Appendix 4: Training of Teachers:
Conclusions and Recommendations
Recruiting the best to teaching
1. It
is essential that there is in place a robust mechanism for ensuring
that entrants to the teaching profession have a sound grasp of
literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. It is clear that the Training
and Development Agency's skills tests are not at present providing
a sufficiently high hurdle in this regard. We recommend that the
tests be made an entry requirement for initial teacher training,
rather than an exit requirement, with a maximum of just two attempts
at each test permitted. (Paragraph 32)
2. Having
examined the level of entry qualifications that trainees bring
to both under- and post-graduate initial teacher training programmes,
we are clear that the bar must be raised across the board. It
is of great concern to us that those with no A-levels, or those
with just a pass degree can gain entry to the teaching profession.
(Paragraph 41)
3. The
entry qualifications for undergraduate programmes for those wanting
to train to be secondary teachers are particularly low. We recommend
that funding for these programmes be discontinued. (Paragraph
42)
4. The
entry requirements for undergraduate programmes for those wanting
to train to be primary teachers should be raised. These programmes
should be designed so that there is parallel development in subject
and initial teacher training components. They should provide rigorous
preparation in both subject knowledge and education. (Paragraph
43)
5. The
entry qualifications that postgraduate trainees bring to initial
teacher training programmes must be improved—substantially
so in some subject areas. We recognise that continuing recruitment
difficulties may prevent the Department and the Training and Development
Agency from simply raising entry requirements overnight. Nonetheless,
we would like to see access to postgraduate initial teacher training
programmes restricted to those with at least a lower-second degree
as soon as possible. The Department must take concerted action
to make a career in teaching a much more attractive option for
high-achieving graduates. This should be with a view to moving,
in time, to higher entry requirements still—to an upper-second
degree or above. (Paragraph 44)
6.
We recommend that the Department and the Training and Development
Agency for Schools explore the potential for increasing the number
of school-centred initial teacher training places. (Paragraph
47)
7. Employment-based
initial teacher training is to be welcomed as a means of enabling
high calibre career changers to join the teaching profession.
However, any significant expansion of employment-based initial
teacher training should take place only once Ofsted is confident
of the general quality of these programmes. (Paragraph 49)
8. At
present, school-centred and employment-based initial teacher training
accounts for 15% of training places. We believe that expanding
the proportion of these training places to around 30% should be
feasible in the medium term, taking into account the issue of
capacity within the schools system to offer high quality training.
(Paragraph 50)
9. Consideration
should be given to how employment-based trainees could improve
their understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of teaching
practice. We recommend that all employment-based trainees be entitled
to complete a Professional/Postgraduate Certificate in Education
as part of their initial training. (Paragraph 53)
Equipping teachers with high quality initial training
10. We
are concerned that the extent of centrally-prescribed requirements
for initial teacher training provision, and the way in which Ofsted
assesses compliance with them, are having a deadening effect on
initial teacher training. We call on the Department and the Training
and Development Agency to take urgent steps to minimise the regulatory
burden on providers and to encourage genuine local autonomy to
respond to wider policy change. (Paragraph 61)
11. We
recommend that Ofsted conducts regular survey inspections of initial
teacher training provision in specific subject areas as a means
of supporting the development of subject pedagogies and helping
to spread good practice. This should be combined with wider research
on effective subject pedagogies—to inform initial teacher
training as well as teachers' early career and on-going professional
development. (Paragraph 63)
12. We
recommend that schools be required to participate in a training
partnership if they are to receive the top grade in their Ofsted
inspections. Such a requirement obviously places a much stronger
onus on higher education institution partners to be fully responsive
to the needs of the schools that they work with if partnerships
are to be secured over the longer-term. Equally, if schools are
to be required to participate in an initial teacher training partnership
then they should receive a more appropriate share of the resources
than they do at present. (Paragraph 71)
13. Teaching
needs to be a learning profession. A vital aspect of this is teachers
reflecting on their own practice and supporting colleagues. In
particular, good quality mentoring for trainee teachers, and newly
qualified teachers, should be of the highest priority. (Paragraph
74)
14. We
recommend that those who mentor trainees on school placement should
have at least three years' teaching experience and should have
completed specific mentor training. Involvement in mentoring should
be made a more explicit criterion with regard to teachers' career
progression. (Paragraph 75)
15. We
recommend that the Department take forward a 'new blood scheme'
for initial teacher training. This should fund lectureships and
doctoral places with a view to maintaining the expertise of the
teacher training workforce. (Paragraph 81)
16. Higher
education institutions are important in bringing rigour and status
to initial teacher training. With this in mind we were disappointed
that their research-active staff do not make a greater contribution
to training provision. We recommend that the Training and Development
Agency and Ofsted pay greater attention to this aspect of provision
when accrediting and inspecting initial teacher training providers.
Providers' arrangements for developing the research skills and
profile of other teacher training staff should also be taken into
consideration. (Paragraph 82)
17. There
is a need to raise the status of school teachers who are involved
in delivering initial teacher training in schools (including but
not limited to mentoring). We recommend that a nationally recognised
'clinical practitioner' grade is introduced. These staff should
have a formal attachment to a higher education institution. (Paragraph
83)
Early career teachers
18. We
are concerned that the Training and Development Agency's efforts
to improve the transition of trainees from their initial training
to their induction year do not in themselves address the 'front-loaded'
nature of teacher training. We would like to see changes that
embed a perception of newly qualified teachers as 'novice' teachers
with much learning still to complete, and who require close supervision
by teaching colleagues who are experienced mentors. (Paragraph
95)
19.
To signal the importance of the induction process we recommend
that trainees should remain provisionally registered with the
General Teaching Council for England until they have successfully
completed their induction year, only then gaining full registration
to teach. (Paragraph 99)
20. We
strongly support the principle of establishing teaching as a masters-level
profession, as well as the notion that newly qualified teachers
should have the space to continue their training and development.
(Paragraph 111)
21. If
it is to be credible and worthwhile the Masters in Teaching and
Learning must be a demanding qualification that has a demonstrable
impact on a teacher's effectiveness—and not allowed to become
an easy milestone for career progression. (Paragraph 112)
22. The
introduction of the Masters in Teaching and Learning must not
restrict the access that newly qualified and early career teachers
have to other qualifications at masters level or above. (Paragraph
113)
23. While
we do not believe that the Masters in Teaching and Learning should
be compulsory, we would like to see introduced much stronger incentives
for teachers to complete a relevant qualification at masters level
or above. We recommend that this is achieved by putting in place
a single national framework for teachers' professional development,
through which professional standards are linked to specific qualification
requirements/accredited training and to salary progression. (Paragraph
114)
Professional development
24. We
believe that the specification of a minimum level of spending
on professional development (as a percentage of the school's overall
budget) would support wider efforts to embed a culture of professional
development within the schools workforce. We recommend that such
ring-fencing of funds is put in place at the earliest opportunity.
(Paragraph 124)
25. We
are very concerned that an unintended consequence of the 'rarely
cover' policy will be to restrict teachers' access to professional
development. The Department should monitor the impact of the policy
in this regard. (Paragraph 125)
26. While
we welcome the Training and Development Agency's efforts to improve
the standard of professional development provision, particularly
non-award bearing provision, through its database of provision
we are not convinced that this will offer a sufficient block on
ineffective provision—characterised as "death by PowerPoint"
by one of our witnesses. (Paragraph 133)
27. We
believe that members of the teaching profession in England should
be required to hold a licence to practise, and to renew that licence
on a regular basis. (Paragraph 142)
28. It
is essential that the licence to practise is accompanied by an
appropriately resourced, generous and guaranteed entitlement to
professional development for teachers. (Paragraph 143)
29. We
suggest that current arrangements for dismissing teachers on performance
grounds are too cumbersome. The licence to practise must assist
schools in weeding out poor performers from the teaching profession.
We recommend that the licence to practise must itself offer, or
be accompanied by, a more streamlined process for addressing under-performance.
(Paragraph 144)
30. We
recommend that a single, overarching 'Chartered Teacher Status'
framework, linking professional development, qualifications, pay
and the licence to practise, be introduced as a means of structuring
teachers' career progression. (Paragraph 147)
31. We
believe that our proposed Chartered Teacher Status framework would
have greater potential than the status quo for establishing a
clearly articulated set of expectations for teachers and progression
routes. It would also offer more explicit recognition of the qualifications,
training and expertise that a teacher had gained in the course
of his/her career. It would, we suggest, make a profound difference
to the status of the teaching profession and quality of teaching.
(Paragraph 148)
32. There
is a real problem in relation to supply teachers. They serve an
essential role but remain a neglected part of the teaching workforce.
The Department must bring supply teachers into the mainstream
of the teaching profession. (Paragraph 159)
33. Regular
teachers are paid to undertake professional development during
the working day, supply teachers are not. This basic inequality
must urgently be addressed. (Paragraph 160)
34. The
Department must put in place arrangements to ensure that all supply
teachers participate in annual performance reviews and are easily
able to access information about professional development opportunities.
The Department should also satisfy itself that all supply teachers
are trained to the highest standard. (Paragraph 161)
Teachers in the early years and further education
sectors
35. The
Department must develop its policies in relation to early years
provision in line with the findings from a range of studies, many
of which it funded, showing the critical importance of qualified
teachers in early years settings. We call on the Department to
provide a clear statement on the respective roles of qualified
teachers and Early Years Professionals in early years settings.
(Paragraph 169)
36. For
too long, early years provision has been associated with the least
skilled and lowest status section of the children's workforce.
We recommend that the Training and Development Agency for Schools
be given a remit to oversee initial teacher training programmes
that train teachers in relation to the 0-5 age group. The standards
for Qualified Teacher Status should be modified as necessary to
support such 0-5 training. (Paragraph 175)
37. At
the very least, teachers with Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills
status should immediately be able to work as a qualified teacher
in schools if they are teaching post-16, even post-14, pupils.
(Paragraph 184)
38. In
the context of the 14-19 reforms, the Department should put in
place a mechanism for assessing vocational or professional qualifications
as equivalent to degree status. (Paragraph 185)
39. Over
the longer term we recommend that the training of early years
teachers, school teachers and further education teachers become
harmonised through generic standards. Alongside this, we envisage
Qualified Teacher Status becoming more specific, clearly denoting
the age ranges and the subjects for which a trainee was qualified
to teach. Chartered Teacher Status we would see as becoming similarly
specific. (Paragraph 186)
40. Diplomas
represent one of the most significant initiatives in our education
system for many years, and will be expanded considerably this
year. This demands greater fluidity—and shared development
opportunities—across the school and further education sectors.
(Paragraph 187)
41. In
order to enhance collaboration between schools and further education
in the development of the 14-19 curriculum, we support the establishment
of a centre that would provide joint professional development
provision for school and further education teachers in the neglected
area of pedagogy and assessment in vocational education. (Paragraph
188)
| 
