Education unions and organisations in the United Kingdom warn that Government must halt its plans to overhaul teacher training as it could cause “irreparable damage” to the supply of high-quality teachers to schools.
A joint letter to schools minister Nick Gibb accuses the Government of attempting to “railroad through a huge change” to teacher training with “minimal opportunity for scrutiny and meaningful feedback”.
The Government launched a consultation, which closes in the summer break, on recommendations from a review of the initial teacher training (ITT) market.
All ITT providers would need to be re-accredited in order to continue recruiting trainees from August 2022 under the Department for Education (DfE) proposals, which has prompted concerns that many well-respected universities could withdraw from teacher training as a consequence.
The letter, from six education organisations representing teachers and school leaders, calls on the DfE to urgently halt the consultation, which closes on August 22.
The letter adds: “We think that schools and pupils would be best served by you taking this consultation off the table at this time so that there is an opportunity for proper discussion.”
The review proposes that ITT providers should apply for re-accreditation by the end of March 2022, with successful providers being announced before the end of the 2021/22 academic year.
The DfE hopes the recommendations will strengthen quality standards for ITT courses, including a new accreditation process, new intensive school placements and high-quality mentoring for trainees.
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