Checks on teachers' qualifications

You must check qualifications for new teachers. Read about how to carry out these checks.

Last reviewed on 1 June 2022
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School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 5753
Contents
  1. What you must check
  2. How to check qualifications

What you must check

As part of pre-employment checks, you must verify professional qualifications, as 'appropriate'.

That's set out in paragraph 231 of statutory safeguarding guidance, Keeping Children Safe in Education.

It's up to you to decide what's appropriate, but the guidance does mention checking:

  • The award of qualified teacher status (QTS)
  • The completion of teacher induction or probation

Early career teachers and NQTs must undergo a QTS check

You must check for qualified teacher status (QTS) before allowing anyone to take up a post for a statutory induction. This applies to:

  • Newly qualified teacher (NQT) inductions that started before 1 September 2021
  • All early career teacher (ECT) inductions

This is set out on page 10 of the statutory guidance for NQTs and page 13 of the statutory guidance for ECT inductions.

How to check qualifications

QTS

Use Teacher Services to verify the award of QTS.

Whether the teacher completed induction Prohibitions, sanctions