§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to ensure the recruitment of more teachers with particular reference to Greater London. [53594]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe recruitment of sufficient numbers of well-trained teachers is a key challenge facing this Government and the education service. It is the contribution of high-quality, committed and motivated teachers that will help us drive up standards of achievement in schools.
The proposals we set out last week for a major Green Paper on the future of the teaching profession and the additional funding announced under the Comprehensive Spending Review, 14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 187–94, will boost the status of the profession and encourage recruitment. Our reply to the report of the Select Committee for Education inquiry, published in January, set out the measures we are taking to encourage more good candidates to enter teaching. We are continuing to consider options further to increase teacher recruitment and to address the particular need for an adequate supply of teachers in London. The Teacher Training Agency continues also to raise the profile of teaching and is working with key partners in the region to address the particular needs of London.