School-based teacher training recruitment banner in Warrington inviting applicants to qualify through SEND, PGCE and apprenticeship routes.

A large School-Based Teacher Training recruitment banner displayed at a school in Warrington, Cheshire, encourages prospective applicants to “Qualify to Teach Here” through school-led routes into the teaching profession. The advertisement promotes training in PGCE Primary and SEND alongside Teacher Apprenticeships, presenting alternatives for graduates and career changers seeking qualified teacher status while gaining practical classroom experience. Logos for Liverpool Hope University and Best Practice Network are visible on the banner, reflecting partnership-based teacher education involving schools, universities and training providers. School-based initial teacher training enables trainees to spend substantial time working directly within schools while completing the academic and professional requirements needed to become qualified teachers. Postgraduate teaching apprenticeships provide another route, combining paid employment in a school with structured on and off-the-job training leading to qualified teacher status. The Department for Education estimates that England needs 20, 800 postgraduate initial teacher training trainees to begin courses during 2026/27, including 5, 520 primary trainees and 15, 280 secondary trainees, to help maintain the future teacher workforce. Although overall trainee need has fallen compared with the previous year as pupil forecasts change, teacher recruitment and retention remain significant education workforce issues, particularly in shortage subjects, special schools and areas experiencing recruitment difficulties. Government policy also includes plans to recruit 6, 500 additional expert teachers, targeting areas and sectors where staffing pressures are greatest. The image illustrates teacher recruitment, routes into teaching, school-led professional training, education careers, graduate employment, workforce development and opportunities for people considering a career change into education. Applications for the 2026/27 teacher training