§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice he gives to LEAs about the employment of teachers qualified in(a) EU and (b) non-EU countries, with particular respect to qualified teacher status; and if he will make a statement. [154311]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisLocal education authorities and schools should normally employ teachers who hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Overseas trained teachers without QTS may work for up to four months in any one post and up to two years in total without gaining QTS. Teachers from other EEA countries can apply for QTS under EC mutual recognition arrangements, while teachers from non-EEA countries are only able to gain QTS though the employment based Graduate Teacher Programme. My Department is consulting on proposals to allow overseas trained teachers to teach in one school for up to four years without gaining QTS, and to create a tailored Graduate Teacher Programme which meets their needs.