Teacher education and training: A study

Introduction
Context 1. Higher education (HE) plays a key role in the arrangements for training and educating teachers. The relationship between teacher education and HE is crucial, not simply because of the role of HE as a major pro ider of initial teacher training (!TT) and of trained teachers, but also because the "uality of entrants to the profession impacts on the attainment of students entering higher education. #onse"uently, the way in which teacher education and training is organised has, and will continue to ha e, a significant influence on higher education as a whole. Background $. !n iew of the significant and comple% relationship between HE and teacher education and training (TET), and the changing nature of the relationship, the &ational #ommittee of !n"uiry into Higher Education has asked me to undertake a study so as to pro ide the #ommittee with ad ice on how higher education's contribution to TET (including both !nitial Teacher Training and #ontinuing (rofessional )e elopment) can be most effecti ely organised and funded. The terms of reference for the study are set out in *nne% # of this report. +. The remit of the study co ers England. Howe er, much of the discussion and many of the recommendations will ha e rele ance to the conte%t in ,ales and &orthern !reland. !n iew of the distincti e arrangements, it was agreed to produce a separate report for -cotland which would be made a ailable to the -cottish #ommittee (*nne% *). This paper, therefore, deals mainly with the arrangements in England and, while no attempt has been made to systematically compare the arrangements with -cotland, the paper does refer to aspects of the -cottish system, where ! thought this would be useful in helping to illuminate the discussion of particular issues in England.

Method of work .. The study was undertaken with the assistance of two assessors, )a id Hargrea es, (rofessor of Education at the /ni ersity of #ambridge, and 0awrence 1ontagu, Head teacher at -t (eter's 2# High -chool and -i%th 3orm #entre in 4loucester. The responsibility for the iews e%pressed, howe er, must lie formally with the author. 5. The study was begun in early 3ebruary with the intention that a report should be completed in time for this to be presented to the &ational #ommittee in early *pril. !n iew of the short timetable, and the wide ranging issues in ol ed, ! ha e focused on the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and ha e put forward broad recommendations or suggested areas where further e%amination or discussion may be desirable to ensure that higher education's contribution to TET can be most effecti ely organised and funded. *s ! make clear in the report, there is, therefore, a need for further work to be undertaken. ! en isage that this would in ol e commissioning further e idence or research and engaging in a wider dialogue with the

stakeholders in teacher education on a number of key issues. (! put forward a proposal for taking forward the work of this study later in the report.) 6. 1eetings with the assessors and the secretariat of the &ational #ommittee were held on three occasions. *t the first meeting, oral e idence was taken from the Teacher Training *gency (TT*) and, at the second, e idence was taken from the /ni ersities #ouncil for the Education of Teachers (/#ET) and from the 7ffice for -tandards in Education (73-TE)). !n addition, a call for e idence was issued on 1. 3ebruary and, in response, comments and iews were recei ed from o er si%ty respondents. * list of the respondents is set out in *nne% 8, with a summary of the responses at *nne% ). To help set the conte%t for the study, ! also recei ed a range of supporting material from the )epartment for Education and Employment ()fEE) and other agencies. Overview 9. *s a starting point, ! belie e that it is not possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current system without ha ing some ision of what the system should be achie ing and, in particular the objecti es of teacher education and training. Ha ing established a benchmark, ! ha e sought, in essence, to identify the functions that are necessary to meet the objecti es of teacher training and to assess whether these functions are carried out efficiently and effecti ely by appropriate bodies. ! ha e attempted to answer these two "uestions by e%amining the following areas:

applications and entrants to initial teacher training courses; "ualification routes and curricula; institutional arrangements for teacher education and training; !nitial Teacher Training and #ontinuing (rofessional )e elopment; "uality assurance arrangements; the structures for funding and supporting teacher education and training.

The objectives of teacher education and training

<. 3rom the outset, it should be clear that the efficacy of the current arrangements for training and educating teachers can only be tested effecti ely if there is a clear understanding of what these arrangements should be seeking to achie e. 7n the e idence a ailable, ! belie e that there is not a collecti e iew amongst the stakeholders on the objecti es of teacher education and that too much of the discussion has focused on processes rather than looking at outcomes. The absence of a collecti ely shared iew on fundamental objecti es has, in my opinion, hindered the de elopment of a rational and informed discussion about the appropriate arrangements for teacher education and training and the role of higher education.

=. To put it succinctly, ! belie e that the purpose of teacher education and training should be to produce professional teachers who ha e the theoretical knowledge and understanding, combined with practical skills, competences and commitment to teach to high national standards. ,hile recognising that there are different iews about the particular skills and attributes re"uired of teachers, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that, as a broad statement, this should be an acceptable benchmark. 1>. !t may also be possible to go one step further. 3rom both the oral and written e idence presented to me, there does appear to be a consensus that teaching is, or should be, a ?research@ based' profession. !n other words, that the professional teacher should be one who has been trained and educated against a background of rele ant and systematic research and has de eloped the critical capacities to use research findings as a basis for impro ing practice. This does, ! belie e, parallel de elopments with other groups of professionals such as doctors, nurses etc. where there are strong arguments that professional practice is enhanced by pro iding education in a research conte%t. 11. ,hile ! accept that there are serious "uestions about the e%tent to which teaching, at present, can genuinely be regarded as a ?research@based' profession, ! belie e that a further desirable objecti e of teacher education and training should be the de elopment of teachers who are ?reflecti e practitioners' and are able to engage with educational research.

Applications and entrants to teacher education courses

1$. ! began my study by looking at the olume and "uality of applicants and entrants to courses of teacher education, in terms of academic "ualifications, and by considering the implications that this has for the "uality of trainees. ,hilst ! accept that it is not possible to make a simple link between the "uality of entrants to the profession and the "uality of teaching, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that a strong profession should be capable of attracting a large olume of highly "ualified candidates. 7n the basis of the a ailable e idence, it is not clear to me that the teaching profession is meeting this objecti e. 1+. *t the primary le el, the data from the /ni ersities and #olleges *dmissions -er ice (/#*-) suggests that the olume of applications for undergraduate !TT is, o erall, healthy with about 1> applications for each training place. Howe er, it should be clear that this information refers to multiple applications rather than to indi iduals. The actual intake appears to be fully meeting targets, although it is not clear whether the actual intake contains a balance of subject specialisms or whether, for e%ample, it is skewed towards those with * le el subjects in the humanities. Howe er, while ! am reassured about olume, ! ha e serious concerns about the "uality of entrants to primary !TT. The data deri ed from 73-TE) reports between 1==.@=6 indicates considerable ariation between pro iders in the a erage * le el point scores of entrants. 3or instance, at the lower end of the range, => per cent of entrants to one institution ha e point scores below 1> while, at the other end of the scale, .+ per cent of entrants at another institution ha e achie ed more than $> points. 1.. 7 erall, the "uality of entrants is not as high as might be e%pected, with a significant percentage of entrants achie ing scores of less than 1>. *t the primary (ostgraduate #ertificate

of Education ((4#E) le el, the data from 73-TE) reports indicates that the majority of students ha e achie ed -econd class degrees, although this isn't broken down between /pper@ and 0ower@-econd. ,hat is e ident from the data is that primary (4#E courses are not attracting a large number of 3irst class candidates, at about . per cent of total entrants. 15. ! ha e also considered the data for the secondary le el. !n terms of the o erall olume of entrants, it is clear that targets for recruitment are not being met in many subjects and, indeed, that the position has deteriorated in recent years. !n particular, there appear to be significant difficulties in some subject areas including mathematics, science, technology and modern foreign languages. 3or instance, in 1==6@=9 the difference between the target figure for science and actual entrants was 9$$, or $1 per cent below target. 3or technology, recruitment was $= per cent below target in the same year and, for mathematics, $5 per cent below target. 16. The data on the "uality of entrants to secondary (4#E appears to be limited but from information drawn from 73-TE) reports between 1==.@=6, it is e ident that insufficient high "uality entrants are being attracted in comparison to other professions. The data indicates, for e%ample, that less than .> per cent of entrants ha e achie ed degree passes in the /pper@-econd of 3irst class range. !nformation on the "uality of applicants, broken down by subject area was not a ailable, howe er ! ha e some concerns, which are backed up by written e idence from pro iders and others, that the "uality of entrants is lower in the shortage subject areas. 19. ! belie e, therefore, that there is a danger that under@recruitment in some subject areas, combined with the relati e low "uality of entrants, may lead to a downward spiral throughout the education system unless remedial action is taken. !ndeed, as the TT* has recognised, the e idence suggests that the pool of candidates in shortage subject areas such as maths and science is diminishing. *s an e%ample of the scale of the problem, the TT* in their oral e idence, suggested that it was currently necessary to recruit a third of all mathematics graduates in order to meet the targets for (4#E mathematics specialists. There appear to be two significant issues. 3irstly, the need to increase the olume of applications to !TT, particularly at the secondary le el, and, secondly, the need to recruit high "uality trainees. 1<. There is no doubt that the current problems, in part, reflect the lack of esteem in which teaching is held and that, conse"uently, more needs to be done to raise the status of the profession. ! accept that pay and career structure are undoubtedly issues but also belie e that there is a "uestion of image. *s the !nstitute of Education argued in its written response: ...additional graduates would be attracted to the teaching profession if the achievements of teachers and teacher educators were more prominently supported by Government departments and elsewhere. The sentiments e%pressed by the !nstitute are shared by numerous other respondents and ! belie e, therefore, that more should be done by those with a responsibility for teacher education to present a more positi e image of the profession and of the benefits of a career in teaching. 1=. The issue of recruitment to the shortage subject areas is crucial and, while ! recognise the work that the TT* has been undertaking in this area, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that consideration should be gi en to an assessment of the effecti eness of the current arrangements for recruitment and to the need for a wider range of incenti e measures as well as a more imaginati e use of pay

scales. *s the &/T has suggested in their written e idence, !chemes which enable experienced and enthusiastic teachers to act as "recruitment officers" amongst schools and first degree students should be considered. !ncenti es, including the use of funded places, might also be gi en to academic departments in higher education institutions to de elop a range of pathways into courses of teacher education, especially in the shortage subject areas. (! discuss a number of options for new academic pathways later in the report.) Recommendation The stakeholders in teacher education should undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of the current arrangements for recruitment and the desirability of introducing a wider range of incentive measures to improve recruitment in priority subject areas, including the use of funded places to enable institutions to develop a range of pathways into new courses of teacher education. $>. There may also be a case for de eloping a fast track or ?high@flyer' scheme to increase the number of outstanding graduates entering teaching and to help guarantee the future leadership of the profession. 7ne scenario would be the de elopment of courses which train talented students in the training of teachers in the school conte%t. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the case for, and the role HE can play in, developing a fast track or high!flyer" scheme to encourage more outstanding graduates to enter the teaching profession. $1. 2eturning to the issue of entrance "ualifications, ! am particularly concerned at the "uality of applicants to !TT, especially at the undergraduate primary le el. ,hile recognising that the TT* is taking input data into account in its 3ramework for the *ssessment of Auality and -tandards, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that the issue of significant ariations in the "uality of entrants should be addressed more widely. There is an argument for setting minimum entry standards to !TT courses, particularly at the primary le el, as is currently the case in -cotland. #learly, in the short term, such a mo e may e%acerbate recruitment problems, especially in the shortage subject areas but, more importantly, in the longer term it would help strengthen "uality and send a clear signal to potential recruits about the status of the profession. Howe er, there would need to be a margin of fle%ibility to ensure that applicants with non@standard "ualifications or prior e%perience who might make suitable teachers are still eligible to be considered for entry. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the desirability, practicality and likely effects of setting minimum entrance standards to courses of #TT, drawing on the e$perience in %cotland and in other professions. Manpower planning $$. The issue of recruitment raises "uestions about the efficacy of the current manpower planning arrangements for teacher training. *s the 7pen /ni ersity has rightly pointed out, the current unpredictability in forecasting hinders planning, #nless there is some degree of certainty and stability in the central planning of student intakes$ %the Open #niversity& cannot

afford to risk scare resources on development costs which may never be recovered. ! ha e considered whether there is a need for manpower planning in teacher education in England and, on balance, belie e that there is an argument for such planning but that the basis on which it is undertaken should be impro ed. ! recognise that manpower planning is not an e%act science but belie e that its role should be to allow pro iders to plan on a long term basis and that it should be used as a ehicle for identifying problems in recruitment in particular areas in sufficient time for remedial action to be undertaken. $+. ! ha e concerns about both the model used by the )fEE for manpower planning and about the process. !n particular, on the basis of both oral e idence from the TT* and from written e idence from pro iders, there is clearly a lack of transparency in the forecasting methodology. !t is not clear, for instance, what ariables are used in the model or e en the e%tent to which it is forecasting supply of, or demand for, teachers. *s well as a lack of clarity about how the model operates, there also appears to be instability in the way in which it operates. 3or e%ample, last year, from e idence submitted to the group, it appears that an increase in funded places at both primary and secondary le el was, within a short space of time, superseded by significant reductions. $.. !f the manpower planning model is to work ade"uately, ! belie e that there should be more transparency and stability in the way in which it operates. ! commend the approach in -cotland whereby there is annual consultation with the major stakeholders in teacher education on the operation of, and inputs into, the model. *t the same time, some consideration should be gi en to impro ing the utility of the information pro ided by the model. 3or e%ample, the e%tent to which it reflects regional ariation in demand is unclear. Recommendation The stakeholders in conjunction with the &fEE should consider ways in which a more robust, transparent and stable manpower planning model for teacher education could be developed. 'igher education and the nature of the teaching profession $5. 7ne further issue relating to recruitment which there has not been sufficient time to consider in detail but which ! belie e is ital to the future health of the teaching profession, is the e%tent to which recruitment to teacher training courses is currently representati e of the country as a whole. ,hile there appears to be insufficient data a ailable on which to draw firm conclusions, the written e idence presented to me suggests that current recruitment may be unrepresentati e. There is clear e idence to suggest that more women are attracted to the profession than men and that there is, therefore, a gender issue to be considered, but there may also be an issue with regard to recruitment from different ethnic groups. 3or e%ample, it is clear that the profession is not attracting sufficient *sian teachers or *fro@#aribbean men. $6. ! belie e that data should be collected on the background of trainees to pro ide a more accurate picture of the present situation and that more work should be undertaken to monitor on a regular basis the recruitment of trainees from different ethnic backgrounds. !f the e idence indicates that there are recruitment problems from particular groups, there may be a case for HE

to de elop, in partnership with other stakeholders, incenti e packages to impro e recruitment of good "uality candidates from under@represented groups. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the e$tent to which recruitment to teacher education courses in higher education is representative of the wider population, the need for data to be collected on the background of trainees and the means by which recruitment from under!represented groups might be improved.

Qualifications framework and the development of a national curriculum for Initial Teacher Training (ITT
$9. Ha ing considered the "uestion of recruitment to courses of initial teacher education, ! turned my attention to higher education's role in the de elopment of different "ualification routes and to the de elopment of a national curriculum for !TT. !n particular, ! was concerned with the ade"uacy of the present framework of "ualifications in meeting the objecti es of teacher education and considered whether a more fle%ible framework might better meet these objecti es as well as impro e recruitment to the profession. ! also considered the implications for higher education of the de elopment of a national curriculum for !TT. (he present framework $<. The present framework includes training through a + and . year 8achelor of Education (8Ed) or a (ostgraduate #ertificate of Education ((4#E), which normally lasts one year. 8oth of these routes lead to the award of Aualified Teacher -tatus (AT-) for successful trainees. !n addition, there are also a small number of 8* and 8-c courses which may lead to the award of AT-. The majority of entrants to the profession are trained through the (4#E route. (!n 1==9@=< the target figure for recruitment through the 8Ed is 1>,151 and for the (4#E, 1=,<6=.) $=. ! ha e identified three key issues regarding the present framework. 3irstly, there appears to be some concern about the ability of the 8Ed to co er ade"uately all the re"uirements of the &ational #urriculum and, in particular, its suitability for teaching at the upper primary le el, particularly at Bey -tage (B-) $. The iew of the Teacher Training *gency, which appears to be shared by others, is that there should be more emphasis on subject knowledge at the upper primary le el and, conse"uently, more subject specialists. ! find this argument con incing although ! recognise that there may need to be a wider debate about the skills re"uired of primary teachers working at this le el. 4i en the number of indi iduals currently teaching with a 8Ed "ualification, there is, ine itably, an issue about the role of #() in enhancing the skills of these teachers. (! belie e that HE should ha e a major role to play here and discuss this issue later in the report.) +>. The second issue concerns the ade"uacy of the (4#E. There was significant e idence from pro iders that too much is being e%pected of the current one year course and that, by itself, it may be insufficient to ade"uately prepare trainees for their role as teachers, particularly the primary (4#E. The issue of training, considered in the conte%t of comments from pro iders and others on the inade"uacy of induction arrangements for &ewly Aualified Teachers (&ATs),

raises serious "uestions about the preparedness of entrants to the profession and its implications for wastage. +1. ! belie e that the issues in relation to the (4#E raise "uestions about the present "ualifications framework. This leads to the third issue which ! ha e identified, namely, the ade"uacy of the o erall framework. There is a strong argument that the present arrangements are too infle%ible and, in particular, that there are too few entrance points and a lack of opportunities to enter teacher education from a ariety of pathways. * more fle%ible framework has, in my iew, the potential to enhance the education and training of teachers and, at the same to impro e the recruitment of good "uality trainees. +$. 1ore work needs to be undertaken to de elop a new framework but, as a first step, ! ha e sketched out a number of possible scenarios and, in doing so, ha e attempted broadly to link education and training to the percei ed re"uirements for teaching at the different le els of the &ational #urriculum for schools. (! ha e, as far as possible, tried to match my proposals to the unified framework of HE "ualifications described in #hapter 1> of the &ational #ommittee's report. ) new framework for teacher education ++. ! belie e that the present 8Ed route will continue to be an appropriate route for early primary teaching, particularly B-1, and that it pro ides knowledge about teaching young children and how children learn which is unlikely to be pro ided through other courses. !n terms of the framework of "ualifications en isaged by the #ommittee, entry to the 8Ed would take place after ?*' le els, with e%it at H.. The weakness with the present 8Ed is that it commits students to teaching long before they become teachers and, it is argued, the degree attracts weaker applicants and leads to significant wastage. +.. The current alternati e route for intending primary teachers is the (4#E which, as ! ha e already suggested, may not, by itself, ade"uately prepare trainees. There may, therefore, be an argument for de eloping a new course for intending primary teachers, based on an intermediate entrance point, but with the aim of pro iding greater subject knowledge for teaching at B-$ and also B-+ than the present 8Ed. The e%pectation of such a course is that a trainee would complete two years subject study, to )iploma le el (H$), and would e%it at 0e el H5 after a further two years study encompassing teacher education and training. AT- would be awarded at the completion of 0e el H5 or after a probationary period in school. +5. The ad antage of such a route is that it would pro ide a longer period of teacher training than the current (4#E route and a greater degree of subject depth which the 8Ed lacks. !t would also create opportunities for people to opt in to a teaching "ualification from a more di erse set of routes. The teacher education element could be tailored to meet the needs of students from a wide range of backgrounds with, for instance, integrated courses de eloped to meet the needs of, say, students who had undertaken two years study in engineering or a modern language. -ome thought would need to be gi en to the title of such a course, but one possibility would be to create some ariation on the 1Eng.

+6. There may also be an argument for de eloping another course, in addition to the one described abo e, that allows trainees to enter teacher education at an earlier stage and which pro ides integrated specialised training for those students who intend to teach at the B-$ and B-+ le el. !n such a course, a trainee might enter after ?*' le els and e%it at 0e el H. with, say, a 8* or 8-c in (rimary Education, ha ing undertaken study in a number of core subjects and majored in one of these subjects. +9. ,hile the de elopment of a more fle%ible framework of "ualifications for teacher education has a number of ad antages, ! recognise that there may be some drawbacks. !n particular, ! acknowledge that the de elopment of intermediate entry points pro ides opportunities for trainees to opt@out of teaching as well as opt@in and, clearly, this may ha e implications for recruitment and manpower planning. There may also be some difficulties in de eloping courses within the framework, gi en that these may be funded by different funding agencies. There is clearly, therefore, a need for the TT* and HE3#E to work together closely to ensure that their funding methodologies do not inhibit the de elopment of a new, more fle%ible framework of "ualifications. +<. 3or teaching at B-. and beyond, ! belie e that a deep understanding of a specific subject is re"uired and that this will continue to be pro ided by a single honours degree, followed by study for the secondary (4#E. Howe er, there may be an opportunity under the model described abo e for more imaginati e pro iders to de elop a "ualification that encompasses subject study initially followed by a mi%ture of subject study and teacher training. 8oth routes would lead to e%it at le el H5. *lthough there has been less concern e%pressed about the ade"uacy of the length of the secondary (4#E, the "uestion of length and co erage does raise issues in relation to the induction of &ATs and to the calls for the reintroduction of a probation year. Recommendation The stakeholders in teacher education should begin a dialogue about the need for, and means of, developing a new framework of 'ualifications for teacher education. (he induction of new teachers +=. * significant number of respondents to the study ha e raised "uestions about the importance of structured induction arrangements for &ATs and the possibility of reintroducing the probation year. ! belie e that there are strong professional arguments for introducing a new form of probation year that seeks to test students' skills and competences before the award of AT- status. Howe er, ! also belie e that discussion about a new framework of "ualifications in higher education pro ides an opportunity to consider the de elopment of the probation year in relation to induction. .>. ! belie e that the de elopment of structured induction arrangements for &ATs is desirable and that this should be considered in relation to the re ised framework of "ualifications. !n particular, there may be opportunities for integrating the induction programmes with the range of "ualifications for teacher training and, conse"uently, to strengthen the training and education of teachers. 3or instance, at primary le el, programmes may be de eloped which build upon work achie ed by students who ha e undertaken the 8Ed route with, say, a ery different programme for students who ha e completed a (4#E. HE institutions would clearly need to be in ol ed in

the de elopment of the induction programmes, in partnership with other stakeholders, and in the assessment, which would lead to AT- status. .1. ! recognise that more detailed consideration needs to be gi en to this issue and to the financial arrangements but, ne ertheless, ! belie e that an integrated programme has the potential to strengthen teacher education and impro e the preparedness of trainees. !t could also build upon the TT*s proposals for the de elopment of career entry profiles for &ATs. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the role HE can play in the development of structured induction arrangements for ()Ts that integrate with #TT. (eaching assistants .$. ! am aware that there are an increasing number of support staff and teaching assistants working in schools but that there is no coherent framework for the training and education of such staff. The de elopment of a new framework of "ualifications may, therefore, pro ide an opportunity for higher education, working in partnership with schools, to de elop a set of training programmes for teaching assistants. 7ne option, for instance, may be the creation of a new )iploma at 0e el H1@H$, which could be built upon by the trainee to gain a full teaching "ualification at a later stage. .+. The de elopment of a coherent training programme should contribute to impro ements in the "uality of teaching support within schools but may also pro ide an opportunity for schools and 0ocal Education *uthorities (0E*s) to de elop inno ati e staff structures that allow teachers to concentrate on their core role of teaching. ! belie e that the proper use of teaching assistants, underpinned by a high "uality training programme de eloped in partnership with higher education, has important implications for the enhancement of the professional role of teachers and that, conse"uently, work should be undertaken by the stakeholders to de elop a new "ualification for teaching assistants. Recommendation The stakeholders in teacher education should consider the need for a new 'ualification for teaching assistants and the role that HE can play in developing such a 'ualification. ) national curriculum for *nitial (eacher (raining ... Ha ing looked at the need for a new national framework of "ualifications for teacher education, ! ha e also considered whether higher education's role in TET would be strengthened by the recent proposals to set the content of courses of teacher education at a national le el, beginning with primary English and mathematics. ,hile ! recognise that there is considerable debate about the de elopment of a &ational #urriculum for !TT and, in particular, its implications for institutional autonomy, ! belie e that the primary consideration of the proposals should be the e%tent to which they are likely to lead to impro ements in the "uality of &ATs entering schools.

.5. The e idence submitted to me indicates a considerable degree of consensus among the stakeholders in TET about the need to de elop national standards or, as the 7pen /ni ersity suggested in a recent meeting with the House of #ommons Education and Employment #ommittee, ...there is a pretty broad consensus across the profession about certain basic skills and attributes and attitudes which people need to develop who are going to become teachers. 4i en the increasing di ersity in the system, ! belie e that there is a need to de elop a national framework that ensures a degree of comparability in the content of education and training of teachers and that this is entirely compatible with the approach in many other professions. !ndeed higher education has a long history of working with professional bodies such as the 41# and the Engineering #ouncil to agree national standards and core course re"uirements. The main issues appear to be the e%tent to which the current proposals set out an o er@prescripti e model and whether it is appropriate for them to be established by the Teacher Training *gency. .6. ! ha e already suggested that one of the objecti es of teacher education should be the de elopment of teachers as ?reflecti e practitioners'. !n my iew, that implies that trainees should be critical thinkers who ha e knowledge of a wide range of teaching strategies, skills and styles which they should be able to use in different conte%ts. ! ha e some sympathy, therefore, with the argument that a &ational #urriculum that is too narrowly defined may not make best use of the contribution that HE makes in de eloping the reflecti e and critical capacities of trainees and, conse"uently, may not necessarily lead to better trained teachers. ! belie e that a desirable approach would be the de elopment of a more holistic framework that sets out core elements in terms of content, but which is sufficiently fle%ible to allow institutions to construct their own programmes drawing on their particular strengths. .9. The second issue which ! ha e considered concerns the nature of the arrangements for de eloping a national curricular framework. !n most professions including, for e%ample, law, medicine, architecture and engineering, the appropriate professional body has responsibility for setting standards and for the de elopment of curricular frameworks. !t is, ! belie e, generally agreed that this system of self@regulation has worked well. !n the absence of a statutorily established professional body for the teaching profession, it is appropriate for the TT* to begin a discussion about the de elopment of national standards but, in the longer, term ! belie e that the objecti es of teacher training might be better met if the teaching profession, which includes those from higher education and schools, takes ownership of the national framework.

!igher education and continuing professional development

.<. !n the conte%t of de eloping an induction programme for &ATs and its integration with a new framework of "ualifications, ! belie e that attention should be gi en to the implications of this for the #ontinuing (rofessional )e elopment (#()) of teachers. 1uch of the discussion about higher education's contribution to teacher education has focused on !TT and, in my iew, too little attention has been gi en to the role of #(). .=. 1y ision of teacher education and training is of a continuum beginning with !TT through to induction and #() and, conse"uently, in my iew, #() should be regarded as important as !TT in the training and de elopment of teachers. ! belie e that the contribution that higher education can make to #() has not been fully recognised and that HE should ha e a major role to play in

the de elopment of a new framework for #() that builds upon the framework for !TT and induction. There appear to be two key reasons for looking more closely at the arrangements for #(). 3irstly, ! belie e that a more coherent framework should impact on wastage rates and, secondly, that it should contribute to impro ements in the "uality of teaching in schools. +astage rates 5>. !t is, ! belie e, widely accepted that wastage rates for ser ing teachers are unacceptably high and that there are particular problems in teachers' early years in the profession. 3or e%ample, the most recent data a ailable from the )fEE suggests that in 1==. nearly $$ per cent of teachers who left the profession were under +.. *s might be e%pected, the rate is higher for women than for men although there is, ne ertheless, significant wastage of male teachers. !n 1==., for instance, nearly 1< per cent of male teachers who left the profession were under +.. !ndeed a closer look at the figures up to 1==. suggests that wastage under the age of +> was more marked among male teachers than female. 51. ,hile there is insufficient e idence to indicate the reasons behind the high wastage rates, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that the "uality of teacher's e%perience in the early years must be a factor and that HE through in ol ement in induction and #() should ha e a role to play in impro ing retention. Howe er, if ade"uate strategies in ol ing the de elopment of #() are to be de ised, further work should be undertaken to establish the reasons for wastage and possible responses including, for instance, establishing re@entry courses. !n particular, ! would be interested to know how many women who lea e the profession to raise a family return in later years and, in relation to wastage of male teachers, the e%tent to which the loss is from the shortage subject areas, particularly maths, science and technology. Recommendation *urther work should be undertaken to establish more accurately the reasons for, and responses to, wastage. ,uality of the teaching force 5$. The other significant reason for looking at #() concerns its role in enhancing the "uality of the teaching force. ! understand that 73-TE) has some e idence from inspections indicating a significant degree of underperformance in schools. ,hile there may be arguments that this is, in part, a reflection of percei ed inade"uacies in !TT, it could also plausibly be argued that it might be a reflection of an inade"uate programme of #(). !t would, therefore, be ad isable for 73-TE) to carry out further work to establish the reasons for underperformance and, in particular, to clarify whether it is in the area of subject knowledge or in teaching skills. #learly, if standards are to be impro ed nationally attention will need to be gi en to the role of #(). Recommendation *urther work should be undertaken to establish the reasons for the under!performance of some teachers and to clarify whether it is in the area of subject knowledge or in teaching skills. 5+. ! belie e that induction and continuing professional de elopment (#()) should ser e to strengthen the professional role of the teacher and that there should be a greater e%pectation of lifelong learning through #() in the teaching profession. Teachers

should be e%pected not only to keep abreast of de elopments within their subject areas but also to update their skills and understanding in the light of wider educational, social and technological changes.

A national framework for continuing professional development

5.. ,hile ! welcome the attention that the TT* is gi ing to the issue of #() and, in particular, its proposals for Headteacher and -ubject 0eader "ualifications, from the e idence pro ided to me, ! belie e that, o erall, the pro ision of #() is too patchy and that there are too many gaps. 3urther consideration should be gi en, therefore, to the de elopment of a wider national framework in the system, and, in particular, to the role that HE can play in de eloping a framework that pro ides for greater coherence with !TT. !t may be useful to look at models in other areas such as the medical, legal or architectural professions. 55. * national framework should pro ide not only standards and training for particular le els of responsibility, but should also co er subject knowledge, pedagogic de elopments and areas such as management responsibilities. !t should be fle%ible enough to operate at arious le els with, for e%ample, programmes which address the needs of indi idual teachers, but also programmes which address the needs of a school, or regional or national priorities. The framework should, in my iew, encompass the professional "ualifications being de eloped by the TT* and also HE accredited "ualifications including, for instance, masters courses and research degrees. There may, howe er, also be a need for the stakeholders to assess the status, standing and comparability of the e%isting range of academic "ualifications in education with a iew to greater harmonisation within the framework. 56. *s ! ha e already suggested, HE should ha e a key role in the de elopment and pro ision of #(). !t is uni"uely placed to de elop a range of courses and "ualifications which build upon !TT and complement, or integrate, with e%isting postgraduate "ualifications including the new professional doctorate. !n particular, ! anticipate that HE should be able to pro ide courses which encompass subject knowledge as well as engaging practising teachers in pedagogic research. !n iew of de elopments in the use of technology in deli ering higher education and the possibility that all schools may soon be linked to the !nternet, ! belie e that HE can also contribute towards #() courses that seek to impro e teachers' skills in the use of !T and facilitate new methods of teaching and learning in schools. 59. There are, ! belie e, significant opportunities in the de elopment of a national framework to impro e the partnership between schools and HE to the benefit of both parties. 7ne possible model in which partnerships may de elop is one in which one or more HE!s de elop regional centres, with support from 0ocal Education *uthorities, to deli er high "uality #() to schools in the region. The partnerships would be strengthened if it was clear that teachers had an entitlement to a certain amount of time in which to undertake #(), perhaps in the form of study lea e or sabbaticals that could be spent at the regional centres. -uch a proposal has, in my iew, opportunities for enhancing the "uality of teaching in schools but also for strengthening the schools@

based element of teacher education. 5<. The de elopment of a national framework for #() can only be achie ed if it is underpinned by sound financial arrangements and agreement on teachers' entitlement to #() during their career. ! belie e, therefore, that further work should be undertaken by the stakeholders in TET, including higher education, to de elop proposals for a national framework for #() and to consider a more cost@effecti e means of utilising the current resources for #() and the use of professional training days. Recommendation The stakeholders in teacher education, including higher education, should develop proposals for a national framework for C+& and consider a more cost!effective means of utilising current resources in this area.

The institutional arrangements for teacher education and training

5=. The majority of initial teacher training takes place within a higher education conte%t. 3or instance, in 1==5@=6, there were 56,119 students studying for "ualifications leading to the award of AT- at HE!s in comparison to 69= students enrolled on -chool@#entred !nitial Teacher Training (-#!TT) courses. There has, howe er, been a shift in the balance in recent years, between school based practice and institution based study, towards school based training through partnership schemes, and di ersity in training routes with the introduction of -#!TT and the new 4raduate Teaching (rogramme (4T(). 6>. The changes in balance in the education and training of teachers and the introduction of new training routes for !TT which focus on the contribution of schools, has raised "uestions, and created some uncertainty, about the role of higher education in TET. * significant number of respondents who pro ided e idence, raised concerns about the changing nature of the contribution and e%pressed fears that an emphasis on creating a di ersity of training routes was the result of a percei ed hostility towards higher education and a lack of understanding about its role in TET. ! ha e, therefore, sought to identify the distincti e features that should underpin higher education's contribution, and the implications for HE of changes in the pro ision of teacher education. (he role of higher education in the training and education of teachers 61. ! belie e that discussion about the different modes of training and educating teachers should be informed by a clearer understanding of the uni"ue and distincti e contribution of higher education and should also be based on an understanding of the e%tent to which that contribution is successfully meeting the objecti es of teacher education. 6$. !n my iew, there is insufficient e idence to suggest that pro ision by HE is inade"uate and, indeed, the e idence that is a ailable from 73-TE) indicates that, o erall, it is good. !n particular, ! note from the 1==5@=6 73-TE) sweep of primary education that 91 per cent of higher education courses were rated as good or ery good. E idence from inspection of the secondary (4#E in uni ersities also appears to suggest that most pro ision is sound. !t is clear,

therefore, that higher education does pro ide a satisfactory conte%t for the training and education of teachers. Ha ing said that, ! do belie e that teacher education could be strengthened if the respecti e roles of HE and schools were more clearly articulated. ! ha e set out my iew on the contribution that each should make to the training of teachers: Higher education should pro ide an en ironment in which it is possible for trainees to study core academic subjects to a high standard and to de elop knowledge and understanding about different methods of teaching and the ways in which children learn. !t should pro ide the conte%t in which trainees de elop an ability to think critically about, and reflect on, teaching practice and pro ide breadth of perspecti e, as well as e%posure to other disciplines and access to pedagogic research. HE should also ha e a role in training teaching mentors and in pro iding #() that builds upon !TT. -chools should ha e a significant, and no less important, role to play in the education of teachers. !n particular, schools should pro ide opportunities for trainees to gain e%perience of classroom practice and to de elop their professional skills, competences and knowledge. -chool should also pro ide a conte%t for reflection and opportunities for access to ad ice and support from trained mentors who, as accomplished teachers, should ha e e%tensi e classroom e%perience. 6+. ,hile ! belie e that this sets out the roles that each partner will typically play, ! accept that in some cases the relationships may be more fluid and less clearly defined. Howe er, it should be clear that ! see higher education and schools making distincti e but complementary and mutually reinforcing contributions to the education and training of teachers, e en though the e%act nature of the contributions may ary in each case. The de elopment of fully rounded teachers will not be met through a conception of teacher training that simply emphasises the ac"uirement of a narrow range of practical skills and competences. -uccessful teachers should, in my iew, ha e an ade"uate knowledge of educational theory on which to de elop their classroom skills. ! do not belie e, therefore, that the objecti es of TET can be fully met if trainees or teachers are not gi en access to the contribution of higher education. 6.. This ine itably raises "uestions about new forms of training such as -#!TT and the 4T( which take place outside the traditional conte%t of higher education and are more usually led by schools or consortia of schools. * number of respondents who pro ided e idence to me, argued that these new forms of teacher training will lead to a diminishing role for higher education and to the deprofessionalisation of the teaching force. ! belie e that these iews are mistaken and that increasing di ersity in pro ision implies a new role for higher education in the training of teachers rather than disengagement. 3or instance, in schemes such as -#!TT or the 4T(, higher education may still ha e a formal role to play through acting as managing agents or through pro iding modular or other forms of courses which fit into the programmes of training pro ided by schools. 65. ! ha e already set out my iew that TET should be iewed as a continuum co ering !TT, induction and #() in a process of life@long learning. ! en isage that training pro ided through -#!TT or the 4T( will focus on the de elopment of trainees' practical skills and competences, which are necessary and ital in the early years of teaching, but that higher education will play a more significant role in pro iding the theoretical understanding through #(). !n my iew, the "uality of entrants to the profession through a di ersity of routes should be guaranteed by

national standards and by the assessment of trainees before the award of AT-, but the profile of skills, knowledge and understanding will ary depending on the route into the profession taken by the trainee. The use of career entry profiles will increasingly ha e a role to play in ensuring that &ATs are able to de elop their knowledge and understanding and build upon the training pro ided through different forms of !TT. -artnership arrangements 66. ! belie e that the majority of initial teacher training will continue to be pro ided through partnership arrangements between schools and HE and that these will succeed where there is mutual respect between the partners and a clear understanding of their different roles in the professional preparation of trainees. Howe er, partnership will only work if there is stability and sound, e"uitable financial support underpinning the arrangements. The e idence pro ided to me suggests that neither of these two prere"uisites is currently in place. 69. ,hile the introduction of price tariffs by the TT* has brought greater transparency in terms of the resourcing of !TT, there is still, ne ertheless, a need to establish more accurately the costs in ol ed in partnership arrangements. *s one respondent has argued,(here are costs associated with the partnership model which have yet to be resolved. This iew was shared by a significant number of higher education pro iders who ga e e idence to the study and, clearly, the perception on both sides of the arrangements is that each is subsidising the other. !ne itably this has led to tensions between some partners. ! belie e, therefore, that further work should be undertaken to assess the true costs of partnership arrangements. Recommendation *urther work should be undertaken to assess the true costs of partnership arrangements. 6<. The other source of instability is the commitment of schools, gi en other pressures. !t is clear that some schools do not enter the arrangements because they percei e that the increased workload through training and pro iding mentors will detract from their core role in teaching pupils. There is also e idence that some schools opt@out of the arrangements when they are due to be inspected by 73-TE). ! ha e some sympathy with the iew of one institution which argued, ?) school.based partnership model which is a statutory re/uirement of the one party$ the '0*$ but optional for the other$ is not operable.' ! belie e, therefore, that higher education's role in TET would be more ade"uately met through partnership arrangements if there was a clearer e%pectation that schools should be in ol ed in !TT and this was recognised in the Auality *ssessment framework as adding alue to the work of schools. !n the longer term, ! belie e that there should also be an e aluation of the effecti eness of partnership arrangements and other forms of teacher training, identifying, and drawing on, good practice. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the need for more formal involvement of schools in #TT and partnership arrangements. Recommendation ,fter an appropriate period of time, there should be an evaluation of the effectiveness of

partnership arrangements and other forms of teacher training in meeting the objectives of teacher education.

(he network model 6=. ! ha e argued that there should be greater integration between !TT and #() in the training and education of teachers and ha e suggested a model in which one or more HE!s, in partnership with 0E*s, de elop regional centres to deli er #(). ! belie e that this model implies a closer and more coherent relationship between schools and HE!s, regardless of whether or not all schools are in ol ed in !TT, and that it could be de eloped to co er the full continuum of TET, including !TT. 9>. 1y ision is the de elopment of regional centres in which networks of schools are linked to one or more HE!s through a di erse range of relationships which co er !TT, #() and other areas of academic and school life. The ad antage of such a model is that it would allow schools access to a wider conte%t of intellectual life and to de elopments in information technology and research. The de elopment of regional centres has implications in terms of the number of higher education pro iders and the "uality of pro ision. ! belie e that the model is more likely to succeed if its built around a smaller number of institutions who ha e the capacity to pro ide high "uality pro ision. ! would argue, therefore, that there should be greater strategic thinking about how such a model might be de eloped and its implications for the range of pro ision currently pro ided by higher education. Recommendation The stakeholders in teacher education and training should begin a dialogue on the desirability of developing regional centres for the delivery of TET and its implications for the range of provision currently provided by higher education.

Quality assurance
91. The issue of "uality is central to the debate about the future of teacher education and training. ! ha e set out my iews on a number of areas where ! belie e that higher education can contribute to impro ements in the "uality of pro ision. ! now look at the process of Auality *ssurance (A*) in guaranteeing standards in teacher training pro ided by higher education. 9$. !n my iew, for A* to work effecti ely it should ha e three key aims. 3irstly, it should seek to ensure that there are ade"uate mechanisms and processes in place within an institution to guarantee the "uality of pro ision; secondly, it should seek to measure and guarantee standards across institutions and, thirdly, it should seek to impro e "uality and standards. 7n the basis of the e idence submitted to me, ! ha e some concerns about the e%tent to which the current arrangements for A* in teacher education are meeting these aims. These concerns fall into three

areas: the methodology of the framework for assessing "uality and standards in !TT; the process of assessment; and, finally, issues about the locus of responsibility for A*. (he methodology 9+. * small number of respondents who pro ided e idence, raised concerns about the principle of linking the funding of teacher education to assessments of "uality. ! ha e no concerns about this principle and accept that it should ha e the potential to impro e the "uality of pro ision. !ndeed, ! belie e that the principle is widely accepted in other areas of life within higher education. Ha ing said that, the methodology for assessing "uality must be robust if the judgements are to ha e alidity and integrity. 9.. ! recognise the significant efforts that the TT* has put into raising standards, including the de elopment of standards for the award of AT- and new arrangements for the accreditation of institutions. ! also recognise that the 1ramework for the )ssessment of ,uality and !tandards in *nitial (eacher (raining 2334536, de eloped jointly with 73-TE), pro ides clearer guidance to institutions on the criteria to be met for assessing "uality. Howe er, ! ha e some concerns about the methodology used in the 3ramework. 95. 1easurement of outputs is a necessary but not a sufficient condition of assessing "uality. The present 3ramework may ha e mo ed too far towards assessing outputs, in terms of the "uality of trainees, based on a narrow range of competences with insufficient account taken of the wider conte%t in which training takes place. The process of assessment should, in my iew, take a more holistic approach and consider broader issues such as the "uality of subject pro ision and the en ironment in which trainees are being taught. The e%amination of certain features in a limited number of cells may not be a sufficiently reliable indicator of o erall "uality. ! ha e, therefore, some sympathy with one institution which argued, current procedures which produce evidence about selected parts of provision are not reliable as 7udgements about the /uality of *((. 96. ! also belie e that further thought needs to be gi en to the proposal to use inspections of &ATs as e idence of the "uality of a pro ider's courses. !n my iew, this proposal appears to o ersimplify the link between output and "uality and, in particular, fails to take into account other factors such as the "uality of the school en ironment in which the &AT is employed or the role of induction. -tatistical correlations o er a wide base ha e, nonetheless, a role to play. (he process 99. ! ha e been gi en a significant amount of e idence from pro iders that the process of assessment has been less than satisfactory. !n particular, ! am concerned at indications that the recent ?sweeps' may ha e been poorly planned and hurriedly performed. 3or instance, some comments suggest that the H1! inspectors were not familiar with the 3ramework and, conse"uently, may ha e allocated gradings on uncertain e idence. ! am also concerned about the decision to carry out follow@up sur eys which, in my iew, casts doubt on the objecti ity and integrity of the process as well as the objecti es. 9<. 3inally, ! belie e that the current arrangements for Auality *ssurance of teacher education may be placing too many burdens on pro iders. 7ne comment which ! recei ed from a pro ider, which typifies the iew of many others, is that the burden of meeting the many and complex

re/uirements of the current circulars affecting initial teacher education is now considerable. *t is added to by the fre/uent and often overlapping re/uests for audit information$ both /ualitative and /uantitative which arrive regularly from O1!(08 and the ((). *n the first two months of 2336 alone$ the #niversity has received 9: communications from O1!(085(() alone. 9=. ,hile recognising the need for sound A* arrangements, ! belie e that a balance must be struck between, on the one hand, seeking ade"uate and comparable information to underpin decisions and judgements about "uality and funding and, on the other, o erburdening institutions to the detriment of their core role of pro iding teacher education. ! belie e that the balance is not yet right and that some thought should be gi en to streamlining the arrangements for A*. ;esponsibility for /uality assurance arrangements <>. The establishment of the new Auality *ssurance *gency pro ides an opportunity to de elop a more effecti e and coherent means of guaranteeing Auality *ssurance in higher education. ,hile ! recognise that the proposals of the Coint (lanning 4roup do not meet some of the distincti e needs for the assurance of "uality in teacher education, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that it would be regrettable if teacher education continued to be subject to multiple approaches towards A*. !n my iew, there should be a dialogue between the stakeholders on the arrangements that are necessary to guarantee, maintain and measure standards in teacher education and to consider how these could be brought within the structure of the new Auality *ssurance *gency. Recommendation The stakeholders should begin a dialogue on the arrangements that are necessary to guarantee, maintain and measure standards in teacher education and to consider how these could be brought within the structure of the new )uality ,ssurance ,gency. <1. 7ne way forward might be to contract@in e%pertise from 73-TE) to de elop, and work within, the framework of the Coint (lanning 4roup. ,ithin this model for A*, the TT* would continue to ha e responsibility for promoting "uality and standards through its funding process. <$. ! ha e argued that there should be a new framework for induction that integrates with !TT. 7ne further area which ! belie e has important implications for "uality and for enhancing the professional status of teaching, is the assessment of trainees before the award of AT- status. ! belie e that trainees should be assessed and tested on their competence to teach at the end of the induction period and that minimum standards should be achie ed before the award of AT-. ! welcome the work that the TT* has been carrying out on this issue but, gi en my ision of an integrated framework of !TT, induction and #(), ! belie e that higher education should ha e a key role to play in the de elopment of an assessment model, although, of course, the final responsibility for assessment must rest with schools. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the role HE can play in developing a model for the assessment of ()Ts before the award of )T% status.

"tructural issues

<+. 3inally, in iew of the suggestions that ! ha e made in this report for strengthening the contribution that higher education can make to the training and education of teachers, ! belie e that it is necessary to consider a number of broader structural issues about the way in which teacher education is funded and organised. !n particular, ! ha e tried to identify whether the objecti es of teacher education are being ade"uately met through the current arrangements or whether other models of funding and managing TET might be more appropriate. *ny proposals should, in my iew, seek to strengthen teacher education and raise the status of the teaching profession. 'igher education and a General (eaching Council <.. There is a significant degree of consensus that teachers and the educators of teachers should ha e a greater degree of responsibility o er, and for, their profession. !ndeed, the House of #ommons Education and Employment #ommittee in its recently published report on (he -rofessional !tatus$ ;ecruitment and (raining of (eachers, has acknowledged this issue and has supported the establishment of a 4eneral Teaching #ouncil (4T#). ! belie e that proposals for a 4T# could pro ide for greater control and responsibility and would parallel the situation in many other professions, including law, medicine, architecture and engineering. !t would also significantly enhance the status of the profession. There is, howe er, less consensus, on the possible remit and functions of a 4T# and the role that higher education might play in such a body. <5. * 4eneral Teaching #ouncil has been in e%istence in -cotland since 1=66 and appears to ser e the profession well and play a key role in facilitating constructi e dialogue between the different stakeholders. ! belie e that it might usefully pro ide a model for the de elopment of a 4T# in England and ,ales. There are clearly two significant issues which will need to be considered. 3irstly, the issue of representation on the body and, secondly, the functions of a 4T#. <6. !n my iew, the 4T# should benefit higher education by establishing more clearly the principles of partnership between the stakeholders in teacher education. ! belie e that a 4T# should be representati e of all those with a legitimate interest in the profession and, at the same time, it should be able to draw on the knowledge and e%pertise of a wide range of bodies and groups. The membership should include practising teachers, pro iders of teacher education, employers and parents. <9. The second issue concerns the functions of the 4T#. The concept of a profession is clearly based on self@regulation and responsibility for standards and ethics. ! belie e, therefore, that the 4T# should ha e statutory responsibility for the registration of "ualified teachers and for professional standards. E entually, it should also ha e responsibility for national standards in !TT, induction and #(), including the de elopment of a national curricular framework that co ers the full continuum of TET. (he (eacher (raining )gency <<. The establishment of a 4eneral Teaching #ouncil clearly raises "uestions about the future role of the Teacher Training *gency. * significant number of respondents who ga e e idence argued that higher education's role in the training and education of teachers would be

strengthened if the functions of the TT* were integrated within the work of HE3#E. There appear to be three main arguments: firstly, that the establishment of the TT* has disengaged teacher education from the main policy framework for higher education; secondly, that the policies of the TT* ha e weakened higher education's contribution towards the training of teachers; and, thirdly, that the establishment of a separate funding agency for teacher training has led to increased administrati e burdens on higher education institutions. <=. !t is not immediately clear to me that the establishment of a separate agency from HE3#E to fund teacher education necessarily implies a disengagement from higher education. ,hile, clearly, HE3#E has a major role in relation to higher education policy, it by no means has an e%clusi e role. There are, for instance, many other bodies and organisations in ol ed in funding aspects of higher education including the 2esearch #ouncils, and these all contribute to, and work within, the o erall policy framework for higher education. Howe er, ! do belie e that there are strong arguments for closer working relationships between the TT* and other higher education bodies including, in particular, HE3#E to ensure that the implications of different policy initiati es are considered in relation to teacher education. 3or instance, one area where there is a strong need for a close co@ordination is in regard to de elopments in !T and technology@assisted learning, particularly gi en my iews on the role of !T in strengthening partnerships between schools and HE. =>. The second argument which has been gi en is that the TT* has pursued initiati es that ha e the effect of weakening higher education's contribution to teacher education, especially through increasing the di ersity of routes into the profession and establishing a &ational #urriculum for !TT. ! belie e that some of the policies of the TT* may lead to a new role for higher education in teacher education particularly, as ! ha e already suggested, in relation to de elopments such as -#!TT and the 4T( but that does not necessarily imply a diminished role for HE. ,ith regard to the de elopment of a &ational #urriculum, ! ha e argued that, in the longer term, the profession should take ownership of the framework through the 4T#. =1. The third argument is that the establishment of the TT* has increased the administrati e burdens on HE institutions. There is, ! belie e, e idence from institutions that there has been inade"uate liaison between HE3#E and the TT* in a number of areas and that, conse"uently, this has resulted in increased workloads for higher education institutions and, perhaps more worryingly, may ha e inhibited the de elopment of new initiati es. !n particular, there is e idence that institutions ha e found it difficult in obtaining agreement to mo e student numbers and funding between different subject areas where it in ol es the two funding bodies and that there has been significant duplication of effort in the return of statistical data. * lack of co@ ordination also has the potential to undermine the de elopment of a new fle%ible framework for "ualifications which ! outlined earlier in the report. ! belie e, therefore, that the TT* and HE3#E must work more closely together to ensure that there is greater con ergence in the timing and collection of data from institutions and that the separate funding methodologies do not inhibit desirable de elopments in different subject areas or new "ualifications. Recommendation The TT, and HE*CE should consider the means by which they could work more closely together to ensure that there is greater convergence in the timing and collection of data

from institutions and that their separate funding methodologies do not inhibit desirable developments in different subject areas or new 'ualifications.

=$. Ha ing considered some of the criticisms of the TT*, ! belie e that there is much to be commended in the work of the agency and in its establishment of a wide@ranging agenda for change in teacher education. !n particular, it has brought into the open the issue of "uality in training and the de elopment and measurement of national standards. !t has raised important issues in relation to the nature of teacher training, including the different roles of schools and higher education. ! ha e also been impressed with the work that the agency has undertaken in the de elopment of a framework for #(), beginning with Head Teachers and -ubject 0eaders, and its determination to ensure that more pedagogic research is directed towards impro ing classroom practice. =+. ! belie e that there is a clear need for the funding of teacher training to be undertaken by a body with e%pertise in, and a commitment towards, teacher education. !n my iew, the TT* has undertaken an ambitious programme of change and it should be gi en an opportunity for the effecti eness of its changes to be tested. To mo e the funding of TET away from the TT* at this time would ine itably lead to further uphea al in the system and, potentially, would damage many of the important de elopments which the agency has promoted in impro ing teaching "uality. =.. ! belie e, therefore, that the TT* should continue to be responsible for funding TET although, in the light of the proposals for the establishment of a 4T#, its remit should be re ised. !n my iew, its work should be complementary to that of the 4T# and, in particular, it should concentrate on funding teacher training and should seek to impro e "uality through its funding process and through other measures. 4i en the public interest and in estment in teacher education, it should also ha e a role in the accreditation of institutions, perhaps in partnership with the 4T#. ;esearch into teaching and learning =5. The last structural issue which ! ha e considered is the funding of pedagogic research. There has been considerable debate about the effecti eness of current education research and in particular, its percei ed lack of influence or rele ance to teachers and to classroom practice. There are also concerns that practising teachers are not sufficiently engaged in the research process. ,hile ! recognise that there is much e%cellent educational research taking place, ! ha e some sympathy with the argument that more needs to be done to increase the rele ance of pedagogic research to the practice of teaching. !ndeed, this iew appears to be shared by many educational researchers including, for instance, (rofessor Tony Edwards at the /ni ersity of &ewcastle, who argues in a recent /#ET 7ccasional (aper that ...educational research has to be focused much more firmly than it is on the processes and conditions of learning$ and more directly and systematically on the improvement of practice. =6. ! belie e that if educational research is to ha e a key role in impro ing teaching practice and in de eloping effecti e strategies for learning and, at the same time, the teaching profession is

genuinely to de elop as a ?research@based' profession, there should be a greater focus on the arrangements for commissioning, promoting and disseminating pedagogic research. 7ne possible model is the establishment of a sub@committee of the Economic and -ocial 2esearch #ouncil (E-2#), whose remit would be to commission rele ant research that aims to impro e teaching and learning. *n alternati e model could in ol e the )fEE in establishing a looser framework by bringing together the arious funders of educational research to de elop a national strategy for educational research. Recommendation Consideration should be given to the need to establish new arrangements for commissioning, promoting and disseminating pedagogic research. =9. Howe er, ! belie e that if a sub@committee is established, it should be go erned by an independent body that includes representati es from higher education, the TT*, 4T# and, most importantly, practising teachers. !t should also seek to encourage, and be free to fund, research undertaken by practising teachers, or groups of teachers, either alone or in partnership with higher education. !f its work is to be effecti e it should also, in my iew, ensure that research findings are disseminated in an accessible format to teachers and to a wide audience. !n this respect, ! would point to the model of the 2owntree 3oundation.

#onclusion
=<. !n carrying out this study, ! ha e been impressed with the commitment of those in ol ed in teacher education to the well@being of the profession. ! belie e that there is a considerable degree of consensus on the need to ensure that the highest standards are maintained in teacher education and a determination to impro e these standards and to raise the status of the profession. 8ut ! note that there are still differences about how you might e%actly achie e these objecti es, and the particular role of higher education. &e ertheless, ! don't doubt that there is a collecti e will to mo e forward. ==. ! ha e sought to describe the distincti e contribution that higher education makes to the training and education of teachers and to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current arrangements. ! ha e set out a number of proposals, or areas, where ! belie e that the role of higher education might be strengthened or where the current range of functions might be re ised to enhance the role and contribution of HE. !n iew of the short timescale in which this study has been carried out, ! recognise that more work needs to be undertaken to e aluate the proposals and to test them out on the stakeholders in TET. *t the same time, ! belie e that the proposals should not be considered in isolation but need to be iewed as part of a package within the wider conte%t of teacher education and training. 1>>. !n conclusion, ! belie e that it would be desirable for a national committee to be established to consider the arrangements for teacher education in more detail, with particular regard to the recommendations contained in this report. The national committee should, in my opinion, include representati es of all the stakeholders including teachers, higher education, business, the TT* and go ernment.

Recommendation , national committee should be established to consider the arrangements for teacher education in more detail, with particular regard to the recommendations contained in this report. 1>1. * summary of the recommendations contained in the report is set out o erleaf. !n iew of the final recommendation to establish a national committee to consider the recommendations and issues, ! ha e not sought to identify which agencies or groups should take forward particular recommendations.

"ummary of recommendations
)pplications and entrants to teacher education courses 1. The stakeholders in teacher education should undertake an assessment of the effecti eness of the current arrangements for recruitment and the desirability of introducing a wider range of incenti e measures to impro e recruitment in priority subject areas, including the use of funded places to enable institutions to de elop a range of pathways into new courses of teacher education. $. #onsideration should be gi en to the case for, and the role HE can play in, de eloping a fast track or ?high@flyer' scheme to encourage more outstanding graduates to enter the teaching profession. +. #onsideration should be gi en to the desirability, practicality and likely effects of setting minimum entrance standards to courses of !TT, drawing on the e%perience in -cotland and in other professions. .. The stakeholders in conjunction with the )fEE should consider ways in which a more robust, transparent and stable manpower planning model for teacher education could be de eloped. 5. #onsideration should be gi en to the e%tent to which recruitment to teacher education courses in higher education is representati e of the wider population, the need for data to be collected on the background of trainees and the means by which recruitment from underrepresented groups might be impro ed. ,ualifications framework and the development of a national curriculum for *(( 6. The stakeholders in teacher education should begin a dialogue about the need for, and means of, de eloping a new framework of "ualifications for teacher education. 9. #onsideration should be gi en to the role HE can play in the de elopment of structured induction arrangements for &ATs that integrate with !TT. <. The stakeholders in teacher education should consider the need for a new "ualification for teaching assistants and the role that HE can play in de eloping such a "ualification.

'igher education and continuing professional development =. 3urther work should be undertaken to establish more accurately the reasons for, and responses to, wastage. 1>. 3urther work should be undertaken to establish the reasons for the under@performance of some teachers and to clarify whether it is in the area of subject knowledge or in teaching skills. 11. The stakeholders in teacher education, including higher education, should de elop proposals for a national framework for #() and consider a more cost@effecti e means of utilising current resources in this area. (he institutional arrangements for teacher education and training 1$. 3urther work should be undertaken to assess the true costs of partnership arrangements. 1+. #onsideration should be gi en to the need for more formal in ol ement of schools in !TT and partnership arrangements. 1.. *fter an appropriate period of time, there should be an e aluation of the effecti eness of partnership arrangements and other forms of teacher training in meeting the objecti es of teacher education. 15. The stakeholders in teacher education and training should begin a dialogue on the desirability of de eloping regional centres for the deli ery of TET and its implications for the range of pro ision currently pro ided by higher education. ,uality assurance 16. The stakeholders should begin a dialogue on the arrangements that are necessary to guarantee, maintain and measure standards in teacher education and to consider how these could be brought within the structure of the new Auality *ssurance *gency. 19. #onsideration should be gi en to the role HE can play in de eloping a model for the assessment of &ATs before the award of AT- status. !tructural issues 1<. The TT* and HE3#E should consider the means by which they could work more closely together to ensure that there is greater con ergence in the timing and collection of data from institutions and to ensure that their separate funding methodologies do not inhibit desirable de elopments in different subject areas or new "ualifications. 1=. #onsideration should be gi en to the need to establish new arrangements for commissioning, promoting and disseminating pedagogic research. Conclusions $>. * national committee should be established to consider the arrangements for teacher education in more detail, with particular regard to the recommendations contained in this report.

,((E- , . Teacher education and training in %cotland

Introduction
1. The main report has concentrated on the conte%t in England, where there ha e been significant changes in recent years in the organisation and funding of teacher education and training, and where the scale of acti ity is significantly greater than other parts of the /nited Bingdom. Howe er, as ! ha e already indicated, ! belie e that much of the discussion will ha e rele ance to the situation in other parts of the country. !n particular, the issues with regard to the de elopment of a "ualifications framework, the need for coherent induction arrangements and for the introduction of a training programme for teaching assistants will be of rele ance in a wider conte%t. The de elopment of a framework for continuing professional de elopment will also be of rele ance beyond England, while the suggestion for the establishment of a sub@ committee of the Economic D -ocial 2esearch #ouncil (E-2#) to promote and fund pedagogic research should certainly be considered in a /B conte%t. $. Howe er, gi en the different and ery distincti e nature of the arrangements in -cotland, ! ha e e%amined these separately and identified a number of areas where ! belie e that further discussion and more detailed consideration needs to be gi en to ensure that higher education's contribution to teacher education and training is organised and funded in the most effecti e way. These areas include:

applications and entrants to teacher education courses; partnership arrangements with schools; continuing professional de elopment (#()); "uality assurance (A*); strategic issues.

This anne% deals, therefore, with a number of issues in relation to the arrangements for training and educating teachers in -cotland. +. *lthough no assessors ha e been in ol ed, ! ha e, ne ertheless, recei ed ad ice and a considerable amount of background material to help inform the study in -cotland from 0orna 8rownlee at the -cottish 7ffice Education and !ndustry )epartment (-7E!)) and from 1argery 8rowning at Her 1ajesty's !nspectorate (H1!). !n addition oral e idence was taken from officers at the -cottish 7ffice, the -cottish Higher Education 3unding #ouncil (-HE3#) and from the -cottish Teacher Education #ommittee. (This #ommittee consists of the (rincipals and )eans of 3aculty of the higher education institutions in -cotland offering courses of initial teacher education.) ,ritten e idence was also recei ed from a number of pro iders and other interested bodies including the Educational !nstitute of -cotland (E!-) and the -cottish -econdary Teachers' *ssociation. (* list of the respondents is included in *nne% 8 to this report.)

General comments .. 7 erall, on the e idence pro ided to me, ! am satisfied that the structural arrangements for funding and organising teacher education and training ha e ser ed -cotland reasonably well and, indeed, in many respects they pro ide a model for other parts of the /nited Bingdom. (erhaps the most distincti e feature is the e%istence of a 4eneral Teaching #ouncil (4T#), since 1=66, which has responsibility for pro iding ad ice to the -ecretary of -tate on matters associated with teacher education, including standards for entrants to the profession. !t is also responsible for monitoring the probation of newly "ualified teachers, for the registration of persons eligible to teach in -cotland and for the accreditation of courses leading to registration as a primary or secondary teacher. 5. The other main agencies in ol ed in teacher education in -cotland include the -cottish 7ffice, H1! and -HE3#. The -cottish 7ffice has responsibility for setting intake le els for initial teacher education (!TE), setting standards of entry to !TE, appro ing courses of !TE and for promoting teaching as a career. -HE3# has responsibility for funding !TE and for allocating funded places on !TE courses. !n conjunction with H1!, it is also responsible for the "uality assessment of !TE. 6. The di ision of responsibility for the funding and organisation of teacher education and training between these four agencies appears, on the whole, to work effecti ely and is reflected in a broad, shared understanding about the fundamental objecti es of teacher training. #onse"uently, ! do not see the need for consideration of major structural changes or for a body such as the Teacher Training *gency. Ha ing said that, there is, ! belie e, scope for e%amining the roles of the arious agencies and for looking at the processes in ol ed in funding, managing and undertaking teacher education and training with a iew to strengthening the contribution of higher education in a number of areas.

Applications and entrants to teacher education courses

9. ! began my e%amination of the conte%t in -cotland by looking at the olume and "uality of applications to courses of !TE. *t the primary le el, from the most recent data that is a ailable from the /ni ersities and #olleges *dmissions -er ice (/#*-) (1==5@=6), the olume of applications for the (rimary 8Ed appears to be healthy with about < applications for each place, although there is a degree of ariation between institutions with, for instance, one institution recei ing 1>.>9 applications per place and, at the other end of the scale, another recei ing 6.>9. Howe er, these figures represent multiple applications and the ratio of actual applicants to places is, o erall, about +.5. <. 3or the (ostgraduate #ertificate of Education ((4#E) (rimary, the olume of applications is respectable with around 9 applications for each place. *gain there is a degree of ariation between pro iders although less pronounced than at the 8Ed le el. The reasons for the ariations in the ratio of applicants is not immediately clear, although it may be due to reasons of geography and demographics. ,hile the scope for reallocating intakes may be limited, for reasons of institutional iability, there may, howe er, be an argument for looking more closely at the reasons behind the differences in demand, taking into account the "uality of entrants and regional demand, with a iew

to determining whether a reallocation of places between institutions would be desirable. Recommendation %HE*C should be invited to consider whether there are arguments for reallocating intakes and the implications that this might have for the viability of institutions. =. *t the secondary le el, demand for the secondary 8Ed and the (4#E (-econdary) is less buoyant with about ..$ applications per place, although this figure is slightly distorted by the ratio for one institution, at 9.<9 applications, which is due to the fact that it has a monopoly on the pro ision of (E. !f (E is discounted, the o erall ratio for -cotland is about +.+ applications per place. ,hen the figures for the (4#E (-econdary) alone are e%amined, the ratio of applicants to places in 1==6 was about $.<9. 8roken down further between the priority and non@ priority subjects, the ratio is about 6.5 for the former and 1.9 for the latter. (The figures for the (4#E are deri ed from data pro ided by the Teacher Education *dmissions #learing House.) There is, therefore, ! belie e, a need to consider measures aimed at increasing the olume of appropriately "ualified applicants at the secondary le el, particularly in relation to the priority subject areas. 1>. *n interesting feature of the data is the e%tent to which teacher education attracts applicants from outside -cotland. 3or instance, in the 1==6@=9 session, about +> per cent of applications were from candidates outside of -cotland. ,hen this is broken down, it is apparent that the feature is particularly marked at the primary le el, where nearly +5 per cent of applications were from outside -cotland. *t the secondary le el, the percentage is $< per cent. Howe er, while this degree of success in attracting applicants from outside -cotland may be seen as an indicator of the esteem in which teacher education is generally held, it does not appear to be translated into actual entrants. The most recent data from the Higher Education -tatistics *gency, for 1==5@=6, for instance, indicates that only 6.. percent of students on courses of !TE were from outside -cotland. The reasons behind the wide ariation between applicants and entrants is not ob iously clear and, in the conte%t of e%amining the need for a range of measures to impro e the olume of applications to !TE, may merit further in estigation. 11. !n terms of entry "ualifications, the e idence from pro iders and others suggests that, o erall, in comparison to other parts of the /nited Bingdom, teacher education in -cotland is recruiting a higher proportion of good "uality applicants although, ine itably, there are ariations in types of pro ision. Howe er, while the data that are a ailable pro ide information on the range of applicants' "ualifications, they do not pro ide a erage grades or point scores and, conse"uently, it is difficult to gain an objecti e picture of the "uality of applications. *s far as the 8Ed is concerned, the information pro ided by institutions in their responses suggests that, while the course is attracting some high "uality candidates, the "uality of applicants o erall is mi%ed. Ha ing said that, the data indicate that, mostly, they ha e a good range of "ualifications. !n 1==+@=., for e%ample, nearly <1 per cent of entrants to the 8Ed had achie ed four or more Highers or e"ui alent. 1$. *t the postgraduate le el, the most recent data that were a ailable, for 1==+@=., on the type of "ualification indicates that about 51 per cent of entrants had achie ed "ualifications at the

le el of -econd class or abo e. 8roken down between primary and secondary, the e idence indicates that the "uality of applicants for the primary (4#E is slightly higher than for the secondary with, for e%ample, 55 per cent of applicants to the former achie ing "ualifications at the le el of -econd #lass degree or abo e and .= per cent for the latter. #learly, therefore, while -cotland may be attracting a higher proportion of good "uality applicants than other parts of the /B and, of course, while the "uality of degree is not the single or only factor to take into account in terms of suitability to teach, it is an important indicator and, conse"uently, there is, in my iew, an argument that more needs to be done to impro e the o erall "uality of applicants to !TE. 1+. ,hile all entrants will ha e met the minimum entrance re"uirements as set out in the 1emorandum on Entry 2e"uirements to #ourses of Teacher Education, published annually by -7E!), the data on applicants and entrants are, ! belie e, limited and may be disguising wide ariations in the "uality of entrants between subjects, particularly in the shortage areas. *lthough the minimum entry "ualifications in the memorandum were recently re iewed, there may, ne ertheless, be a need for a more detailed analysis of the data to assess, more accurately, the e%tent of the ariations in the "uality of applicants and the need for measures to strengthen the "uality and the range of "ualifications of applicants, and to increase the olume of applications in the weaker subject areas. ! note, in particular, comments from the 4T# on one area who, in their e idence, suggest that (here remains perhaps a case for raising the entry re/uirements for the B0d %-rimary& course particularly with regard to Mathematics. Recommendation The %cottish /ffice should undertake a detailed analysis of the data on the volume and academic 'uality of applicants to courses of #TT and e$amine whether there is a need for special measures to strengthen the 'uality and increase the volume in the weaker subject areas Manpower planning 1.. ! ha e considered briefly the arrangements for manpower planning in -cotland. The -cottish 7ffice is responsible for setting the intake targets to courses of !TE each year and should, ! belie e, be commended for the transparent way in which the process by which the targets are set, and the model used to determine the targets, are operated. There appears to be wide consultation with the stakeholders each year on the proposed targets and discussion in the )epartment's (lanning #ommittee on Teacher -upply. ,hile there does appear to be an o er@supply of teachers in -cotland, it is clear that the balance between supply and demand is closer than in England. !ndeed, there are arguments that an element of o er@supply necessary to pro ide teachers who are able to undertake absence co er work. 15. 1ost respondents who ga e e idence to my study appeared to recognise the difficulties in ol ed in forecasting the need for teachers and to accept that the present model worked as well as could reasonably be e%pected. ,hile ! accept that, ine itably, there will be ariations in the intake targets which will impact on institutions, ! am satisfied that, o erall, the arrangements in -cotland pro ide higher education institutions with ade"uate opportunities to pro ide input into the process of setting intake targets and guarantee a significant degree of predictability and stability that is not found in England.

16. Howe er, while there is clearly a need to set minimum intake targets to guarantee supply, there may be an argument for increasing the ma%imum intake and for allowing institutions to admit students who might teach outside -cotland or who might use the skills gained in a teacher education course in another conte%t. ,hile ! do not ha e a strong iew on this issue, ! belie e, ne ertheless, that the practicality and desirability of such a measure should be considered, particularly gi en the implications that this would ha e for the continued iability of some teacher education institutions. (! discuss the institutional arrangements for teacher education later in the document.) The proposal could, ! belie e, reduce olatility in intake numbers and pro ide a more effecti e means of ensuring an ade"uate supply of teachers. Recommendation The %cottish /ffice, in consultation with %HE*C, should consider the desirability, and implications, of increasing the ma$imum intake of students to courses of #TE. 19. 4i en changes in teacher education and wider political changes, including the reorganisation of local 4o ernment, the process of manpower planning is likely to become more difficult. #are will need to be taken, therefore, to ensure that, for e%ample, the planning model takes into account new forms of training and educating teachers, including concurrent degrees where it may be less possible to predict the number of successful graduates who will enter teaching, and the impact of the new entrance re"uirements arising from the recent re ision to the 1emorandum on Entry 2e"uirements to #ourses of Teacher Education, mentioned earlier.

Partnership arrangements with schools

18. As with other parts of the United Kingdom, there has been a shift in balance in recent years in Scotland towards a greater emphasis on the role of schools in the training process although, unlike England, the education and training of teachers continues to take place wholly within a conte t based on partnership between higher education and schools. !he proposals, in 1""#, for the establishment of a $entor !eacher Scheme for %&'E (Secondary 'ourses) by the Scottish *ffice, with support from the &!', appeared to be an ambitious attempt to de+elop and formalise the role of schools in a partnership approach in the training and assessment of student teachers. !he withdrawal of the proposals for that scheme, due to opposition from the profession and from schools, ha+e, conse,uently, left some uncertainty in Scotland about how the relationship between schools and higher education in teacher education and training can be de+eloped and, indeed, has raised fundamental ,uestions about the roles of the two partners in the training and education of teachers. 1". - ha+e already set out in the main report my +iew that both schools and higher education ha+e a uni,ue and +ital contribution to make towards the education of teachers and that partnership arrangements will only succeed if there is stability and sound, e,uitable financial support underpinning the arrangements and a clear understanding of the different roles of the partners. !he e+idence, both from the opposition to the $entor !eacher

Scheme and from elsewhere, suggests that there may be some difficulties in sustaining current arrangements and a lack of clarity about the responsibilities and roles of the partners. .or e ample, in a recent report on partnership the &!' has argued that ..the extensive nature of current partnership has stretched the arrangement to the point where it threatens the process. (/eport of the 0orking &roup on %artnership in -nitial !eacher Education1 $arch 1""2.) !o that should be added e+idence from S3E.'4s 5uality Assessment of teacher education of +ariation in the effecti+eness of the present arrangements. 67. -t is clear that the principle of partnership is not in dispute and indeed, despite the e+ident difficulties, there appears to be much successful collaboration between schools and higher education in the training of teachers in Scotland. -n addition, there is also e+idence from the pilot %&'E course under8taken at $oray 3ouse -nstitute of Education in 1""68"9 that an approach that emphasises and articulates more clearly the contribution of schools has benefits for both higher education and schools and, conse,uently, for the training of teachers. (!he pilot %&'E was established by $oray 3ouse -nstitute of Education at the in+itation of, and with funding from, the Scottish *ffice to test the practicality of a more school8based conte t for teacher education. A key feature of the pilot was the appointment of mentors within the schools with special responsibility for the support of trainees.) 61. !he need to strengthen the current arrangements, and the opportunities that ha+e been identified in the pilot course at $oray 3ouse for enhancing the training and education of teachers, suggests that further work in Scotland is necessary to de+elop partnership with schools in a more effecti+e way. !he recently completed re+iew on partnership, which was undertaken by the &!' at the re,uest of the Scottish *ffice, has, in my +iew, raised a number of fundamental issues and put forward a comprehensi+e series of recommendations for de+eloping the arrangements in a more lasting and effecti+e way than at present. 3owe+er, there are, ne+ertheless, two areas where it may be helpful for me to comment. 66. - ha+e already argued in the main report that one of the conditions for a more successful relationship between higher education and schools in the training of teachers is clearer agreement on the respecti+e roles of each in the partnership arrangements. 0hile the in+ol+ement of the teaching profession in -!E is recognised formally in the Salaries and 'onditions of Ser+ice Agreement (S:;' 'ircular SE<#7) which define teachers4 duties (and which re,uires teachers to contribute to the professional development of colleagues, including probationary and student teachers.), there appears to be, at least in my mind, a lack of clarity about what this means in practice. !here is also a +iew, which the &!', among others, has e pressed that there has in the past been a reluctance within the profession to ...accept a degree

of responsibility for its own induction and training. (p111 /eport of the 0orking &roup on %artnership in -nitial !eacher Education.) !he reactions to the proposals for the $entor !eaching Scheme also appear to suggest some uncertainty on the part of higher education about the nature of the contribution that each partner should make to the training process. 69. 'learly while it is recognised that both schools and higher education ha+e a +ital contribution to make to the training of teachers, more needs to be done to articulate the relationship in a way that guarantees a genuinely coherent and complementary partnership. - welcome, therefore, the proposals from the 0orking &roup for a national framework which aims to set out the contribution that the partners should be e pected to make to the arrangements and which seeks to ensure greater consistency of approach across Scotland. Such a framework should, in my +iew, encompass resource issues, course design, assessment, ,uality assurance and management arrangements. As the &!' fully recognises, the de+elopment of a national framework should strengthen the commitment of both schools and higher education to partnership and, at the same time, ensure greater transparency in the arrangements and impro+ed accountability. 3owe+er, the framework will not succeed if it is o+er8prescripti+e or fails to recognise the need for fle ibility in creating a model that builds on the different strengths of schools and pro+iders. As a first step, - recommend that the Scottish *ffice should bring together the stakeholders in teacher education in Scotland to de+elop a national framework for partnership. Recommendation The Scottish Office should bring together the stakeholders in teacher education in Scotland to develop a national framework for partnership. 6#. !he second issue where it may be helpful to add some further comment concerns resources. 0hile it appears that all schools recei+e a sum in their recurrent allocations to support the training of students and probationers, the actual figure is not specified. -t was, therefore, ine+itable that the proposals for the $entor !eaching Scheme should ha+e opened up the debate about whether schools should recei+e additional resources to support partnership. - ha+e already argued in my main report that partnership will only work if there is sound, e,uitable support underpinning the arrangements. - belie+e, therefore, that more detailed work should be undertaken, building upon the work already undertaken by the &!' working group, first, to establish the current costs of partnership and to assess the potential costs under a national framework and, secondly, to de+elop proposals for a resource allocation model that guarantees stability and transparency.

Recommendation The GTC should be invited to undertake work to assess the current costs of partnership, and to assess the potential costs under a national framework, and to develop proposals for a resource allocation model that guarantees stability and transparency in funding partnership arrangements.

Continuing professional development

6=. - ha+e argued in the main report that there should be a much broader conception of teacher education that encompasses not only -!E but also induction and continuing professional de+elopment ('%>). -n other words, that teacher education should be seen as a lifelong learning process. !he e+idence presented to me with regard to '%> suggests that its importance in strengthening the professional role of teachers is more widely recognised within Scotland and has been promoted through, for instance, the Scottish *ffice &uidelines on Staff >e+elopment and Appraisal, the ;ational 'o8 ordinating 'ommittee for Staff >e+elopment and through local authorities. Although '%> has been gi+en prominence, there may, ne+ertheless, be a case for arguing that there should be a greater degree of coherence in the arrangements. -n particular, - belie+e that the present range of courses could be brought within a structured national framework and that there is a need for greater clarity in the way in which '%> is funded. 6?. 3igher education has traditionally played a significant role in '%> in Scotland through the pro+ision of award8bearing in8ser+ice courses, mostly based on a three tier system of awards at certificate, >iploma and $asters le+el, as well as through a wide range of single modules that allow teachers to update their sub@ect knowledge or learn new skills. '%> is also pro+ided e tensi+ely by education authorities and by schools. 0hile the current +ariety and di+ersity is commendable, - belie+e that there is a case that it should be structured within a national framework in which all pro+ision is accredited and in which there is agreement on the range and le+el of '%> that should be under8taken by teachers at different stages of their careers. Accreditation could be based on a point system, perhaps on the model of other professions such as medicine or engineering, but in such a way that it could easily be translated into the Scottish 'redit Accumulation and !ransfer framework (S'*!'A!). 62. Such a framework should pro+ide the opportunity for greater integration of '%> with -!E and induction and, in particular, the potential to de+elop different pathways from initial training which teachers should be e pected to follow during their career in a process of continuous learning. !here may also be other benefits. .or instance, the accreditation of most '%> within a national framework could make it possible to de+elop proposals for -ndi+idual /ecords of Staff >e+elopment or career profiles which pro+ide a cumulati+e

record of teachers4 in+ol+ement in professional de+elopment and training, as well as create a more fle ible learning en+ironment in which it would be easier for teachers to gain postgraduate ,ualifications based on study in a +ariety of conte ts or settings. 68. As well as looking at the framework within which '%> is pro+ided, there is also a case for e amining the actual range of pro+ision to assess whether it is ade,uate in meeting the current and future needs of teachers. .or e ample, gi+en the widely accepted +iew in Scotland that teachers should be Areflecti+e practitioners4, there may be an argument for de+eloping more courses that pro+ide opportunities for teachers to reflect critically on their teaching practice or to engage more directly in educational research. 6". !he second significant issue which needs to be addressed in relation to higher education4s in+ol+ement in '%> concerns funding. -n my +iew, gi+en that the bulk of '%> is funded by education authorities, there is a real danger that the reorganisation of local go+ernment in Scotland and other recent de+elopments including, for e ample, the discontinuation of the Specific &rant Scheme to help local authorities meet the costs of staff de+elopment, may lead to a fragmentation of, and diminution in, the range of pro+ision currently pro+ided by higher education. -ndeed, in oral e+idence, - was informed that there already appears to be a decline in Bocal Education Authority (BEA) spending on in8ser+ice training. !hese de+elopments could, belie+e, weaken the role of '%> in the training of teachers at a time when its importance as a means of strengthening their professional role is being increasingly recognised elsewhere. !here is, therefore, a need to de+elop a system of funding '%> that is both transparent and stable and which ensures a degree of consistency across the country. 97. -t is not, howe+er, ob+ious to me that such a system can be de+eloped without a clearer +iew, at a national le+el, on the range, type and le+el of '%> that is necessary to meet the needs of the profession and on a number of broader issues such as teachers4 entitlement to '%> during their career. !here is, therefore, in my +iew, a need for a more fundamental re+iew of the role that '%> should play in the training and education of teachers which encompasses, but goes beyond, the in+ol+ement of higher education. Recommendation n view of the need for greater integration between C!" and T#, the GTC should be invited to consider the role that C!" should play in the training and education of teachers and, in consultation with the other stakeholders, to develop proposals for a national framework and system of funding C!". 91. .inally, in relation to '%>, there is one further issue which, - belie+e, should be gi+en some consideration, namely, the arrangements for probation

and induction. !he e+idence pro+ided to me suggests that the current arrangements are, to some e tent, une+en. -n part, this may be due to differences in the induction arrangements of schools and also, in particular, the fact that probationers may often ha+e to work at a series of schools during their probation period before they gain permanent employment. !here may, therefore, be a need for higher education to work with the profession to create a more coherent induction programme at a national le+el that pro+ides probationers with an element of continuity and which builds on the period of initial training. - belie+e, therefore, that the &!' should be asked to undertake an analysis of the effecti+eness of the current arrangements and to consider the practicality, and implications, of de+eloping a national programme of induction in partnership with higher education. Recommendation $s part of its review of C!", the GTC, in consultation with Committee of Scottish %igher #ducation !rincipals &COS%#!' and education authorities, should be invited to develop proposals, involving higher education, for a coherent induction programme for teachers that builds on the period of initial training and provides an element of stability to trainees.

Quality assurance
96. As - ha+e argued elsewhere, the issue of ,uality is central to discussions about higher education4s contribution to the education and training of teachers. !he e+idence presented to me suggests that the mechanisms in place to maintain and promote ,uality in teacher education in Scotland, and to guarantee national standards, are comprehensi+e, fairly robust and, on the whole, well tested. -ndeed the arrangements, and the considerable degree of consensus amongst the stakeholders about their effecti+eness are, in my +iew, a strong feature of the Scottish system. -t is also apparent from the e+idence that there is also a significant degree of consensus about the areas that need to be addressed in order to enhance the ,uality of teacher education and, conse,uently, the ,uality of trainees. .or e ample, - ha+e already described the mo+es to strengthen and to de+elop partnership arrangements with schools. 99. !here are three key measures underpinning the arrangements for maintaining and promoting ,uality in teacher education. !he first measure is the establishment of minimum entry re,uirements for entry to courses of -!E, which are set out in the $emorandum on Entry /e,uirements published by S*E->. !hese re,uirements are re+iewed annually and are determined by the Secretary of State in consultation with the &!'. !he second measure is the appro+al and accreditation of courses of initial teacher training, separately, by the S*E-> and the &!' respecti+ely. .inally, the third

measure in+ol+es the re+iew of courses of -!E by the &!' and S*E-> e+ery fi+e years and assessment of the ,uality of pro+ision by S3E.', with input from 3$-. 9#. !hese measures reflect a shared responsibility for ,uality between the pro+iders, the &!', S3E.' and the S*E->. !he formal in+ol+ement, in particular, of the &!' and the significant degree of peer re+iew are important factors in ensuring that the profession itself has a key role to play in guaranteeing and promoting standards and, undoubtedly, has helped to generate a partnership approach towards 5uality Assurance and a degree of consensus amongst the stakeholders about the arrangements. .or instance, in the responses from the pro+iding institutions, there were no calls for significant changes to the current arrangements or, for that matter, ,uestions about the +alidity of the @udgements in the course appro+al and ,uality assessment processes. 3a+ing said that, while - recognise that the framework within which 5A is operating is e+ol+ing, particularly in the case of assessment, - belie+e, ne+ertheless, that there may be scope for e amining the effecti+eness of the current arrangements in at least two areas. 9=. !he arrangements for ,uality assurance are comprehensi+e but, at the same time, they do appear to in+ol+e a significant degree of scrutiny. !he Educational -nstitute of Scotland in its e+idence argues, for e ample, that Existing mechanisms are exhaustive and beyond those applying in other sectors of higher education. &i+en the in+ol+ement of three agencies in the ,uality assurance process, - belie+e that there should be a dialogue between the stakeholders about the range of measures currently in place and their effecti+eness and, in particular, the scope for reducing duplication in the processes. 9?. .or e ample, while - recognise that the &!' has a professional role to fulfil in appro+ing new courses of initial teacher training, the in+ol+ement of both the &!' and the S*E-> in appro+ing and accrediting new courses does appear to place particular burdens on institutions. Although pre+ious e perience of @oint appro+al<accreditation does not appear to ha+e been fully satisfactory in all cases, - belie+e, ne+ertheless, that further consideration should be gi+en to bringing the processes closer together. *ne possible model which, in my +iew, would strengthen the professional role of the &!', would see that body taking the lead in appro+al and accreditation, and in course re+iews perhaps drawing on e ternal input from S*E-> during the process. Recommendation The Scottish Office should begin a dialogue with the other stakeholders in teacher education about the effectiveness of the

current arrangements to guarantee and measure (uality and the scope for reducing duplication. 92. !he second area for consideration concerns the ,uality assessment of pro+ision, which is carried out by S3E.'. !he current fi+e year cycle for ,uality assessments and the focus on institutional pro+ision does, in my mind, raise ,uestions about the e tent to which the process pro+ides ade,uate and timely information about sub@ect and other aspects of pro+ision at a national le+el and, at the same time, the e tent to which it is able, satisfactorily, to draw upon findings from 3$- inspection of schools where these ha+e implications for teacher education and training. !here may, therefore, need to be greater clarity on the role of 3$- in the teaching ,uality assessment (!5A) and, in particular, whether there needs to be a stronger linkage between !5A and school inspections. !here may also be a case for considering whether 3$- should ha+e a role in assessing sub@ect and other aspects of pro+ision, such as special educational needs or literacy and numeracy, between full assessments of teacher education. Recommendation %) and S%#*C should be invited to consider whether there is a need for stronger linkage between T+$ and school inspections and whether there is also a need for %) to have a role in assessing sub,ect and other aspects of provision between full assessments of teacher education.

Strategic issues
98. .inally, - ha+e considered a number of broader strategic issues in relation to the way in which higher education4s in+ol+ement in the education and training of teachers is organised in Scotland. !he country does, - belie+e, benefit from being a relati+ely small nation in which it is possible for close co8operation between the +arious stakeholders in teacher education. 0hile, clearly, there is not agreement among the parties on e+ery aspect of the present arrangements, there does, ne+ertheless, appear to be a desire and a common will to work together to protect and promote standards. 9". 3a+ing said that, parado ically, in +iew of the significant degree of co8 operation and partnership, there appears to be no strong strategic +iew about how the system should actually de+elop. !his may, in part, be a result of reluctance on the part of any one group or agency to take a lead or initiate discussion about significant change which may be percei+ed to affect the other stakeholders. 3owe+er, - belie+e that there is a need for a wider, strategic +iew about, first, the institutional conte t in which teacher education is deli+ered, and, secondly, about the range of pro+ision that is necessary to guarantee a supply of appropriately trained teachers.

#7. !eacher education and training in Scotland is pro+ided by three self8 go+erning teacher education colleges or -monotechnics. and by three faculties of Education, located within Uni+ersities. %erhaps the most significant institutional de+elopment in the pro+ision of teacher education in recent years has been the mo+ement towards closer links between the monotechnics and uni+ersities, and in two cases, full integration. !here are, belie+e, strong arguments, both academic and financial, for strengthening further the links between the monotechnics and the uni+ersities in Scotland. #1. *n academic grounds, - belie+e that the proposals that - ha+e put forward in the main report for a new ,ualifications framework point, ine+itably, towards the pro+ision of teacher education within a broader intellectual conte t than can be pro+ided by a monotechnic. .or e ample, ha+e argued for the de+elopment of a more fle ible framework that allows trainees to opt in to teacher training from a +ariety of sub@ect pathways and ha+e recommended a number of new courses that seek to build teacher education in an integrated fashion onto a period of sub@ect study. !hese proposals imply that there should be increased di+ersity in the type of training and education a+ailable and that new forms of courses should be deli+ered in institutions offering a broad range of studies. !here are also strong arguments that the student e perience in Scotland is likely to be enhanced through being educated in a broader 3E conte t and, indeed, that the staff e perience will be strengthened through contact with, or integration into, the research en+ironment of a uni+ersity. #6. 3owe+er, there are also financial arguments for suggesting that there should be further integration between the e isting monotechnics and uni+ersities. &i+en that their ma@or function is teacher education, the monotechnics are hea+ily dependent on stable intake numbers which, of course, cannot be guaranteed. -ndeed, +olatility in intake numbers and, in particular, recent reductions ha+e ad+ersely affected the financial health of the monotechnics to the e tent that all three ha+e recei+ed Asafety net4 funding from S3E.'. 0hile the .unding 'ouncil has sought to encourage some strategic change in the pro+ision of teacher education, with some success, its scope for action and its ability to reallocate intake numbers between institutions appears to be limited, not least because of its responsibility for the financial health of the institutions which it funds. !here is clearly, therefore, a need for a wider strategic +iew about the most appropriate institutional arrangements within higher education for training and educating teachers and, as - ha+e suggested earlier, some consideration about the continued need for ma imum intake targets. - belie+e that the Scottish *ffice should take the lead in this area. #9. !he second issue that - ha+e considered concerns the range of pro+ision that is necessary to guarantee a supply of appropriately trained teachers and, in particular, the impact of increasing di+ersity in pro+ision. -n the main

report - ha+e set out arguments for a new ,ualifications framework that pro+ides a wider range of pro+ision based on new entrance points and greater opportunities to enter teacher education from a +ariety of pathways. At the Uni+ersity of Stirling, the de+elopment of combined degrees has already pro+ided one new model that combines sub@ect study with teacher education. 3owe+er, in Scotland, - belie+e that the more broadly based education pro+ided by 3ighers and the opportunities pro+ided by a more fle ible framework of ,ualifications for the de+elopment of a 6 C 6 structure, offer scope for other patterns of pro+ision. 'onse,uently, there is, in my +iew, a need for the stakeholders in teacher education in Scotland to consider the de+elopment of other new, inno+ati+e types of pro+ision that might help enhance the ,uality of training and ma imise the opportunities for recruiting high ,uality trainees, particularly in the shortage and priority areas. ##. 3a+ing said that, the e+idence presented to me suggests that there is an urgent need to consider the implications of the de+elopment of new courses of -!!, and of their appro+al by the S*E->, and the process of setting intake targets, particularly in the conte t of reduced public funding for higher education. -t is clear that appro+al for new types of courses including, for instance, the combined degrees, already impacts on e isting types of pro+ision and, indeed, will ine+itably do so further if there is increased di+ersity as - ha+e recommended. !here is, therefore, the potential that sub@ect pro+ision may de+elop in Scotland in a random fashion with the loss of +aluable but un+iable courses and, in conse,uence, a system that is not able to produce a supply of appropriately trained teachers to meet the range of demand. #=. An increase in the type of courses a+ailable will also further impact on the financial +iability of the monotechnics if it leads to reduced intakes. -ndeed, there is some e+idence that this is already happening. -n my +iew, there is a need for a more rational process for appro+ing the establishment of new courses that is based on an informed +iew on the range of pro+ision that is necessary to meet the demands in Scotland and to guarantee ,uality. 3owe+er, this issue must, ine+itably, be considered in relation to discussions about the institutional arrangements for teacher education and in the conte t of a broader +iew about how teacher education should de+elop in Scotland. (- set out proposals for establishing a strategic forum to take forward these issues in the following paragraphs.) Recommendation n the conte/t of broader discussions about the development of teacher education in Scotland, the Scottish Office, in consultation with S%#*C, should consider the need for a more rational process for approving the establishment of new courses that is based on an

informed view about the range of provision that is necessary to meet the demands in Scotland and to guarantee (uality.

Conclusion
#?. $y study of the arrangements in England suggests that while the !!A is de+eloping a strong strategic +iew on the future direction of teacher education and a substantial agenda for change, there is a lack of agreement among the stakeholders about the fundamental ob@ecti+es of teacher training and an absence of partnership. -n Scotland, the con+erse appears to be true. !he conte t in Scotland is, in my mind, characterised by a significant degree of consensus about the aims of teacher education and a genuine desire among the stakeholders to work together to maintain and impro+e standards. 3owe+er, as - ha+e already argued, it is less clear that there is a strategic +ision about how teacher training should de+elop, particularly in the conte t of wider social, economic and technological changes. #2. -t is, - belie+e, ine+itable, that there will be changes in the way in which teacher training and education is organised in Scotland and of the role of higher education in that process. -ndeed, - ha+e already set out a number of areas where - belie+e that there is a need for action. !he challenge facing Scotland is, firstly, to ensure that these changes are implemented as part of a continued consensual approach and, secondly, to ensure that they are not de+eloped in a piecemeal or incremental fashion but as a result of a coherent, informed +iew about the future shape, structure and direction of teacher education. 'onse,uently, while - do not belie+e that there is a need to establish a body such as the !!A to de+elop a coherent +ision, there may, ne+ertheless, be a need for a body or forum that brings together all the stakeholders and is able to consider more fundamental issues in relation to the future of teacher education in Scotland. Such a body should, - belie+e, build upon the +aluable role that has been pro+ided by the Scottish !eacher Education 'ommittee, but should include representati+es of all the stakeholders including education authorities and teacher unions. $y final recommendation, therefore, is that the Scottish *ffice, in consultation with the other stakeholders, including the &!', S3E.', '*S3E% and the teacher unions, should consider the need for such a forum or body. Recommendation The Scottish Office, in consultation with the other stakeholders, including the GTC, education authorities, S%#*C, COS%#! and the teacher unions, should consider the need for a strategic forum to develop proposals for the future shape, structure and direction of teacher education in Scotland.

Summary of recommendations

Applications and entrants to teacher education courses 1. S3E.' should be in+ited to consider whether there are arguments for reallocating intakes and the implications that this might ha+e for the +iability of institutions. 6. !he Scottish *ffice should undertake a detailed analysis of the data on the +olume and academic ,uality of applicants to courses of -!E and e amine whether there is a need for special measures to strengthen the ,uality and increase the +olume in the weaker sub@ect areas. 9. !he Scottish *ffice, in consultation with S3E.', should consider the desirability, and implications, of increasing the ma imum intake to courses of -!E. Partnership arrangements with schools #. !he Scottish *ffice should bring together the stakeholders in teacher education in Scotland to de+elop a national framework for partnership. =. !he &!' should be in+ited to undertake work to assess the current costs of partnership, and to assess the potential costs under a national framework, and to de+elop proposals for a resource allocation model that guarantees stability and transparency in funding partnership arrangements. Continuing professional development ?. -n +iew of the need for greater integration between '%> and -!!, the &!' should be in+ited to consider the role that '%> should play in the training and education of teachers and, in consultation with the other stakeholders, to de+elop proposals for a national framework and system of funding '%>. 2. As part of its re+iew of '%>, the &!', in consultation with '*S3E% and education authorities, should be in+ited to de+elop proposals, in+ol+ing higher education, for a coherent induction programme for teachers that builds on the period of initial training and pro+ides an element of stability to trainees. uality assurance 8. !he Scottish *ffice should begin a dialogue with the other stakeholders in teacher education about the effecti+eness of the current arrangements to guarantee and measure ,uality and the scope for reducing duplication. ". 3$- and S3E.' should be in+ited to consider whether there is a need for stronger linkage between !5A and school inspections and whether there is also a need for 3$- to ha+e a role in assessing sub@ect and other aspects of pro+ision between full assessments of teacher education.

!trategic issues 17. -n the conte t of broader discussions about the de+elopment of teacher education in Scotland, the Scottish *ffice, in consultation with S3E.', should consider the need for a more rational process for appro+ing the establishment of new courses that is based on an informed +iew about the range of pro+ision that is necessary to meet the demands in Scotland and to guarantee ,uality. Conclusion 11. !he Scottish *ffice, in consultation with the other stakeholders, including the &!', education authorities, S3E.', '*S3E% and the teacher unions, should consider the need for a strategic forum to de+elop proposals for the future shape, structure and direction of teacher education in Scotland.

,((E- 0 . 1ist of respondents to the invitation to give evidence

$ngland% &ales and 'orthern Ireland

*ssociation of 1etropolitan *uthorities *ssociation of /ni ersity Teachers *nglia (olytechnic /ni ersity 8ath #ollege of Higher Education 8ishop 4rosseteste #ollege 0incoln 8retton Hall 8runel /ni ersity #heltenham D 4loucester #ollege of Higher Education #hichester !nstitute of Higher Education The #ouncil of #hurches and *ssociated #olleges #ommittee of Eice #hancellors and (rincipals )oncaster #ollege Edge Hill /ni ersity #ollege Homerton #ollege #ambridge !nstitute of Education, /ni ersity of 0ondon Bingston /ni ersity 0ampton -chool 0eeds 1etropolitan /ni ersity 0i erpool Hope /ni ersity #ollege 0-/ #ollege of Higher Education 1anchester 1etropolitan /ni ersity D #rewe -chool of Education 1anchester 1etropolitan /ni ersity )idsbury -chool of Education 1iddlese% /ni ersity &*T3HE &ational /nion of Teachers &ene #ollege of Higher Education

&ewman #ollege &ottingham Trent /ni ersity The 7pen /ni ersity (rofessor (eter 3igueroa 2oehampton !nstitute 0ondon -econdary Heads *ssociation -tanding #onference of (rincipals (-#7() -tranmillis #ollege -t 1aryDs #ollege of Education -t 1aryDs /ni ersity #ollege -trawberry Hill -wansea !nstitute Teacher Training *gency Trinity and *ll -aints @ /ni ersity of 0eeds The /ni ersity D #ollege 0ecturersF /nion The /ni ersity of 8irmingham /ni ersity of 8righton /ni ersity of 8ristol /ni ersity of #ambridge /ni ersity of #entral England /ni ersity of )erby /ni ersity of )urham /ni ersity of Huddersfield /ni ersity of 0eeds The /ni ersity of 0i erpool /ni ersity of &ewcastle /ni ersity of &orth 0ondon /ni ersity of 7%ford /ni ersity of (ortsmouth /ni ersity of 2eading The /ni ersity #ollege of -t 1ark D -t Cohn /ni ersity of /lster The /ni ersity of ,ales The /ni ersity of ,arwick The /ni ersity of Gork ,orcester #ollege of Higher Education

"cotland
The Educational !nstitute of -cotland 4eneral Teaching #ouncil 1oray House !nstitute of Education -t. *ndrews #ollege -cottish -econdary TeachersF *ssociation -cottish Teacher Education #ommittee /ni ersity of (aisley /ni ersity of -trathclyde

,((E- C

Terms of reference for teacher education and training study

!n the light of the #ommittee's de eloping thinking about the o erall purpose, shape, structure, siHe and funding of higher education, and ha ing regard to the fact that not all teacher training takes place in institutions of higher education, to ad ise on the contribution higher education, working in partnership with schools, should make to the education and training of teachers, and how that contribution can most effecti ely be organised and funded ha ing regard to the strengths and weaknesses of the current arrangements for educating and training teachers in the arious parts of the /B. 2egard should be had to:

the need to attract sufficient candidates of suitable "uality into teaching; the match between the demand for teachers and the supply of "ualified teachers; the need for teachers to be trained to national standards to "ualify for entry to the profession; the need to secure a range of appropriate institutional arrangements for pro iding teacher education and training; the internal institutional arrangements for assuring "uality of teacher education and training; the need for e%ternal "uality assurance for initial teacher training and the award of national professional "ualifications.

The study will need to take account of the conte%t at *ppendi% *.

Appendi( A
The study will need to take account of the following recently re iewed responsibilities of the Teacher Training *gency (TT*), 7ffice of -tandards in Education (73-TE)) and the )epartment for Education and Employment ()fEE) in England. TT*

3unding teacher training in higher education, schools and elsewhere. *ttracting sufficient candidates of appropriate "uality into teaching. Ensuring teachers are ade"uately prepared for their professional role by: I drawing up new standards for Aualified Teacher -tatus (AT-) and a &ational #urriculum for initial teacher training (!TT); I drawing up a framework of standards and "ualifications for continuing

professional de elopment.

!mpro ing institutional arrangements for initial teacher training through: I impro ing the "uality and efficiency of routes into teaching; I securing a suitable balance between courses pro ided by schools, higher education and others; I securing the in ol ement of schools in all !TT.

!mpro ing teacher training "uality through: I accrediting pro iders of training; I using 73-TE) data to inform accreditation and funding decisions.

O1!(08

!mpro ing "uality through inspecting and reporting publicly on initial and in@ ser ice teacher training.

8f00

1odelling the future demand for teachers and setting targets for training to match supply and demand. 2egulating standards of entry to the profession.

,((E- & . %ummary of responses to the invitation to give evidence ! note by the %ecretariat 1. -tewart -utherland wrote on 1. 3ebruary to institutions and other bodies in ol ed, or with an interest, in teacher education and training. #omments were in ited on any aspects of the current arrangements, and particularly on the following general issues:

the "uality of applicants and entrants to initial teacher training (!TT) courses, including the le el of entry "ualifications; manpower planning, including the match between demand for teachers and the supply of "ualified teachers; the need for teachers to be trained to national standards to "ualify for entry to the profession; the institutional arrangements for assuring "uality of teacher education and

training; and

the e%ternal arrangements for "uality assurance for initial teacher training and the award of national professional "ualifications.

$. 7 er si%ty replies were recei ed. The ast majority of these were from institutions of higher education in ol ed in the deli ery of teacher education and training. The following is a summary of the e idence.

The role of higher education

+. There is unanimous support for the in ol ement of higher education institutions in the education and training of teachers. This is perhaps not surprising since most of the replies were from institutions. Howe er, there is also support for the in ol ement of higher education from the -econdary Heads *ssociation, which represents secondary and further education, from the &ational /nion of Teachers and from the one school which responded. .. The most commonly used argument for the in ol ement of higher education is that teaching is a profession. *ny separation of the education of teachers from higher education would reduce the status of teaching as a career and would increase recruitment difficulties. 5. 2espondents also argue that higher education makes a uni"ue contribution to teacher training. They argue that it creates reflecti e practitioners by making rigorous intellectual demands of students and by deli ering education in a research en ironment. The pro%imity of the education department to other departments in an institution is aluable in ensuring students are aware of de elopments in specific subjects. !nstitutions ha e a key role in the e%change of ideas and dissemination of best practice, which is aided by their contact with a number of different schools. 6. !nstitutions also bring their e%tensi e knowledge and e%perience of "uality assurance to teacher education. This is said to be immensely aluable, since this is e%perience which schools tend not to ha e. 9. -e eral respondents make the point that teacher training is a core acti ity for education departments in institutions, and that this ensures commitment and continuity. This is contrasted to the role of schools, whose core acti ity will always be the teaching of pupils. <. 4i en this strong support for the role of higher education there is some concern e%pressed about the fact that school@centred initial teacher training (-#!TT) schemes do not ha e to in ol e higher education institutions (although all but one ha e chosen to do so). There is a suspicion that the policy is to reduce the contribution which higher education makes. =. -e eral respondents "uote inspection e idence that -#!TT schemes perform less well

than more traditional routes, and suggest that more work needs to be done to establish the relati e effecti eness of the other types of deli ery (-#!TT and the graduate teaching programme) and to ensure some comparability between the different routes. )espite these concerns, a number of respondents argue that there needs to be a ariety of routes a ailable to match the di ersity of students in terms of their e%perience and "ualifications.

)artnership
1>. 2espondents all agree that partnerships between higher education and schools are the way forward. The mo e towards greater in ol ement of the school in initial teacher training is welcome. ,here there is a true partnership both sides benefit and the "uality of the education and training is impro ed. 11. * great many respondents comment on the costs of a partnership arrangement. Auality assurance arrangements for e%ample are more e%pensi e when some of the pro ision is in the school than when it is all within the institution. *t the moment, the funding is regarded as insufficient to co er the cost of the partnership for both the institution and the school. !t is suggested that more work needs to be done to establish the true costs of the arrangement and to pro ide appropriate funding. 1$. -ome institutions also obser e that the pressures on schools (for e%ample in the form of 73-TE) inspections) sometimes affect their willingness andJor ability to maintain commitment to the partnership. !t is suggested that the re"uirements on schools should be made as e%plicit as those on the institution.

*ecruitment
1+. The majority of respondents are happy with the "uality of applicants to teacher education, which they say has remained high. There is, howe er, some concern that the number of applicants seems to be falling, and that this is bound to ha e an effect on the o erall "uality of those accepted onto courses. There is a particular concern about certain subjects at secondary le el, where there are significant shortages. 1.. The number and "uality of applicants depend on a ariety of comple% factors, not least the economic cycle, but there is almost uni ersal agreement amongst the respondents that the status of the teaching profession has a significant impact on recruitment. 1any cite the le el of pay, the terms and conditions and the lack of promotion opportunities as factors which might deter potential applicants. *lmost all argue that the most significant factor in the decline of the status of teaching is the continual criticism of the profession by politicians, bodies like 73-TE) and the media. 15. * number suggest that such problems need to be addressed at national le el. There is little that can be done at a local le el to impro e the status of teaching. There needs to be a national campaign to promote the profession and boost recruitment.

+anpower planning
16. !n response to the "uestion about manpower planning, all respondents criticise what

they see as the poor record of )fEE's attempts at manpower planning, and most cite the re isions to the targets last year as a particularly bad e%ample. 1any admit that manpower planning has ne er and will ne er be an e%act science, but argue for greater transparency in the model used. 19. Three respondents "uestion the need for any cap on places, arguing that supply should ideally e%ceed demand, rather than matching it. They point out that there is no central planning for other professions and market forces are allowed to play a greater role.

'ational standards
1<. There is uni ersal agreement about the need for national standards for entry to the profession, which would ensure consistency of pro ision. There is howe er less support for a national curriculum for initial teacher training. 1any argue that it is more important to set output standards and ensure that there are rigorous "uality assurance, and that it is not appropriate to prescribe course content centrally. -ome feel that a national curriculum impinges on the academic freedom of institutions. 7thers suggest that o er@prescription will tend to stifle inno ation and lead to mechanistic teaching. 1=. *s part of the discussion about entry to the profession a number of respondents argue for a more formal approach to induction, with some suggesting that there should be a probationary period before newly "ualified teacher (&AT) status is awarded. 7ne of the arguments used in support of a probationary period is that it would impro e wastage rates. $>. *nother reason why more formal induction is supported is that some respondents feel that the one@year (4#E is not long enough to prepare students ade"uately particularly for teaching at B-$ and B-+.

Quality assurance
$1. There is a great deal of concern in the responses about the burden of "uality assurance on institutions. !nstitutions argue that their own internal "uality assurance mechanisms are highly de eloped and that inspections tend to comment fa ourably on them. They therefore belie e that much greater weight should be gi en to these internal procedures by e%ternal re iews. They argue that "uality assurance procedures for teacher education should be comparable to those for other courses. * number suggest that teacher education should be brought within the remit of the new Auality *ssurance *gency. $$. There are a number of specific comments on the way the e%ternal "uality assurance procedures function at the moment. There is criticism of the link between funding and the o erall assessment mark and of the way the "uality of !TT pro ision is judged on the basis of inspection of newly "ualified teachers and ?opinionnaires'. There is also a iew that insufficient attention is gi en in the assessment to ad ice on ways to impro e

performance. $+. 3inally, institutions stress that any "uality assurance procedures which apply to them should apply e"ually to -#!TTs and the 4T(.

Teacher Training Agency

$.. * great many respondents e%press concern about the role of the TT* in funding !TT courses and suggest that this role should be returned to the funding council (HE3#E), and perhaps to a separate sub@committee. These respondents argue that the in ol ement of the TT* in both the funding and accreditation of courses represents an undesirable conflict of interest. These institutions argue that the different sources of funding make planning difficult and cause costly inefficiencies. There is also a feeling that the TT* does not take responsibility for or pro ide support to the institutions it funds in the same way as the funding council would. $5. There are a number of e%plicit criticisms of the TT* in the responses: its running costs are too high and rising; it appears to be open to political manipulation; its acti ities are badly planned and co@ordinated; its consultation e%ercises di ert institutions time away from their main business; too many policies are simply imposed on institutions; it seems to take a hostile, antagonistic stance towards institutions and does not appear to recognise that those in ol ed in training teachers do ha e something worthwhile to contribute to the debate about teaching; and it fa ours school@based schemes with a reduction in the role for higher education.

,eneral Teaching #ouncil

$6. *lmost all respondents recommend the establishment of a 4eneral Teaching #ouncil (4T#), as an independent oice for the teaching profession. 7ften the suggestion is linked to the criticisms of the TT* detailed abo e. *mong the tasks proposed for the 4T# are: setting standards; o erseeing "uality assurance, impro ing recruitment and retention and ad ising on supply and demand.

#onclusions
$9. *lthough there are a number of specific criticisms about the way the current structures and systems operate, the o erall tone of the responses is positi e. There is confidence that the "uality of newly "ualified teachers remains high, and there is widespread support for the role which higher education plays in their education and training. The greater in ol ement of schools in initial teacher training is welcomed, since a partnership between higher education and schools is seen as much the most effecti e means of deli ering "uality pro ision.

/bjectives and goals teacher training program The content, objecti es and final outcomes of the teacher training program can be for@mulated as follows. The graduate:

functions in general working and thinking at the le el of a teacher, as guide for learning and de elopment processes, educator, e%pert in terms of content, organiser, inno atorJresearcher, partner with the parentsJcaregi ers and outside persons, member of a school team and of the educational community and as participating in the culture, as de@ scribed in the )ecision of the 3lemish go ernment of 5 7ctober $>>9; can utilise what was ac"uired during the basic study program (8a and 1a) to gi e content to the objecti es of (rotestant E angelical religious education, taking into account didactic and pedagogical principles and the concrete educational situation; is able to guide students in their de elopment to integrate what is learned, society and meaning and to take up their place in society with personal in ol ement, taking into account their indi idual psychosocial charcater; stri es toward optimal relationships with colleagues, support personnel, direction and inspection; can e%press himJherself clearly and correctly, both orally and in written form, in )utch; is sufficiently informed of administrati e re"uirements relating to school and hisJher own career; respects the di ersity of the (rotestant E angelical community and is able to defend this community in word and deed; is able to pursue further studies on the basis of self e aluation