ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an account of how teacher preparation, or initial teacher education (ITE), in each of the four countries of the United Kingdom-that is, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland-is structured, organized, and quality-assured. It considers the policy changes taking place in each of the countries and the implications that increasing divergence might have. It then identifies an alternative model of ITE that will meet the English government’s desire for a “school-led” ITE system but that does not carry with it the same risks of fragmentation and destabilization as the government’s preferred approach. It then makes a comparison between accreditation systems in the United Kingdom and the United States. The main focus of the chapter is on England, as that is where the most significant policy reforms are taking place.
