Government makes significant concession to overseas-trained teachers, as recruits from six countries are given fast-track access to Qualified Teacher Status
Teachers on the picket line in July at Harris Academy Beckenham, where conditions for Jamaican teachers were among the concerns. Image: Warwick Mansell
Move follows coverage in Observer last year of conditions facing Jamaican recruits to Harris Federation schools
Overseas-trained teachers from six countries have secured a “massive” concession from the government after ministers agreed to allow all of them to be placed on a “fast-track” route to Qualified Teacher Status.
The move by the Department for Education, made without fanfare back in August, came after the issue of teachers from countries including Jamaica arriving in the UK only to, in some cases, spend years on lower “unqualified teacher” pay rates was first reported in the Observer.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 21 November 2025
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