New Bar training courses round-up: BPP Law School’s BTC gets go-ahead

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has authorised BPP Law School’s new Bar Training Course, which is now set to be available from September 2020, replacing the current BPTC.

Under the new Bar training rules which make the pathways to qualifying as a barrister more flexible and effectively abolish the BPTC, law schools and universities are able to design their own Bar courses which must then be approved by the BSB.

BPP now joins the Inns of Court College of Advocacy (ICCA) as an approved provider to deliver new Bar courses, but a host of other law schools and universities are also in the process of gaining approval from the BSB. They are:

• Cardiff University;
• City, University of London;
• Manchester Metropolitan University;
• University of Northumbria;
• Nottingham Trent University
• The University of Law; and
• University of the West of England.

Between them, the new courses offer a range of different learning styles, a confusing number of different names for courses which lead to the same qualification, and varying fees. The ICCA Bar Course will cost £13,095 in total across its two separate stages and the University of Law is charging £13,000 in London for its Bar Practice Course, while City, University of London has announced fees of £16,500 for its Bar Vocational Studies.  

A BSB spokesperson said: “We are pleased to confirm that BPP Law School has met the requirements to become an Authorised Education and Training Organisation. A number of other potential training providers are also in the process of seeking authorisation from us, so we hope that there will be lots of choice available when new courses begin in 2020.”   

LawCareers.Net will be bringing you all the information about the new Bar courses as it emerges. Check the Barristers section for updates.