HL Deb 17 December 2001 vol 630 cc29-30WA
Lord Quirk

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to ensure (a) that there is an adequate supply of teachers for citizenship, parenting, sex and relationship education and (b) that both the specialist and general teaching staff are suitably trained to deliver these elements in the National Curriculum and to respond to children's questions. [HL1925]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland

In order to be awarded qualified teacher status, all trainee teachers most demonstrate that they plan opportunities to contribute to pupils' personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Also, in this academic year to date, 143 people have begun specialist postgraduate certificate in education courses in citizenship at institutions in England. On 7 December, my honourable friend the Minister of State for School Standards announced that 200 places for initial teacher training in citizenship would be available in the 2002–03 academic year and indicated his intention to make a similar number available in each of 2003–04 and 2004–05.

Standards fund grants of £15 million in the current financial year are supporting schools' implementation of personal, social and health education and of citizenship education, including the provision of continuing professional development in these subjects for serving teachers. In addition, my department has organised a series of regional training events attended by over 1,000 teachers and launched a website which includes a training needs identification tool for teachers, examples of good practice and a database of resources.