§ Mr. SteinbergTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the increase of unqualified teachers teaching specialist subjects in the United Kingdom; and what measures he plans to remedy this situation.
§ Mr. ForthThe latest secondary school staffing survey undertaken this year shows that, compared with the previous survey in 1988, there has been a small reduction in the proportion of tuition given by teachers who do not hold an appropriate qualification in the subject being taught. Only 19 per cent. of tuition was delivered in such circumstances, and of this about half was by teachers who had substantial expertise in the subject gained through teaching it for more than five years. We will continue to seek improvements in the match of qualifications to task through increased funding for in-service training and by recruiting teachers with qualifications relevant to the national curriculum.