Warning on degree clause for teacher training

If funding is limited to prospective teachers who have a 2:2 degree or higher then finding people to teach subjects which already under-recruit could be even more challenging.

Subjects such as physics, chemistry, maths and languages will see fewer new teachers joining the ranks, the Good Teaching Training Guide suggests.

The annual report, written by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson at the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, found that more than a quarter of total potential physics teachers could be lost if the suggestion is enforced.

The report said: "Michael Gove, when he was still shadow education secretary, floated the idea of only funding trainees with a 2:2 or better.

"The latest figures indicate that the proposal would be impractical for a number of subjects."

The report states that if Mr Gove's proposal had been operational in 2008/9 maths would have lost 410 trainees (21 per cent),

science 430 trainees (14 per cent), modern languages 131 trainees (13 per cent), design and technology 130 trainees (13 per cent) and ICT would have 115 fewer trainees (15 per cent).

Physics would have been the most badly affected subject, losing more than a quarter (26 per cent) of its intake.

The report also said: "While it is important that teachers should have expertise in the subjects they are wanting to teach – and degree class is the best measure of subject expertise we have available – to attempt to raise the entry requirement to at least a 2:2 without increasing applicant numbers would lead to the shortage subjects falling even further shy of their targets."

Prof Smithers said: "Poor teachers are bad news for pupils, but is it better for physics to be taught by a well-qualified biologist than someone who has studied the subject at

university even without much success?

"Michael Gove is putting the cart before the horse. Improving quality depends on attracting sufficient applicants to be able to choose those who can make subjects come alive for children."

A Department for Education spokesman said: "The coalition Government's top priority for the schools workforce is to improve the quality of teachers.

"As part of this we want to ensure we are recruiting the very best new entrants to the teaching profession, and that the way we achieve this is effective and offers value for money.

"The department is currently working with TDA (Training and Development Agency for Schools) to identify the

most effective ways of approaching this and further details will be made available in due course."

The report also found that despite various attempts to attract more men into the profession, the proportion of male teachers has remained the same over the past decade with men accounting for 14 per cent of primary school teachers and 38 per cent of secondary school teachers.

Some 36,898 people began teacher training in 2008/9.

Union criticises move as elitist

The Good Teaching Training Guide conclusions showed the Government had an "elitist" approach to education, the NASUWT teaching union said.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: "There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that gaining a third class degree is going to mean somebody will be any less of a teacher than someone with a first class degree.

"Only funding graduates with a 2:2 degree or higher is penny-pinching of the first order.

"Restricting access to funded teacher training places has nothing to do with raising educational standards. Cuts to teacher training would limit educational opportunity and damage the quality of teaching in schools."