During my first school placement as a PGCE student, the head of English talked with high praise about a teacher called Ms Carter.
Ms Carter’s curriculum planning, behaviour management and classroom practice were excellent. I observed her lessons as part of my training and benefitted from her support and experience.
But although she was a committed, skilled and integrated member of that English department, Ms Carter did not have qualified teacher status (QTS).
There are many Ms Carters in the school workforce. Data from 2025-26 shows there are 12,444 full-time teachers and 4,316 part-time teachers without qualified status.
And due to a recent change in legislation, schools will soon no longer be able to hire teachers like these. From September 2027, an exemption for academies in recruiting unqualified teachers will be removed.
The change comes as part of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, which mandates that, like local authority-maintained schools, academies must only employ teachers with QTS.
Balancing QTS standardisation with reality
On one hand, the mandate aims to level the playing field by ensuring that every pupil, regardless of school structure, is taught by someone held to a national professional standard.
For unqualified teachers, getting QTS is often a positive step - it unlocks the main pay scale and gives people like Ms Carter the professional status and career mobility they deserve.
On the other hand, the sector is in the middle of a recruitment and retention crisis. Leaders aren’t hiring unqualified staff because they want to cut corners; they’re doing it because it’s often the only way to find the staff they need.
Schools routinely rely on industry experts to teach vocational or specialist subjects like coding or modern foreign languages.
Forcing these specialists to jump through academic hoops just to keep doing the job they have done successfully for years risks driving them out of the sector entirely.
There is also the administrative burden of auditing staff, shuffling timetables and finding the budget for assessment fees.
QTS protections and exemptions
Fortunately, the Department for Education has made a few exemptions within its QTS mandate:
1. The specialist exemption
The existing rules around “instructors” remain. That means schools can still use uncertified specialists to deliver vocational courses, sports or languages, provided they operate under the supervision of a qualified teacher.
Similarly, those with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills status already have QTS so don’t need any new qualifications.
2. Existing teachers clause
Unqualified teachers already working in an academy can continue in their role or in another role with their current employer. This may especially help veteran staff who are approaching retirement, as schools can maintain their employment terms with no need for retraining.
However, those already working as an unqualified teacher at an academy cannot take up a role with a new employer without QTS (or meeting one of the other exemptions).
3. Teachers who trained overseas
Academies can still recruit teachers who trained in other countries, but they do need to undertake a route to QTS.
The DfE allows four years for this process, and depending on the country a person trained in, some teachers can do this through the DfE’s Apply for QTS service.
Routes to QTS for staff
For the staff who do need to gain QTS, there are several different options. Helping each individual to find the right pathway will help ensure the process is as smooth as possible.
Experienced teachers who have been planning, teaching and assessing independently for two or more years can take the assessment-only route. This bypasses training entirely. Instead, an initial teacher training provider assesses their teaching and pedagogical knowledge through school visits and observation over a 12-week period.
For those who aren’t quite ready for immediate assessment - perhaps they lack the required experience in a second school or need to build up their planning portfolio - there are preparatory pathways that allow staff to remain in their current roles (as cover supervisors or high-level TAs, for example), while learning on the job.
Finally, for newer staff who require full pedagogical training but cannot afford to take an unpaid study year, postgraduate teaching apprenticeships offer a salaried, one-year, on-the-job alternative. And if your school or trust pays into the Apprenticeship Levy, the training costs are fully covered.
How should leaders prepare for QTS changes?
The worst thing leaders can do is let inertia dictate their school’s staffing model.
The QTS requirement comes into effect from September 2027 - so you have the rest of this school year to prepare.
Look at your timetable this term. Identify who is exempt, who is ready for immediate assessment-only route, and who would benefit from a preparatory pathway.
By mapping staff onto the right pathways early, you are not just ticking a DfE compliance box before the door closes in 2027. You are telling your staff that you value them, believe in them and are willing to invest in their future.
Hannah Senel-Walp is director of Tes Institute. You can read more about what the requirement for QTS means for teachers in academies here
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