According to the research, NQTs on school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) routes were also generally more satisfied than those on university-led courses.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership surveyed NQTs who had completed their initial teacher training during the 2014-15 academic year. 

It found that just 74 per cent of Teach First NQTs rated the quality of their training as seven out of 10 or higher, compared to an average of 81 per cent for all NQTs.

Only 59 per cent of Teach First NQTs rated the support they had received from their school during their training as seven out of 10 or higher, compared to an average of 74 per cent among all staff in their first year.

However, Teach First said it had “concerns” about the accuracy of the survey, which was taken by 1,950 NQTs, including 220 from Teach First.

A spokesman for the organisation said: “We welcome feedback, particularly from our participants, in response to which we have already launched an improved programme for 2017 with a new postgraduate qualification and enhanced support structures.

“However we do have concerns about the reliability of this survey, which is based on a very small sample of Teach First participants with a large margin for error in the results.”

The spokesman pointed to a recent Ofsted inspection which rated its provision “outstanding” in 41 of 48 areas. 

The survey also found that NQTs on SCITT routes generally indicated higher satisfaction than those on university-based courses. 

SCITT-trained NQTs generally felt their training prepared them better for teaching than those on other routes. They reported better ratings than university routes on 19 of the 21 aspects of teaching the survey asked about. 

The SCITT-led postgraduate route garnered the highest satisfaction levels of all, with 89 per cent of NQTs on this route rating the quality of their training as at least seven out of 10. 

The National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT) welcomed the findings.

Martin Thomas, NASBTT’s executive director, said: “We are generally very pleased with the evidence of satisfaction from NQTs trained on the SCITT and other school-led routes”.

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