§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what improvements in teacher quality in primary and secondary schools he expects local education authorities to make in the next five years; and what steps he is taking to help them do so.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe Government's plans are set out in the White Paper "Teaching Quality" (Cmnd. 8836).438W They include improvements in the content and structure of initial training, the development of further training (with direct Government grants for national priorities), measures to promote a better match between qualifications and the needs of schools, and promoting arrangements for assessing teacher performance. We also seek to improve the selection and training of headteachers and other senior staff.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what guidance he gives to local education authorities on how best to exercise their judgment so as to foster teaching quality in their primary and in their secondary schools.
§ Sir Keith JosephUnder the Education (Teachers) Regulations, local education authorities have a duty to employ at any school a staff of teachers suitable and sufficient in numbers for the purpose of securing the provision of education appropriate to the ages, abilities, aptitudes and needs of the pupils. The Government propose to amend the regulations so as to require employers to have regard to the formal qualifications of teachers in determining whether or not the staff of teachers in any school is suitable. In future the letters sent by the Department to those who successfully complete courses of initial teacher training to notify them that they are recognised by the holder of my office as qualified schoolteachers will specify the pupil ages and school subjects for which the course of training was intended, and so should act as a guide to employers and schools in the fulfilment of this duty. Other guidance relevant to the fostering of teaching quality is contained in the White Paper "Teaching Quality", in the reports of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools, and in departmental circulars.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science against what yardstick he expects local education authorities to measure teacher quality in their primary and in their secondary schools.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe Government's views on the value of the assessment of teacher performance are set out in paragraph 92 of the White Paper "Teaching Quality" and I would expect such assessment to be made by local education authorities by reference to the effectiveness of each teacher's contribution to the life and work of the school.
§ Mr. Rathboneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what improvements in teacher quality in primary and in secondary schools have been achieved in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
439W
§ Sir Keith JosephThere are no simple measures of change in the quality of the teacher force but steps taken to improve it include the following. Requirements that new teachers must normally be graduates and that all entrants to initial teacher training must have attained specified standards in mathematics and English have been introduced. The proportion of serving teachers who are graduates has risen from 28 per cent. in 1977 to 39 per cent. in 1982. Fresh advice on the treatment and assessment of probationary teachers has been circulated to local education authorities. The number of attendances at in-service training courses for school teachers in England rose from 700,000 in 1978–79 to some 800,000 in 1982–83. Since 1977 local education authorities have been able to offer older teachers premature retirement on grounds of efficiency; some 21,000 teachers have accepted premature retirement on these grounds.