of the following: 
support for the application 
that the applicant will live with the parent or legal
guardian in the UK 
that the parent or legal guardian has permission to
stay in the UK 
the applicant’s travel to, and reception arrangements
in, the UK 
4. UK government will commission security checks on
both the child and parent (as ‘sponsor’) from the name
data declared in the application form. There is no
requirement for the applicant to upload a copy of
identity documents for any other member of the
sponsor’s household. 
5. The UK government will also conduct checks on the
applicant, the sponsor (i.e. parent), and adults in the
sponsor’s household, to ensure their eligibility and
suitability for the scheme. The government will verify
the relationship between the child and parent. These
checks must be completed before a visa can be
issued.
6. Once the visa is issued, the child can then travel to
the UK to join their parent/s or legal guardian.
7. Local councils will be able to access information
from the visa application on Foundry as soon as an
application is made, but the issuance of a visa to a
child dependent is not contingent on any council
checks being completed. Once the child has arrived,
local councils should conduct the checks set out below
under ‘safeguarding checks’.
Safeguarding checks
The Homes for Ukraine Scheme was set up to support
Ukrainians to move to the UK to live with members of
the UK public. When a child is sponsored by a parent
or legal guardian in the UK, local authorities are still
asked to carry out an accommodation suitability check
and an in-person welfare visit, after the child arrives in
the UK.
Local authorities should not carry out Disclosure and
Barring Service (DBS) checks on a parent or legal
guardian who is sponsoring their child. If there is a third
party (aged over 16) living in the household, the local
council should check that the relevant DBS check is
already in place in respect of that individual, and if not,
bring this up to date.
For further information about Homes for Ukraine
checks, see the guidance on local council checks.
If a child is not issued a visa under the Homes for
Ukraine because their sponsor has not been approved,
then the child may be granted Leave Outside the Rules
if there are compassionate and compelling
circumstances. This is a decision for the Home Office.
Further information about claiming arrivals tariff for
these children is set out below.  
Funding
The government provides funding to councils at a rate
of £5,900 per Homes for Ukraine Scheme arrival.
If a child applies to be sponsored by a parent or legal
guardian under Homes for Ukraine but is subsequently
granted Leave Outside the Rules, the local authority
can claim the £5,900 arrivals tariff.
Further information about Homes for Ukraine funding
can be found in the funding guidance for councils and
Grant Determination letters.
Parents or legal guardians who ‘sponsor’ their children
are not eligible for monthly ‘thank you’ payments. This
is in line with the policy introduced on 1 October 2024,
which means that thank you payments should not be
issued where the guest and sponsor are in a close
family relationship.
Published 31 January 2025
Last updated 7 July 2025
7 July 2025
Updated to reflect immigration rule change
31 January 2025
First published.
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Children being sponsored by a parent or legal guardian : Homes for Ukraine : Updated 7 July 2025

   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Early Years Initial  
Teacher Training – 
Requesting Places 
and Allocations 
Methodology  
2025 to 2026 Academic Year  
 
July 2025 
 
   
 
1  
Contents 
 
Summary ............................................................................................................................ 2 
Main points ...................................................................................................................... 2 
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 
Early years courses leading to EYTS .................................................................................. 3 
Recruitment......................................................................................................................... 3 
Preparing for recruitment .................................................................................................... 4 
ITT accreditation ................................................................................................................. 4 
Lead schools ....................................................................................................................... 4 
Recruiting for courses: allocations ...................................................................................... 5 
Requesting permission to recruit trainees ....................................................................... 5 
Recruitment figures ............................................................................................................. 6 
Allocations........................................................................................................................... 6 
Adding new courses ............................................................................................................ 7 
Data accuracy ..................................................................................................................... 7 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
2  
 
 
 
Summary    
This publication provides non-statutory guidance from the Department for Education. It 
has been produced to provide accredited initial teacher training providers with the 
methodology used to allocate places on their early years initial teacher training courses 
for the 2025-2026 academic year.  
Who is this publication for?  
This guidance is for:  
Accredited providers offering early years initial teacher training courses in England for the 
2025-2026 academic year. In this guidance, accredited ITT providers offering EYITT 
courses are referred to as accredited EYITT providers. 
Main points  
Each year the Department for Education requires accredited providers offering early years 
initial teacher training courses in England to communicate how many trainees they wish to 
recruit onto their courses for the following academic year. The Department for Education 
then grants a number of allocations to each provider for each relevant early  
years initial teacher training course and asks providers to not recruit above that number.   
For the 2025-2026 academic year, the allocations process is relevant only to providers 
wishing to offer Early Years courses leading to Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS).  
Introduction  
The Department for Education is responsible for regulating the volume of trainee early 
years teachers in England where training leads to the award of EYTS. The department 
also aims to support recruitment for all initial teacher training (ITT) courses in order to 
meet teacher demand from schools in England, efficiently using public funds and 
minimising an oversupply of teachers.   
This document provides guidance on early years teacher trainee recruitment for the 2025-
2026 academic year, and the methodology for allocating training places for the 2025-2026 
recruitment cycle. It is intended to be of use for accredited EYITT providers across the 
country.   
To formulate this approach, DfE has: 
   
 
3  
• accounted for previous recruitment patterns; 
• listened to sector feedback;  
• analysed the information supplied by accredited EYITT providers and lead schools 
during the allocation request period in November 2024; and 
• analysed the data provided in the ITT Census for academic year 2024-2025 taken 
in November 2024.  
 
DfE, or any successor organisation, may modify or amend the approach taken in future 
years.   
This guidance applies to the academic year 2025-2026 only.  
Early years courses leading to EYTS  
There are four training routes available for people to train as an early years teacher and 
be awarded EYTS upon successful completion:  
• Graduate entry: where a financial grant is allocated to providers by DfE to assist 
course fees coverage for graduate trainees studying full-time. Bursaries are 
available for eligible trainees (see ‘ITT funding’ section).  
• Graduate employment-based: where a training grant and employer incentive is 
given respectively to graduate trainees and to the trainee’s employer. This is a 
route open to graduates in paid employment, working in an early years setting and 
requiring further training to demonstrate Teachers’ Standards (Early Years). 
Trainees must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the training.  
• Undergraduate: where a tuition fee is payable by a person studying for a full-time 
degree (three or four year-long) in an early childhood-related subject. Funding is 
not available for trainees on this route, but trainees may be eligible to receive a 
tuition fee or maintenance loan.  
• Assessment only: a route for experienced practitioners (who may have gained 
qualifications overseas). This route is self-funded. 
Recruitment  
EYITT courses leading to EYTS for the 2025-2026 academic year fall into the ‘allocated’ 
category, meaning providers are given a limited number of trainees they can recruit.   
Allocated recruitment to courses is limited by the number of places granted by the DfE to 
providers. ‘Allocations’ indicate the number of places available for each organisation to 
recruit trainees for each of their ITT courses in this category.   
To recruit for early years courses leading to EYTS, accredited providers must first 
complete specific actions (see ‘Recruiting for courses: allocated category’ section). On the 
basis of national early years professional demand and providers’ requests, DfE grants an 
   
 
4  
established set of allocations to providers for courses in this category. Providers must not 
recruit over their granted allocations, unless in-year requests are permitted, or 
communicated otherwise by DfE. 
Preparing for recruitment  
Provider-led training courses are held by ITT providers. All organisations offering EYITT 
courses must ensure they have taken the adequate steps to ensure they are ready to 
recruit. 
 
ITT accreditation  
To ensure ITT providers and lead schools can offer early years courses for the 2025-2026 
academic year and recruit trainees for these, they must firstly ensure they have received 
accreditation by DfE.  
 
Following the government’s response to the 2021 ITT Market Review, all organisations 
delivering ITT leading to qualified teacher status (QTS) must be accredited against these 
new criteria, including the new quality requirements.  Passing this accreditation process is 
a mandatory requirement to deliver EYITT courses. A list of accredited ITT providers is 
available on gov.uk. 
At present there are no requirements for EYITT courses to meet the same standards as 
ITT courses as a result of the reaccreditation process, although providers may want to 
consider using the initial teacher training and early career framework when developing 
their programme to mirror the same standards across their offerings. 
All EYITT courses must enable trainee teachers to meet all of the teachers’ standards 
(early years) in order to be able to be lead to an award of EYTS.  
Usually, as part of the DfE’s approach to quality assurance, Ofsted will inspect EYITT 
delivery for all accredited providers under the initial teacher training and early career 
framework. However, Ofsted has postponed the start to its next initial teacher education 
(ITE) inspection cycle until the 2025/26 academic year, following a request by the 
Secretary of State for Education. Other quality-assurance activity will be carried out in the 
form of thematic monitoring visits, and most inspection activity is expected to restart from 
January 2026, with further details available at 
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-to-postpone-initial-teacher-education-
inspection-cycle. 
Lead schools  
Existing lead schools must ensure they have the ability to recruit with the EYITT provider 
they partner with. New lead schools should contact 
   
 
5  
becomingateacher@digital.education.gov.uk for guidance, in order to be able to recruit. It 
is advised that schools that wish to become a lead school first consider joining an existing 
partnership in their area. The minimum partnership size is five partner schools (or three 
for special schools). 
 
Recruiting for courses: allocations  
To recruit trainees for courses in the allocated recruitment category for the 2025-
2026 academic year, accredited providers must:  
• Request permission to recruit trainees by contacting the EYITT allocations mailbox 
(eyitt.ALLOCATIONS@education.gov.uk).  
• Provide an indication of interest and recruitment figures for each EYITT route via 
DfE’s regular Recruitment Update Survey, as well as actual figures as part of the 
ITT Census. 
• Receive allocations   
• Provide data to support bids for additional places in the second and third 
allocations windows 
 
They will then be able to open their courses for applications.   
Where applicable, they can also consider:  
• In-year allocations  
• January cohorts 
Requesting permission to recruit trainees  
The process to request permission to recruit applied only for courses in the allocated 
category for academic year 2025 to 2026 had to be completed by all accredited EYITT 
providers by Friday 29th November 2024. For lead schools, their permission to recruit was 
to be completed by the EYITT provider they partner with. Accredited EYITT Providers 
were instructed to inform DfE of their recruitment figures for each of their courses in the 
allocated recruitment category for the 2025-2026 academic year (see ‘Recruitment 
figures’ section). They were also asked to agree on requests being made on behalf of lead 
schools and ensure they submitted all requests before the end of the request period. 
Partnerships were able to decide for themselves whether lead school requests were 
completed by the lead school or the EYITT provider, as long as the EYITT provider 
submitted the request to DfE. 
   
 
6  
The request to offer this course and the recruitment figures were to be submitted via a 
Microsoft Form. The form was sent via email from GOV.UK to all accredited EYITT 
providers by DfE.  
 
Recruitment figures  
When requesting permission to recruit for courses in the allocated recruitment category, 
providers were required to specify the recruitment figures for their EYITT courses for the 
2025-2026 academic year. DfE requires this information to understand demand and 
capacity in the system nationally. The Database of Trainee Teachers & Providers (DTTP) 
is not used to collect information of requests.   
When considering these figures, accredited EYITT providers and lead schools should 
account for their most recent cohort sizes, recent recruitment patterns, current or 
anticipated growth in partnership arrangements, recent trends in applicant route 
preferences and a realistic assessment of employment need in the local area. This 
applies to the capacity for training that their partnerships can accommodate and their 
ability to attract high quality trainees who will make excellent teachers. Accredited EYITT 
providers and lead schools have a responsibility to ensure that DfE funding, data and 
reporting requirements are met, and therefore are responsible for submitting accurate 
information on the capacity of their training programmes. Any errors in submission are the 
sole responsibility of the accredited EYITT provider or lead school. Requests to amend or 
correct data beyond the deadline will only be considered in exceptional circumstances. 
Allocations  
November allocations 
DfE received more allocation requests for both funded EYITT routes for the 2025 to 2026 
academic year than places on offer. 
Places for both of the funded EYITT routes were allocated based on a provider’s share of 
total places allocated in the 2024 to 2025 academic year. For example, if a provider held 
3.1% of the total allocations in 2024 to 2025, their initial allocation for 2025 to 2026 was 
calculated as 3.1% of the total available places. 
New EYITT providers for academic year 2025 to 2026 were accommodated in the 
methodology by some providers from academic year 2024 to 2025 ceasing to deliver 
EYITT for 2025 to 2026.  
As part of the allocations process, all accredited EYITT providers for 2025 to 2026 were 
initially allocated at least 60% of the total places they bid for before final adjustments. 
   
 
7  
However, allocations were then scaled proportionally to ensure the total number of places 
matched those available, which may have resulted in final allocations being below 60% of 
the original bids in some cases.  
As stated in the Requesting Permission to Recruit Trainees section, providers may have 
the opportunity to apply to deliver more places for both routes at two points during the 
2025 to 2026 academic year, should unfilled places be returned to the Department. 
May allocations 
DfE ran an additional round of allocations in May 2025. 
Accredited EYITT providers were asked to share information concerning the viability of 
their courses, and for their additional bids. Based on this information, several providers 
required additional places to remain viable. 
Those providers with viability concerns were prioritised initially, with places being 
allocated to address the concerns. 
The remaining places were then allocated proportionally, based on how many additional 
places each provider bid for beyond any viability need, compared to the total additional 
bids received. 
Opening and closing courses  
Accredited EYITT providers are able to open their courses to applicants once their 
allocations have been granted and start recruiting trainees. Providers are advised to close 
their courses when they run out of places for courses. They may want to re-open these 
courses should they have newly freed places, such as if a candidate withdraws their 
accepted offer. 
Adding new courses  
Where a provider wants to add a new EYITT course for the 2025 to 2026 academic year, 
they should contact the Department for Education via 
EYITT.GENERALENQUIRIES@education.gov.uk.  
 
Data accuracy  
Accredited ITT providers who report inaccurate data may be impacted in their permission 
to recruit or in their granted allocations in subsequent years. Following the ITT criteria and 
supporting advice, failure to comply with DfE data requirements may lead to withdrawal of 
accreditation.  
   
 
8  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Crown copyright 2025 
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except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit 
nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3.  
 
Where we have identified any third-party copyright information, you will need to obtain 
permission from the copyright holders concerned. 
 
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Early Years Initial Teacher Training : requesting places and allocations methodology : 2025 to 2026 academic year

Statutory homelessness in England : January to March 2025 : Updated 31 July 2025

Introduction
Our recent 2024 to 25 annual report and accounts reported on the number of
complaints and notifications relating to registered early years providers. This
commentary discusses complaints and notifications over a 5-year period in more
detail.[footnote 1]
We are committed to making sure children have the best possible start in life, and
to promoting children’s safety and welfare. Caring for young children in a safe
environment helps them to develop the skills they need as they grow. The early
years foundation stage (EYFS) framework and Childcare Register requirements
set out what childcare providers must do to help children learn and develop and to
keep children safe and well.
It is important to understand that we regulate providers to help them improve their
practice so that they keep children safe. In many cases, providers have already
acted to reduce the risk of harm and have notified us, as set out in the legal
requirements they must follow.
Research and analysis
Early years complaints and
notifications commentary
Published 6 August 2025
Applies to England
Menu
Home Parenting, childcare and children's services Childcare and early years Data collection for early years and childcare
Early years complaints and notifications data commentary
Contents
Introduction
Complaints
Notifications
Outcome of complaints and
notifications
Annex: data tables for figures
Complaints
Complaints about registered early years providers can be from parents, members
of the public, other agencies, or members of staff. When we receive a complaint,
we do not investigate the concerns raised. Instead, our role is to check whether a
provider is meeting the legal requirements of the register they are registered on.
During the 2024 to 2025 financial year, we risk-assessed 9,420 complaints
relating to 6,370 providers.[footnote 2] This was 10% of all registered providers at
the start of the financial year.[footnote 3] Around three quarters of these complaints
related to nurseries and pre-schools.[footnote 4]
The number of complaints has increased each year since 2020–21, except for
2023–24, where there was a 5% decrease from the previous year. Between
2023–24 and 2024–25, the number of complaints about childminders increased
by 11%, compared with a 1% increase in complaints about nurseries and pre-
schools.
Figure 1: Number of complaints risk-assessed, by provider type and year
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
N
um
be
r
A ll prov iders Nurseries and pre-schools C hildminders
View data in an accessible table format.
In Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector’s 2020/21 annual report,[footnote 5] we reported
that around a third of complaints were about safeguarding or people’s suitability to
care for children. These continue to be the main areas of concern.
Notifications
Ofsted-registered early years providers must notify us of any serious childcare
incidents as soon as possible, and in any case within 14 days. We ask providers
to use the dedicated online notification form so that information gets to the right
place quickly. In February 2025, we published a blog post reminding providers
about when they need to notify Ofsted, which linked to our guidance.  
Between June 2020 and February 2022, registered providers were required to
notify us of 1 or more confirmed cases of COVID-19.[footnote 6] This was an
additional requirement at the time set by the Department of Education. This
commentary does not include notifications about COVID-19; however, data on the
number of these notifications is available separately.
During 2024–25, we risk-assessed 11,900 notifications from 8,220 providers. As
with complaints, three quarters of these were from nurseries and pre-schools.
Even though there was a 4% decrease between 2022–23 and 2023–24, the
number of notifications has increased in the last 5 years. Year-on-year, there is
more variability in the percentage of notifications received from nurseries and pre-
schools compared with childminders. Since 2023–24, there has been an 8%
increase in notifications from nurseries and pre-schools compared with a 4%
increase from childminders.
Figure 2: Number of notifications risk-assessed, by provider type and year
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
N
um
be
r
A ll prov iders Nurseries and pre-schools C hildminders
View data in an accessible table format.
In 2024–25, nearly a quarter of notifications were about changes that providers
must notify us of (24%), followed by safeguarding policies and procedures (20%)
and accidents and injuries (19%).
Outcome of complaints and
notifications
Once we have risk-assessed the information received, we decide on the
appropriate course of action. This could be having a telephone call with the
provider, bringing forward an inspection or taking compliance and enforcement
action. In cases that do not suggest there is a risk to children’s safety or well-
being, and when the provider’s inspection history does not give us cause for
concern, we note the information so that it can inform the next visit or inspection.
We may also refer the matter to the provider for them to take appropriate steps.
In almost half of all complaints and notification cases, we determined that the
most proportionate course of action is to discuss this with the provider at the next
visit or inspection. This is the most common outcome for notifications from
providers. As would be expected, complaints are most likely to result in further
action.
Multiple complaints and/or notifications can be handled as one case. During
2024–25, we carried out 8,690 regulatory events. These included face-to-face
events as well as remote events such as telephone calls with providers. This was
a 19% increase on the previous year.  
Where a breach in requirements is identified, we may take enforcement action.
This could include raising an action, or suspending or cancelling a registration.
Over the 5-year period, 12% of risk assessments handled by our regional teams
resulted in enforcement action.
Although the number of regulatory events has increased each year, the number of
events where actions were set reduced from 16% in 2020–21 to 13% in 2024–
25. This could indicate that providers are dealing proactively with issues that arise
and are complying with their legal responsibility to notify us appropriately.
We will continue to take a proportionate approach to regulation when we receive
information of concern. We will continue to update our guidance and provide
information in blogs to help demonstrate how settings can work with us to keep
children safe.  
Annex: data tables for figures
Data for Figure 1: Number of complaints risk-assessed, by provider type
and year
Financial year Provider type Number of complaints
2020–21 All providers 4,890
2020–21 Nurseries and pre-schools 3,280
2020–21 Childminders 1,500
2021–22 All providers 8,100
2021–22 Nurseries and pre-schools 6,250
2021–22 Childminders 1,700
2022–23 All providers 9,490
2022–23 Nurseries and pre-schools 7,470
2022–23 Childminders 1,820
2023–24 All providers 9,010
2023–24 Nurseries and pre-schools 7,090
2023–24 Childminders 1,670
2024–25 All providers 9,420
2024–25 Nurseries and pre-schools 7,190
2024–25 Childminders 1,850
See Figure 1.
Data for Figure 2: Number of notifications risk-assessed, by provider type
and year
Financial year Provider type Number of notifications
2020–21 All providers 9,270
2020–21 Nurseries and pre-schools 6,410
2020–21 Childminders 2,760
2021–22 All providers 11,100
2021–22 Nurseries and pre-schools 7,710
2021–22 Childminders 3,240
2022–23 All providers 11,700
2022–23 Nurseries and pre-schools 8,570
2022–23 Childminders 2,970
2023–24 All providers 11,200
2023–24 Nurseries and pre-schools 8,260
2023–24 Childminders 2,790
2024–25 All providers 11,900
2024–25 Nurseries and pre-schools 8,920
2024–25 Childminders 2,900
See Figure 2.
1. We have excluded complaints and notifications that fall outside Ofsted’s
remit. ↩
2. Numbers have been rounded. 
The providers include childminders, childminders without domestic premises,
childcare on non-domestic premises, childcare on domestic premises and
home childcarers.
By the end of March 2025, some providers were no longer active. Their
registration was either suspended or cancelled, or they resigned. ↩
3. ‘Childcare providers and inspections as at 31 March 2024’, Ofsted, July
2024. ↩
4. The term ‘nurseries and pre-schools’ is used to describe childcare on non-
domestic premises. ↩
5. ‘The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s
Services and Skills 2020/21’, Ofsted, December 2021. ↩
6. During the pandemic we paused routine inspections. Our regulatory and
enforcement activity continued during this period if we determined there was a
possible risk of harm to children. ↩
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Early years complaints and notifications commentary : Published 6 August 2025

Guidance
Overseas trained teachers:
apply for qualified teacher
status in England
Published 7 August 2025
Applies to England
Publication for Northern Ireland
Publication for Scotland
Publication for Wales
Teacher training in England leads to a professional teaching qualification called
Menu
Home Education, training and skills Teaching and leadership
Teacher training and professional development Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)
Overseas trained teachers: apply for qualified teacher status in England
Department 
for Education
Contents
Teaching jobs and visas
Who can apply
Requirements you need to meet
Application timelines
Induction and support after you get QTS
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
Support for schools to recruit overseas trained teachers
Contact us
qualified teacher status (QTS).
If you are an overseas trained teacher and meet the requirements set out in this
guidance, you can use the Apply for qualified teacher status (QTS) in England
service.
Many teachers will not meet the requirements for QTS. If you’re not eligible, you may
be able to find an alternative route to QTS which better suits your circumstances.
Teaching jobs and visas
Having QTS means schools in England are more likely to employ you, but the
service cannot:
award you a teaching job
help with your visa
Teachers in England are employed by individual schools, not the Department for
Education (DfE).
Teach in England if you trained outside the UK explains how to apply for a teaching
job and visa.
Who can apply
You can apply for QTS in England if you meet the requirements and have a teaching
qualification from the countries and regions of:
Australia
Canada
the European Economic Area (EEA)
Gibraltar
Guernsey
Hong Kong
Jersey
New Zealand
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Switzerland
Ukraine
the USA
If you have a teaching qualification from the following countries and are working in a
valid teaching role in England, you can apply for QTS if you meet the requirements.
The countries are:
Ghana
India
Jamaica
Nigeria
Singapore
South Africa
If you are not working in a valid teaching role in England, you may be able to apply
for QTS if you qualified to teach in:
Ghana
India
Jamaica
Nigeria
Singapore
South Africa
You will need to give evidence that you have a subject specialism in mathematics,
science or languages and are qualified to teach children who are aged anywhere
between 11 and 16 years. You will also need to meet the other requirements.
Requirements you need to meet
Overseas trained teachers can gain QTS based on an assessment of their
qualifications and experience against strict requirements.
These requirements are mandatory. You must meet them in full, exactly as set out
here.
To be eligible for QTS, you must:
have a bachelor’s degree of the same academic standard as a UK undergraduate
degree, as verified by UK ENIC, the UK national agency for international
qualifications and skills
have the professional status needed to be a teacher in the country where you
completed training that meets our requirements 
have completed all of your mandatory training (including induction period) that is
required by the country in which you qualified
have no conditions or restrictions on your teaching practice
be qualified and suitable to teach children aged anywhere between 5 and 16 years
You will have completed teacher training in an eligible country or region that:
meets the standard of a level 6 qualification
is of at least the same length as an English initial teacher training, one year and
full-time equivalent (30 hours per week)
Your teaching training course must be:
a postgraduate qualification with 75% of course modules having a pedagogical
focus (for example, a one-year qualification with 12 modules should have a
minimum of 9 pedagogical modules)
an undergraduate qualification with at least one year of study having a pedagogical
focus (for example, 33% of modules should have a minimum pedagogical focus
in a 3-year course)
Teaching experience
You must also have at least one school year (9 months) of experience employed as
a teacher in any country after qualifying. This includes school holidays, but does not
include time taken out for any other reason.
This experience must:
have taken place after the date your teaching qualification was awarded and the
date you qualified to teach in that country
been carried out in a setting that provides mainstream, compulsory education
During the experience, you must have:
taught unsupervised, primary or secondary pupils
been solely responsible for planning, preparing and delivering lessons to at least
4 students at a time
been solely responsible for assessing and reporting on the progress of those
students
English language proficiency
You must also meet a certain standard of English language proficiency. This means
you must be able to show one of the following. You have:
been born in, hold citizenship of or have studied at undergraduate level (or higher)
in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Guernsey, Jersey or one of
the exempt countries or territories
been taught in English at undergraduate level or higher and you will need to
provide evidence that the medium of instruction of your degree has been taught
wholly in English
sat a Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) B2
level English language test at a secure English language test provider and met a
CEFR B2 level of English proficiency
Additional requirements for teaching qualifications
If you are not working in a valid teaching role in England and have a teaching
qualification from Ghana, India, Jamaica, Nigeria, Singapore, or South Africa, you
must also have either of the following.
Option 1
A teaching qualification that meets the standard of a level 6 qualification qualifying
you to teach children who are aged anywhere between 11 and 16 years in
mathematics, languages or science.
Your qualification should either:
state mathematics, languages or science in the title
have at least 25% of the modules in either mathematics, science or languages
Option 2
A teaching qualification that meets the standard of a  level 6 qualification qualifying
you to teach children who are aged anywhere between 11 and 16 years, and a
bachelor’s degree made up of at least 50% mathematics, science or a language
Languages are defined as languages taught in English state schools (excluding
English), examples being:
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Latin
Mandarin
Russian
Spanish
If you are already working in a valid teaching role in
England
If you are already working in the following roles in England, you can apply for QTS
without meeting the additional subject and age requirements set out above.
For example, an eligible teacher with a level 6 teaching qualification from Ghana, that
qualifies them to teach Geography, will be able to apply if they are working in the
following roles in England.
We will only consider the following settings and roles worked in England in the last
12 months:
a teacher, supply teacher, cover supervisor or teaching assistant in a state school
a teacher or supply teacher in an independent school
a teacher, tutor or lecturer in an Ofsted registered Further Education and Skills
setting (for example, a college)
a lecturer or tutor in an English Higher Education provider registered with the
Office for Students (for example, a university)
a teacher in an Ofsted registered Early Years setting (for example, a nursery)
Application timelines
We assess 90% of applications within 12 months. We aim to process applications
from teachers who have valid experience in England faster.
This information is correct as of March 2025. Timelines are based on total
applications completed since February 2023.
It may take longer if we need to ask for further information or if external factors, or
third parties, cause delays. This includes waiting for references, or verification of
qualifications or professional standing. The time it takes to assess applications is
regularly reviewed and subject to change.
Induction and support after you get QTS
If you come to England with less than 2 school years’ experience, after you get QTS
you must:
complete statutory induction
get development support based on the early career framework
Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
Exceptions apply to teacher who qualified in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Teachers who trained and qualified in Scotland and Northern Ireland need to give
evidence of their qualifications and their registration status with the relevant regulator
to the professional.recognition@education.gov.uk.
Teachers who qualified in Wales hold QTS automatically.
There are separate processes for teachers from overseas who want to work
in Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales.
Support for schools to recruit overseas
trained teachers
Check what you need to do to employ teachers who are non-UK citizens in the
Recruit teachers from overseas guidance.
Contact us
For any additional QTS queries, email: teach.inengland@education.gov.uk.
If you are eligible for QTS and would like help with your application, please
email:professional.recognition@education.gov.uk.
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activity
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consultations
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Get involved
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Terms and conditions  Rhestr o Wasanaethau Cymraeg
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All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where
otherwise stated
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