§ 33. Charlotte AtkinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the work of advanced skills teachers. [14663]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) route is designed to recognise and reward excellent teachers who wish to remain in the classroom rather than go into management. ASTs have an important role in helping to raise standards. They typically spend 80 per cent. of their time teaching in the usual way and 20 per cent. helping teachers in neighbouring schools. This can involve a wide range of activities such as coaching individual teachers or advising them on their professional development, giving demonstration lessons or holding workshops on particular aspects of teaching such as classroom management. Some have led specific projects within their own school or LEA, for example on provision for the gifted and talented children or techniques to overcome low achievement by boys. Many ASTs have produced or updated schemes of work and developed new teaching materials to help less experienced colleagues.