§ Miss Joan Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she has decided the basic qualification requirement in mathematics that will be a condition of acceptance for teacher training in the future.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsI announced in the Green Paper "Education in Schools: A Consultative Document" (Cmnd. 6869) that in addition to the normal minimum entrance requirement for degree courses of two GCE passes at A level I propose that
from 1979 or 1980entrants to BEd coursesshould have qualifications at a minimum of O level grade C or CSE grade 1 in English and mathematics or should otherwise satisfy the institution concerned, and its validating body, of numeracy and literacy to the equivalent level".Before formally announcing the introduction of this requirement by means of a circular, I wished to consult those 141W affected on detailed aspects of its implementation. A draft circular was therefore issued and I am carefully considering the comments upon it.
I propose to issue before the Summer Recess a circular announcing that after 1979—namely, in the acadmeic year 1980–81—this requirement will be introduced for entrants to undergraduate teacher training courses. Although formal qualifications do not necessarily guarantee a satisfactory level of numeracy, is it generally accepted that the formal qualifications referred to in the Green Paper would provide a widely available and broadly appropriate measure. The circular will take into account the position of those who will not have had an opportunity to obtain them.