HL Deb 26 October 2004 vol 665 cc1168-70

2.55 p.m.

Lord Walton of Detchant asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to the decision of the General Teaching Council that an experienced headmaster and mathematics teacher in the independent sector is not qualified, on retirement from his present post, to teach mathematics in a maintained school because he does not hold a postgraduate certificate in education.

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, the Government believe it right that anyone who wants to be recognised as a qualified teacher in England must demonstrate that he or she meets the required standards. A wide range of routes to qualified teacher status is now on offer, most involving an element of training. However, for very experienced teachers, including those coming from the independent sector, assessment-only options are available, some of which take only a few days or weeks.

Lord Walton of Detchant

My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that response. She must of course agree that as a former president of the General Medical Council I cherish the independence of statutory regulatory authorities. However, while accepting the view of the General Teaching Council that it is important that qualified teachers, particularly in the maintained sector, should have a postgraduate certificate of education, is it not the case that if the system were so inflexible as to exclude from such status a teacher of the type mentioned in my question, then the rule, if not the law, is surely an ass?

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, perhaps I may briefly take the noble Lord through the processes. The system is certainly not inflexible. The problem was that Mr Parry-Jones, the gentleman in question, who I am sure would grace any school, went first to the General Teaching Council when he should have gone to the Teacher Training Authority in order to obtain the information available.

Once the Teacher Training Authority understood that he was anxious to go through the assessment procedure, which is very rapid, it moved quickly. That afternoon the TTA contacted him and advised him that the University of Gloucester offered an accelerated QTS course based on assessment only, which takes just a few days. A meeting has now been arranged between Mr Parry-Jones and the University of Gloucester on 2 November. We look forward very much to having him in the teaching profession in the maintained sector as soon as possible.

Baroness Seccombe

My Lords, can the Minister tell the House why the fast-track scheme was withdrawn by her department last month? As a result of the fracas, what plans does she have to reinstate it?

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, the assessment course to which I referred has been offered by the University of Gloucester for some years. I shall have to write to the noble Baroness about her specific question. In order to generate the increasing numbers of teachers in the profession—we have the highest number of teachers since the early 1980s—we have sought to diversify the different routes by which people can come into the profession from employment, initial teacher training and the routes that we have been talking about in relation to the independent sector.

Baroness Sharp of Guildford

My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that the key problem is not so much the lack of teaching qualifications on the part of potential teachers of mathematics who have mathematical qualifications, but the lack of mathematical qualifications on the part of many of those in state secondary schools who are currently teaching mathematics? What do the Government propose to do about that?

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, we are very conscious of that problem. The noble Baroness will know that the figures for mathematics vacancies have dropped by half over the past two years.

We are looking to increasing the number of mathematicians in training. But, nevertheless, we have a significant number of teachers of mathematics who do not have post-A-level qualifications. The new remit of the Teacher Training Agency, which will come forward in the Bill, will make it clear that there will be a strong professional development route that it will take charge of, with a much greater subject focus. That is certainly one way, with additional courses and training, in which we hope to close those professional gaps.

Lord Pilkington of Oxenford

My Lords, I taught various Members of this House who have not done too badly in later life, although I have no qualifications. While I would not say the word "talent", does not the Minister think that it has worked? Why be rigid about this? Is the Minister prepared to accept the fact that the noble Lord, Lord Walton, a professor, can be refused the right to teach? I did it.

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, I am sure that the former students of the noble Lord in this House are a great credit to him, and I would quite like to know who they are. Clearly at least one has made it to the Front Bench.

I shall reiterate what I have said. Far from closing off the routes for quality teachers with experience, energy and commitment, we want to see them come back to the state sector at whatever stage they are prepared to do so. However, we have to ensure that qualified teacher status is a high and uniform standard. That must remain our primary concern.

Lord Lawson of Blaby

My Lords, as a governor of the school of which Mr Jones-Parry is headmaster, can I ask the Minister to correct the Hansard reference? His name is not Mr Parry-Jones.

Baroness Andrews

My Lords, all Ministers make mistakes of that kind, but I stand corrected and I am mortified. I shall certainly see what I can do.