New government plans to reform initial teacher training (ITT) will reduce teacher supply “for years to come”, a headteachers’ leader warned today.
The Department for Education’s recommendations from the initial teacher training market review were published today, with a proposal for all teacher training providers to be reaccredited in order to continue recruiting from September 2022.
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Nick Brook, deputy general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “It is impossible to fathom why the government thinks that this is the right time to mess about with the teacher training system...there is no crisis in teacher training that needs fixing - far from it. Initial teacher training providers routinely receive the highest marks from Ofsted of all the sectors it inspects.
‘An unnecessary shake-up of teacher training’
“As schools focus on education recovery post-pandemic, this is the worst possible time to embark on an unnecessary shake-up of teacher training.”
The Department for Education’s ITT advisory working group published a report today stating that the changes it was recommending “mark a step change in the delivery of initial teacher training”.
Providers would “have to consider very carefully how they are going to successfully deliver these requirements”, which will likely involve “significant market reconfiguration and the development of new capacity”.
But Mr Brook warned that the changes could disrupt teacher training and the supply of new teachers.
He said: “Schools are reliant on the strong and varied network of training providers across the country to ensure sufficient supply of teachers in the subjects and communities where they are needed most.
“At a time when more people than ever are looking to join the profession, these proposals take a sledgehammer to the existing model of teacher training and will only serve to significantly reduce the supply of teachers for years to come.
“It is extremely worrying that warnings have gone unheeded, that many well-respected universities could withdraw from teacher training as a consequence of these proposals.”
He added: “The government needs to pause and take stock by listening to the profession and considering the evidence, before determining a more proportionate approach to supporting continuous improvement in this sector.”
School standards minister Nick Gibb said: “Supporting our teachers with the highest quality training and professional development is the best way in which we can improve pupil outcomes and is central to the Government’s levelling up agenda.
“We want this country to be the best place to become a great teacher and that starts with high-quality initial teacher training.
“The proposed changes would build upon the ambitious reforms the Government has implemented to create a golden thread of training, support and professional development, informed by high quality evidence, which will run through each phase of a teacher’s career.”
