HC Deb 04 December 1989 vol 163 cc14-5W
Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements have been made by his Department for the report on the evaluation of the school teacher appraisal pilot study, undertaken by the Cambridge Institute of Education, to be made available to those interested bodies who have been invited by his Department to comment on the report of the national steering group; what priority he attaches to such evaluation of school teacher appraisal; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

The Cambridge Institute of Education report on the evaluation of the school teacher appraisal pilot study was presented to the national steering group (NSG) responsible for overseeing the study in July this year, and was taken into account in the report to the Secretary of State by that group. My right hon. Friend did not send copies of the evaluation report, in addition to the reports of the NSG and Her Majesty's inspectors, to all those consulted on the NSG's recommendations, because he wished to limit the amount of reading required of them. Copies were, however, sent to the local authority and teacher associations and to all local education authorities and grant maintained schools.

My right hon. Friend attaches considerable priority to the evaluation of pilot projects such as those in school teacher appraisal. The Cambridge Institute of Education as evaluators of the pilot projects made an important contribution to the work of the national steering group.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what has been the amount of his Department's expenditure on the evaluation of teacher appraisal pilot projects, including expenditure for work undertaken by the Cambridge Institute of Education; and if he will make a statement on the main findings of this evaluation.

Mrs. Rumbold

A total of £248,843 was spent on external evaluation of the school teacher appraisal pilot study by the Cambridge Institute of Education. The findings of this evaluation are set out in a report by the Cambridge institute, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.