Appendix: Explanatory information (SI
2007/172)
Education (Induction Arrangements for School Teachers)
(Consolidation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/172)
Additional information provided by DfES in response
to the Committee's questions
Why have these teachers not passed the numeracy
skills test? Have they tried and failed? Or have they simply not
tried?
1. The Department is responsible for regulations
and policy on Qualified Teacher Status skills tests (the QTS tests)
but does not maintain records of an individual teacher's test
results. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (the
TDA), through its contractor Pearson, is responsible for administering
the tests and, through Pearson, for maintaining teacher test records
for those who register. The employer (whether a school or a local
authority) is responsible for checking on appointment that a teacher
has met the standards including passing the test.
2. The Cohort 1 group of teachers comprised 23,466
teachers; the overwhelming majority of these passed first time
around taking a paper-based test. In the time available it has
not been possible to provide data on the numbers of Cohort 1 teachers
who have had to take the test more than once, though with a longer
deadline it would be possible (though labour-intensive) for Pearson
to provide that information.
3. We do know, however, that there may be a variety
of reasons to explain why some Cohort 1 teachers have yet to pass
the numeracy skills test. There was widespread public opposition
to the QTS skills tests when they were first introduced. Many
training providers were at the time reluctant to support the introduction
of the tests as they failed to see the relevance (a view echoed
by many head teachers) particularly for Art and Drama trainees.
There were two high-profile campaigns at the time which received
widespread media interest. In fact, the test focuses on the practical
skills all teachers need, for example, for monitoring the proportions
and percentages of students in marking/grading bands, for ordering
classroom materials etc., and a National Audit Office review confirmed
the tests were an effective use of public money.
4. Another factor affecting decisions on whether
to take the test was the switch to computerised delivery. When
the test was first introduced it was paper-based. Those who had
not passed the paper-based version needed to re-take the computerised
version, and we know from calls at the time that this was a cause
of great concern. Especially concerned, even though practice materials
were developed and widely available, were those who were less
confident not only with numeracy but also with using technology.
A significant number fell into the "mature entrant"
category, who did not grow up with computers and who may at the
time, depending on their school and their specialism, have had
little exposure to computers as part of their professional role.
We believe all these issues may have had an effect on trainees'
perceptions and actions taken in relation to the test.
5. As a consequence of writing to individual Cohort
1 teachers and their employers and as part of the wider General
Teaching Council (England) (GTCE) annual employer data collection
exercise, the GTCE have been able to update a number of teacher
records. As a result of these actions and the general push to
encourage teachers to take the test, the numbers of teachers who
have not yet passed the numeracy test, and appear to be working
when they should not be, has more than halved. A further 60+ are
currently registered with Pearson awaiting a test, and we are
with our partners monitoring the situation carefully and continuing
to take a variety of steps to ensure every Cohort 1 teacher does
take and pass the test.
If any or all of the teachers have tried and failed,
are DfES not concerned that teachers in maintained schools, etc,
appear to fall short of expected levels of numeracy?
6. The numeracy test was designed to ensure that
everyone qualifying to teach has a thorough grounding in the use
of numeracy in the wider context of their professional role as
a teacher, and we attach great importance to it. That is why,
now that the issue has come to light, we are taking firm steps
to enforce the skills test policy. We have reminded employers
of the provisions of the Induction Regulations, particularly that
no one should be employed as a teacher unless he/she has satisfactorily
completed induction. The Department is sufficiently concerned,
having discovered that Cohort 1 teachers are so employed, to have
amended the Induction Regulations to allow such teachers to be
lawfully employed and to take the test within an extended and
reasonable deadline. There is a careful balance to be struck,
between taking action that will oblige compliance with the Induction
Regulations, and with encouraging these teachers (many of whom
will have been working for some years) to use an opportunity to
regularise their employment. The Department is encouraging all
relevant parties to urge these teachers to pass the test within
the amended timeframe and, whilst we cannot be totally certain
at this stage, we do believe that the vast majority of teachers
should be able to pass the test.
7. The Department will take stock of the situation
after the 27 April deadline to decide how further it can ensure
compliance with the Induction Regulations, if there are still
cohort 1 teachers remaining yet to pass the test. The Department
will be mindful in its considerations of the requirement that
employers should not be employing any such teachers.
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