Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on trainee quality of the removal of the statutory requirement for 20 hours of mentor training for initial teacher training mentors.

Effective mentoring is critical to high-quality initial teacher training (ITT) and the trainee experience. Trainees remain entitled to 1.5 hours of dedicated weekly mentor support during placements.

Following feedback from schools and ITT providers, the department removed the minimum 20-hour initial mentor training requirements in November 2024, giving schools and providers greater flexibility where mentors have relevant prior learning, avoiding unnecessary repetition of training.

The change did not remove providers’ duty to ensure mentors receive sufficient high-quality training on the mentor role, the Initial Teacher Training and Early Career Framework and the trainee curriculum. These requirements are set out in the ITT criteria.

Ofsted inspects accredited ITT providers and independently evaluates training quality. To achieve the expected standard, trainees must benefit from high-quality mentoring that meets all entitlements and mandatory requirements. The department continues to monitor inspection outcomes to assess the effectiveness of the ITT quality requirements, including mentoring.