Question: Which is the odd one out? Ambition Institute, Durham University, the National Institute of Teaching or Teach First?
If you are familiar with the ‘Odd One Out’ round on Have I Got News For You, you will know the premise is based on stating the obvious answer but not for the evidently apparent reason. And so is the case here, as Durham University is the odd one out but for the less obvious reason that, from 2024, they will not be able to ‘train’ teachers under their own governance while Ambition, Teach First and NIoT can. This was the outcome of a deeply flawed DfE ITT accreditation process.
In reality, Durham university could have been replaced in the question by the universities of Sussex, Cumbria, Greenwich, Hull or any of the dozen higher education providers who were not accredited as part of the contradictory accreditation process. This was alongside 27 school-centred initial teacher training programmes that also were not accredited to continue provision by the DfE.
Regardless of the fact that Durham – like other universities and in contrast to Ambition, Teach First and NIoT – have degree awarding powers, an extensive history of teacher education, are part of a leading school of education, have long-established local partnerships and have been regularly inspected by Ofsted for their own ITT provision, from 2024 they will no longer be accredited to train teachers.
