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Mr. Blunkett: I think the House deserves better than that. A party that presided over the largest exit of teachers in memory owing to its inept messing about with the pension scheme and severance pay is ill prepared to come here this afternoon and talk about difficulties with recruitment. We are facing up to those problems in a way that the Conservatives failed to do in their 18 years in office. The whole programme is geared to recruiting, retaining and rewarding. We know that there is a serious problem: 35 per cent. of those who train do not go into teaching within two years, which is a tragic waste of resources. Let us work together to attract people and keep teachers in the profession.
The hon. Gentleman spoke about basic literacy and numeracy. The fact that many of those who were educated in the past 18 years do not have basic literacy and numeracy skills is not down to the Labour party, but is a result of the Conservatives' failure to provide the necessary phonics, grammar and spelling, which the hon. Gentleman attacks every time he rises to speak.
I tried to ensure that Opposition parties had the Green Paper long enough to allow them to take a look at it this afternoon, instead of giving them only the usual half hour. I had hoped that the hon. Gentleman would at least see that the advanced skills teacher posts form part of the new leadership tier--they are in there. We are pleased that 1,100 people have already applied in time for the target date for the 1 April roll-out; and 80 per cent. of local authorities have put in schools for the advanced skills teacher posts.
What about the pay review body? Who was it kept holding back teachers' pay and did not implement awards in full? I love the way in which the Conservatives, whose instructions to the pay review body to hold down pay and not to implement awards resulted in the catastrophe that occurred in the teaching profession a year or two ago, come here and have the cheek to tell us what the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) has said today. No, I did not tell the review body to hold down teachers' pay; I told it to take account of the circumstances of inflation and, above all, to take account of the fact that we did not want to stage the review from next April. We are clear about that.
How quickly will teachers reach the threshold? We have instigated the fast track for new entrants and the figure will be about 1,000 people a year, which, given the numbers coming into teaching, is a substantial figure. Others who are already in the teaching profession--new teachers in years one and two--will be able to multiply the number of increments through which they can move as part of the new system of appraisal. Fast track linked to appraisal will enable people quickly to reach the point which currently takes them seven years to reach. The whole system is based on appraisal and external assessment--a light touch that enables heads to do their job, but with assessment being carried out from outside to secure fairness and consistency, which is what I described in my statement.
The hon. Gentleman raised the issue of getting money to schools. It would be grossly unfair if we used a system that resulted in schools that did not have a large number of teachers passing through the threshold getting the money, while those that legitimately had a large number of high-performing teachers could not afford to pay them. That is why, in the early stages, we shall ring-fence the money and consult on ensuring that the money reaches the schools where teachers require the pay. The teaching profession has for years asked us to make sure that there is no block on the ability to pay good teachers well, just because they happen to be in the wrong authority or the wrong school, based on the distribution system.
Education action zones will pioneer our programme. They will be one step ahead of it and they will be able to reward good teachers extremely well. That is why we set them up and why I am sure that the whole House will support the new programmes.
Mr. John Gunnell (Morley and Rothwell):
I welcome my right hon. Friend's statement, which appears to be one that must give the teaching profession new life and expectations of a far better time in the future under a Labour Government.
I regret the fact that the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) made such poor use of the advance sight of the document that the Secretary of State gave him. He clearly approached the Green Paper in the wrong way: he looked to see how he could carp and criticise instead of offering constructive suggestions about education in the future. I regret the fact that the hon. Gentleman missed the opportunity to show support for our teachers and instead concentrated simply on the mess that he knows his Government made of the same programmes--[Interruption.]
Madam Speaker:
Order. I must correct hon. Members. This is a time for questions, not speeches. Is the hon. Member for Morley and Rothwell (Mr. Gunnell) coming to his question?
Madam Speaker:
Good. The hon. Gentleman is providing a good example of how not to put a question to the Secretary of State. It is the first Back-Bench question,
Mr. Gunnell:
I welcome particularly the fact that teamwork is rewarded, because there is no profession where it is more important. If I may give a specific example--
Madam Speaker:
No, I am sorry. A joke is a joke--I have a sense of humour the same as anyone's, but I cannot allow speeches. There will be no examples. Just ask a question, please.
Mr. Gunnell:
In order to exploit his skills, a science teacher often relies on a laboratory assistant who does the preparation work. Under such circumstances, how will a school recognise both the excellence of that teacher and the role of the laboratory assistant in preparing his work?
Mr. Blunkett:
I thank my hon. Friend, and I agree entirely with the preamble to his question.
Those who assist and support teachers will benefit from the school bonus programme, from the development of the individual learning account and from new training and support. Many of them will want to progress in their professions and some will want to begin teacher training. We will encourage them to do so on a modular basis so that they may continue to earn their living while preparing to enter the teaching profession.
Mr. Don Foster (Bath):
Will the Secretary of State confirm that, under the approach adopted by the previous Administration, nearly 20,000 experienced but demoralised and disillusioned teachers left the profession in just one year? We need to do better. Does the Secretary of State accept that the Liberal Democrats welcome the broad thrust of the proposals? Will he confirm that performance-related pay will not be paid according to results? It should be based on the skills, experience and competence of teachers, not the performance of their pupils.
Will the Secretary of State further confirm that the opportunities for higher rewards will be available to all teachers and that he expects the majority of teachers to benefit from them? However, will he also acknowledge that he is relying a great deal on the assessment procedure, and that there will be complications if that procedure is used simultaneously to judge teachers' salaries and an appropriate amount of continuing professional development?
Finally, does the Secretary of State accept that, although his proposals will assist in the longer term, there is an immediate crisis? May I therefore welcome his clear and unequivocal statement today that the teachers pay award will not be phased? Can he confirm that, at a minimum, it will be sufficient to meet the real inflation costs hitting teachers' pockets?
Mr. Blunkett:
I welcome the hon. Gentleman's opening comments. We can work constructively to get the proposals agreed. On the final point, the recommendation is entirely in the hands of the review body and must be independent. I will respect that.
I shall deal with the essential points that the hon. Gentleman raised. Teachers will move to and will be appraised for moving through the threshold on their performance and their commitment, not on the quantum of past exam results of students whom they may well not have had a hand in teaching. That aspect falls into the teamwork approach and will be dealt with separately through sophisticated arrangements for the school bonus. There is nothing crude about that which would punish teachers for working in challenging schools in difficult areas.
Sufficient resources will be available over the initial period to ensure that a majority of teachers can access the programme, bearing in mind that many teachers will be entering the profession and will be in the early stages. About £1 billion will be available in 2000-01 and 2001-02 to put the proposals into place. It is the best promise that teachers have ever had.
Miss Melanie Johnson (Welwyn Hatfield):
Unlike the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts), I believe that the national professional qualification for headship offers great scope for the development of head teachers. I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend's comments about how valuable and important heads are in the lives of schools and the quality of education. How does my right hon. Friend see the NPQH developing through the new structures that he outlined this afternoon?
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