Teacher training: GTC responds to MPs’ report

published:09 Feb 2010

A new report from the House of Commons Children, Schools and Families Committee is published today. The report covers many aspects of teachers’ professional development, from initial training, induction and beyond.

The GTC provided written evidence to the inquiry, and Chief Executive Keith Bartley and Director of Policy Sarah Stephens were both called to give evidence to the Committee in person.

In an initial response to the report’s findings, Keith Bartley said:
‘Teachers’ professional development, starting at initial training and continuing throughout a teacher’s career, plays a vital role in high quality teaching. We share the Select Committee’s view that becoming a fully fledged teacher happens over several years, not immediately on qualification. We back its recommendation to move full professional registration with the GTCE to the point at which a teacher has successfully completed the induction period.

'As well as considering aptitude for and commitment to teaching, we support the proposal to improve entry qualifications further and to move the skills test to the beginning of initial training.
 
‘Experienced and skilful mentors play a vital role for trainee and new teachers and greater support and training for them is important, as is a focus on building capacity to increase coaching and mentoring locally.

‘We know from our regular teacher survey that supply teachers form a marginalised and poorly supported section of the profession, despite playing a much needed role. We strongly support the call for better support and management structures – including better access to development opportunities – for this group.

‘There seems to be a contradiction between the Committee’s view that the Licence to Practise proposed by Government should be used to weed out poorly performing teachers, and the Government’s recently stated intentions for the Licence. More clarity on this matter is needed as the Bill progresses.

Performance management for teachers and the core standards will need certainly to be refined and refocused if they are to be the cornerstone of the Licence. The process of referring cases of alleged serious professional incompetence to the GTCE will be addressed in a forthcoming research report commissioned jointly by the GTCE and DCSF, to be published at the end of February.