HC Deb 03 February 2000 vol 343 c696W
Mrs. May

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 28 January 2000,Official Report, columns 386–87W, on teacher competencies, (a) how the proposed standards for teachers wishing to cross the proposed new performance threshold will be determined and (b) when the Hay McBer report will be considered. [108423]

Ms Estelle Morris

The standards for the performance threshold will be determined by the Secretary of State in the light of comments from School Teachers' Review Body consultees. A draft was proposed in the technical consultation document on pay and performance management, published in February 1999. It is being further developed in the light of responses received during the consultation on the technical consultation document and in the light of research by Hay McBer into the characteristics of effective teaching. Recommendations about the performance threshold standards were an early output of that research.

DfEE expects to receive the final report from Hay McBer on the characteristics of effective teaching at the end of February 2000. The full report will look at the characteristics of effective teaching at different stages of the profession, including post-induction and Advanced Skills Teacher. DfEE will want to consider, with the profession, how this framework might be used to support teachers' continuing professional development.