§ 70. Mr. Spearingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he has taken to investigate problems of teacher assessment in inner city areas.
§ Mr. Chris PattenI am very conscious that the appraisal of teachers' performance will have to have careful regard to the circumstances in which teachers work, including the age, ability, aptitude and social background of their pupils. This is one of a range of important questions which I would like to be under investigation now as part of an education support grant project into teacher appraisal. This project would have started in April had it not been blocked by the opposition of the teacher unions.