§ Mr. Keyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what improvement he expects in local authority arrangements for the in-service training of teacher; next year as a result of his intended new grants scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerLocal education authorities have responded to my proposals to improve in-service training with plans for a 17.5 per cent. increase in training expenditure from £225 million to £265 million and for better systems to identify training needs and priorities and to ensure the effectiveness of that training.
I have therefore decided to confirm my indicative allocation of £200 million aided expenditure for the scheme. I intend to confirm allocations to each authority after regulations have been laid before Parliament and come into force.
This is a major commitment by the Government to the improvement of teaching quality and to the professional development of teachers. Central Government training grants to local authorities will total £114 million. Training should be more evenly spread throughout the country. In monitoring the implementation of these plans I shall look at the extent to which authorities take account of the needs of individual teachers, of their schools and colleges and of the others covered by the scheme, and of the effectiveness of the training in improving the quality of teaching.