§ 1. Dr. Tony Wright (Cannock Chase)What plans he has to amend the current arrangements for training days for teachers. [68872]
§ The Minister for School Standards (Ms Estelle Morris)This summer term, teachers of pupils in key stages 1 and 2 will receive an extra day's training in the teaching of literacy or numeracy. The Green Paper "Teachers: Meeting the Challenge of Change" notes the Government's concern that a high proportion of training takes place within school time, which has a disruptive effect on children's education, and envisages training taking place outside the school year when that is feasible. If teachers are expected to take training courses outside directed time, national pay and conditions already allow them to be paid for doing so.
§ Dr. WrightI am grateful to the Minister for that answer. Does she agree that the present system of training days—which we used fondly to call "Baker days"—is the cause of a good deal of disruption in schools? It disrupts life for parents and is disruptive for children. There is a lack of co-ordination inside the system, and there is no consistency across the country or within local authorities. Sometimes infant and junior schools on the same site—and with the same set of parents involved—have different days. That must surely be sorted out. Whatever else my hon. Friend does, will she at least ensure that training days are adjacent to holidays so that disruption is minimal?
§ Ms MorrisI take my hon. Friend's point. Clearly, it is a matter for local authorities and others to decide when in the school year the training days will take place. I hope that they will make that decision in the interests not only of children but of parents, who have to make other arrangements.
Parents want those training days to take place. This year alone, three training days have been used to support teachers in the literacy strategy, and next year they will be used for the numeracy strategy. They are an important 446 part of our crusade to raise standards. I hope that my hon. Friend's comments will be listened to at local level, and that appropriate action will be taken.
§ Mr. Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks)Why should children lose five days' schooling because of some deal negotiated 12 years ago with the trade unions? [HON. MEMBERS: "Negotiated by you."] By whoever. Instead of letting local education authorities decide the matter, why not give the money to the head teachers and let them decide whether their schools should be closed?
§ Ms MorrisIf, given his article in The Times today, the hon. Gentleman is so concerned about what he clearly thinks is a major issue, one wonders what he was doing during his time at the then Department of Education and Science. Training days are days outside the school year in addition to the 190 days on which teachers teach pupils. Is the hon. Gentleman suggesting for one minute that teachers do not need to be trained to do the job? The training that they have on those five days is part of their continuous professional development, which is essential if we are to achieve the standard of training that we want. The hon. Gentleman will be interested to know that the Government have massively increased the amount of money available to schools under the standards fund and the school improvement grant. At long last, teachers can catch up on the training that was denied them by the Conservative Government for far too long.