‘Letting the right one in’: Provider contexts for recruitment to initial teacher education in the United Kingdom

We exploit policy differences within the UK to investigate provider context and recruitment to initial teacher education (ITE). We identify three dimensions of variation: conceptions of professionalism, universal or context specific preparation and costs and benefits to providers. University-led ITE programmes used similar criteria and processes in each jurisdiction, but there were differences between university-led and school-led recruitment. Our study suggests that the current shortfall in recruitment to ITE in England may be a product of the contextual constraints which schools experience. It also suggests that school-led recruitment may tend to emphasise short-term and school-specific needs. • A model of relationships between context and providers' recruitment to ITE. • HE recruitment criteria and processes similar in 4 UK jurisdictions. • School-led recruitment to ITE emphasising ‘classroom readiness’ and school needs. • Costs and benefits to providers the main source of difference in recruitment.