Education CommitteeFurther written evidence submitted by The National Association for the Teaching of English
Summary
The National Association for the Teaching of English has conducted an online survey of professional opinion on School Direct. 730 individuals completed the survey. 107 of these respondents are student or newly qualified teachers.
Respondents doubt schools’ capacities to resource key elements of teacher training.
It is widely feared that the quality of trainees’ subject knowledge and understanding of educational purposes and processes will decline, and that they will be less well tutored.
Employers will find difficulty in filling posts appropriately and recruitment of suitable staff may be affected.
Regional provision of ITT will be more variable and worse overall.
Trainees desire University-led training that allows them to reflect on and learn from multiple teaching placements through contact with their tutor, their peers, and other learning communities. Hence the reluctance to apply for School Direct places.
1. Introduction
The National Association for the Teaching of English has conducted an online survey of members’ views of implementing School Direct as the main route for initial teacher training (ITT) from September 2013. The full report is available at http://bit.ly/14M9WQr. 107 survey respondents were student or newly qualified teachers. 70 of these worked in secondary schools, 17 in academies, and eight in primary schools. The following summary of key points made by these respondents may indicate some of the reasons behind the problems in recruitment to School Direct.
2. Schools’ Capacities
Of the 77 trainees or new teachers who replied to a question about schools’ capacities to provide initial teacher training, 43 (56.6%) are not confident that a school will be able to educate trainees adequately in the purposes and processes of education. Only 12 (15.6%) believe that a school will offer up-to-date subject knowledge. Only 29 (37.7%) consider that a school will be able to provide teachers qualified to act as tutors to trainee teachers. A major concern is the lack of time available in school: 54 (71.1%) of respondents fear that a school will not have time to carry out these new responsibilities.
3. Realistic or Desirable?
Of 106 replies, 81 (76.4%) of respondents believe that the government’s target of training 10,000 students a year via School Direct is neither realistic nor desirable. One asks: “If you’re training in only one school, how can you have experience of a variety of schools?” Another comments: “Both schools I trained in were drastically different and only believed in ‘their way’ of doing things. University helped me find my way.”
4. Effect on Trainees
94 (87.9%) of respondents believe that trainees’ experience of being tutored will be detrimentally affected, only two (1.9%) thinking that this will improve under School Direct. In the words of one respondent: “The highly skilled and trained staff in universities have the time, knowledge and resources to train teachers to a high standard. Schools are already stretched both in terms of time and budget.” 90 (84.1%) believe that trainees’ overall experience of teacher education will deteriorate under School Direct: “Without external monitoring (currently from HE institutions) of the school mentor, trainees may well, and are likely to, get very different experiences and levels of training, which does not provide a level playing field for all trainees.”
5. Employment
Several comments focus on employers’ difficulties in selecting suitable teachers under the new arrangements. “How can schools ensure that the quality of training is equal in all institutions?” asks one student in training. Others question the effect of the new arrangements on recruitment. “Why employ qualified staff if you are able to have an annual turn over of School Direct trainees?” asks another respondent.
6. Regional Provision of ITT
84 respondents (79.2%) think that regional provision of ITT will be more variable and worse overall. “Some areas will be relatively over-provided for in HE and others under-provided.” Others comment on the important role of HE institutions in areas where the advisory service has been reduced or eliminated. “The network effects and sharing of ideas is likely to be reduced.”
7. Underlying Reasons for Difficulties in Recruitment to School Direct
The following quotation, representative of many, indicates why intending trainees may be reluctant to sign up for School Direct.
7.1 “The best part of my current PGCE course is the support I receive from my tutor, the chance to share and discuss best practice with my PGCE group and the fact that I am offered two school placements. Without having a varied and broad view of different types of schools and ways of running schools, I could not effectively reflect on my own practice and would have little idea of how, or in which direction, my career would progress. I firmly believe that the rigours of the PGCE course are setting me up to be able to deal with all the intensive, and often daunting, elements of the role and I know that my tutor will be there to back me up should I need it. To think that this option would not be available to prospective teachers is a distressing thought.”
8. Further Information
We shall be submitting a fuller report on our survey to the Great Teachers Follow-up Inquiry.
July 2013