The @SocietyET opens next application window for Advanced Teacher Status

Teachers and trainers have until July to enrol for the next cohort of ATS, starting in October.

The Society for Education and Training (SET) has this month launched the application window for teachers and trainers to join the third cohort of professionals to apply for Advanced Teacher Status (ATS), which starts in October. Two cohorts of advanced teachers and trainers are already working towards the Status and have had a key role in helping to adapt and refine the process.

Developed by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), Advanced Teacher Status (ATS) is the badge of advanced professionalism and mastery in further education and training, to provide a nationally recognised progression route from QTLS for experienced practitioners. It is conferred through SET – the professional membership organisation for over 17,000 practitioners working in the post-16 Further Education and Training sector.

Following the introduction of ATS in 2017, over a hundred practitioners have taken part in two pilot cohorts, generating valuable insights that the ETF has used to further develop and establish ATS, including the introduction of an e-portfolio system tailored to participants’ needs.

The application window for the third cohort – which aims to enrol 125 participants – is open until 31 July 2018.

ATS is for advanced teachers and trainers who have gained QTLS, have significant teaching experience, and can demonstrate:

• mastery in teaching and/or training
• an exemplary degree of subject knowledge in their area of professional expertise
• effectiveness in working collaboratively to improve teaching standards amongst their peers or within their organisation

Tricia Odell, Head of ATS and QTLS at the Education and Training Foundation, said: “In the context of FE, expertise must encompass dual professionalism – mastery both of subject or occupational field and of teaching. Gaining Advanced Teacher Status has become a deserved and highly sought-after badge of recognition for experienced teachers and trainers who continually demonstrate a high level of expertise and effectiveness, and are willing to spread their positive influence within or beyond their organisation through collaboration and practice-based research. As well as benefiting individuals, the collaborative journey of ATS benefits their colleagues and organisations as a whole.

“We are extremely pleased to have developed a new e-portfolio evidence-based assessment system. The new online system makes the process of undertaking ATS much more efficient, supportive and seamless – and we are grateful to those who have taken part in our research and have helped us to adapt and refine the ATS experience.”

Lisa Williamson, experienced teacher in HE, FE and secondary education, said: “I saw ATS as a natural progression from QTLS and I want to be a role model in the profession. Gaining this status will demonstrate my passion and commitment for excellence in teaching and learning, and to be outstanding as a practitioner – hopefully leading to a senior management role in education.”

Stacy Mann, Early Years Trainer and Consultant, said: “I find myself reflecting more and questioning my teaching practices. I am finding problems and sourcing solutions to improve my practices as a teacher and therefore my learner’s experiences.”

To be awarded ATS, a teacher or trainer must be a SET member, have held QTLS for at least one year and must have been qualified as a teacher for at least four years. It is designed for professionals teaching post-14 learners in all possible settings, including FE colleges, adult and community learning, work-based learning, employers, schools, offender learning settings and more.

The fee for completing the status, which takes 11 months, is £750, which may be paid in instalments.

Further information on how to request a brochure or apply can be found on the SET website.