National Institute of Teaching gains new degree awarding powers
The National Institute of Teaching (NIoT) has been granted powers to award its own degrees from September 2025, marking a significant milestone in its journey towards becoming a specialist, school-led university for the teaching profession.
The new degree awarding powers were granted formally by the Office for Students (OfS) – the body which regulates universities in the UK – and are central to the Institute’s mission to offer exceptional professional learning to educators across England through integrated teaching research and practice.
The powers mean the NIoT will award its own postgraduate certificate of education (PGCE) from this September, as part of its initial teacher education (ITE) provision.
The granting of the powers follows a multi-year, intensive assessment and is a testament to the hard work and expertise of the Institute’s staff, its founding schools, its coalition partners and its validating partner since inception, the University of Birmingham.
Melanie Renowden, CEO of the National Institute of Teaching, said:
"Developing and retaining great teachers is a societal and economic priority. Quality teaching equips children with choice and opportunity, prepares the citizens of the future, and is an essential foundation for prosperity and growth. The powers conferred on the Institute through the granting of new degree awarding powers mean we can more effectively combine the academic enquiry and practice-based learning that new teachers need when they are building fundamental knowledge and habits. We believe that taking this school-led and research-informed approach to educators’ professional development will pay long-term dividends for the teachers themselves and for the generations of children they will teach.”
Sir Dan Moynihan, Chair of the NIoT Board, said:
"The National Institute of Teaching's new degree awarding powers represent a significant advancement in our work on teacher education and recognition of our rigorous academic standards. We will use the powers granted to us to continue developing high-quality teachers, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet the needs of pupils today – particularly those facing the greatest challenges. Above all we will remain grounded in schools, prioritising what all teachers and leaders want: delivering what works best for children.”