Overview
If you’re an unqualified teacher, teaching in a school and with at least two years' experience, Assessment Only (AO) provides an efficient route to qualified teacher status (QTS).
The AO route doesn’t include any training – it is not a course as such. The AO route was developed by the Department for Education for very experienced teachers who can demonstrate meeting all the standards for QTS without teacher training.
To complete this route, you will have taught for two years or more, taught in at least two schools, and have substantial experience in two consecutive age phases. You will have demonstrated the ability to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support pupils with special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language.
Location
London South Bank University student union is located at 103 Borough Rd, London SE1 0AA.
If you are visiting our Southwark Campus, you may wish to use our downloadable campus map (PNG File 466 KB). For information on accessibility, see our DisabledGo access guides. See our location page for more details.
Entry Level Requirements
Before we can accept you onto the route you will:
- have provided sufficient evidence of your capacity to meet the Teachers’ Standards without any additional training
- have taught in at least two schools with responsibility for continuous planning, teaching and assessment
- have achieved a standard equivalent to a level 4 (grade C if taken before 2017) in GCSE English, mathematics and (for primary teachers) a science subject
- hold a first degree or equivalent qualification
- provide evidence of a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) record
- provide evidence of having the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm
Choose your country
Select country here:
Missing English and Maths qualifications?
If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications needed to satisfy the entry requirements for this programme, we have courses available at our partner College that you can take to upskill in these areas. Find out more at South Bank College.
Fees for entrants into the 2021 and 2022 cohort are as follows;
£750 - Pre-entry assessment including initial application, portfolio assessment and interview (non-refundable once pre-entry underway)
£1600 - Assessment in school and recommendation for QTS
Please note that bursaries are not currently available for this Assessment Only route.
For more information, including how and when to pay, see our fees and funding section for postgraduate students.
See our Tuition Fees Regulations (PDF File 391 KB) and Refund Policy (PDF File 775 KB).
Possible fee changes
The University reserves the right to increase its fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions.
The fees for international students are reviewed annually and the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fees in line with the RPIX measure of inflation up to 4 per cent.
Fee status
Please check your fee status and whether you are considered a Home, EU or International student for fee-paying purposes and for our regulatory returns, by reading the UKCISA regulations.
If you are interested in this route to QTS and would like to discuss further, please contact us at qtsao@lsbu.ac.uk. Once we have established that this is an appropriate route for you, we will send you an application form and a template to be completed by the headteacher of your employing school, confirming the school's support.
Prepare to start
Careers
On completion of this route you will be recommended for QTS. From this point schools will employ you as a qualified teacher.
To complete this route, you’ll need to demonstrate that you meet all the Teachers’ Standards (DfE, 2011).
