HC Deb 18 January 1993 vol 217 cc22-5W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what assessment he has made in the last two years of the effectiveness of basic counselling skills for students in initial teacher training establishments; and how many establishments have been studied for this purpose;

(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of teacher training courses in developing group management skills; and if he considers further specific measures are needed in this regard.

Mr. Forth

The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of courses of initial teacher training (ITT) require that students should be trained both in the effective management of groups of pupils and in the pastoral skills required to interact well with individual children. All ITT courses must be approved by my right hon. Friend before they start. Courses are also monitored regularly by OFSTED to ensure that they continue to comply with the Secretary of State's criteria.

Mr. Bowls

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students successfully completed courses in the teaching of pupils with severe learning difficulties for each of the last five years(a) on initial teacher training, (b) on postgraduate certificate of education courses and (c) on in-service training courses; and what is his projection to the next five years.

Mr. Forth

The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of courses of initial teacher training require that all courses should develop in students the ability to identify special educational needs or learning difficulties Since 1984, it has been the Government's policy that specialist qualifications of this kind should be acquired after initial training and a period of classroom experience. The specialist courses of initial training have therefore now been phased out. Data on the final output of these courses is not readily available.

The long in-service training courses which equip teachers with such specialist qualification have been a priority for specific grant support for a number of years. For 1992–93, this is sufficient to support the training of 206 new and 90 existing students. Information on the numbers successfully completing such courses is not collected centrally. Projections beyond 1992–93 are for local determination.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of in-service training for articled teachers; and what percentage have withdrawn from the scheme since its inception.

Mr. Forth

An evaluation of the management and organisation of the articled teacher scheme, which is a two-year course of initial teacher training leading to a postgraduate certificate of education, was carried out by the National Foundation for Educational Research during the first year of the scheme's operation. Her Majesty's inspectorate has recently completed a two-year study which focused mainly on five articled teacher schemes. I understand that OFSTED will shortly be publishing a report of this study. Both of these studies focused on the articled teacher scheme in England. During the first two years of the scheme approximately 4 per cent. of students withdrew before completing their training.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will make a statement about the way in which the principles of good classroom management are being implemented by teachers and their trainers; and what contribution his Department has made in this process and the extent to which implementation has been achieved;

(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those involved in the provision of teacher training in determining whether potential teachers have the ability to relate well to pupils.

Mr. Forth

The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of initial teacher training—ITT—courses require that courses must provide satisfactory training for students in classroom management. No students can gain qualified teacher status unless they have demonstrated in the classroom both the ability to teach effectively and secure effective learning, and the ability to manage pupil behaviour. Assessment of students' ability to relate well to children is done both when the application for teacher training is submitted—by means of an interview—and also through assessment of the student's teaching practice. My right hon. Friend has not studied the effectiveness of trainers in making such assessments.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of initial teacher training establishments in introducing students to the concept of peer support and its uses.

Mr. Forth

My right hon. Friend has not made an assessment of peer support within ITT courses.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities provide midday supervision and other non-teaching staff with training in the management of pupils' behaviour; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of this training.

Mr. Forth

Information about training of this kind is not collected centrally and my right hon. Friend has made no assessment of its effectiveness.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many local education authorities provide in-service training in classroom management for supply teachers.

Mr. Forth

This information is not collected centrally.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of staff providing training in teaching skills have had at least one term's regular teaching experience in the last five years.

Mr. Forth

The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of initial teaching training courses include the requirement that, from the beginning of the current academic year, all staff at institutions who are concerned with training students in teaching skills must have had at least one term's experience of teaching in school in the previous five years.

OFSTED monitors courses regularly to ensure that accredited courses comply with this requirement.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many schools counted separately in the primary, secondary and special education sectors offer pupillages to prospective initial teacher training students; and what is the percentage of schools involved;

(2) how many entrants to initial teacher training last year undertook a period of pupillage, or other work with children, before starting their courses; what percentage of all students this was; and what contribution his Department has made to encourage this practice;

(3) how long a period of pupillage in a school lasts on average; what are the longest and shortest periods of times; and what advice is given by his Department to encourage high quality student experience.

Mr. Forth

Many courses of initial teacher training—ITT—require students to spend soem time in schools prior to the start of the course. However, information about the numbers of schools and prospective students involved in such schemes of work experience, and the lengths of the schemes, is not held centrally.

The Government have given financial support to a number of taster courses providing school experience for people who are interested in teaching.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps have been taken in the last two years to promote multicultural awareness and equal opportunities in school and initial teacher training establishments.

Mr. Forth

In the last two years the Government have continued the phased introduction of the national curriculum, which is designed to challenge and stimulate all pupils whatever their ethnic or cultural origin. The National Curriculum Council and the Schools Examination and Assessment Council, which advise my right hon. Friend on the curriculum and assessment, are required in exercising their functions to take account of the ethnic and cultural diversity of British society and the importance of promoting equal opportunities for all pupils regardless of ethnic origin and gender. The Government are also proposing to strengthen religious education, which provides opportunities to study other faiths and cultures and develop greater tolerance and understanding.

The criteria for the approval of courses of initial teacher training—ITT—include a requirement that they should help student teachers to develop an awareness of individual differences, including social and cultural dimensions. The Department has encouraged the development of ITT courses for people from ethnic minority communities. The Department issued guidance in August 1992 about the design and management of such courses, drawing on conclusions from Her Majesty's Inspectorate inspections.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage the recruitment of teachers from minority ethnic backgrounds; and what success has been achieved in the last two years.

Mr. Forth

The Government have adopted a range of measures to encourage people from ethnic minority backgrounds to consider a career in the teaching profession. They include "Teaching as a Career"—TASC—publications, advertising, participation at careers events, stimulating the development of special access courses, and supporting relevant local projects.

The Government introduced ethnic monitoring of teachers in January 1990 following recommendation by the Swann committee, but response so far has been poor, though it is improving. As a result, it is not yet possible to draw conclusions about the percentage of teachers nationally who are from ethnic minorities, nor to identify improvements over the last two years.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local education authority induction programmes for new teachers.

Mr. Forth

The Department published a report in March 1992 by Her Majesty's inspectorate on the induction of new teachers. A new grant to support expenditure by local education authorities on improvements in induction training was introduced, through the grants for education support and training programmeGEST—with effect from the 1992–93 financial year. Evidence about the effectiveness of local education authorities' induction arrangements is taken into account when decisions about the allocation of GEST support are made.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about the way in which initial teacher training establishments are selecting applicants on the basis of their personal qualities for effective classroom management and for relating well to children, the way in which his Department is contributing to more effective selection procedures and the number and percentage of applicants who are not accepted for initial teacher training.

Mr. Forth

The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of initial teacher training—ITT—courses require institutions to ensure that entrants to teacher training have the necessary personal qualities for the profession, including an ability to manage and to get on well with children. No one can be accepted on an ITT course without being interviewed.

The number of applicants not accepted for ITT courses in 1992 were, for undergraduate courses, around 9,900 (39 per cent. of applicants); and for postgraduate courses around 8,800 (35 per cent. of applicants).