HC Deb 24 February 1975 vol 887 cc43-4W
Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement about the emphasis on language in education throughout primary and secondary teachers' training courses.

Mr. Prentice

I believe that all such students should be made aware of the liguistic processes by which their pupils learn, and which mould both their understanding and their attitude to learning; and of the implications of these processes for the teacher's own use of language in the classroom. Such awareness is normally developed in two aspects of the training course: in curriculum and teaching method and in educational theory. The Bullock Committee's report will be a useful reminder to the trainers of teachers of the importance of this aspect of training and will, I hope, encourage them to consider whether their courses can be strengthened in this respect in the light of the committee's views.