§ Mr. Keyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for intakes to courses at initial teacher training in the public sector of higher education in England; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir Keith JosephMy Department is today writing to the institutions concerned, and to their governing and validating bodies, to inform them of my provisional decisions about the allocation to institutions of the overall target numbers of students to be admitted to courses of initial teacher training in the public sector beginning in 1987–89. I shall make final decisions after considering any representations that I may receive.
The overall target numbers are closely in line with those which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I announced on 26 March 1985 following advice from the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Education of Teachers. These targets take account of forecast demand for teachers into the 1990s, the acknowledged need for some further modest improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio and the gradual increase in total pupil numbers which is expected to feed through from primary into secondary schools by the end of the decade. They allow for a substantial expansion of intakes to primary training—targets for England increase from 7,020 in 1985 to 8,615 in 1989. For secondary training the targets are raised from 3,930 to 4,545; these numbers exceed the likely short-term needs of schools will maintain the capacity of training institutions to expand to meet future increase in demand for secondary teachers. The total numbers provisionally allocated to each institution for 1987–89 are set out in the table.
My basic aim has been to allocate the overall numbers to institutions in the way most likely to foster the further development of a high-quality, cost-effective and resilient system of initial teacher training capable of responding flexibly to changing demands into the 1990s. For the training of primary teachers I have sought to ensure that all teacher training establishments offering Bachelor of 454W Education courses should be able to provide a minimum of two years' subject study at a level appropriate to higher education across a range of curricular specialisms. I have given particular attention to the need to provide for an increase in training for teaching pupils in the early years of primary education and to the need for more attention to mathematics and science as subject specialisms within primary BEd courses. For training for secondary teaching I have concluded that the system would be strengthened by ensuring that all subject intakes should be of 15 or more. I have also sought to ensure the reinforcement of subject strength by grouping intakes to related secondary subjects together within the same institutions. I have had particular regard to institutions' capacity to recruit to those secondary subjects such as mathematics, science, and CDT for which recruitment has always been difficult, to new courses in these subjects intended to widen the pool of recruitment and to proposals for courses which utilise skills in ethnic minority languages.
The result is some shift in the balance of provision between institutions and courses in the interests of strengthening the system of training as a whole, taking account of the capabilities of individual institutions in the light of the planning criteria notified to them. As a result intakes to courses of initial teacher training will remain steady or increase at 50 out of 54 institutions as set out in the table. The allocations also provide for the ending of intakes to courses of initial teacher training from 1987 at two institutions, Humberside CHE and Portsmouth polytechnic, and for an expansion of secondary and cessation of primary intakes at one, the College of St. Mark and St. John.
I have been particularly concerned to foster the academic strength of institutions so that future teachers will be fitted to meet the increasing demands for more rigorous and effective teaching in schools. I have invited all institutions in the public sector to look particularly carefully at the further development of their existing strengths through closer academic integration with other advanced further education, within their own institution or outside. Where these associations involve universities they present valuable scope for extending and strengthening transbinary academic cooperation between the university and public sectors. Progress to this end will be reviewed in two to three years' time. I have invited five small institutions (Bishop Grosseteste college, Charlotte Mason college, North Riding college, Rolle college and Westminster college) to enter into closer academic association with more broadly based higher education institutions; their 1988 and 1989 intakes will be reviewed in the light of progress with those associations. I have also asked two other small institutions, Bretton Hall and La Sainte Union college, to examine the scope for closer academic association with another institution. In the case of Hertfordshire CHE, I will review its 1988 and 1989 intakes in the light of progress towards academic integration as part of their intended merger with Hatfield polytechnic.
I believe that this allocation of target numbers will help to develop a stronger, more robust and effective system of initial teacher training, with greater academic strength and more resilience to meet the challenges facing education in the 1990s.
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Total Target Intakes to ITT Courses 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 Polytechnics Birmingham 220 230 240 240 240 Brighton 335 311 340 355 380 Bristol 245 272 305 295 315 Kingston 160 161 175 180 200 Leeds 290 287 310 305 315 Leicester 50 48 50 50 50 Liverpool 225 243 270 285 305 Manchester 467 540 530 530 545 Middlesex 240 227 250 250 260 Newcastle 169 192 195 210 215 North London (inc. Central School of Speech and Drama) 90 103 120 155 155 Oxford 150 147 160 170 180 Portsmouth 95 107 0 0 0 Sheffield 320 360 380 385 395 South Bank 140 158 175 180 185 Sunderland 160 178 200 230 240 Thames 289 281 370 405 425 Trent 285 335 325 345 350 Wolverhampton Polytechnic and West Midlands College 330 354 365 370 395 Other Maintained establishments Bath College 255 246 250 265 270 Bedford College 165 188 225 225 245 Bradford and Ilkley College 160 162 175 175 180 Bretton Hall College 170 206 205 210 215 Bulmershe College 190 205 220 240 240 Charlotte Mason College 110 131 175 185 185 Crewe and Alsager College 290 301 340 335 350 Derbyshire College 155 145 155 160 165 Edge Hill College 267 279 285 280 280 Essex Institute 110 117 145 150 150 Hertfordshire College 215 185 185 190 190 Humberside College 120 93 0 0 0 Nene College 140 141 165 170 175 North Riding College 130 131 135 175 190 Rolle College 160 156 170 195 220 Worcester College 185 223 255 270 290
Percentage of age group: 1982 Three to five-year-olds Three and four-year-olds Education Day care* Education Day care* United Kingdom †61 27 43 40 France 97 ║ 95 ║ Japan 44 ‡27 33 26 United States of America 52 ¶; 36 ¶; * Includes day nurseries, playgroups, kindergartens and other grouped provision where these occur. Excludes care supervised by a childminder or relative. † Includes nursery schools and all pupils aged up to five in primary schools. ‡ 1979. ║ Not applicable. ¶; Not available.