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Review of
Initial Teacher Training Provision in Wales
A Report to the Welsh Assembly Government
John Furlong, Hazel Hagger, and Cerys Butcher
iversity of Oxford Department of Educational Studies
in association with
John Howson
Education Data Surveys Ltd
January 2006
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the many individuals and organisations that have contributed to this
Review.
Firstly, we are indebted to those who gave their time to present oral evidence and written evidence to
the Review Team. Full details are presented in Annexes B and C respectively. Where that evidence
was made available electronically, it is logged at the following website: www.edstud.ox.ac.uk/
research/ittinwales/ittwaleswelcome.htm. We are also indebted to officers of the Welsh Assembly
Government (Alun Huws, Gail Deane, Elizabeth Hicks, Philip Rogers) for their support and guidance
throughout the Review and to officers within HEFCW, GTCW and Estyn for additional information and
advice. For strategic advice on the conduct of the Review and for detailed commentary on the final
text of this Report we are indebted to Professor Richard Daugherty; for administrative support within
Oxford University we would like to thank Sara Loosemore and Louise Gully. We owe a particular debt
of gratitude to colleagues within UCET Cymru for arranging visits, attending seminars and providing
additional data, often at short notice; the willing cooperation of the HEI sector to engage fully with the
Review has been consistent throughout and has been invaluable.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the contribution of our Support Group. Over the last nine
months we have benefited substantially from their expertise, advice and constructive support.
Although the recommendations made in this Report are our own, in developing them we have in every
case benefited from the close and detailed advice offered by our Support Group.
1
The Review Team
John Furlong
Review Chair, University of Oxford
Hazel Hagger
University of Oxford
Cerys Butcher
University of Oxford
John Howson
Education Data Surveys Ltd
Support Group
Gary Brace
Chief Executive, General Teaching Council for Wales
Angela Fabricius
Senior Mentor, Cwmtawe Comprehensive School, Swansea
David Hopkins
Director of Education, Caerphilly County Borough and Deputy Chair, Association of Directors
of Education in Wales
Celia Hunt
Head of Learning and Teaching, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
Susan Lewis
Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Alun Thomas
Acting Headteacher, Maesydre Primary School, Welshpool
Welsh Assembly Government Officers
Gail Deane
Teaching and Leadership Division
Elizabeth Hicks
Teaching and Leadership Division
Alun Huws
Teaching and Leadership Division
2
Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations 14-19 Action Plan Learning Country: Learning Pathways 14-19
Proposals for the future shape of the 14-19 phase of learning in Wales
ACCAC Awdurdod Cymwysterau Cwricwlwm Ac Asesu
Cymru/ Qualifications, Curriculum & Assessment Authority for Wales
ADEW Association of Directors of Education in Wales
CBAC/WJEC Cyd-Bwyllgor Addysg Cymru/Welsh Joint Education Committee
CYDAG Cymdeithias Ysgolion Dros Addysg Gymraeg/
Society of Schools for Welsh Medium Education
DfES Department for Education and Skills
ELWa Education and Lifelong Learning for Wales
Estyn HM Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales
Foundation Phase Learning Country: Foundation Phase 3-7
Proposals for the implementation of a new education phase that will extend
from the age of 3-7
GTCW General Teaching Council Wales
GTP Graduate Teacher Programme
HEFCW Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
HEI Higher Education Institute
HESA Higher Education Statistics Agency
HEW Higher Education Wales
HMI Her Majesty’s Inspectorate
ICT Information and communications technologies
ITT Initial Teacher Training
ITET Initial Teacher Education and Training
LEA Local Education Authority
LEPIT Late Entry Pool of Inactive Teachers
NAfW National Assembly for Wales
NAHT Cymru National Association of Head Teachers Wales
NASUWT National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers
NEWI North East Wales Institute
NQTs Newly Qualified Teachers
NUT Cymru National Union of Teachers Wales
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OU Open University
PGCE PostGraduate Certificate in Education
PIT Pool of Inactive Teachers
QTS Qualified Teacher Status
RAE Research Assessment Exercise
RHAG Rheini Dros Addysg Gymraeg/ Parents for Welsh Medium Education
SSRs Staff Student Ratios
TDA Training and Development Agency for Schools
UCAC Undeb Cenedlaethol AnthrawonCymru/ Teachers Union of Wales
UWIC University of Wales Institute Cardiff
WAG Welsh Assembly Government
3
Contents
Executive Summary 1
Chapter 1 Meeting the Needs of Tomorrow’s Schools in Wales 19
Chapter 2 Training for the Needs of Wales 25
Chapter 3 The Needs of Schools in Wales: getting the numbers right 40
Chapter 4 Adjusting Provision in Wales 50
Chapter 5 Maintaining and Improving Quality in Initial Teacher Training 69
Chapter 6 Initial Teacher Training and Induction/Early Professional Development 77
Chapter 7 Strategic Planning 83
Annexes
Annex A – Terms of Reference 87
Annex B – Programme of Activities 93
Annex C – Written Evidence 98
Annex D – Documents Consulted 100
Annex E – The Pre-Professional Degree 104
4
Review of Initial Teacher Training Provision in Wales
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction
1. There is much to be proud of in the achievements of schools in Wales today. But however
successful Wales’ schools are, it is clear that the teachers of tomorrow will face significant new
challenges. Some of these, like the growing impact of ICT, affect teachers everywhere; others
are unique to Wales as it develops its own policy agenda – the Foundation Phase, the 14-19
agenda and the aspirations of Iaith Pawb. What is clear is that the teachers of tomorrow in
Wales will need to accept and embrace change; they will need a new form of professionalism
that is appropriate for the schools of tomorrow in Wales.
2. Initial Teacher Training (ITT) has an important part to play in helping the education service in
Wales meet these new challenges. Firstly, Wales needs to ensure that it has the right numbers
of high quality teachers to fill its current and future needs. It then needs to ensure that those
new teachers have the right skills, knowledge and understandings to realise the full potential of
Wales’ increasingly distinctive educational agenda.
3. If ITT is going to play its part in meeting the challenges of tomorrow, then Wales needs an ITT
sector that is of high quality, is strong and financially secure and is itself able to embrace and
help lead change. We believe that the recommendations in this Report will make a significant
contribution to the achievement of these ambitions.
1
Chapter 2: Training for the Needs of Wales
Question:
To what extent could or should Wales aim to provide just for its own needs and, as far as
practicable, avoid producing newly qualified teachers in Wales unlikely to work there?1
The supply of new teachers in Wales
4. Currently Wales trains around 2100 teachers a year (1070 primary and 1117 secondary).
Whereas virtually all secondary trainees enter teaching through the postgraduate route (the
PGCE), for primary, only 43% of trainees do so with 57% entering via the undergraduate BA
(Education) degree. Virtually all primary BA (Education) degrees in Wales are of three years’
duration. In England 60% of BA (Education) students take a four year degree as do all such
students in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Approximately 13% of current trainees in Wales are
designated as being Welsh medium.
5. At present there are seven major Higher Education based (HEI) providers that vary significantly
in size and in the range of programmes they offer. The overwhelming majority of the HEI
provision is considered by Estyn to be good but comparatively little of it is considered excellent.
There are also some important concerns about HEI provision in terms of its financial stability
and its capacity for research. Employment-based provision, through the Graduate Teacher
Programme, though seen as important, is currently very small in scale, with only around 50
funded places per year; according to Estyn, it is also variable in quality.
The demand for new teachers in Wales
6. Since 2001, all newly qualified teachers (NQTs) have had to register with the General Teaching
Council for Wales (GTCW) and to record if they are taking up a teaching post in a maintained
school; it is therefore possible to document quite accurately how many NQTs are currently
finding employment in Wales. It is also possible to compute an ‘employment rate in Wales’ i.e.
the number of NQTs employed in Wales as a proportion of those trained in Wales.
7. In primary, at no time in the last four years has the ‘employment rate in Wales’ exceeded 41%;
in 2003/4 it was 28%. In secondary, the employment rate in Wales has been relatively stable
at between 54% and 57%. These relatively low levels of employment in Welsh schools are
broadly corroborated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) ‘First Destinations’
survey though the evidence is considered less robust. HESA data would also suggest that up to
24% of ITT graduates go into teaching posts outside Wales.
How should Wales respond to this over-production of new teachers?
8. During our evidence sessions we heard a number of arguments in favour of continuing over-
production (for example that the Welsh Assembly Government should use the additional
teachers to reduce staff student ratios; or that Wales should move away from workforce
planning and simply let the market decide how many teachers get employment). We did not
find these arguments convincing and conclude that Wales should aim to improve its workforce
1 The questions posed at the beginning of each chapter are taken from the Terms of Reference for the Review – See Annex A
2
planning and provide just for its own needs for newly qualified teachers, as far as possible
avoiding producing teachers unlikely to work in Wales. We also recommend that providers of
ITT in Wales need to improve the quality and consistency of their data concerning the
destinations of their graduates.
Training for Wales
9. Currently most providers feel it necessary to offer training that would equip trainees for
working either in Wales or England. With the growing divergence of the educational service in
Wales from that in England this position is neither sustainable nor desirable in the longer term.
As policies diverge, Wales will increasingly need teachers who have been well prepared to teach
in Wales; maintaining a commonality of approach will become increasingly untenable.
10. However, providers must continue to encourage the best trainees to apply to train in Wales,
wherever they come from. Agreements are already in place to ensure that ITT qualifications
are fully recognised across the UK, wherever a student teacher happens to train. The Welsh
Assembly Government should commission a free standing module from an established distance
learning provider on the theme of ‘Teaching in Wales’. This module, which should be freely
available with or without accreditation, should introduce those new to teaching in Wales to the
ways in which the educational system in Wales is distinctive.
Recommendation 1 That Wales should attempt to develop its workforce planning so that, with an
appropriate margin for error, it aims to provide for its own needs for newly qualified teachers and, as
far as possible, avoids producing teachers unlikely to work in Wales.
Recommendation 2 That all ITT providers be required to develop robust and consistent records of
the destinations of their trainees, with information on those teaching in Wales, those teaching
elsewhere and those not pursuing a career in teaching.
Recommendation 3 That the Welsh Assembly Government encourages ITT providers to develop
courses that are focused, first and foremost, on preparing new teachers to teach within Welsh schools.
Recommendation 4 That the Welsh Assembly Government commissions an established distance
learning provider to develop a free standing CPD module on the theme of ‘Teaching in Wales’. The
module should be freely available to new teachers in Wales, with or without accreditation.
3
Chapter 3: The needs of schools in Wales: getting the numbers right
Question:
How can the need for ITT provision be calculated to achieve a better match between the supply of
NQTs and the future needs of schools in Wales?
Modelling the demand for new teachers in Wales
11. At present, the DfES in London is responsible for the underlying data analysis used in
generating the ITT targets in Wales; it does this via the Teacher Supply Model which covers
both Wales and England. However, it does not currently include any Wales specific data in
those calculations. Once the DfES has calculated the future demand for new teachers across
both countries, it assigns 7% to Wales; this is advisory only and the Welsh Assembly
Government is itself responsible for confirming the precise number and for the funding of
places.
12. Figures currently available in England point to a considerable reduction in the demand for new
teachers over the next two years with a likely reduction (on 2004/5 figures) of 17.5% in
secondary numbers and 7% in primary numbers. But are these figures right for Wales?
13. In developing a more secure methodology for modelling the future demand for teachers in
Wales, we would not recommend the setting up of an entirely new model; the sensible way
forward is to develop better information to ‘gloss’ or ‘smooth’ the predictions of the current
DfES model so that it more fully reflects the needs of Wales.
14. There is already in the public domain considerable data that could be used in this way. These
include: evidence on changing birth-rates in different regions of Wales; the likely impact of
changes to the retirement age in Wales; staff turnover rates in Wales; the potential impact of
late entry into teaching in Wales; and cross border mobility. All of these factors suggest that
the down turn in demand for teachers in Wales will be at least as great as that of England even
before current over-production is taken into account.
15. However, there are many other areas where it is much more difficult to calculate the numbers
of new teachers needed. This is where educational policy is in flux, where evidence is missing,
or where workforce planning is yet to be undertaken by LEAs or by the Welsh Assembly
Government. These policy areas include: the Foundation Phase; the 14-19 agenda; workforce
remodelling; current and future Welsh medium and bilingual provision.
16. If the Welsh Assembly Government wishes to develop a more robust methodology for planning
ITT numbers, it needs, as a priority, to increase its capacity to undertake statistical work in this
area. Work needs to be undertaken both inside and outside the Welsh Assembly Government in
order to model more precisely than we have been able to the numbers of teachers needed now
and in the future.
The numbers of teachers needed in the future
17. Even on currently available evidence, it is clear Wales will need to plan for a substantial
reduction in current provision for ITT. In our Interim Report we recommended a reduction of
4
5% for both primary and secondary numbers for 2006/7. For the longer term (2010), given the
uncertainties of current information and the need for a significant margin of error, we would
recommend that in primary, there is a reduction in the region of 50% of the 2004/5 figures.
For secondary provision the planned reduction for 2010 should be in the region of 25% of the
2004/5 figures.
18. Changes of this magnitude will have major implications for the ITT sector as a whole and
indeed for some individual HEIs. We address these implications in Chapter 4.
Recommendation 5 That the Welsh Assembly Government, HEFCW and providers plan for a
reduction, in the next five years, of numbers of ITT targets so that they more closely match the
numbers of NQTs required in Wales. In primary, the initial plan should be for a reduction of 50% of
2005 provision and, in secondary, 25%. Plans should be revised, year on year, between now and 2010
as more precise information on supply and demand becomes available.
Recommendation 6 That the Welsh Assembly Government and HEFCW plan this reduction in line
with the principles set out in Chapter 4.
Recommendation 7 That the Welsh Assembly Government increases its statistical capacity so that it
is able to develop more robust evidence on all aspects of the demand for and supply of teachers in
Wales, including those teaching through the medium of Welsh. This information should be used in the
future planning of ITT targets which, as in England, should be made available to providers on a three
year rolling basis.
5
Chapter 4: Adjusting provision in Wales
Question:
How might Initial Teacher Training provision be adjusted to ensure a supply of high quality new
teachers appropriate to the needs of schools in Wales?
The balance of undergraduate and postgraduate provision
19. Wales needs to plan for a substantial reduction in the numbers of both primary and secondary
teachers it prepares. However, reductions of the magnitude needed cannot be achieved by
simple pro-rata cuts. The ITT sector in Wales is already financially insecure; cutting numbers
by even a small percentage could result in unpredictable closures of courses and the loss of
important provision.
20. In order to help achieve that reduction, Wales should move, over the next five years, to an
entirely postgraduate entry route for teaching; the BA (Education) degree in Wales should be
phased out. Given the current over-production of primary teachers, a relatively modest
increase in the numbers of primary PGCE places would be sufficient to meet current demand
and allow a significant margin of error.
A new undergraduate degree
21. The current primary undergraduate route into teaching in Wales serves a number of very
important purposes; it is an important access route for higher education and provides much
needed Welsh language support. In addition, the economic viability of many providers currently
depends on undergraduate provision. There is strong evidence that PGCE-only departments
would not be economically viable. Unless the unit of resource currently going to education
departments can be protected, there is a real danger that cuts in ITT numbers would
significantly destabilise the sector.
22. We therefore recommend that, at the same time as ITT primary provision becomes graduate
entry only, HEFCW continues to provide HEIs with broadly the same unit of resource as at
present and encourages them to establish a new sort of degree – the ‘Pre-Professional Degree’
- to be offered by schools or departments of education. Overall, therefore, the implications of
our proposals will be cost neutral.
23. The new degrees, which should be academically rigorous and vocationally relevant, should be
designed to respond to the changing workforce needs of the education sector. They should
therefore lead on to a range of different postgraduate careers: teaching in schools, counselling,
youth work; special educational needs, early years. The degrees should also be designed to
promote access to higher education and should include proper provision to support the
development of the Welsh language at an appropriate level for all students.
Secondary provision
24. A reduction by 2010 of approximately 25% is also likely to be needed in secondary ITT
numbers. However, planning reductions needs to be undertaken with care. Wales needs strong
provision in all subject areas in each of its major regions; this provision should as far as
6
possible to be bilingual. We would therefore recommend that the reduction in secondary
numbers be planned as part of the reconfiguration of the sector described below. Any savings
achieved by the reduction in secondary numbers should be used to address the current under-
funding of ITT and the development of strong centres of bilingual provision in each of the major
regions of Wales.
Recommendation 8 That Wales should move over the next five years to an entirely postgraduate
entry route for teaching and that the BA (Education) degree in Wales should be phased out.
Recommendation 9 That at the same time as ITT becomes graduate entry only, HEFCW continues
to provide HEIs with broadly the same unit of resource as at present and encourages them to
establish a new sort of degree – the ‘Pre-Professional Degree’ – appropriate for entry to a range of
professions, that could be offered by Schools or Departments of Education. Secondary BA (Education)
degrees should be redesigned to become BA + PGCE.
Recommendation 10 That the continuation of current funding levels to HEIs be conditional on the
development of new provision that meets the criteria set out in this Report and that current Welsh
language numbers be protected within the new degree.
Recommendation 11 That HEFCW be asked to bring forward plans to adapt the current Welsh
Colleges scheme to a form that will support the new Pre-Professional Degrees.
Recommendation 12 That planned reduction in secondary numbers be linked to the reconfiguration
of the sector described in this Report. That the Welsh Assembly Government and HEFCW review
secondary ITT numbers with a view, over the next five years, to establishing targets that (a) match
more clearly than at present the demand for secondary subject teachers in Wales and (b) are more
rationally distributed across the main regions of Wales than at present. It is anticipated that this will
involve at least a 25% reduction in 2004/5 provision.
Recommendation 13 That the funding of these changes (Recommendations 9-12) should be largely
cost neutral. Any savings achieved by for example the reduction in secondary numbers should be
used to address the current under-funding of ITT and the development of strong centres of bilingual
provision in each of the major regions of Wales.
Strengthening the teacher education sector
25. Currently there are seven main providers with the expectation that the Open University in
Wales will become the eighth in 2006/7. These providers vary substantially in size, the range
of courses they offer and in their contribution to Welsh medium training. The position in Wales
therefore contrasts with Scotland, where, in recent years, there have been substantial moves to
consolidate provision. Similar plans are currently under discussion in Northern Ireland as well.
26. If higher education is to play its proper role in the supply of high quality teachers, then Wales
needs a smaller number of units than at present. Each unit must be financially strong, able to
provide a wide range of the different sorts of provision that are needed nationally, and be able
to respond effectively to the changing needs of Wales, including the growing demand for
teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh. Wales also needs a teacher education
7
sector that has a strong research base if higher education is to take its proper role in
contributing to the intellectual leadership needed in achieving the many changes planned for
the schools of tomorrow in Wales.
Three Schools of Education
27. Wales therefore needs to develop three main Schools of Education. These should be
geographically distributed so as to address the need for regional planning in supply, though
each should be able to offer a wide range of provision necessary to meet the future needs of
the workforce of schools in Wales.
28. The three Schools should be: the North and Central Wales School of Education, the South East
Wales School of Education, the South West Wales School of Education.
29. In the future, HEFCW should assign ITT numbers to each of these three Schools with a view to
ensuring strong, regionally based provision that meets the national need. Each new School of
Education should also be able to offer a broad range of other programmes and activities
necessary to support the education service in Wales.
A timetable for change
30. By April 2006, the Welsh Assembly Government should agree indicative figures for the sector
overall in 2010. For planning purposes, and allowing for an important margin of error, we
would suggest that these be set at 550 primary PGCE places and 800 secondary PGCE places.
31. HEFCW then needs to draw up a draft plan for the distribution of these numbers having due
regard to possible supply needs in the different regions of Wales and for the need to maintain
strong and economically viable provision in each new School. All secondary subjects should be
available, bilingually, in both the north and south of Wales. Indicative numbers, and their
distribution, should be published by June 2006.
32. HEFCW should then require, within 12 months, the Institutions involved in each of the new
Schools to bring forward detailed plans for their new Schools. These plans should include
details of courses, research, management and reconfiguration needs.
33. The reconfiguration of the sector should be complete by September 2010
Recommendation 14 That Wales should establish three main Schools of Education and that HEFCW
should, in the future, assign ITT numbers to each of these three Schools with a view to ensuring
strong, regionally based provision that meets the national need.
Recommendation 15 That these new Schools of Education should also be encouraged to offer a
wide range of other programmes and activities, including research that is necessary to support the
education service of Wales.
Recommendation 16 That the three Schools of Education should be as follows: the North and
Central Wales School of Education; the South East Wales School of Education; the South West Wales
School of Education.
8
Recommendation 17 That the Welsh Assembly Government provides indicative ITT numbers for a
restructured sector by April 2006 and that HEFCW draws up a plan for the distribution of these
numbers by June 2006. That the new Schools of Education are required to come forward with detailed
plans for their new Schools, including funds needed to support the reconfiguration, by June 2007.
Recommendation 18 That the reconfiguration of the sector is complete by September 2010.
Diversifying entry into teaching
34. Currently, recruitment to teaching in Wales is overwhelmingly white, female and English
speaking though there are important variations between different entry routes and in different
institutions. As in the rest of the UK, there is in Wales a continuing need to increase the
diversity of recruits entering the teaching profession. A particular concern is the recruitment of
teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh.
35. At present the promotion of teaching as a career in Wales is carried out by the English TDA
(Training and Development Agency for Schools) on behalf of Wales. The budget contribution
from Wales is currently £1,000,000 pa. While within Wales there seems to be general
satisfaction with this strategy and a feeling that the money is well spent, we were less
convinced. In a context of over-production of teachers and where ITT admissions tutors report
substantial competition for most ITT places, our view is that it would be sensible to review this
current strategy with a view to perhaps redirecting resources to address current shortages in
Wales.
Innovative, flexible and employment-based courses
36. Wales already has a number of shortened BA (Education) degrees designed to bring into
teaching those who have important skills and achievements but not at degree level. One
weakness of current policy is that such students, because they are undergraduates, are not
eligible for the additional bursaries that are paid to postgraduate students. Given the very
small numbers involved, and the fact that these are mature trainees in shortage subjects, we
would recommend that trainees on these schemes be eligible for the training bursaries. We
would also recommend that if students on the shortened BA (Education) courses are not to be
disadvantaged, courses be redesigned so that they are BA plus PGCE.
Employment-based routes
37. The aims of an employment-based route into teaching are twofold. Firstly, because trainees
have a salary the route provides a way of entering teaching for those who may not, for financial
reasons, be able to do so otherwise. The second aim is to provide support for schools.
38. Currently the main employment-based route in Wales is the Graduate Teacher Programme
(GTP) which has around 50 funded places a year. Evidence from Estyn suggests that trainees
who come into the GTP programme are often different from those attracted to conventional
routes, and the standards achieved by many GTP trainees is high. However, the training
offered by schools is variable with only one third of it being rated as ‘good’ compared with the
80% of HE-based programmes rated at this level. There is little evidence at present that the
9
GTP scheme is being used successfully to meet strategic needs that are not currently being met
elsewhere in the system.
39. We were convinced that Wales needs some sort of employment-based entry route. However,
Wales could develop a new and much more robust form of employment-based training if it
entered into a strategic collaboration with an established distance learning provider that would
provide the HE part of the programme. The new scheme could be called ‘The Welsh Internship
Teacher Scheme’
40. If all future work-based trainees were required to undertake such a programme, Wales would
have a programme that was high quality in terms of its training and attractive to the sort of
trainees the current GTP programme recruits. The Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme could also
be used much more strategically across Wales with the provider being set indicative targets for
recruitment in, for example, geographical areas or with particular minority communities.
41. For experienced but currently unqualified teachers in Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government
should commission an HEI provider to develop an ‘Assessment only’ route.
Recommendation 19 That secondary BA (Education) students in secondary shortage subjects be
offered a bursary comparable to the PGCE bursary in their subject.
Recommendation 20 That the Welsh Assembly Government establish an ‘assessment only route’ for
QTS and that experienced but unqualified instructors be encouraged to use this rather than other
employment-based routes as a means of gaining QTS.
Recommendation 21 That the Welsh Assembly Government should put out to tender the
development of a new employment-based route into teaching – the Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme.
The needs of Welsh medium provision
42. The Welsh Assembly Government has ambitious aspirations for the Welsh language, and in
their policy document, Iaith Pawb (2003), they recognise the crucial role that education will
play in their achievement. Much has already been achieved by education, but much more needs
to be done. The first step must be to ensure that there are sufficient teachers with the right
skills to deliver the Government’s vision.
43. The Welsh Assembly Government and HEFCW have already introduced many strategies to
increase the numbers of new teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh. However,
despite these initiatives, we found it difficult to develop clear figures on the current and future
demand for such teachers.
44. Until clear figures are developed (see below) HEFCW needs to provide provisional targets. It
also needs to ensure that there is strong provision for both primary and secondary trainees
throughout Wales.
45. In addition, the Welsh Assembly Government needs to clarify the position on incentives for
trainees wishing to study through the medium of Welsh and commission a short study to
explore the potential of the proposed Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme and other flexible
10
routes in increasing the number of Welsh speaking entrants to teaching. If it is judged that
there is such potential, the chosen provider of the new scheme should be commissioned to
work with the Welsh Language Board on the development of bilingual materials.
46. The Welsh Assembly Government should establish a special and more detailed study to
examine the issue of Welsh language provision more fully. This review should: model the
demand for teachers willing and able to teach through the medium of Welsh; review the
implications of all current policy initiatives (e.g. Foundation Phase, 14-19 agenda, immersion
initiatives) for the numbers of Welsh language teachers required and their learning needs; draw
together evidence on the effectiveness of the current strategy for teaching Welsh as a second
language in primary and secondary schools and consider the implications for both ITT and CPD
of any proposed changes; clarify the need for additional funding for Welsh language provision;
consider how the Welsh language skills of all new primary and secondary teachers in Wales can
be improved.
Recommendation 22 That HEFCW in collaboration with the ITT sector be required to develop
‘indicative targets’ for Welsh language graduates in each phase and subject area. Until more robust
data is developed, these should be indicative only.
Recommendation 23 That the Welsh Assembly Government should resolve the position on bursaries
for those studying through the medium of Welsh so that all ITT students, wherever they are
registered, are eligible for such bursaries.
Recommendation 24 That new provision through the medium of Welsh is progressively developed
for secondary ITT in the South West Wales School of Education.
Recommendation 25 That the Welsh Assembly Government should commission a study of the
potential of the new Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme and other flexible routes in increasing the
number of Welsh speaking entrants to teaching. If it is assessed that there is such potential, then the
eventual provider of that scheme should be commissioned to work with the Welsh Language Board on
the development of such provision.
Recommendation 26 That, as a matter of priority, the Welsh Assembly Government establish a new
Review in order to consider the supply and training needs of all teachers able to teach through the
medium of Welsh.
11
Chapter 5: Maintaining and improving quality in Initial Teacher
Training
Question:
What sort of high quality ITT provision should Wales aspire to develop over the next five to ten
years in order to continue improving standards of teaching and pupil achievement?
Current quality assurance procedures
47. For HEI-based ITT provision, HEFCW accredits institutions while Estyn carries out regular
inspections of individual courses. Providers are also subject to their own institutional measures
including those of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA).
48. A new common framework of inspection being implemented by Estyn involves a more holistic
approach to inspection and offers providers a more active role including self-evaluation. More
systematic collection of data pertaining to ITT, including an annual national survey of Newly
Qualified Teachers (NQTs), would assist in this process.
49. Quality assurance within a partnership model of ITT is challenging in that the provider is
responsible not only for the quality of the training in the HEI, but also for the quality of the
work of mentors and other teachers in a wide variety of schools, none of which are obliged to
be engaged in initial teacher training. However, issues of quality control and assurance are
secondary to the development of rich learning opportunities within the system.
50. Rather than framing quality control as an issue primarily for HEIs, we would suggest that it is
seen as a challenge facing HEIs and schools working together. Quality assurance would be
much stronger if providers and schools jointly developed a structured curriculum for ITT that
covers the trainees’ experience in schools as well as in the college.
Assuring the quality of flexible routes to QTS
51. All trainees – irrespective of the route they follow – must meet the same standards and there is
therefore no reason why Estyn should not carry out the inspection of alternative routes. In
Chapter 4 we recommended that the Welsh Assembly Government should work with an
established distance learning provider within higher education to develop a new employment-
based route into teaching – the Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme (recommendation 21).
Bringing Wales’ employment-based route into Higher Education in this way would allow this
provision to be inspected on the same basis as all other provision.
Increasing quality in current provision
52. It is clear from Estyn that the quality of current ITT provision in Wales is good though there is
insufficient at present that is of the highest quality. In improving current provision further, a
number of factors need addressing.
53. Common strategies for partnership. Plans have already been developed by UCET Cymru for an
‘all Wales’ approach to many aspects of partnership – documentation, mentor training etc.
12
While this is welcome, common documentation alone will not lead to enhanced quality; for that
to happen, the sector will need to engage in careful and detailed discussion and reach
agreement about, for example, the role of the mentor in ITT and the skills and strategies
necessary for effective mentoring.
54. Staffing. Staffing is an issue in some institutions especially where there is an over dependence
on casual and part time staff. Estyn suggests that the best work is produced by teams of
tutors that can share good practice and administrative burdens, rather than by individual tutors
working in isolation. We would anticipate that our proposals for the restructuring of provision
would encourage more teams of this sort to be developed.
55. Numbers of schools. At present, ITT providers in Wales work with very large numbers of
schools some of which are far from the HEI. For quality to be enhanced, where possible HEIs
should aim at developing a deeper relationship with a smaller number of schools. Our
proposals for the regionalisation of provision should assist in this process.
ITT and the agenda for change in Welsh education
56. The factors listed above address current provision; they do not address the issue of policy
change in Welsh education. ITT has an important role in supporting these changes because it
is concerned with the preparation of the ‘teachers of tomorrow’, and is carried out by schools
and HEIs working in partnership. Regional partnerships of schools and HEIs, in which there is
genuine equality and reciprocity, have the potential to become key agents of change. With
schools and HEIs working together on the change agenda, trainees would inevitably become
part of that process.
57. In each of the three regions a working group should be set up to develop a new curriculum for
ITT that takes full account of the change agenda. Membership should be drawn from the
regional School of Education, its school partners, and LEAs in the region. At regular intervals
representatives from the three regional groups should come together in a national forum at
which GTCW, Estyn and HEFCW and any other providers are also represented.
Mechanisms for enhancing quality
58. The mechanism for rewarding quality in ITT can be through variation in providers’ intake
targets. In practice that link is tenuous because in allocating numbers, HEFCW’s consideration
of quality is tempered by the small size of some providers and of the financial fragility within
the sector. The system we are advocating, in which providers are not set in competition with
each other, will need new and additional mechanisms for enhancing quality.
59. Schools that can demonstrate that they have a culture of professional learning should be
designated Professional Learning and Development Schools with additional funding to
undertake outreach work with other schools in their regional partnership.
60. Each of the new Schools of Education should be encouraged to develop research and
development expertise in areas relevant to teacher education, training and development. Each
School should be given modest additional funding to support one or two projects that are of
national significance.
13
Recommendation 27 That HEFCW set up a working group, membership of which should include
representatives of HEI providers and their school partners, to develop a set of performance indicators
for ITT in Wales.
Recommendation 28 That the Welsh Assembly Government ask GTCW to carry out an annual
survey of NQTs in Wales.
Recommendation 29 That the Welsh Assembly Government make available funding for the setting
up and running of three regional ITT working groups with representatives from the regional School of
Education and its school partners, and LEAs.
Recommendation 30 That the Welsh Assembly Government make available funding for a national
forum on ITT. Membership would be drawn from the three regional working groups and from GTCW,
HEFCW and Estyn.
Recommendation 31 That the Welsh Assembly Government introduce the notion of Professional
Learning and Development Schools.
Recommendation 32 That the Welsh Assembly Government consider giving HEFCW additional
funding to enable HEFCW to offer providers funds to support innovative projects in relation to teacher
education, training and development.
14
Chapter 6: Initial Teacher Training and Induction/Early Professional
Development
Question:
How might better links be developed between Initial Teacher Training and Induction/Early
Professional Development for newly qualified teachers?
The current position
61. Much has been achieved in improving the induction and early professional development of
teachers in Wales in the last four years. NQTs in Wales are now guaranteed a 10% reduction in
their timetables; there is funding available within school budgets to support their professional
development; clear procedures have been established for in-school support; there is a clear
specification of the standards that must be met on the completion of Induction and clear
procedures and roles for the assessment process.
62. Estyn report that new induction procedures are working well; by contrast, many of the HEI
witnesses we spoke to expressed concern about the content and quality of support being
offered during induction and whether it effectively built on what had been offered during ITT.
Comparisons with England
63. Evidence on induction from Northern Ireland, England and Scotland revealed significant
differences with the scheme implemented in Wales.
64. For example, the Welsh ‘End of Induction Standards’ are indeed ‘Standards’ - attributes and
achievements that NQTs must be able to demonstrate. The weakness of such a model is that it
may encourage a ‘tick box approach’ to learning. By contrast, in England the TDA now offers
guidance to newly qualified teachers that emphasises their own involvement in the process of
learning.
The Northern Ireland model
65. Northern Ireland has for over 10 years had in place a very different approach. It is a
framework that sets out the range of competences that need to be addressed by new teachers
in all three phases of their early teacher education – Initial Training, Induction and Early
Professional Development; it is a spiral curriculum specifying what needs to be learned (and re-
learned) at each stage of early teacher education. Because it covers all three phases, each of
the partners involved in supporting professional development – HEIs, Schools, and Education
and Library Boards (equivalent to LEAs) – has a clear expectation and a common language for
understanding what beginning teachers at each stage need to learn.
66. Standards, for QTS, Induction and beyond, will not in themselves ensure that all teachers have
appropriate learning experiences. For that to happen, Wales needs to develop its own
framework, like that of Northern Ireland, a framework that could be used by HEIs, schools and
LEAs to ensure coherence, integration and progression in learning throughout the early years of
teacher education.
15
A guaranteed induction placement?
67. One of the biggest challenges in current Induction arrangements is that, at present, the vast
majority of primary NQTs are finding it difficult to secure a permanent full-time post; as a
result they are finding it difficult or impossible to complete their induction within one year.
68. Should Wales follow Scotland which has introduced a guaranteed induction placement for all
newly qualified teachers?
69. We believe that in Wales, with the current substantial over-production of teachers, the
establishment of a guaranteed induction placement for NQTs is not possible. It would be
expensive, and would simply delay the problem of finding trainees permanent appointments.
Serious consideration of a Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme cannot therefore begin
until the supply of NQTs in Wales is brought more closely into line with demand.
70. However, if the size of the sector were reduced in line with our recommendations by September
2010, an all Wales Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme for teachers could commence in
September 2011. Given that the overwhelming majority of those trained would then be able to
find employment in Wales, the scheme would only have to fund places for that relatively small
number of newly qualified teachers, willing to make a commitment to teaching in Wales (for say
two years after Induction), but currently unable to find employment.
71. Such NQTs could be offered a place as part of a nationally coordinated pool. The pool could be
funded jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and participating LEAs who could be
required to identify designated ‘Induction Schools’ with a strong record in supporting new
teachers; NQTs could then be assigned to those schools as supernumary teachers for the year.
In order to encourage teacher mobility, in assigning numbers to LEAs, the Welsh Assembly
Government could take account of differences in recruitment in different parts of Wales.
Recommendation 33 That the Welsh Assembly Government should look again at the content of
Induction and consider drawing up of a set of broadly based competences appropriate for all three
stages of early teacher education: ITT, Induction and Early Professional Development. These
competences could then be linked to the Induction Standards and other ‘milestones’ currently being
developed by the GTCW.
Recommendation 34 That the Welsh Assembly Government considers in more detail plans to
establish an all Wales Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme for Teachers. Such a scheme, we
believe, could be introduced on the same timetable as we have recommended for the reduction in
numbers of ITT trainees.
16
Chapter 7 Strategic Planning
Question:
How might the strategic planning of Initial Teacher Training provision in Wales be developed?
The current position
72. At present, strategic leadership of ITT in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly
Government. However, on a day to day level, responsibility for the management of the system
is widely distributed with HEFCW, Estyn GTCW and Higher Education all contributing in different
ways. There are also a number of national consultative bodies which provide leadership, advice
and support for the ITT sector.
73. The strengths of the current system are that, because of its relatively small size, there is good
communication and personal relationships across the sector as a whole. Despite this strength,
however, there are real weaknesses.
74. The Welsh Assembly Government is substantially under-resourced for the tasks that it is
required to perform. Such under-resourcing will become even more apparent as the
educational agenda in Wales becomes more and more different from that of England, creating
the necessity for Wales to have the capacity to develop the detail of its educational policy in
this field for itself.
75. If resources cannot be increased at the centre, it will be necessary for the Welsh Assembly
Government to outsource some of its specific responsibilities. Other tasks might, in the future,
be achieved by more effective collaboration between officers and those in HEI and LEAs with
expertise in teacher education.
76. Another weakness is the current lack of strategic leadership of the sector both in relation to ITT
itself and in terms of linking ITT to the broader change agenda within Wales.
77. ITT in Wales will continue to face many serious challenges in the years ahead and Wales
therefore urgently needs a National Advisory Body for Education and Training for Schools that
can provide more effective strategic leadership, placing ITT within the broader changing
workforce agenda.
78. This National Advisory Body needs to have a broad remit covering the education and training of
the workforce within the Welsh education system as a whole; ITT should be an important but
not its sole responsibility.
79. The National Advisory Body could be either an independent advisory group within the Welsh
Assembly Government, or an independent sub-committee within the GTCW.
Recommendation 35 That the Welsh Assembly Government addresses its own under-resourcing of
staffing in relation to teacher education either by employing more staff or by developing more
effective collaborative arrangements between officers and those with appropriate expertise across
Wales.
17
Recommendation 36 That the Welsh Assembly Government establishes a National Advisory Body
for Education and Training for Schools with responsibility for providing advice to the Minister on all
matters concerning the strategic development of staffing within the education service in Wales,
including the ITT sector.
18
Review of Initial Teacher Training2
Provision in Wales
Chapter 1 Meeting the needs of tomorrow’s schools in Wales
‘Regardless of institutional setting, we want to establish Wales as an outstanding place
in which to teach and develop professionally, as well as to learn. The increased level of
attainment within all sectors in recent years and the higher participation rates post-16
clearly demonstrates the substantial achievements of leaders and practitioners in
schools, colleges and universities throughout Wales. Yet the professional impetus to
secure still greater improvements in learners’ progress, standards, and outcomes is
critically necessary if people's life chances, and our ambitions for Wales, are to be
fulfilled’.
The Learning Country (NAfW 2001 para 69)
The teachers of tomorrow
1.1 There is much to be proud of in the achievements of schools in Wales today. As Her Majesty’s
Chief Inspector for Education and Training in Wales said in her most recent annual report
(Estyn 20053) ‘compared with five years ago, there has been a big improvement in the
standards that pupils are achieving in primary and secondary schools…. The Welsh Assembly
Government’s 2007 targets for the percentage of classes with good and satisfactory standards
have already been passed’ (p5).
1.2 But however successful Wales’ schools are today, it is clear that the teachers of tomorrow will
face significant new challenges. Many of those challenges are common throughout the
developed world and are not directly under the control of Governments or any other single
2 Throughout this report we have used the term Initial Teacher Training (ITT) to refer to those programmes, both undergraduate
and postgraduate, that lead to QTS as this is the term used by the Welsh Assembly Government and in the terms of reference for
this Review. We have used the term ‘Teacher Education’ to refer to a broader range of activities in the field of education, i.e.
both ITT and CPD. Our own view, and that of our Support Group, is that a more appropriate term for all of these different forms
of provision is ITET – Initial Teacher Education and Training. 3 Estyn (2005) The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Education and Training in Wales, 2003–2004
19
agency. Moreover, they increasingly go to the heart of teachers’ professionalism, adding to the
complexity of teaching, and potentially transforming the nature of teaching and learning itself.
1.3 For example:
• The changing nature of work and knowledge in an ‘information society’
The changing nature of work and the explosion of knowledge in our ‘information society’
means that the teachers of tomorrow will not only need to be experts in teaching
something (history, chemistry or mathematics), they will also need to be experts in
teaching their students to ‘learn how to learn’. This change alone, as the OECD (1999)4
has noted, will require the production and application of new pedagogic knowledge on a
huge scale.
• The impact of information and communication technologies (ICT)
Traditional patterns of teaching and learning are being challenged and extended by the
progressive introduction of ICTs into schools. Rightly, the Welsh Assembly Government
wants to ensure that everyone in Wales has the skills and understanding to participate in,
and benefit from, the information age. But it is clear that within schools we are only now
beginning to understand the implications of the ICT revolution for the work of teachers.5
• The changing employment structure of schools
Another impetus for change is the increasing demand for teachers to work with a range of
other professionals both within and outside their classrooms. These changes have started
to take place in Wales with the introduction of the Teachers’ Workload Agreement which is
already encouraging schools to organise themselves in new ways. However, even more
radical changes are likely in the future. The growing expectation of cross-profession
working will extend traditional approaches to teaching and learning. There will also be an
increasing expectation that teachers will work in new ways with a range of different
professionals outside schools: in the community; in other educational establishments; in
the work place.
• Changes in society
Demography, family structures and attitudes are also changing with major implications for
schools and teachers. For example, within the next 10 years it is anticipated 20% of all
couples living in Wales will be cohabiting rather than married and about 8% of families will
be ‘lone parents’6. In other words, a growing number of young people in Wales will be
living in ‘non-standard’ families. Families are changing in other ways too; increasingly
they are becoming ‘discriminating consumers’ with high expectations of schools’
achievements and of the information and consultation they expect. Relationships between
4 OECD (1999) Knowledge management in the learning society OECD/Centre of Educational Research and Innovation 5 See for example the findings from the ESRC/TLRP ‘Interactive Education Project’ www.interactiveeducation.ac.uk
A Statistical Focus on Wales www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/content/publication/compendia/1999/fow/fow-intro.htm 6
20
adults and children are also changing, posing real challenges for schools to find new ways
of continuing to engage young people in the learning process.
• The growing recognition of the importance of evidence-based practice
A further pressure for change is the increasing demand, across many professions, for
decisions to be based not on personal judgement, but on research, on shared rather than
personal experience and other forms of evidence of ‘what works’. But assessing,
evaluating and interpreting evidence and values in relation to practice demands high-level
skills. Such evidence cannot substitute professional judgement; what it can do however is
raise the level of debate – 'sharpen perceptions, stimulate discussion and encourage
questioning – and thus to create the possibility of change and improvement in the system’
(Nisbet and Broadfoot 1980:66)7.
• The need to raise standards further
All of these pressures add to the existing demand from parents, Government and others in
the community continually to raise standards. Whatever the achievement of schools in
Wales today, again, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools makes clear, there is still
much more to be done if Wales is to ensure high quality standards for all its young people.
As the pressure for international competitiveness increases and as families become more
knowledgeable and articulate about their expectations, the demands on schools to raise
standards of achievement even further is unlikely to abate.
1.4 What is significant about all these pressures is that they progressively add to the complexity of
teaching. The teachers of tomorrow will be expected to be experts in the teaching of particular
subjects and to focus on ‘learning how to learn’; they will need to learn new strategies for using
ICT in the classroom while remaining expert in more traditional methods too; they need to
learn how to work with an ever widening range of other professionals with different and
competing values, as well as work effectively on their own; they must learn how to undertake
and interpret research and other forms of evidence and manage changing pressures for
accountability. The future world of schooling will therefore be characterised by constant change
and by the need to deal effectively with conflicting and contradictory demands.
The changing policy context for teachers in Wales
1.5 One of the major benefits of devolution is that now, for the first time, there is the opportunity
for Wales to develop its own response to these and other challenges – responses that are
appropriate for Wales with its unique culture, history and values. As the Minister for Education
and Lifelong Learning, Jane Davidson, indicated in her introduction to The Learning Country:
‘We shall take our own policy direction where necessary, to get the best for Wales’ (NAW
2001:2)8.
7 Nisbet, J and Broadfoot, P. (1980) The Impact of Research on Policy and Practice in Education, Aberdeen University Press 8 Welsh Assembly Government (2001) The Learning Country, Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government
21
1.6 Even before devolution, the Curriculum Council for Wales began the process of differentiation
through the issuing of two key curriculum documents ‘Community Understanding: A Framework
for the Development of a Cross-Curricular Theme in Wales’ (1991) and ‘Developing a
Curriculum Cymreig’ (1993). The former provides a vision of identity and citizenship in Wales
and the latter promotes the distinctiveness of Wales in educational terms.
1.7 Since devolution, however, the pace of change has quickened. Through ‘The Learning Country’
and subsequent policy documents, the Welsh Assembly Government has set itself ambitious
targets for tomorrow’s schools, ambitions which are increasingly differentiating schooling in
Wales from the rest of the UK.
1.8 Significant changes, many of which are informed by the Welsh Assembly Government’s
commitment to promote social inclusion, include:
• An end to compulsory testing at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3;
• An end to the publication of league tables of individual school performance;
• A continuing commitment to comprehensive education and a rejection of a notion of
‘specialist schools’;
• A continuing commitment to the role of LEAs in the development of a localised education
service in Wales;
• A new approach to assessment based on the principles of ‘assessment for learning’.
1.9 And now two further major changes to the structure of provision are currently being
implemented. These are:
• The Foundation Phase The development of a new foundation phase for 3-7 year olds
– a phase of education with its own distinctive character, philosophy, curriculum and
assessment procedures, tailored to suit the needs of young children.
• Learning Pathways 14-19 The development of entirely new provision for older
students with the Welsh Baccalaureate as an overarching award and ‘learning
pathways’ between schools, colleges and the workplace with a flexible curriculum,
tailored to the needs of individual students.
1.10 And all of these changes take place in the context of Iaith Pawb:
• Iaith Pawb expresses the Welsh Assembly Government’s commitment to the
development of Wales as a ‘truly bilingual nation’ with a 5% increase in the number of
people in Wales able to speak Welsh by 2011. Schools, colleges and universities are
all seen as having a central role in the achievement of this ambition.
22
A new professionalism for teachers in Wales
1.11 Schooling therefore faces many challenges, now and in the future. Wales is increasingly
developing its own distinctive responses to these challenges. What is clear is that the teachers
of tomorrow in Wales will need to accept and embrace these changes. They will need a new
form of professionalism that is appropriate for the schools of tomorrow in Wales.
1.12 The teachers of tomorrow in Wales will therefore have to:
1. Be responsive to innovation;
2. Relish challenge and help lead it;
3. Have high expectations of, and a commitment to the achievement of, all pupils;
4. Be committed to the development of Wales as a fully bilingual society;
5. Be able to take a sharper focus on the needs of individual learners, including helping them
in ‘learning how to learn’;
6. Accept and respond to demands for their accountability;
7. Take personal and collective responsibility for professional development;
8. Be able to evaluate and use different sorts of evidence relevant to the improvement of
practice;
9. Be willing to work collaboratively with other teachers and other professionals both day to
day and in the development of their practice;
10. Be willing and able to work in ways that draw on best practice from across the UK and
internationally.
The role of Initial Teacher Training
1.13 But what is the role of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in achieving this new professionalism? In
this Report, we will argue that Wales firstly needs to ensure that it has the right numbers of
high quality teachers to fill its current and future needs. It then needs to ensure that those
new teachers have the right skills, knowledge and understandings to realise the full potential of
Wales’ increasingly distinctive educational agenda.
1.14 ITT is not solely responsible for the delivery of the new vision for schools in Wales but it is a
key player. Its distinctive role is to:
• Give new teachers the core skills, knowledge and understandings needed for their first job
in Wales;
• Prepare them to go on learning; and
• Prepare them to deal with and promote innovation and change.
1.15 If ITT is going to play its part in the changes that are needed we need an ITT sector that:
• Ensures strong and financially secure provision;
• Is based on strong partnerships between HEIs and schools and LEAs;
• Is flexible, willing and able itself to embrace change and work with diverse populations and
routes into teaching;
23
• Sets itself high standards and is willing to be publicly accountable for those standards;
• Is closely and systematically linked to induction and early professional development and to
other forms of CPD;
• Is planned in a way that relates ITT to the development of a range of new professional
groups working in diverse educational settings (e.g. teaching assistants; youth workers);
• Has a strong research base;
• Is willing and able to contribute to the practical and intellectual leadership of the education
service in Wales.
1.16 It is our belief that the recommendations we make in this Report will make a significant
contribution to the achievement of these ambitions.
24
Chapter 2 Training for the needs of Wales
Question:
To what extent could or should Wales aim to provide just for its own needs and, as far as
practicable, avoid producing newly qualified teachers in Wales unlikely to work there?9
Wales – a nation of teachers?
2.1 Wales has a long and proud tradition of training teachers, a tradition intimately bound up with
the development of the educational system as a whole across both Wales and England10. Up
until the middle of the 19th century it seems that some prospective teachers in Wales,
especially non-conformists, were encouraged to train at Kay-Shuttleworth’s Borough Road
Training College in London11. But from the 1850s onwards, colleges began to be established in
Wales itself and the roots of today’s provision are still visible in these earliest institutions.
Trinity College Carmarthen was established in 184712 quickly followed in 1855 and 1858 by the
creation of colleges at Caernarfon and Bangor. Day Training Colleges, with a university link,
began in Cardiff (1890), Aberystwyth (1892) and Bangor (1894) and four additional local
authority colleges in Barry, Caerleon, Swansea and Bangor were all established before 1914.
Two other colleges, City of Cardiff College and Cartrefle College, Wrexham, were established in
the early 1950s13. Following the McNair Report of 194414 all teacher training provision in Wales
was brought together as a single School of Education within the University of Wales and today
the overwhelming majority of it remains part of University of Wales provision.
2.2 Perhaps it was as a result of that early encouragement of Welsh teachers to train in London
that Wales developed its reputation as a ‘nation of teachers’ – a net ‘exporter’ of teachers to
England and beyond. Whatever the origin of this perception, there seems little reliable
historical evidence on the number of Welsh domiciled teachers teaching outside of Wales. The
fact that both the school and higher education systems of Wales and England were
administratively so closely integrated means that historically there are few public records to
substantiate (or indeed refute) that public perception. Moreover, asking the sort of question
posed at the beginning of this chapter (‘Should Wales train teachers first and foremost for its
own needs’?) was simply not possible or conceivable.
2.3 The establishment of the Welsh Board of Education in 1907 marked the beginning of
administrative devolution in Wales, which gathered pace in the 1950s and 60s. Throughout the
era of the Welsh Office there was some limited power over education policy making, and there
9 Questions posed at the beginning of each chapter are taken from the terms of reference for the Review. 10 Tropp, Asher (1957) The School Teachers: The Growth of the Teaching Profession in England and Wales from 1800 to the
Present Day, New York: Macmillan. 11 Gerwyn Lewis, D. (1980) The University and the Colleges of Education in Wales 1927-78, Cardiff: University of Wales Press. 12 Griggs, R (1998) History of Trinity College Carmarthen 1848-1998, Cardiff: University of Wales Press. 13 Gerwyn Lewis, D. op. cit. 14 McNair, A. (1944) Teachers and Youth Leaders (The McNair Report), London: HMSO.
25
have been differences in education institutions and frameworks between Wales and the rest of
the UK throughout the history of state education provision. However, the change from
administrative devolution to democratic devolution in 1999 has allowed a real distinctiveness to
emerge and it is now possible to consider asking about ‘the needs of Wales’ in relation to
teacher training.
2.4 Nevertheless, in asking this question, it is important to distinguish two separate issues. The
first is to do with the numbers of teachers trained. Should Wales train only the numbers of
teachers actually needed in Wales? The second is, in the context of an increasingly different
educational system, should Wales, just as Scotland does, prepare teachers, first and foremost,
for its own educational system? In this chapter we address each of these different issues in
turn, beginning with some consideration of current provision.
Current provision for ITT in Wales
2.5 At present there are seven major providers of initial teacher training in Wales, based in seven
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In addition there are two smaller employment-based
routes currently coordinated by the Welsh Assembly Government; these are, the Graduate
Teacher Programme (GTP) and the Registered Teacher Programme. From 2006-7, it is
anticipated that another HEI, the Open University in Wales, will receive a small allocation for
student numbers from HEFCW for their flexible secondary PGCE.
Current HEI based provision
2.6 An overview of ITT currently provided through HEIs is set out in Table 1 below. The data is
based on those gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the year 2002/3. Evidence from the
Welsh Assembly (2005) show that these numbers have remained relatively stable over the last
four years15.
Table 1: Current HEI based ITT provision in Wales – overview
Students gaining QTS in 2002/3
Undergraduate Postgraduate Total
Primary 598 472 1070
Welsh medium 13% 13%
Secondary 77 940 1117
Welsh Medium 14% 13%
Source: Adapted from HEFCW Initial Teacher Training in Wales Performance Information 2004.
2.7 Overall, therefore, ITT provision in Wales is almost equally divided between primary and
secondary programmes. However, a large majority of secondary provision is postgraduate –
achieved through the PostGraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE). Undergraduate secondary
provision, the BA (Education), is generally aimed at a relatively small number of shortage
15 Welsh Assembly (2005) Initial Teacher Training in Wales 2003/04. Statistical Bulletin (SB12/2005), Table 7
26
subjects. Primary provision is more equally divided, with 43% of provision being postgraduate
and 57% being undergraduate. The ratio of postgraduate to undergraduate provision for
primary trainees is somewhat different from that of England where the ratio is almost exactly
reversed with 57% on postgraduate courses and 43% on undergraduate courses. This greater
proportion of undergraduate provision has important implications for the responsiveness of the
sector in Wales to changes in demand for teachers. Changes to undergraduate courses will
take three or four years to come into effect while for PGCEs, changes can be achieved much
more quickly.
2.8 Another important difference from England is that in Wales virtually all primary BA (Education)
degrees are of three years’ duration16. In England, a majority of primary BA (Education)
degrees are of four years’ duration (the ratio is 60% four year degrees and 40% three years)17.
A larger proportion of primary teachers therefore enter the profession in Wales after only 3
years of higher education than in England. All undergraduate ITT provision in Scotland and
Ireland is of four years duration.
2.9 An overview of provision by each of the main HEI providers is set out in Table 2 below. Again
the data is based on those gaining Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in the year 2002/3.
16 The only exception is the BA (Education) at the Swansea School of Education which can be taken as either a three or a four
year programme. 17 The figures for 2004/5 were 2796 on three year degrees and 4097 on four year degrees. Source: TTA’s ITT Trainee Number
Census 2004/5.
27
Table 2: Current HEI based ITT provision in Wales – by institution
Students gaining QTS in 2002/3
North East
Wales
Institute of
Higher
Education
Swansea
School of
Education18
Trinity
College
Carmarthen
University of
Wales
Aberystwyth
University of
Wales
Bangor
University of
Wales
Institute
Cardiff
University
of Wales
Newport
UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG UG PG
Primary Courses 63 99 88 118 72 11 99 67 128 89 91 37
Secondary subject
areas
Art and Design 17 12 41
Biology 12 20 13
Business Studies 20
Chemistry 12 12
Design and
Technology 20 10 21 20 16
Drama 14 27
English 50 17 23 15
Genera/Integrated
Science 10 36
Geography 29 26
History 30 23 8
Information
Technology 16 13 17
Mathematics 36 17 23 14
Modern Foreign
Languages 29 12 7 36
Music 11 19
Outdoor Activities
Physical Education 41 60
Physics 9 8
Religious Education 27 8
Welsh 6 14 6 16
Total gaining QTS 63 0 99 383 118 99 0 249 109 238 161 364 125 70
Designated Welsh
medium students
gaining QTS
0 0 0 7
2%
40
34%
22
22% 0
42
17%
43
40%
82
34%
15
9%
7
2%
0 0
Source: Adapted from HEFCW Initial Teacher Training in Wales Performance Information 2004. All data
relates to those gaining QTS in 2002/3
2.10 As Table 2 makes clear, each of the seven HEIs has a distinctive pattern of provision.
• North East Wales Institute of Higher Education offers only primary undergraduate
training. Much of its recruitment is from within its region, and it has strong links with
partnership schools in mid-Wales and in the border counties of England. The vast
majority of its students come from within a 50 mile radius of its campus. In 2002/3 it
did not report any students gaining QTS through the medium of Welsh.
18 Figures combined from Swansea Institute of Higher Education and University of Wales Swansea
28
• Swansea School of Education was established in 2004 through the amalgamation of
provision at the University of Wales, Swansea and Swansea Institute of Higher
Education. Since its amalgamation it now offers virtually the full range of ITT courses
at both primary and secondary levels and works with schools across the whole of South
Wales. There is a substantial primary BA (Education) programme as well as primary
and secondary PGCE. Secondary PGCE provision covers most national curriculum
subjects. Only 2% of students gaining QTS in 2002/3 were designated as Welsh
medium students.
• Trinity College Carmarthen focuses mainly on primary provision with substantial
undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It also offers a secondary PGCE in
religious education (RE). The college has strong links with partnership schools,
particularly Welsh medium and bilingual schools, across the whole of the southern part
of Wales. About 28% of students gaining QTS in 2002/3 were designated as Welsh
medium.
• University of Wales, Aberystwyth offers postgraduate programmes, for both
primary and secondary students; its secondary course covers a range of national
curriculum subjects plus drama. Aberystwyth has strong links with schools across mid-
and west-Wales. About 17% of its students gaining QTS in 2002/3 were designated as
Welsh medium.
• University of Wales, Bangor offers a full range of ITT provision – undergraduate and
postgraduate primary and a wide range of postgraduate secondary. It has strong links
with partnership schools throughout the northern half of Wales, including Welsh
medium and bilingual schools. About 35% of its students gaining QTS in 2002/3 were
designated as Welsh medium.
• University of Wales Institute, Cardiff offers a full range of ITT provision. It offers
both undergraduate and postgraduate primary courses, and a wide range of secondary
PGCE courses. In addition it provides a number of two and three year undergraduate
secondary courses, most of which are in shortage subjects. Its partnership schools are
largely based in the south east of Wales. A small proportion of its graduates in 2002/3
– some 4% – were designated Welsh medium.
• University of Wales, Newport offers both postgraduate and undergraduate courses
for prospective primary school teachers as well as some undergraduate secondary
provision in shortage subjects. Its partnership schools are in the south east of Wales,
and to a lesser extent in the border counties of England. In 2002/3 none of its
students gaining QTS was designated as Welsh medium.
Other forms of provision – the Graduate Teacher Programme
2.11 The graduate teacher programme (GTP) is an employment-based route into teaching; it was
introduced in Wales in 1999 with around 55 funded places a year. As in England, where it is a
much more substantial programme (currently some 6000 places a year), the GTP is intended
29
for well qualified graduates, such as career changers, who need to earn a living while they
train.
2.12 The programme runs for up to a year although it can be shorter depending on an individual’s
qualifications and previous experience. Under the GTP, a school may receive a salary grant of
up to £13,000 towards employment costs, and a training grant of up to £4,000 towards training
costs19. The Welsh Assembly Government also pays for QTS assessment at the end of the
programme.
2.13 Funded places are targeted at areas of greatest recruitment need such as secondary
mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, ICT, design and technology, Welsh and
English (including drama).
Other forms of provision – the Open University in Wales
2.14 The Open University PGCE is a flexible programme intended to meet the needs of people who
cannot enter teaching by conventional routes and who need flexible study patterns, with a
range of start and end dates and the possibility of full-time or part-time study. An initial
needs analysis is undertaken by a member of OU staff after which a personalised route through
a modular programme is established. The programme involves web-based study modules and
audio-visual materials on CD-ROM; school experience is integrated with study of the course
materials. Until now, the OU PGCE has not been available in Wales but it is expected that as
from 2006/7, approximately 25 places will be available, mainly in shortage secondary subjects.
Trainees will be able to work in designated regional partner schools across Wales, with training,
support and assessment provided by tutors from the Open University in Wales and school
mentors.
Assessing the current health of ITT provision in Wales
2.15 What is the current state of health of ITT in Wales, in terms of its quality and other aspects of
institutional provision?
• Quality Estyn (2002), in reviewing the sector overall for the years 1996-2002,
suggests that the quality of ITT in Wales is ‘good’; 80% of higher education provided
training is now assessed as achieving this standard. Estyn also point out the continued
improvements that they have found in the quality of both college-based education and
training and the training that takes place in schools. There is, however, no room for
complacency. The quality of the GTP programme is much more mixed (with only 30%
of provision being assessed as ‘good’) and for all providers, Estyn point to the
relatively small numbers being judged as ‘excellent’. As they say ‘the key issues for
teacher education providers are to recognise that whilst the quality of provision is good
overall more could be done that is excellent’ (2002:9).
19 It is however possible for a school to offer an unfunded place if all funded places are utilised.
30
• Forms of Provision As we have indicated, the overwhelming majority of provision is
currently made available through HEIs with only about 2.5% available through work-
based routes. As a result, in comparison with say England, the current system in
Wales is relatively inflexible; there are relatively few routes into teaching for those
unable or unwilling to undertake an HEI based programme.
• Partnerships Partnerships between schools and HEIs are now a central feature of
provision of ITT in Wales and the recent HEFCW20 review of ITT partnerships found that
'there is widespread commitment to the partnership model of teacher training' (2004:
9). However, one weakness of the current system is that partnerships remain
voluntary as far as schools are concerned while they are compulsory for HEIs. Despite
the many advantages of partnership arrangements, this lack of equality brings
considerable instability to the system; it also encourages HEIs to develop partnerships
with many schools, often at a great distance. As we will discuss in more detail in
Chapter 5, in our view neither of these factors is conducive to ensuring high quality.
• Finance Another factor affecting HEIs is finance and here there is considerable
evidence that HEIs in Wales, as in England, are currently facing difficulties. According
to the recent HEFCW study of partnership21, funding is a major concern for almost all
HEIs in Wales and many schools. The HEFCW study concludes that there is strong
evidence to suggest that ITT in Wales is currently under-funded and that this has an
impact on quality. We were also told of financial worries during our visits to
institutions and of the substantial cross subsidies that were needed if ITT was to
remain viable in some institutions. A particular concern for course leaders, and for the
Review team, was the high degree of casualisation of staffing that had occurred in one
or two institutions with substantial parts of course provision being led by part-time
temporary staff. We also learned that the recent amalgamation of education courses
at Swansea University and Swansea Institute of Higher Education was in part
influenced by financial concerns despite the very significant numbers of ITT students in
each institution. Overall, these findings corroborate those for England set out in a
report carried out on behalf of the DfES in 2003/422. This study reviewed costs at a
representative sample of 16 higher education institutions and found that, in all but one
case, ITT provision was under-funded. The study concludes that a 20% increase in
funding from core grants, fees and allocations would be needed to bring funding in line
with the average costs incurred by institutions for ITT.
• Research A final concern is research. Within Wales, none of the HEI providers is
currently in receipt of core funding for research through the Research Assessment
Exercise (RAE). This marks Wales out as very different from all of the other three
countries in the UK where a significant number of providers have both strong ITT and
research. Despite some good ‘pockets’ of research in Wales, research capacity in
20 Education Data Surveys (2004) ITT Partnership in Wales. A study commissioned by the Higher Education Funding Council for
Wales (HEFCW), July 2004, Oxford: Education Data Surveys. This report provides a great deal of detailed information about the
current nature of HEI/School partnerships in ITT including details of the distribution of partner schools across Wales. 21 Education Data Surveys (2004) op. cit. 22 J M Consulting, DfES (2004) ‘Review of the Unit of Resources for Initial Teacher Training: Study of Provider Costs for the DfES’
www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW3.pdf
31
education is currently very weak. One consequence of this weakness is that those
within education departments are not as able as those across the rest of the UK to
contribute to the intellectual leadership of the field – either in relation to teacher
education or in relation to schooling more generally. Given the very significant change
agenda currently underway within the education service in Wales, this, we would
contend, is a serious matter of concern.
2.16 Overall we can therefore conclude that, at present, Wales has a traditional, largely HEI–led
system of ITT; there are seven major providers that vary significantly in size and in the range
of programmes they offer. The overwhelming majority of the HEI provision is considered by
Estyn to be good but comparatively little of it is considered excellent. There are also some
important concerns about HEI provision, in terms of its financial stability and its capacity for
research. Employment-based provision, through the GTP, though seen as important, is
currently very small in scale; it is also variable in quality.
Evidence on the current demand for teachers in Wales
2.17 The description of current provision set out above gives a reasonably clear picture of the
supply of teachers in Wales. However, in practice that picture needs to be modified by some
consideration of issues of mobility. Teachers trained in Wales, particularly those who are
domiciled elsewhere in the UK, may choose to seek employment outside Wales. Likewise, those
trained elsewhere, especially those whose families are domiciled in Wales, may choose to
return to Wales to teach, once they have completed their training. We consider the evidence
on ‘cross border mobility’ in more detail below. But what do we know of the actual demand for
NQTs in Wales? One significant source of evidence is that provided by the General Teaching
Council for Wales (GTCW). Since 2001, NQTs have had to register with the GTCW and to
record if they are taking up a teaching post in a maintained school; it is therefore possible to
document how many NQTs are currently finding employment in Wales.
2.18 In Table 3 below, we combine GTCW figures on the employment of NQTs with figures from the
Welsh Assembly Government on the number of new teachers gaining QTS in Wales each year
for the last four years. We also calculate the ‘employment rate in Wales’; that is, the
proportion of newly qualified teachers finding employment in Wales as a proportion of those
graduating in Wales. However, it is important to note that those NQTs employed in Wales may
not be the same individuals who completed their training in Wales that year. Those finding
employment may have completed their training in a previous year or may have moved to Wales
after training elsewhere; others who have trained in Wales may find teaching posts elsewhere.
32
Table 3: Students completing ITT courses in Wales (by Phase) plus numbers of newly
qualified teachers in-service, awarded QTS, registered with GTC Wales by phase23
2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04
Primary completions
(academic year) 1,075 1,070 1,075 1,065
Primary in-service
(following March) 362 435 322 302
‘Employment rate’24 in Wales 34% 41% 30% 28%
Secondary completions
(academic year) 1,010 995 1,025 1,040
Secondary in-service
(following March) 563 572 571 557
Employment rate in Wales 56% 57% 56% 54%
‘Others’ employed in Wales25,26 97 32 55 20
Total employed in Wales 1022 1039 948 879
Total employment rate in Wales 49% 50% 44% 41%
Adapted from: GTCW (2002- 2005) Annual Statistics Digest, Table 2.4 and Welsh Assembly (2005) Initial
Teacher Training in Wales 2003/04. Statistical Bulletin (SB12/2005), Table 7.
2.19 What these data show is that in relation to primary teaching, at no time in the last four years
has the ‘employment rate in Wales’ exceeded 41% and indeed in 2003/4 it was as low as 28%.
In the area of secondary training, the employment rate in Wales has been relatively stable at
between 54% and 57%.
2.20 These relatively low levels of employment in Welsh schools are corroborated by Higher
Education Statistics Agency (HESA) ‘First Destinations’ survey. Table 4 shows that according to
HESA data there were 955 newly qualified teachers employed in Wales in 2002/3; the GTCW
figure for the same year was 948. Interestingly, the HESA data also demonstrate that 120 of
the newly qualified teachers employed in Wales in that year actually trained in England.
23 In addition to the figures provided below there is a possibility that some teachers with QTS take up teaching posts in Further
Education rather than schools; they would therefore not have to register with the GTCW. Figures for such teachers are not
available in Wales but in England the figure is 0.3%. 24 ‘Employment rate’ is NQT posts in any one year as a percentage of ITT completions. Not all of those in NQT posts may have
completed their training in Wales, nor in that year. 25 ‘Others’ includes those employed in private schools and special schools. 26 See note 24.
33
Table 4: Students completing ITT courses in the UK in a teaching post in Wales at
first destination, by country of institution and qualification, 2002/3
Postgraduate Certificate of Education First Degree (BA Education)
Wales 540 295
England 90 30
Total 630 325
Source, Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and Destinations of Leavers from
Higher Education, 2003/4
2.21 In order to corroborate these figures further we asked individual HEIs to provide their own data
on the destinations of their students for 2002/03 and 2003/04. Unfortunately, unlike England,
providers are not currently required to collect robust data on their graduates in a comparable
form. While some HEIs were able to supply data on their graduates, identifying whether they
were teaching in Wales or elsewhere, others were not. Response rates varied considerably as
did the times of collecting evidence, which renders comparison difficult. Those that were able
to provide such evidence from their own records were broadly in line with the figures above,
although there was also substantial variation between different institutions with some
institutions reporting a much higher employment rate in Wales than others. We would strongly
recommend that, in the future, all providers of ITT (both HEI-led and GTP-led programmes) be
required to collect robust data on the destinations of their graduates.
2.22 In trying to understand the relatively low employment rates in Wales amongst those trained in
Wales, it is important to recognise that many teachers trained in Wales do find teaching posts
elsewhere – in the UK and in Europe. Again, drawing on the HESA data for 2002/3 we can
identify those percentages taking up teaching outside Wales.
34
Table 5: Teaching activity of students completing ITT courses in Wales, by
qualification and location, 2002/03
PGCE First Degree Totals Total as a %age
of those known
In teaching post:
Location -
Wales 540 295 835 52%
Rest of UK 220 110 330 20%
Other EU/Overseas 50 10 60 4
Total(b) 815 420 1235 76%
Seeking a teaching post 60 65 125 8%
Not seeking a teaching
post 170 80 250 16%
Total known teaching
activity 1,040 570 1610 100%
Teaching activity unknown 360 115 475 (22%)
Total 1,400 680 2080
Source: Adapted from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record and Destinations of
Leavers from Higher Education, 2003/4
2.23 These figures, which suggest that the total employment rate for those trained in Wales is
approximately 50%, broadly corroborate those of the GTCW (the GTCW figure for the same
year was 44%). They also show that an additional 24% of students trained in Wales go into
teaching outside Wales. However, with a response rate of only 68% it is likely that the HESA
data overestimates employment in teaching overall, in that those in teaching posts are
probably more likely to respond to the HESA survey than those who are unemployed or who
have chosen not to teach.
2.24 We also need to recognise that until devolution, whether or not Wales trained significant
numbers of teachers who taught elsewhere or indeed did not go into teaching at all was not an
issue within Wales itself. It is only with the advent of democratic devolution that Wales, for the
first time, has to confront the issue of whether or not it wishes, and can afford, to train at least
double the number of teachers it currently employs.
35
Should Wales use workforce planning to try to get the numbers right?
2.25 The fact that Wales is currently overproducing teachers, especially primary school teachers, has
been generally acknowledged in recent years, though it would seem that the degree of over-
production has not been fully appreciated. Now that these figures are in the public domain how
should Wales respond?
2.26 One approach would be simply to institute a percentage cut in the number of places assigned to
providers. The ITT target letter, issued by HEFCW in November 2004 (W04/72HE), gave notice
of a 5% cut in ITT primary Intake Targets for 2005/06 and warned providers that there would
be a further cut in 2006/07 targets. Cuts of this sort are based on the aspiration to use
workforce planning to get the numbers right – or at least more ‘right’ than they are at present.
But is there any real alternative to workforce planning of this sort? In the evidence we
received during our Review, a number of alternative arguments were put forward which we
summarise below:
• Using the market Several commentators suggested that HEIs and other providers
should be allowed to produce as many teachers as they choose and then let the market
decide who gets a job. This argument suggests that ITT courses are like law degrees
in which those taking them develop highly marketable skills whether or not they find a
job in the teaching profession; over-production is therefore not a problem.
We disagree with that argument. ITT is expensive, particularly the PGCE, and Wales
cannot justify training teachers that it does not need, especially as it now has to pay
for such courses itself.
Both undergraduate and postgraduate courses are highly focused. What students are
offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels is a very specific form of
training, very different from, say, a law degree. If Wales wanted to develop a generic
course that served a range of different careers, then the programme would look very
different from that which is currently offered to ITT students. Moreover, the strong
‘vocational promise’ associated with ITT courses means that HEIs, the Funding Council
and ultimately the Welsh Assembly Government itself are setting up expectations
amongst students that in the end cannot be satisfied; in the longer term this could be
unproductive and affect supply negatively. Indeed, there is already evidence that the
lack of employment opportunities for primary teachers in Wales may be affecting PGCE
applications.27
• Reducing staff student ratios (SSRs) Another argument in favour of the current
apparent over-production of teachers was the suggestion that additional numbers
should be used to reduce SSRs in Welsh schools.
We understand this aspiration and would encourage the Welsh Assembly Government
to look carefully at our figures and to consider how far current over-production could
be absorbed into the education sector in a positive way so as to improve SSRs.
However, we recognise that such decisions are made at a political level - either at
27 GTTR figures show that applications for PGCE courses in Wales reduced from 1665 in 2004 to 1336 in 2005.
36
national or LEA level. We also recognise that providing advice on SSRs is beyond the
remit of our Review. What we would say is that, from our calculations, the current
amount of apparent over-production of teachers, and especially primary school
teachers, is so significant that employing all of them is unlikely to be an achievable
political objective in the short term.
• Cross border flow Some witnesses argued that we need to overproduce teachers to
allow for cross border flow.
We would want to encourage high quality trainees who want to come and teach in
Wales to train here just as we would want to encourage the cross border flow of
qualified teachers. We were convinced by the arguments of many of our respondents
that we do not want to create a ‘Fortress Wales’. Border flow does need to be taken
into account in calculating the numbers of teachers who are trained in Wales.
However, as we demonstrate in Chapter 3, the evidence is that there is less flow of
newly qualified teachers between England and Wales than many believe. Moreover,
whatever the size of the cross border flow is, that does not detract from the need to
train the numbers needed in Wales. The fact that Wales welcomes mobility does not
mean that it should train significantly more teachers than it knows it will need.
• Maintain quality and choice Finally some witnesses argued strongly that it was
essential to overproduce the numbers of teachers needed in order to maintain quality
and choice in teaching appointments.
We would also agree that maintaining a sufficient number of teachers in the system is
important for choice – and for many other reasons, too. We need to be aware of how
many teachers move in and out of teaching for a range of reasons – for maternity
leave, for other jobs, because they change geographical areas. Therefore, modelling
the numbers of teachers Wales needs is not a precise science; figures will always need
some smoothing. But this does not mean that Wales should not do some intelligent
and careful planning of what it might need and then add an appropriate margin of
error.
2.27 From our consideration of the available evidence we therefore conclude, firstly, that there is
considerable over-production of teachers in Wales, and, secondly, that Wales should aim to
provide just for its own needs for newly qualified teachers, as far as possible avoiding
producing teachers unlikely to work in Wales. There could be real benefits in doing this. As
Estyn said in its evidence to the Review:
• ‘Before devolution, there were no financial implications for Wales in overproducing
teachers. Avoiding this now would release resources that could, for instance, be used to
support targeting recruitment and retention in shortage areas’
2.28 However, we are also aware that if Wales is to focus its training only on its own needs, then
there will be major implications for the ITT sector as a whole. In making the necessary
transition, Wales needs to ensure that provision remains robust with financially secure
providers. It also needs to ensure that any change does not damage other sorts of provision,
37
such as continuing professional development (CPD) and research capacity, which are currently
linked to ITT. These are issues we address in our more detailed proposals in Chapter 4.
Recommendation 1 That Wales should attempt to develop its workforce planning so that, with an
appropriate margin for error, it aims to provide for its own needs for newly qualified teachers and, as
far as possible, avoids producing teachers unlikely to work in Wales.
Recommendation 2 That all ITT providers be required to develop robust and consistent records of
the destinations of their trainees, with information on those teaching in Wales, those teaching
elsewhere and those not pursuing a career in teaching.
Training for Welsh schools
2.29 If Wales is able to develop a system of provision where it does provide primarily for its own
needs in terms of newly qualified teachers, then it is in a position, if it so wishes, to develop a
system of provision that is focused more sharply than at present on the needs of Wales28.
2.30 During our institutional visits we became aware that most providers felt it necessary to provide
training that would equip trainees for working either in Wales or England. Given the current
destinations of some students, we fully understand this approach. However, with the growing
divergence of the educational service in Wales from that in England that we described in
Chapter 1, we do not think this position is either sustainable or desirable in the longer term.
The introduction of the Foundation Phase, the 14-19 agenda and the further development of
Iaith Pawb, means that Wales will increasingly need teachers who have been well prepared to
teach in Wales; maintaining a commonality of approach will become increasingly untenable.
2.31 However, we also recognise the fears, expressed by many witnesses, against developing an ITT
system that results in a ‘Fortress Wales’, where only those trained in Wales are welcome to
teach in Wales. Providers must continue to encourage the best trainees to apply to train in
Wales, wherever they come from. Teaching qualifications are now recognised across the UK and
within the European Union. The training offered in Wales must be relevant to Welsh schools
but it must also be of the highest quality and able to provide a sound foundation for teaching
anywhere.
2.32 We would also recommend that the Welsh Assembly Government commission a free standing
module from an established distance learning provider on the theme of ‘Teaching in Wales’.
This module, which should be freely available with or without accreditation, should introduce
those new to teaching in Wales to the ways in which the educational system in Wales is
distinctive. Making such a module freely available would send an important message to
prospective teachers that they were welcome to join the teaching profession in Wales; it would
also free ITT providers in Wales to focus more explicitly on teaching in Wales during initial
training.
28 The terms of reference of our Review did not include a consideration of the content of ITT. However, in addressing the question
about whether or not Wales should aim to provide just for its own needs, some general discussion about the broad ‘focus’ of
courses is relevant.
38
Recommendation 3 That the Welsh Assembly Government encourages ITT providers to develop
courses that are focused, first and foremost, on preparing new teachers to teach within Welsh schools.
Recommendation 4 That the Welsh Assembly Government commissions an established distance
learning provider to develop a free standing CPD module on the theme of ‘Teaching in Wales’. The
module should be freely available to new teachers in Wales, with or without accreditation.
39
Chapter 3 The needs of schools in Wales: getting the numbers right
Question:
How can the need for ITT provision be calculated to achieve a better match between the supply of
NQTs and the future needs of schools in Wales?
3.1 In addressing this Review question, we were asked to consider the following issues:
• Demographic changes in the pupil population and the workforce;
• The teachers’ workload agreement;
• The 14-19 agenda;
• The Foundation phase;
• Welsh language provision;
• Cross border movement and wastage rates;
• Regional differences in supply and demand
• Funding arrangements29.
3.2 We were also requested to recommend:
• A robust methodology for estimating the future demand for teachers in Wales.
How does Wales currently estimate the numbers of teachers it needs
to train?
3.4 At present, the DfES in London is primarily responsible for the underlying data analysis used in
generating the ITT targets in Wales; it does this via the Teacher Supply Model which covers
both Wales and England.
3.5 The DfES Teacher Supply Model aims to predict the required number of entrants to teaching
from training (completers) both for the current year and for future years to allow for smoothing
in ITT recruitment targets that could otherwise be subject to abrupt annual changes. Essentially
the Model has a number of key data generators which the DfES assumes to be uniform in
nature across both Wales and England although at present no ‘Wales specific data’ is fed into
the Model.
3.6 Firstly, the Model calculates likely changes in the demand for teachers – changing demography,
patterns of retirement, and policy issues in England such as changes in SSRs etc. It also
calculates supply ‘competitors’ from different routes (re-entrants, late entrants, new entrants
and other entrants). It then calculates the number of ITT completers over the whole of Wales
29 The issue of funding is rather different from the others in this list and we therefore addressed it within Chapter 4 when we
discuss the reconfiguring of provision.
40
and England required to ensure a ‘competition’ success rate of 92% amongst eligible
completers of ITT programmes. A rate of over 95% is believed not to produce sufficient
regional variation, and leads to undersupply, whereas a rate of less than 90% might mean good
candidates being unable to secure teaching posts.
3.7 Once the Model has calculated the number of ITT places needed across Wales and England as a
whole, it calculates a standard percentage (currently 8.7% of the total) which is assigned to
Wales. These targets are advisory only for Wales and officers within the Welsh Assembly
Government then review them before setting actual numbers. At this point, the Welsh Assembly
Government add in Wales-only requirements such as the demand for Welsh medium teachers.
3.8 It is important to note that although advice on the numbers needed is provided by the DfES,
this is indeed only advice and the funding for places is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly
Government.
Future needs of schools Wales
3.9 In Wales, numbers of ITT students needed are released one year in advance; it is therefore
difficult to see medium term trends. However, in England, the Training Development Agency
for Schools (TDA) now provides indicative advice on a rolling three year basis. The most recent
advice is reproduced below indicating a substantial decline in the demand for new teachers over
the next three years. The decline predicted in secondary provision is particularly marked.
Table 6: ITT recruitment targets for England
Subject/
phase
2004/05
(actual)
2005/06
(actual)
2006/07
(indicative)
2007/08
(indicative)
Total
secondary
19,500 18,500
(-5%)
17,300
(-11%)
16,100
(-17.5%)
Total primary 16,300 15,800
(-3%)
15,400
(-6%)
15,100
(-7%)
Source:TTA www.tta.gov.uk/ittplaces
3.10 These figures suggest that if Wales continues to use the DfES Teacher Supply Model to
calculate the numbers needed, it will be advised to make similar reductions on a pro rata basis.
3.11 But are these figures right for Wales, especially given that they are calculated on a Wales and
England basis? If Wales, as we recommended in Chapter 2, is in the future going to focus on
training only those teachers it actually needs, and avoid, as far as possible, training teachers
unlikely to work in Wales, then it is much more important than in the past to ensure that the
calculations take into account Wales’ own needs. In our Review we were not in a position to
undertake any original research on issues of teacher supply and demand; nevertheless, we
were able to examine existing secondary data which gives some indication of likely trends in
Wales. In the next sections we discuss what is known about possible changes in the demand
for and supply of new teachers in Wales.
41
Changes in demand for teachers in Wales
Changes in the school population
3.12 Across Wales and England, the decline in pupil numbers is predicted to be from 8,070,000
pupils in 2003 to 7,442,000 in 201330. This is a loss some 628,000 pupils over ten years.
3.13 The decline in the primary school population commenced in 1999 and that trend is expected to
continue until around 2011 followed by a gradual increase in that population, assuming that the
current projections about birth rates are met. Over the period as a whole the decline is
expected to be about 6.6%.
3.14 However, the decline in the secondary school population is only just starting to be felt by most
schools. The school population is expected to fall every year between now and 2013, and
indeed beyond that year. The decline over the period is expected to be some 8.8%.
3.15 In Wales, the number of 0-19 year olds is expected to decline from 734,000 in 2003 to 680,000
in 2014, a loss of some 54,000 or a decline of around 7%. The decline is not uniform across
the various age groups. For instance, the 0-9 age groups decline by just 14,000 between 2003
and 2014, some 4%, and will reach its low point in about 2011. The 10-19 age groups suffers
a much greater decline of some 40,000 or 10%, and the secondary school population in Wales
will almost certainly still be in decline in 2013.
3.16 Furthermore, the decline is not uniform across Wales. According to a new Statistical Bulletin
SB 40/2205, issued by National Assembly for Wales on 23 June 2005, the number of 0-4 year
olds will rise from 160,100 in 2003 to 162,00 in 2013, whereas the number of 5-15 year olds
will fall from 417,200 in 2003 to 369,000 in 2013.
3.17 At the sub regional level within Wales the changes are shown in the following table:
30 DfES evidence to STRB 2004 Table 12
42
Table 7: Predicted numbers of 0-4 and 5-15 year olds in sub-regions of Wales, 2003-
13
Regions 0-4 year olds 5-15 year olds
North Wales
2003
2008
2913
36,200
35,400
34,100
92,600
88,100
83800
Mid Wales
2003
2008
2013
9,700
9,500
9,000
27,300
25,500
23,500
South West Wales
2003
2008
2013
34,500
34,300
34,400
89,900
85,300
81,500
South East Wales
2003
2008
2013
79,700
81,300
84,500
207.400
189,800
180,100
Source: Statistical Bulletin SB 40/2205 issued by NAW only on 23rd June 2005
3.18 These projections illustrate the shift between other regions and South East Wales during the
next decade or so. Thus, North Wales is assumed to have 2,100 fewer 0-4 year olds in 2013
than in 2003, whereas South East Wales has 4,800 more by 2013. Mid Wales also has a
smaller number of 0-4 year olds in 2013 than 2003, but the number in South West Wales is
virtually unchanged.
3.19 Amongst the main school population of 5-15 year olds, North Wales is expected to see a drop of
8,800 or 9.5% in pupil numbers. In Mid Wales the decline is expected to be 3,800 or 14%. In
South West Wales the decline is 8,400 or 9.3%. In South East Wales, the reduction in numbers
is expected to be 27,300 or 13%.
3.20 These declines will increasingly affect the secondary schools as the time frame moves nearer to
2013.
3.21 On this variable, it is problematic to treat even Wales as a single entity unless the assumption
can be made, as with the main model, that there is mobility within Wales. Without mobility,
the location of training providers is an important factor that may produce both pockets of over-
supply and shortages.
Retirements
3.22 In calculating changes to the teaching population in Wales, there are two contrasting factors at
work in the short to medium term, both concerning retirements. On the one hand, the number
of teachers reaching retirement age will rise over the short term. The 2005 GCTW survey of
registered teachers working in primary and secondary schools shows a small bulge in the 50-54
43
age group. This is likely to increase retirements in the primary sector by around 130-150 a
year between 2010 and 2015. In the secondary sector the increase is likely to be smaller at
around 100 extra retirements per year. As many of the retirements will be amongst senior
staff, including many primary head teachers, direct competition for their posts is unlikely to
come from NQTs. Indeed, some of the posts might be filled by teachers returning to work in
Wales from England.
3.23 On the other hand, in the next few years, the pension age for new staff is planned to rise to 65
and this will affect the demand for teachers in the longer term.
Turnover rates
3.24 Historically, the DfES teacher supply model has relied on information that is several years out
of date when calculating the turnover of teachers. Therefore the information produced is not
particularly sensitive to rapid changes in the labour market. The effects of the time lag mean
that the supply model is only now receiving information about the period between 2001 and
2003 when turnover rose rapidly for a short period of time. The Welsh Assembly Government’s
own survey on vacancies, now conducted annually, can provide more up to date information on
movement than that currently used by the DfES model.
3.25 Calculating teacher turnover separately for Wales is important because evidence would suggest
that turnover amongst teachers is significantly lower in Wales than any region in England.
According to information from the Employers’ Organisation for local government, who have
been conducting an annual survey of teacher resignations and recruitment for some twenty
years, turnover in the primary sector in Wales has traditionally been lower than for any region
in England. Although it rose slightly in 2003, (the latest year figures are available) it remained
some 2% points below the best region in England which was the Northern Region, where it was
11.1%.
Table 8: Turnover Rates for Primary School Teachers in England and Wales 1994-2003
Wales England and Wales
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
6.7%
5.5%
5.9%
8.8%
5.0%
5.2%
5.1%
5.8%
5.6%
7.1%
8.4%
8.6%
9.4%
11.7%
9.0%
11.7%
12.8%
13.0%
11.7%
12.3%
Source: Employers Organisation for Local Authorities annual surveys
44
Changes in the supply of newly qualified teachers in Wales
Late entry into teaching
3.26 It has been recognised for some time that not all ITT completers enter service immediately on
achieving QTS status. Historically, these potential entrants were known as the LEPIT or Late
Entry Pool of Inactive Teachers to distinguish them from the wider Pool of Inactive Teachers
(PIT) of those who have entered and then left service.
3.27 Any build-up of trained teachers willing to enter service, but not currently working as teachers,
could affect the demand for newly qualified teachers; in Wales, this may well be the current
position in the primary sector. In this regard, it is worth noting that, in March 2005, some 8%
of teachers registered with the GTCW were ’out of service’, and a further 17% were registered
in Wales but were not currently identified as working in a school in Wales. This would suggest
that there could be a significant pool of teachers wishing to teach in Wales if and when posts
become available.
Cross border mobility
3.28 The Welsh Assembly Government has also been monitoring the domicile of trainee teachers in
Wales for a number of years. Figures from 1999/2000 and 2003/4 are summarised in Table 9
below.
Table 9: Domicile of ITT students 1999/2000 and 2003/2004
Domicile of students on all
ITT programmes in Wales
Location of Welsh domiciled
ITT Undergraduates
Location of Welsh domiciled
ITT Postgraduates
Domicile Wales England Rep of
Ireland
Wales England Wales England
1999/2000 70% 23% 5%
2003/2004 79% 14% 5% 85% 85 students 76% 365 students
Source: National Assembly for Wales (2005)31
3.29 From the evidence available therefore it seems that, perhaps due to the introduction of tuition
fees, students have been opting for ITT courses closer to home. In 1999/2000, 70% of all
students on ITT courses in Wales were domiciled in Wales, 23% domiciled in England. By
2003/4, 79% were domiciled in Wales and only 14% in England. It seems likely that this trend
will intensify when top-up fees are introduced in England in 2006.
3.30 Table 9 also shows the current training location of Welsh domiciled ITT students. In 2003/4
only 85 Welsh domiciled students chose to take an undergraduate programme in England but
365 Welsh domiciled students chose to take a PGCE in England. This latter figure in particular
could be significant in influencing the future supply of teachers wishing to work in Wales. No
breakdown is available in these figures between primary and secondary numbers. However,
31 National Assembly for Wales (2005): Initial Teacher Training in Wales 2003/04. Statistical Bulletin SB12/2005. Published 23
March 2005.
45
the GTCW also collect data on where newly qualified teachers trained and, in 2004-5, there
were 164 registering for the first time who had trained in England. Of these, 77 were trained
for the primary sector, 87 secondary.
Current difficulties in modelling the demand for and supply of
teachers in Wales
3.31 In the discussion above we have reported our investigation of currently available evidence that
is relevant to an understanding of the future demand for, and supply of, teachers in Wales.
Our reading of this evidence would suggest that, in the medium term, Wales needs to plan for a
reduction in the numbers of teachers it trains that is at least as great as the reduction
projected for England (see Table 6). In planning for such a reduction, it is also necessary to
have some awareness of regional variations in demographic changes, for example the predicted
greater than average reduction in secondary age pupils in the south east of Wales but the
greater than average rise in 0-4 year olds in that region. However, given the relatively small
numbers involved overall, and the need to maintain strong provision across Wales as a whole,
regional considerations can only be taken into account at the margins.
3.32 In our Review we also became aware that there was potentially a wide range of other factors
that could affect the demand for and supply of new teachers in Wales, factors that at present
are much more difficult to calculate. For example, as we indicated in Chapter 1, Wales is
currently developing a range of new educational policies – the Foundation Phase, the 14-19
agenda, workforce remodelling. While some of these initiatives could have important
implications for the demand for new teachers and certainly for the content of training, in other
cases the national workforce planning associated with these initiatives has yet to be fully
developed by the Welsh Assembly Government and by LEAs. Important policy issues are
discussed below.
The Foundation Phase
3.33 We learned that, within the Foundation Phase, there are currently no plans to increase the
numbers of trained teachers working with 3–7 year olds; the significant increase in staffing, we
were told, would be achieved by increasing the numbers of other professionals. While there are
clearly implications for the content of ITT (teachers will in the future need to develop the skills
of leading a team of professionals working with young children), there are apparently no
implications for the numbers to be trained.
The 14 – 19 agenda
3.34 Here we learned that, in the future, there could well be major implications for both the content
and numbers of trained teachers and lecturers needed. In addition, there may well be a need to
bring qualifications and training routes for secondary teachers and FE lecturers into closer
harmony. However, we also learned it will not be possible to model the numbers of qualified
teachers and lecturers needed until plans for how ‘learning pathways’ will work in practice are
far more developed than at present.
46
Workforce remodelling
3.35 At present, the only concrete part of this policy is the 10% reduction in contact time for
teachers for Planning, Preparation and Assessment time (PPA). While it might be assumed that
this sort of reduction would result in a 10% increase in demand for teachers, we learned that
the funding model currently being used to underpin this aspect of workforce remodelling
assumes that replacement will not be with qualified teachers. We also learned that, in practice,
decisions about whether or not to employ qualified teachers for cover are being taken at the
level of individual schools. The implications for the numbers of qualified teachers needed are,
at this time, therefore difficult to predict and are unlikely to become clear until practice
becomes embedded.
Welsh medium and bilingual provision – current
3.36 In the context of Iaith Pawb, the supply of teachers willing and able to teach through the
medium of Welsh is a key strategic issue for Wales. In order to meet its policy commitments in
this area, Wales needs to ensure the adequate supply of at least four different types of Welsh
medium teacher:
• Those able to teach Welsh as a second language in both primary and secondary schools;
• Those able to teach Welsh as a subject (including Welsh literature) in secondary schools;
• Primary teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh;
• Secondary subject specialist teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh.
At present there is no publicly available data on any of these needs.
3.37 During our evidence sessions, we heard claims of significant ‘concealed and suppressed
shortages’ of teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh. These include teachers
teaching outside their areas of expertise and an unmet demand for new Welsh medium schools.
However, without robust data we found it difficult to refute or substantiate these assertions.
Welsh medium and bilingual provision – future
3.38 Again, with the current state of public information, we found it difficult to assess future plans
for the development of Welsh medium and bilingual provision across Wales. For example, we
learned that currently, all 22 Local Education Authorities have produced a first Welsh Education
Scheme which sets out plans for Welsh-medium or bilingual education in broad terms.
However, we also learned that only a minority have produced their second Welsh Education
Scheme (which covers a five year period); a majority of others were in the process of doing so.
3.39 We were informed that the main purpose of these schemes has been to ensure that LEAs
identify the needs for Welsh-medium and or bilingual education and set strategic measures to
address this demand. The guidelines for the preparation of the second cycle of schemes
require LEAs to ‘present information and data mapping the demand for Welsh-medium and
bilingual education and analyse the provision throughout the authority’.
3.40 During our Review we learned that there is currently increased awareness of the need for this
planning to be undertaken on the basis of an accurate measure of demand and for the Welsh
47
Language Board working with LEAs to develop a more effective methodology to do that. The
ultimate aim is to reach a situation where counties across Wales have a clearer basis on which
to develop policy. However, it remains the case that, as yet, that evidence is not publicly
available.
Supply not demand
3.41 Finally, we need to recognise that in some shortage areas, and especially teachers able to teach
through the medium of Welsh, the issue is not modelling demand but supply. Currently most
Welsh medium providers do not work to targets but simply recruit as many Welsh speaking
trainees as they can. Modelling as precisely as possible the numbers Wales needs would be
helpful but will not in itself solve the problem. Other sorts of interventions are needed and we
discuss these in more detail in Chapter 4.
Developing a robust methodology for estimating the future demand
for teachers in Wales
3.42 Given the many demands on Welsh Assembly Government staff, we would not recommend the
setting up of an entirely new model for estimating the future demand for teachers in Wales.
The sensible way forward is to develop better information to ‘gloss’ or ‘smooth’ the predictions
of the current DfES model so that it more fully reflects the needs of Wales. As we have shown,
there is already in the public domain considerable data that could be used in this way.
However, our Review has also made clear that, at present, there are many areas where this is
much more difficult; where educational policy is in flux, where evidence is missing and where
workforce planning has simply not been undertaken by LEAs or by the Welsh Assembly
Government itself.
3.43 We would therefore recommend that if the Welsh Assembly Government wishes to develop a
more robust methodology, it should, as a priority, increase its capacity to undertake statistical
work in this area. Work needs to be undertaken both inside and outside the Welsh Assembly
Government in order to model more precisely than we have been able to the numbers of
teachers needed now and in the future.
Planning for the future
3.44 However, even on currently available evidence, it is clear that, if Wales wishes to train first and
foremost for its own needs, it will need to plan for a substantial reduction in current provision
for ITT. In our Interim Report we recommended a reduction of 5% for both primary and
secondary numbers for 2006/07. For the longer term, given the uncertainties of current
information and the need for a significant margin of error, we would recommend that, for 2010,
in primary there is a plan to achieve a reduction of places on ITT courses in the region of 50%
of the 2004/5 figures. For secondary provision the planned reduction for 2010 should be in the
region of 25% of the 2004/5 figures. As we will discuss in more detail in the next chapter, if
preliminary plans are made now for this order of reduction, in the intervening years, as more
48
precise information becomes available, numbers can be refined. However, we would anticipate
that the changes needed to bring supply more into line with demand will be of this order.
3.45 Changes of this magnitude will have major implications for the ITT sector as a whole and
indeed for some individual HEIs. If ITT is to be sustained in the longer term, then it is essential
that Wales has a smaller, but more robust and financially secure system. Care must therefore
be taken in planning reductions not to damage existing high quality provision and provision that
meets a local or specialist need, especially in shortage subjects and for teachers able to teach
through the medium of Welsh. It is also necessary to consider the implications of any
reductions on other forms of related provision such as CPD and research. In the next chapter
we outline our proposals for meeting these important considerations.
Recommendation 5 That the Welsh Assembly Government, HEFCW and providers plan for a
reduction, in the next five years, of numbers of ITT targets so that they more closely match the
numbers of NQTs required in Wales. In primary, the initial plan should be for a reduction of 50% of
2004/5 provision and, in secondary, 25%. Plans should be revised, year on year, between now and
2010 as more precise information on supply and demand becomes available.
Recommendation 6 That the Welsh Assembly Government and HEFCW plan this reduction in line
with the principles set out in Chapter 4.
Recommendation 7 That the Welsh Assembly Government increases its statistical capacity so that
it is able to develop more robust evidence on all aspects of the demand for and supply of teachers in
Wales, including those teaching through the medium of Welsh. This information should be used in the
future planning of ITT targets which, as in England, should be made available to providers on a three
year rolling basis.
49
Chapter 4 Adjusting provision in Wales
Question:
How might Initial Teacher Training provision be adjusted to ensure a supply of high quality new
teachers appropriate to the needs of schools in Wales?
4.1 The main issues we were asked to consider here were as follows:
• The balance of undergraduate and postgraduate provision;
• The effect of any reconfiguration of higher education in Wales;
• Means of increasing the diversity of students entering Initial Teacher Training;
• The potential of different types of provision, including employment-based routes such as
the Graduate Teacher Programme;
• The needs of Welsh medium provision.
4.2 We were also asked to consider:
• Strategies for reducing wastage;
• The possibility of using people with appropriate qualifications from industry or commerce,
who might contribute to the teaching force in a limited, part time way.
The balance of undergraduate and postgraduate provision
4.3 All of the evidence we have presented in the previous chapter indicates that Wales needs to
plan for a substantial reduction in the numbers of both primary and secondary teachers it
prepares.
4.4 However, our visits to different institutions and our written evidence made it clear to us that
reductions of the magnitude needed cannot be achieved by simple pro-rata cuts. The ITT
sector in Wales is already financially insecure32; cutting numbers by even a small percentage
could result in unpredictable closures of courses and the loss of important provision. It is, too,
the case that HEIs that provide ITT are also substantial providers of other important services –
CPD for teachers, research, as well as a range of other degrees – foundation degrees, early
childhood degrees. These services, which are essential for the support of the education service
more broadly conceived, are frequently staffed by the same people who contribute to ITT.
Simply to reduce numbers pro-rata could therefore damage much of this other provision that is
currently of high quality and necessary for the future of education in Wales.
32 See section 2.15 above
50
Teaching – a postgraduate profession
4.5 We propose that Wales should move over the next five years to entirely postgraduate entry
route for teaching and that the BA (Education) degree in Wales should be phased out. As we
demonstrated in Chapter 2, current numbers (2002/2003) of primary PGCE graduates
completing their training in Wales are 472 while the highest number of primary teachers
employed in the last four years was 435. If, allowing a considerable margin for error, a new
target were set at 550, a relatively modest increase in the numbers of primary PGCE places
would be sufficient to meet current demand. Moreover, a one-year PGCE only entry would be
able to respond much more quickly to future changes in predicted demand than a three or four
year undergraduate route. Currently, numbers on secondary BA (Education) courses are
relatively small and confined to shortened courses in shortage subjects. In order not to
disadvantage these students we would recommend that their courses be developed into BA plus
PGCE.
A new non ITT degree
4.6 However, the current primary undergraduate route into teaching in Wales does, at present,
serve a number of very important purposes. It is important in terms of access and it makes a
vital contribution to the support of the Welsh language through the Welsh Colleges scheme and
Welsh medium provision. In addition, the economic viability of many providers currently
depends on undergraduate provision, with lecturers teaching on PGCE, BA (Education), and
other undergraduate degrees. There is strong evidence33 that PGCE-only departments would
not be economically viable. Unless the unit of resource going to education departments can be
protected, there is a real danger that cuts in ITT numbers would significantly destabilise the
sector.
4.7 We therefore recommend that, at the same time as ITT primary provision becomes graduate
entry only, HEFCW continues to provide HEIs with broadly the same unit of resource as at
present and encourages them to establish a new sort of degree – the ‘Pre-Professional Degree’
– to be offered by schools or departments of education. Overall, therefore, the implications of
our proposals will be cost neutral.
4.8 The new degrees, which should be both academically rigorous and vocationally relevant, should
be designed to lead on to a range of different postgraduate careers in the field of education -
counselling, youth work - as well as teaching. Other possible specialisms might be: early
years, vocational training and education; special education. Appropriately designed, such
degrees could offer young people in Wales a strong foundation for a wide range of careers that
are becoming strategically significant within the changing workforce of the education sector.
4.9 For such degrees to meet the strategic needs of Wales, they would have to fulfil the following
criteria. They would need to:
• Offer high quality undergraduate education that is both academically rigorous and
vocationally relevant;
33 J M Consulting (2004) op cit, Education Data Surveys Ltd (2004) op cit.
51
• Continue to be attractive to the same group of vocationally-oriented 18 year olds that
currently applies to the BA (Education);
• Produce graduates who would be attractive to admissions tutors on PGCE courses and to a
range of other forms of postgraduate training or employment (youth work, vocational
education and training, counselling etc);
• Continue to meet the needs of the widening participation agenda in Wales;
• Continue to find ways of supporting the Welsh language development of the participants.
4.10 From these criteria, we would highlight two in particular:
• Access Broadening access to higher education is an important strategic aim for Wales
and, at present, the undergraduate ITT degree plays an important role in that regard.
However, we are not convinced by the argument that professional training itself should
be driven by issues of access. This, we argue, is something that needs to be achieved
through undergraduate provision. There then need to be proper pathways for
successful graduates from that undergraduate provision to professional training. For
this reason, we would recommend that new Pre-Professional Degrees should be set, by
their institutions, clear targets in terms of broadening access. Institutions should also
set up clear pathways for successful graduates between these new degrees and a
range of different forms of postgraduate training and/or employment.
• The Welsh language As we indicated above, the role of ITT undergraduate courses is
particularly important in relation to Welsh language provision. Undergraduate ITT,
supported through HEFCW’s Welsh Colleges scheme, currently represents the largest
single block of Welsh language provision within higher education in Wales. In
achieving the changes we have proposed, it is vitally important to protect this
provision. We would therefore propose that the new Pre-Professional Degree be
offered in both Welsh and English. HEIs should be required to protect at least the same
numbers of Welsh medium places on the new degree as are currently provided by the
BA (Education). We also propose that HEFCW be asked to bring forward plans to adapt
the Welsh Colleges scheme, currently designed specifically to support undergraduate
ITT programmes, to support these new Pre-Professional Degrees.
4.11 An outline of a possible framework for a Pre-Professional Degree programme is provided in
Annex E.
Secondary numbers
4.12 It is clear that a significant reduction is also likely to be needed in secondary training; on
current employment rates, and again allowing for a significant margin of error, that is likely to
be in the region of a 25% reduction on 2004/05 figures. However, achieving reductions across
the board is much more challenging than in primary in that the needs of different subjects must
be taken into account. Wales needs strong provision in all subject areas in each of its major
regions; this provision also needs as far as possible to be bilingual. We would therefore
recommend that the reduction in secondary numbers be planned as part of the reconfiguration
of the sector described below. If a five year lead time is given, it should be possible to plan
provision that is more rationally distributed across Wales and matches more clearly than at
present the demand for secondary subject teachers in Wales. We also recommend that any
52
savings achieved by the reduction in secondary numbers are used to address the current
under-funding of ITT and the development of strong centres of bilingual provision in each of the
major regions of Wales.
Recommendation 8 That Wales should move over the next five years to an entirely postgraduate
entry route for teaching and that the BA (Education) degree in Wales should be phased out.
Recommendation 9 That at the same time as ITT becomes graduate entry only, HEFCW continues
to provide HEIs with broadly the same unit of resource as at present and encourages them to
establish a new sort of degree – the ‘Pre-Professional Degree’ – appropriate for entry to a range of
professions, which could be offered by Schools or Departments of Education. Secondary BA
(Education) degrees should be redesigned to become BA + PGCE.
Recommendation 10 That the continuation of current funding levels to HEIs be conditional on the
development of new provision that meets the criteria set out in 4.2 above and that current Welsh
language numbers be protected within the new degree.
Recommendation 11 That HEFCW be asked to bring forward plans to adapt the current Welsh
Colleges scheme to a form that will support the new Pre-Professional Degrees.
Recommendation 12 That planned reduction in secondary numbers be linked to the reconfiguration
of the sector described in this Report. That the Welsh Assembly Government and HEFCW review
secondary ITT numbers with a view, over the next five years, to establishing targets that (a) match
more clearly than at present the demand for secondary subject teachers in Wales and (b) are more
rationally distributed across the main regions of Wales than at present. It is anticipated that this will
involve at least a 25% reduction in 2004/05 provision.
Recommendation 13 That the funding of these changes (Recommendations 9-12) should be largely
cost neutral. Any savings achieved by for example the reduction in secondary numbers should be used
to address the current under-funding of ITT and the development of strong centres of bilingual
provision in each of the major regions of Wales.
Strengthening the teacher education sector
The problems of current provision
4.13 As we indicated in Chapter 2, the present higher education based ITT sector in Wales has a
number of important features. Currently there are seven main providers with the expectation
that the Open University in Wales will become the eighth in 2006/7. These providers vary
substantially in size – from NEWI with an output of 63 NQTs in 2002/3 to UWIC with an output
of 525 NQTs in the same year. The providers not only vary in size but also in the range of
courses they offer. Centres such as Bangor, UWIC and Swansea offer a wide range of provision
– primary, secondary, undergraduate, postgraduate – and within their secondary programmes
they offer a wide range of subject specialisms. Other providers offer a narrower range.
Aberystwyth offers postgraduate entry only to primary and to a smaller range of secondary
subjects. Trinity College Carmarthen focuses mostly on primary provision – both undergraduate
53
and postgraduate. Newport offers primary undergraduate entry plus a limited range of
secondary provision, especially in shortage subjects. NEWI offers a primary undergraduate
programme. The position in Wales therefore contrasts with Scotland, where, in recent years,
there has been a series of amalgamations of colleges of education with existing universities so
that each of their seven providers now offers a wide range of provision34.
4.14 As we showed in Table 2, providers in Wales also vary substantially in their contribution to
Welsh medium training. Bangor reports the largest numbers of trainees designated as Welsh
medium, closely followed by Trinity College Carmarthen, and then Aberystwyth. UWIC has a
small but strategically important strand of Welsh medium provision but other centres, including
Swansea, have little or none.
4.15 Of course both the size and linguistic specialisms of each of these institutions has arisen for
complex historical reasons. Newport and NEWI, in line with their institutions’ wider missions,
focus strongly on local recruitment and issues of access. Welsh language provision in each
institution also reflects to some extent the nature of the linguistic community in the region the
HEI has, for historical reasons, come to serve. The only exception here is UWIC with its
growing strand of Welsh medium provision; here it is clear that UWIC is mainly responding to
the changing nature of Welsh language school provision in south east Wales.
4.16 As we also noted in Chapter 2, another important feature of current HEI based provision is that
it is financially insecure.
The case for reconfiguration
4.17 From the evidence we have taken as part of this Review, we conclude that the provision of high
quality teachers, in the right numbers, needed to take forward the educational policy agenda in
Wales, is strategically far too important to be left with a sector that is financially insecure and
whose provision is driven largely by historical accident or competitive institutional interest.
4.18 If higher education is to play its proper role in the supply of high quality teachers then, in the
future, Wales needs a sector that is based on a smaller number of units than at present. Each
unit must be financially strong, able to provide a wide range of the different sorts of provision
that are needed nationally, and be able to respond effectively to the changing needs of Wales,
including the growing demand for teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh. Wales
also needs a teacher education sector that has a strong research base if higher education is to
take its proper role in contributing to the intellectual leadership that will be needed in achieving
the many changes planned for the schools of tomorrow in Wales.
Three Schools of Education
4.19 We therefore conclude that Wales needs to develop three main Schools of Education. These
should be geographically distributed so as to address the need for regional planning in supply,
though each should be able to offer a wide range of provision able to meet the future needs of
the workforce of schools in Wales.
34 For further details see written evidence to the Review by Professor Ian Menter, Chair of Teacher Education, University of
Glasgow.
54
4.20 HEFCW should assign ITT numbers to each of these three Schools with a view to ensuring
strong, regionally based provision that meets the national need. Each new School of Education
should also be able to offer a broad range of other programmes and activities necessary to
support the education service in Wales.
Schools of Education in Wales
Each School should be able to offer:
• Primary and Secondary PGCEs with provision for a wide range of secondary specialisms;
• All ITT programmes available in both English and Welsh;
• New undergraduate Pre-Professional Degrees (PPDs) leading to a range of postgraduate
training including the PGCE;
• Foundation degrees and other initial qualifications relevant to the wider work force in the
education sector;
• Specialist undergraduate/PGCE provision to address shortage subject needs and specific
populations such as mature entrants;
• CPD relevant to the full work force employed in schools in Wales (this should be offered in
collaboration with other providers, particularly LEAs);
• Research. The development of a strong research culture in the new Schools so that they
can make a proper contribution to the intellectual leadership of the educational sector.
4.21 Given the substantial changes currently in train in relation to the 14-19 agenda, it would, in the
longer term, be appropriate to consider the inclusion of PGCE FE training within the new
Schools.
The new Schools
4.22 Our recommendations for three new Schools of Education are as follows:
• North and Central Wales School of Education
The North and Central Wales School of Education should replace current provision at
Bangor, Aberystwyth, NEWI. In terms of strategic planning, it should be seen as the
principal provider of teachers for the whole of north and central Wales; the School should
focus on developing strong partnerships with LEAs and schools within the north and central
regions of Wales. We would recommend that, when the BA (Education) is phased out, ITT
is no longer offered at NEWI. NEWI already offers some Pre-Professional Degrees and it
should be strongly encouraged to develop these further in the field of education; it should
also continue its strong programme of CPD in education. The new School might consider
planning ‘pathways’ from the new Pre-Professional Degrees in NEWI and Bangor to its
primary and secondary PGCE programme. The School itself should be given the
responsibility of rationalising provision between Bangor and Aberystwyth in line with the
primary and secondary ITT numbers assigned to it.
55
The School should consider establishing ‘informal pathways’ onto the primary and
secondary PGCEs for graduates from a variety of subject departments within Aberystwyth
University.
• South East Wales School of Education
The South East Wales School of Education should replace current provision at UWIC and
Newport. In terms of strategic planning, it should be seen as the principal provider of
teachers for the South East region of Wales though, in terms of teacher supply, there
needs to be some recognition of potential mobility between the Swansea and Cardiff
conurbations. The School should focus on developing strong partnerships with LEAs and
schools within the south east Wales region. The School itself needs to be given the
responsibility for rationalising provision in line with the primary and secondary ITT
numbers assigned to it. However, we would anticipate that both campuses of the new
School would offer Pre-Professional Degrees, leading to a range of careers, including
teaching, with appropriate pathways onto the PGCE. We would anticipate that the new
School would continue to offer specialist courses for secondary provision in shortage
subjects. Currently this provision is at undergraduate level. So as not to disadvantage
these students in the new postgraduate teaching profession, the School should be asked to
bring forward plans to develop these courses so that graduates achieve a first degree and
then a PGCE.
• South West Wales School of Education
The South West Wales School of Education should replace current provision at Swansea
and Trinity College Carmarthen. In terms of strategic planning, it should be seen as the
principal provider of teachers for South West Wales, though in terms of teacher supply,
there needs to be some recognition of potential mobility between the Swansea and Cardiff
conurbations. The School should focus on developing strong partnerships with LEAs and
schools within the south west Wales region. The School itself needs to be given
responsibility for rationalising provision in line with the primary and secondary ITT
numbers assigned to it. However, we would anticipate that both campuses of the new
School would offer Pre-Professional Degrees leading to a range of careers, including
teaching, with appropriate pathways onto the PGCE. We would also expect the School to
bring forward plans for the integration between the two campuses of Welsh medium
provision at the primary level and the substantial strengthening of Welsh medium
provision at secondary level.
Timetable for change
4.23 As a first step in achieving this reconfiguration, by April 2006, the Welsh Assembly Government
will need to agree indicative figures for the sector overall in 2010. For planning purposes, and
allowing for an important margin of error, we would suggest that these be set at 550 primary
PGCE places and 800 secondary PGCE places. (These national targets must of course be
indicative only, subject to revision as information about supply needs changes year by year.)
HEFCW then needs to draw up a draft plan for the distribution of these numbers having due
regard to possible supply needs in the different regions of Wales and for the need to maintain
strong and economically viable provision in each new School. Within the numbers available,
56
not all secondary specialisms can be offered in all three Schools; however, all secondary
subjects should be available in both the north and south of Wales. Indicative numbers, and
their distribution, should be published by June 2006.
4.24 HEFCW should then require, within 12 months, the Institutions involved in each of the new
Schools to bring forward detailed plans for their new Schools. These plans should include
details of:
• Courses What courses are to be offered, and projected student numbers. The plan
should provide a detailed rationale for the shape of provision as a whole and any
distribution across different campuses within the new School. The plan should also
outline links between ITT with other forms of provision in the field of education
including planned Pre-Professional Degrees and CPD;
• Research How the new School plans to support the development of a research culture
plus planned research links inside the parent institutions and beyond;
• Management What procedures are to be established for management, finance,
quality control and accountability by the new School both internally and in relation to
HEFCW;
• Reconfiguration How the transition to the new School will be made and what
additional support institutions will need from HEFCW’s Reconfiguration Fund in order to
achieve that transition.
4.25 Each of the three new Schools of Education should be fully operational with its new programme
of provision by September 2010.
Recommendation 14 That Wales should establish three main Schools of Education and that HEFCW
should, in the future, assign ITT numbers to each of these three Schools with a view to ensuring
strong, regionally based provision that meets the national need.
Recommendation 15 That these new Schools of Education should also be encouraged to offer a
wide range of other programmes and activities, including research, that are necessary to support the
education service of Wales.
Recommendation 16 That the three Schools of Education are as follows: the North and Central
Wales School of Education; the South East Wales School of Education; the South West Wales School of
Education.
Recommendation 17 That the Welsh Assembly Government provide indicative ITT numbers for a
restructured sector by April 2006 and that HEFCW draws up a plan for the distribution of these
numbers by June 2006. That the new Schools of Education are required to come forward with detailed
plans for their new Schools, including funds needed to support the reconfiguration, by June 2007.
Recommendation 18 That the reconfiguration of the sector is complete by September 2010.
57
Diversifying entry into teaching
4.26 A modern teaching force needs to ensure that it is able to attract a broad cross section of
recruits, ideally reflecting the makeup of the society that it serves – in terms of language,
gender, ethnic origin and disability. It is also important that routes into teaching are flexible
enough to ensure that those who have valuable skills to contribute to the education service,
including career changers, are able to find a high quality entry route that is appropriate to their
particular circumstances. During our Review we found evidence of a number of different
strategies currently being used in Wales to encourage a diversity of entrants and flexibility of
routes. These were recruitment strategies, flexible and innovative courses and the
employment-based route – the Graduate Teacher Programme.
The makeup of the current teaching profession
4.27 Table 10 below reports evidence from HEFCW (2004)35 showing the current make up of the ITT
population in Wales.
Table10: ITT population in Wales (2002/3) by age, gender, ethnic origin and disability
status
Gender
Ethnic origin
Disability status
Level
Welsh
language
Age
25
years
or over
M F White
British
Minority
Ethnic
None
given
Disability In
receipt
of DSA36
Undergrad 12% 21% 17% 83% 96% 1% 4% 5% 2%
Postgrad 12% 38% 33% 67% 88% 1% 11% 3% 1%
Total 12% 28% 23% 77% 92% 1% 7% 4% 1%
Source: HEFCW (2004)
4.28 What the table reveals is that recruitment to teaching in Wales is predominantly English
speaking, though as we have already indicated, there is substantial variation in the proportions
of designated Welsh speaking students in different HEIs in Wales. In line with UK trends,
recruitment is also overwhelmingly female, though there are significantly greater proportions of
men entering by the postgraduate route than the undergraduate route. Other evidence from
the same HEFCW report shows that most primary courses in Wales seem to attract between 80-
90% female entrants with a slightly better gender balance in postgraduate primary courses. At
secondary level the ratio is more frequently 60:40 female to male.
4.29 Table 10 also suggests that minority ethnic recruitment currently stands at around 1%
(although with an important proportion of trainees unwilling to give this information it is
difficult to be confident of these figures). 2001 census data would put the minority ethnic
community in Wales at around 2% with substantially greater concentrations in particular parts
of Wales, especially Cardiff and Newport where the figures are nearer 4.5% of the population.
35 HEFCW (2004) Initial Teacher Training in Wales; performance information 2004, Cardiff: HEFCW. 36 Disabled Students’ Allowance
58
Recruitment and increasing diversity
4.30 In our Terms of Reference, we were specifically asked not to consider the issue of the
marketing of teaching as a career. However, given that marketing is central to the issue of
increasing diversity, we do include some comments on it here, though do not make any formal
recommendations.
4.31 At present the promotion of teaching as a career in Wales is carried out by the English TDA on
behalf of Wales. We were advised that the budget contribution from Wales is currently
£1,000,000 pa. This funding provides a contribution to the TDA’s substantial media campaign
across Wales and England, including some materials in the Welsh language. It also provides
access to a telephone and online advisory service, offered by the TDA which provides
prospective candidates with advice on training opportunities in Wales as well as England.
Finally, it provides for the employment of a TDA ‘regional recruitment adviser’ based in Cardiff
whose job it is to support Teacher Training Recruitment Forum (Wales) (a collective body of all
HEIs in Wales) in its recruitment activities and in the development of its recruitment strategies.
As part of our evidence we learned that a recent focus of that work has been with minority
ethnic communities.
4.32 While within Wales there seems to be general satisfaction with this strategy and a feeling that
the money is well spent, we were less convinced. In 2003, HEFCW commissioned three reports
looking at recruitment into ITT by people with disabilities37, by minority ethnic groups38 and by
men into primary teaching39. All three reports highlight the fact that Wales, as is shown in the
table above, does have recruitment difficulties in each of these areas; they go on to make
helpful suggestions as to how these might be overcome. Wales also, as we will discuss in more
detail below, has real recruitment challenges in the area of the Welsh language. Despite the
good work of the Regional Adviser, it is not clear that any of these specific recruitment needs
are being, or can be, sufficiently addressed through the current strategy and within current
resources. Moreover, the TDA’s high profile media campaign would be available, at least in
English, throughout Wales without any contribution whatsoever. In a context of over
production of teachers and where ITT admissions tutors report substantial competition for most
ITT places, our view is that it would be sensible to review this current strategy. It could well be
that within the very limited budgets available for the promotion of teaching in Wales, the
£1,000,000 could be better spent to address specific rather than general recruitment needs.40
Innovative and flexible courses
4.33 One of the aims of innovative and flexible provision is to bring into teaching those who have
important skills and achievements but not at degree level. A number of shortened degree
courses, for example at UWIC and Newport, offer an important entry route into teaching for
37 HEFCW (2003) Reducing Barriers to Participation in the Teaching Profession by People with Disabilities. Cardiff: HEFCW 38 Lyle, S., Hassam, R-ul. and Hicham, H. (2003) Ethnic Minority and Recruitment in Initial Teacher Training in Swansea Bay,
Cardiff: HEFCW 39 Edwards, R. (2003) The Recruitment of Men and Ethnic Minority Students to Primary PGCE Courses in England and Wales,
Cardiff: HEFCW 40 Both the GTCW in their Action Plan (Recommendation 3.2) and the Welsh Language Board in their evidence to this Review (para
21) explicitly recommend the development of a recruitment strategy specific to Wales’ needs and provided by a Wales-based
body.
59
teachers in shortage subjects, including Welsh. A rather different innovative course is offered at
Bangor for entrants who may well already be graduates but wish to undertake further study of
the Welsh language followed by a PGCE. Both of these forms of provision serve a valuable
service in bringing into teaching those who might not otherwise be able to gain access.
However, one weakness of this current scheme is that such students, because they are
undergraduates, are not eligible for the additional bursaries that are paid to postgraduate
students. Given the very small numbers involved, and the fact that these are mature trainees
in shortage subjects, we would recommend that trainees on these schemes be eligible for the
training bursaries. We would also recommend that, if students on the shortened BA (Education)
courses are not to be disadvantaged, courses be redesigned so that they are BA plus PGCE.
4.34 From 2006/7 the Open University in Wales hopes to offer its secondary PGCE in selected
subjects. Though the numbers are likely to be limited to 25-30, this will, we believe, be
particularly valuable for students who wish to study part time and near their own homes.
Employment-based training
4.35 In England, there has for some time been a substantial interest in the development of an
employment-based route into teaching. The 1990s saw the development of the Articled and
Licensed Teacher41 schemes and more recently the DfES have established the Graduate Teacher
Programme (GTP) now run by the TDA. As we indicated in Chapter 2, the GTP scheme is also
now being offered in Wales, though numbers are relatively small at around 50 a year.42
4.36 The aims of an employment-based route are twofold. Firstly, because trainees have a salary –
currently the Welsh Assembly Government contributes £13,000 pa towards salary costs43 for
around 50 trainees a year – the route provides a way of entering teaching for those who may
not, for financial reasons, be able to do so otherwise. It is therefore potentially a very valuable
strategy for bringing into teaching more mature students and especially career changers; often
these entrants have particularly valuable skills to contribute to the teaching profession. The
second aim of the GTP is to provide support for schools. Trainees are offered training by the
school itself while they work there, contributing to the school in a range of ways. Some of
them may be highly experienced but unqualified teachers; others might be recruited to fill a
particular need the school has. The hope is that, in a well run scheme, both the learning needs
of the trainee and the needs of the school itself will be met.
4.37 The evidence from Estyn on the GTP scheme in Wales is very similar to the evidence from
Ofsted’s inspection of the much larger scheme in England. Trainees who come into the GTP
programme are often different from those attracted to conventional routes, and the standards
achieved by many GTP trainees is high and some are outstanding. However, both Estyn and
Ofsted conclude that the training offered by schools is variable with only one third of it being
41 Furlong, J, Barton, L, Miles, S, Whiting, C and Whitty, G (2000) Teacher Education in Transition, Buckingham: Open University
Press. 42 In addition there is the Registered Teacher Programme, an employment-based route for non-graduates and also two small
routes which allow persons with very specific FE or independent school experiences to gain QTS. Given the very small numbers
involved in these schemes we have not considered them in detail here. 43 Once the allocation of 50+ places is complete, schools may if they wish fund additional places themselves. In these
circumstances, the Welsh Assembly Government will still cover the cost of assessment.
60
rated as ‘good’ compared with the 80% of HE based programmes rated at this level.
Specifically Estyn say:
‘the quality of the training and assessment of graduate teachers is at least
satisfactory. It is good in a third of programmes. The quality of training and
assessment was judged good in 80% of initial teacher training courses during the
last cycle of inspections of higher education institutions in Wales. Final assessments
are rigorous and valid. Two thirds of graduate training programmes have
shortcomings in the monitoring of graduate teachers’ progress toward achieving the
standards for qualified teacher status. A third of training programmes have
shortcomings in the training’ (2004:9)44.
4.38 During our Review we heard evidence from one school in Wales that has substantial experience
in offering GTP training places and a member of our Support Group herself had considerable
experience in her own school in leading a GTP programme. We were convinced by the evidence
we received that an employment-based route of some sort has a very important strategic role
to play in Wales, a role that is welcomed by trainees and schools alike. However, we believe
that there are currently three key issues that need to be addressed if the scheme is to realise
its full potential for Wales.
• Involvement with higher education At present the amount of engagement with
higher education is variable and dependent on the school offering the scheme. We
were concerned that, without consistent engagement with the sorts of learning
opportunities conventionally offered through HE, some trainees could be
disadvantaged. However good the training offered by teachers in any one school, it is
confined to that one school and learning opportunities are limited. We contend the
employment-based route could be substantially improved in terms of its consistency
and quality of the training offered if there was a more systematic involvement of HE.
HEIs themselves would also benefit by working more closely with those schools
interested in specialising in employment-based training.
• Are trainees supernumary or not? At present there is a lack of clarity as to
whether or not trainees are supernumary. For some schools the attraction of the
scheme is that it can be used for filling vacancies that would not otherwise be filled,
plus they have a substantial contribution to the salary. One of the confusions here is
that the GTP route is currently being used for two quite different groups of people.
Some are genuine trainees, coming into teaching for the first time; others are
unqualified instructors who have been working in schools for many years. We would
recommend that this latter group should not be encouraged to use the GTP programme
as a route to qualification. Rather, the Welsh Assembly Government should bring
forward plans for an ‘assessment only route’ of the sort offered by the Open University
or other HEIs in England. For those who are entering teaching for the first time, we
would recommend that in every case they be considered supernumary in their schools;
it is in our view inappropriate to try and deal with training and staff shortages at the
same time.
44 Estyn (2004) The Graduate Teacher Programme: A New Route into Teaching
61
• The strategic use of the GTP As we have indicated, the main advantage for Wales in
establishing a high quality employment-based route is that it can bring into teaching
those who have much to offer young people but who might not otherwise be able to
enter. At present the scheme is primarily focused on applicants in key shortage areas
such as science, mathematics and Welsh. However, if it is to contribute properly to the
diversification of the teaching profession in Wales, it cannot be left to the vagaries of
individual applications or to the entrepreneurial flair of individual head teachers
wishing to offer the scheme. Training opportunities are needed, not only in shortage
subjects but also in geographically isolated parts of Wales and with particular
communities, especially minority ethnic communities. In short, we believe that Wales’
employment-based programme needs to be brought more fully into strategic planning
for the diversification of the teaching population.
The Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme – A new employment-based route for Wales
4.39 In our view, Wales could develop a new and much more robust form of employment-based
training if it entered into a strategic collaboration with an established distance learning
provider. The new scheme could be called ‘The Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme’. As we have
indicated above, the Open University in England has already developed a modular PGCE
programme based on careful needs analysis, high quality distance learning materials and school
experience. They also have a network of tutors and designated schools where training takes
place. If all future work-based trainees in Wales were required to take part in a programme of
this sort, Wales would have a programme that was high quality in terms of its preparation for
the profession and attractive to the sort of trainees the current GTP programme recruits. The
Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme could also be used much more strategically across Wales
with the provider being set indicative targets for recruitment in, for example, geographical
areas or with particular minority communities.
4.41 In order to achieve this collaboration, the selected provider would have to ensure that its
distance learning programme was suitably adapted to the needs of an employment-based
route, and that it addressed schools’ needs as well as those of individual trainees. It would
also need to be made available bilingually.
Recommendation 19 That secondary BA (Education) students in secondary shortage subjects be
offered a bursary comparable to the PGCE bursary in their subject.
Recommendation 20 That the Welsh Assembly Government establish an ‘assessment only route’ for
QTS and that experienced but unqualified instructors be encouraged to use this rather than other
employment-based routes as a means of gaining QTS.
Recommendation 21 That the Welsh Assembly Government should put out to tender the
development of a new employment-based route into teaching – the Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme.
62
The needs of Welsh medium provision
‘We want Wales to be a truly bilingual nation, by which we mean a country where
people can choose to live their lives through the medium of either Welsh or English
and where the presence of the two languages is a visible and audible source of pride
and strength to us all’
Welsh Assembly Government, 2003 (Iaith Pawb, para 2.15)
‘Increasing the provision of bilingual and Welsh medium education depends partly on
the availability of a sufficient number of teachers. This requires strategic planning to
ensure that there are sufficient numbers of staff to meet the demand for Welsh
medium education. In the same manner, teaching Welsh within the National
Curriculum requires teachers who have the linguistic skills and the methodological
background, to introduce a second language successfully. Up to now, no purposeful
strategy has been developed to fulfil this need.’
Welsh Language Board 2005, evidence to the Review45
Iaith Pawb – the contribution of the education system
4.41 The Welsh Assembly Government has ambitious aspirations for the Welsh language, and in
their policy document, Iaith Pawb (2003), they recognise the crucial role that education will
play in their achievement. Of course, as Iaith Pawb notes, a substantial amount has already
been achieved by the education sector. For example, there continues to be steady growth in
Welsh medium education; nearly 20% of primary aged pupils and 14% of secondary aged
pupils are now in classes where Welsh is the only or main medium of instruction.
4.42 Despite these past achievements, what is now needed in education is a ‘step change’, covering
every dimension of the education system, from pre-school children to life long learners. Only by
making real changes will the aspirations of Iaith Pawb be realised. During our Review we
learned of the many educational initiatives currently planned for the school sector that are
intended to support the further development of the Welsh language. These include: the
continued growth in Welsh medium provision planned by many LEAs; the development of the
Foundation Phase where bilingualism is embedded in language, literacy and communication
skills – one of the seven key areas of the curriculum; the development of a Welsh medium
route within the Welsh baccalaureate; the pilot schemes for medium and late entry immersion
in Welsh for pupils.
4.43 However, if the educational system is to be a major contributor to the achievement of a
bilingual society in these and other ways, then the first step, as was noted by the Welsh
Language Board in their evidence to the Review, must be to ensure that there are sufficient
teachers with the right skills to deliver that vision.
45 Written evidence submitted to the Review by the Welsh Language Board
63
Current strategies to increase the supply of Welsh language teachers
4.44 During our Review we learned of the many different strategies that the Welsh Assembly
Government and HEFCW have introduced in recent years to increase the numbers of new
teachers who are sufficiently linguistically competent to teach in a bilingual or Welsh medium
school, or have the skills to teach Welsh as a second language in an English medium school.
4.45 For example, we learned of the Welsh Assembly Government’s target46 of getting 7% of all HE
taught through the medium of Welsh by 2010/11. We also learned that ITT provision, small as
it is in terms of HE, is currently one of the largest providers of Welsh language HE in Wales.
This is partly as a result of:
• The Welsh Colleges Scheme which is designed to teach non-Welsh speakers and those
who have been learning the language, to teach Welsh as a second language to pupils in
English medium primary schools. The Scheme provides ITT-focussed language
learning and skills in teaching Welsh as a second language;
• The 26% supplement paid to HEIs for each module a student takes through the
medium of Welsh;
• The ITT incentive scheme, designed to give bursaries for those studying PGCE shortage
subjects, including Welsh;
• The Welsh medium incentive scheme, providing funds for students wishing to improve
their language skills so that they can teach through the medium of Welsh;
• Significant activity by HEFCW in supporting recruitment to Welsh secondary PGCE
courses.
4.46 We also learned how these strategies for ITT are complemented by a range of other initiatives
designed to support the language development of existing teachers such as the new sabbatical
scheme.
Current challenges
4.47 However, despite these many initiatives, in our written evidence and our visits to training
institutions we found it very difficult to develop clear figures on the current and future demand
for teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh.
4.48 Some of our informants47 suggested that this is because the demand for such teachers is often
‘concealed and/or suppressed’ – concealed at the subject level in secondary schools by teachers
teaching outside their specialism; suppressed by LEAs not responding fully to local demand,
and by current inadequate strategies for teaching Welsh as a second language in primary
schools where many teachers are not themselves fluent in Welsh. However, because of the
lack of available data we were unable to confirm or deny these assertions.
46 Welsh Assembly Government Reaching Higher, Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government 47 See for example the evidence from Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg (Parents for Welsh-medium Education)
64
The contribution of ITT
4.49 In some ways, the challenges of providing sufficient Welsh speaking graduates willing and able
to enter teaching is beyond the scope of ITT to resolve, especially in the short term. ITT
admissions tutors are largely dependent on the flow of bilingual applicants. And as many of our
witnesses confirmed, at present the numbers of those currently taking their education through
the medium of Welsh drops at every stage of educational provision – from primary to
secondary, from KS3 to KS4, from secondary to further education and higher education.48 The
recommendations of the HEFCW Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in Higher
Education should contribute in the longer term to the supply of graduates with stronger
language skills49 but many challenges will remain. In the short term, ITT does have an
important contribution to make and we would recommend the following:
• Targets We learned that at present there are no separately identified targets for
teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh. We also learned that ITT
providers actively recruit as many teachers as possible. Therefore, simply increasing
ITT targets is not likely to increase the numbers of teachers able to teach through the
medium of Welsh. Nevertheless, we believe that it would be helpful for HEFCW to
identify indicative targets in each phase and subject area. Until the sector has better
information on actual demand (see below), such targets can only be indicative but,
without them, there is little knowledge of the current state of recruitment and a sense
that provision is simply a fortunate ‘spin off’ of English provision.
• Incentives Incentives certainly have a role to play in supporting the supply of
students willing to train through the medium of Welsh, although at present there
seems to be some confusion within the sector as to precisely what constitutes a Welsh
medium training and whether bursaries are available only to those studying at
designated ‘Welsh’ institutions. Certainly at present students studying through the
medium of Welsh at UWIC or Swansea Institute are not receiving those incentives.
During our Review we learned that the current Welsh Medium Incentive Supplement
Scheme is itself under review. We would hope that as a result of that review bursaries
would become equally available to students studying through the medium of Welsh
wherever they happen to be based.
• National provision At present, there is strong provision for the support of primary
teachers wishing to teach through the medium of Welsh across Wales. Provision for
secondary teachers, however, is not currently strong in South West Wales. We would
recommend that such provision is developed following the reconfiguration of the sector
described above.
• Flexible and work-based training The Welsh Assembly Government should
commission a study to research the potential of the proposed Welsh Internship Teacher
48 The evidence from RHAG drew particular attention to the current dearth of opportunities to study within FE through the medium
of Welsh. This has very significant implications for the 14-19 agenda where young people, currently in Welsh medium secondary
schools, will be able to opt for FE or work-based pathways. 49 Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in Higher Education (2004) Welsh Medium Provision in Higher Education: Draft
Strategy, Cardiff: HEFCW.
65
Scheme and other flexible routes in increasing the number of Welsh speaking entrants
to teaching. If it is assessed that there is such potential, the chosen provider of the
new scheme should be commissioned to work with the Welsh Language Board on the
development of such provision.
A new review
4.50 Finally we would recommend the establishment of a special and more detailed study to examine
the issue of Welsh language provision more fully. The broad aim of the study should be to
develop a proper teacher workforce plan for both new and existing teachers, to underpin the
educational dimension of Iaith Pawb. This review should undertake the following tasks.
• Model the demand for teachers willing and able to teach through the medium
of Welsh Modelling the demand for such teachers is an essential first step if Wales is
to achieve its ambitions set out in Iaith Pawb and the new Review needs to undertake
that modelling. In that process the Review needs to work with both the Welsh
Language Board and LEAs to establish and then use a robust methodology to measure
current and future demand for teachers able to teach in a variety of linguistic settings
(English medium, Welsh medium, bilingual). The review also needs to collect evidence
on all four different types of teacher needed for effective provision: i.e. those willing
and able to teach Welsh as a first language, including Welsh literature, in secondary
schools; those willing and able to teach Welsh as a second language in both primary
and secondary schools; those willing and able to teach their subject specialism through
the medium of Welsh in secondary schools; and those willing and able to teach in
primary schools through the medium of Welsh.
• Policy changes Review the implications of the wide range of initiatives currently on
the policy agenda (e.g. Foundation Phase, 14-19 agenda, immersion initiatives) both
for the numbers of Welsh language teachers needed and their learning needs.
• Welsh as a second language Draw together evidence on the effectiveness of the
current strategy for teaching Welsh as a second language in primary and secondary
schools and consider the implications for both ITT and CPD of any proposed changes.
• Clarify the need for additional funding for Welsh language provision As we
have already noted, currently ITT providers receive an additional funding of 26% for
each module a student studies through the medium of Welsh, although at present the
distribution of such funding is an institutional decision and it would appear that not all
ITT departments actually receive all of the designated funding due to them. The fact
that it is student driven also fails to encourage the development of any new provision
which we believe will be essential if all three of the new Schools we have
recommended are to be properly bilingual. However, it is also at present unclear
precisely what the needs of Welsh language support are. We heard of the challenges
of providing bilingual provision in secondary subject areas and of the needs for more
general language support for students throughout their training – both in school and in
university. The review needs to clarify and then cost what the demands of providing
effective bilingual ITT actually are as a basis of making more informed funding
decisions.
66
• Consider how the Welsh language skills of all new primary and secondary
teachers in Wales can be improved, including considering the possibility that all ITT
students in Wales be required to undertake an intensive one month Welsh language
course prior to their formal training.
Recommendation 22 That HEFCW in collaboration with the ITT sector be required to develop
‘indicative targets’ for Welsh language graduates in each phase and subject area. Until more robust
data is developed, these should be indicative only.
Recommendation 23 That the Welsh Assembly Government should resolve the position on bursaries
for those studying through the medium of Welsh so that all ITT students, wherever they are
registered, are eligible for such bursaries.
Recommendation 24 That new provision through the medium of Welsh is progressively developed
for secondary ITT in the South West Wales School of Education.
Recommendation 25 That the Welsh Assembly Government should commission a study of the
potential of the new Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme and other flexible routes in increasing the
number of Welsh speaking entrants to teaching. If it is assessed that there is such potential, then the
eventual provider of that scheme should be commissioned to work with the Welsh Language Board on
the development of such provision.
Recommendation 26 That, as a matter of priority, the Welsh Assembly Government establish a new
Review in order to consider the supply and training needs of all teachers able to teach through the
medium of Welsh.
Other issues
4.51 As part of our Review we were explicitly asked to address two further issues: strategies for
reducing wastage from ITT courses; the possibility of using people with appropriate
qualifications from industry or commerce, who might contribute to the teaching force in a
limited, part time way.
Wastage
4.52 Wastage from ITT courses can be of two sorts: in-course wastage where students leave their
courses during training and after-course wastage where students who have successfully
completed their training do not go into teaching.
4.53 In relation to in-course wastage, we found no evidence that wastage rates in Wales were
significantly different from those found elsewhere in the UK. By contrast, as we have made
clear throughout this report, post-course wastage rates in Wales are dramatically higher. It is
for this reason that we have recommended that Wales focus first and foremost on reducing this
substantial post-course wastage.
67
Contributions from industry and commerce
4.54 Within our terms of reference the question was posed as to the possible contribution of
colleagues from industry and commerce to the teaching force. We have however concluded
that, while occasional inputs from all members of the local and national community to schools
are welcome and should be encouraged, it would be inappropriate to expect those from industry
and commerce to contribute to the teaching force in any sustained way. The demands of
contemporary teaching are such that, first and foremost, the Welsh Assembly Government
needs to concentrate on securing the services of high quality trained teachers who see a
commitment to teaching as their primary career. Included in their training should be
recognition of the contribution that all community members, including those from industry and
commerce, can make to teaching on an occasional basis.
4.55 That said, colleagues from industry and commerce may well make a contribution in a number of
other ways:
• They may wish to move into teaching as a full time career and those with appropriate
qualifications should be encouraged to do so. Our proposals for the further
development of flexible, employment-based routes into teaching should further
facilitate this movement.
• Colleagues from industry and commerce should contribute to the strategic planning of
ITT more generally, both through membership of governing bodies and other
associations with individual HEIs and schools and through representation on the new
National Advisory Body for Education and Training for Schools – see Chapter 7 below.
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Chapter 5 Maintaining and improving quality in
Initial Teacher Training
Question:
What sort of high quality ITT provision should Wales aspire to develop over the next five to ten
years in order to continue improving standards of teaching and pupil achievement?
5.1 In addressing this Review question, we were asked to consider the following issues:
• The efficacy of current means of assessing quality in maintaining and improving standards;
• Assuring the quality of possible new routes to QTS;
• Ways in which current provision might be improved both to ensure the supply of high
quality NQTs and to contribute to school development.
Current means of assessing and assuring quality in ITT
5.2 ITT in Wales is inspected by Estyn under the terms of the Education Act (2005), while HEFCW
has the responsibility for accrediting institutions that provide ITT. The latter’s focus on
institutional rather than departmental or course level is a recognition that HEIs provide both an
academic as well as a vocational ITT qualification. In accrediting institutions, HEFCW is obliged
to take account of evidence from Estyn, and the two agencies consider together inspection
outcomes and issues for future work.
5.3 In terms of quality assurance, ITT provision in higher education is located at a departmental or
faculty level, within institutional quality assurance mechanisms. This means, for example, that
within the faculty or department, ITT provision is subject to course review and evaluation.
These institutional mechanisms for quality assurance (QA) are scrutinised by the Quality
Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA). Estyn Inspectors and QAA officers meet on a
regular basis to ensure that there is alignment between the two assessment processes so that
providers are not unnecessarily overburdened with external assessment. It has also been
agreed that in the case of parallel inspection/review, outcomes will be shared by the two
agencies.
5.4 Quality assurance within a partnership model of teacher education and training is far from
straightforward. For example, the provider is responsible not only for the quality of the training
in the HEI, but also for the quality of the teacher training work of mentors and other teachers
in a wide variety of schools, none of which are obliged to be engaged in initial teacher training.
From the evidence in ‘ITT Partnership in Wales’ carried out in 2004 by Education Data Surveys
and from witness statements to this Review it seems that HEI tutors have concerns about the
difficulties of sustaining quality.
69
5.5 The new common framework of inspection implemented by Estyn embraces a model of
inspection which involves a more holistic approach to the inspection of provision and offers
providers a more active role. Inspection of the totality of provision within an institution rather
than inspection of individual subjects and courses, and the inclusion of a member of staff in the
inspection team as well as the inclusion of peer assessors from the sector in all inspection
teams, is conducive to the raising of standards through the inspection process.
5.6 The starting point for inspection is the provider’s written self-evaluation, the development of
which has the potential to enhance quality. A key feature of high quality self-evaluation is the
use of qualitative and quantitative data as benchmark information to assess progress – and
subsequently to set targets – in the context of a provider’s previous attainments/outcomes,
those of other providers, of national norms, and where appropriate of data from other countries
within the EU. From our own experience of trying to collect certain kinds of data for the
purposes of the Review, there appears to be a need for a more systematic collection of data
pertaining to ITT. The collection of robust destination data of ITT students in a comparable
form, as recommended in Chapter 2 (Recommendation 2) for the purposes of workforce
planning, would also be helpful as benchmark information.
5.7 Currently, ITT students (including those following PGCE courses) are included in the survey of
final year students as part of the National Student Survey in Wales. The data collected includes
information about levels of satisfaction with the courses they have completed. As the survey
embraces students on a wide variety of courses, the questions are necessarily very broad. ITT
courses are concerned with both education and professional preparation of a specific kind, and
satisfaction with a course must include the degree to which it enables a teacher to function in
their first post. An annual national survey of Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) would be
particularly valuable because it could provide evidence of the level of trainee satisfaction with
their initial training as well as with support received as NQTs. Such a survey, far from being an
additional burden on providers, would give them another source of data as benchmark
information in assessing progress. In their written evidence to the Review, Estyn argued for
the setting up of a working group to develop performance indicators for ITT in Wales, a
suggestion we endorse.
5.8 The inspection cycle is supplemented by regular visits to ITT providers by Estyn General
Inspectors who can offer guidance on quality enhancement and support institutions in taking
action to meet any recommendations made at inspection.
5.9 The current means of assessing and assuring quality in ITT in Wales are rigorous and are
carried out by a number of agencies at a number of levels. At the level of the HEI tutor,
however, assuring the quality of partnership ITT within limited resources is experienced as a
very complex and problematic issue. As we commented in para 2.15, a system in which
partnership is compulsory for HEIs but voluntary for schools, leads to HEIs developing
partnerships with many schools, often at a great distance. And the HEI is responsible for the
quality of the training both in the college and in all of the schools with which it works in
partnership.
5.10 From our visits to the HEI providers it was clear that managers and tutors are concerned about
the difficulties of, and resources involved in, assuring quality throughout a partnership, and are
giving a great deal of attention to this issue. We believe that it is worth approaching this
70
problem from a different angle. Rather than framing the issue as one concerning the difficulties
that HEIs encounter in controlling and assuring the quality of training in schools that are not
within their control, we would suggest that it is seen as one concerning the challenges facing
HEIs and schools in working together to develop high quality school-based teacher education
and training. Above all, this means developing the school-based component of the ITT
curriculum that currently is commonly viewed and referred to as ‘school placement’ or ‘school
experience’. While the Standards provide a framework of learning outcomes and a means by
which the competence of trainees may be assessed, they do not constitute a curriculum. An
ITT curriculum embraces both what needs to be learned and the learning processes that will
facilitate that learning. The priority task, we believe therefore, is to develop a planned,
structured curriculum for ITT that covers the trainees’ experience in schools as well as in the
college. We are firmly of the view that issues of quality control and assurance are secondary to
the development of rich learning opportunities within the system.
Recommendation 27 That HEFCW set up a working group, membership of which should include
representatives of HEI providers and their school partners, to develop a set of performance indicators
for ITT in Wales.
Recommendation 28 That the Welsh Assembly Government ask GTCW to carry out an annual
survey of NQTs in Wales.
Assuring the quality of flexible routes to QTS
5.11 As is evident in Chapter 2 of this Report, virtually all trainee teachers in Wales are full time
students attending courses at one of the seven higher education providers. In this sense the
landscape of ITT provision in Wales may be regarded as traditional and unitary, especially if
compared with that in England. The avowed purpose of developing diverse and flexible routes
to QTS is to meet the needs of those who for a variety of reasons cannot enter, or who are
deterred from entering, teaching through conventional routes. It is hoped that new routes will
(a) encourage and enable members of groups or communities currently under-represented in
the teaching profession to enter training, and (b) aid in recruiting trainees in secondary
shortage subjects. It is for these reasons that we believe that the development of flexible
routes should be encouraged.
5.12 In Chapter 4 we recommended that the Welsh Assembly Government should work with an
established distance learning provider within higher education on the development of a new
employment-based route into teaching – the Welsh Internship Teacher Scheme
(recommendation 21). As stated in that chapter, it is our view that trainees’ learning
opportunities are considerably enhanced when they engage with both schools and HEIs, a view
that was also voiced by many who gave evidence to the Review. Consistent with that view is
our encouragement of the development of flexible routes to QTS within rather than outside of
higher education.
5.13 It is also the case that diverse and flexible routes within the influence of higher education
would be subject to the same robust quality assurance mechanisms as more conventional
routes, thereby reducing the possibility of inconsistency and variability across routes.
71
5.14 The main focus of ITT inspection is the Standards and in order to gain QTS, all trainees –
irrespective of the route they follow – must meet the same standards. Moreover, Estyn has
already inspected GTP in Wales (2002). There is no reason, therefore, why Estyn should not
carry out the inspection of alternative routes.
Quality and ITT
Current quality – a view from Estyn
5.15 In the introduction to her Annual Report for 2003-2004, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of
Education and Training in Wales comments that ‘trainee teachers’ teaching has improved a
great deal over the past five years, keeping up with the much better teaching that we see in
schools. The teaching of around three-quarters of trainees is now good or very good’ (ii 2005).
This positive note is tempered, however, by other evidence from Estyn reporting that while,
there has been continual improvement in the quality of training both in colleges and partner
schools, there is not enough training that is of the highest quality50.
The challenges of increasing quality in current provision
5.16 The evidence we heard and read suggests that to increase quality in current provision, the
following areas need to be attended to:
• The partnership model
All those engaged in ITT in HEIs and in schools attest to the value and importance of
partnership. This widespread commitment to the partnership model of teacher training is
also clearly spelled out in the study of ‘ITT Partnership in Wales’ (Howson, Education Data
Surveys, 2004) and by Estyn51.
Findings from the study of ITT Partnership in Wales showed support, in particular from
school-based teacher trainers and educators, for a unified approach to many aspects of
partnership including mentor training, payments and documentation. UCET/Cymru and the
Standing Committee on Education are currently leading discussion on an all-Wales bid for
Reconfiguration and Collaboration funding to support the development of a strategic Wales
Partnership Body.
Developing and agreeing common documentation for partnership would be helpful
especially for those schools working with a number of providers, although it is anticipated
that if three main Schools of Education are established (Recommendation 14), schools
would be more likely to work with a single provider, but it is not possible to produce such
documentation without their being prior agreement on issues of principle. Observation and
feedback pro-forma, for example, are an expression of agreed principles and procedures
50 Initial Teacher Training in Wales 1996-2002 Summary of Estyn findings for the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
(2003) 51 Initial Teacher Training in Wales 1996-2002 Summary of Estyn Findings for the Higher Education Funding Council
72
arising from a shared understanding of the purpose of observation of trainees by mentors
and others. A unified approach to mentor training would also be helpful for HEIs, schools
and trainees, but again such an approach would need to be preceded by discussion of and
agreement about the role of the mentor in ITT and the skills and strategies necessary for
effective mentoring. Common documentation can lighten the administrative load for both
schools and HEIs, but it does not automatically lead to enhanced quality of provision.
• Funding
In Para 2.15, we stated that ITT in Wales was under-funded and that funding is a major
concern for almost all HEIs and many schools. While no one who gave evidence to the
Review suggested that an increase in funding would necessarily lead to enhanced quality,
it was clear that many of the developments that providers were keen to pursue were not
possible because of financial constraints.
• Size of provision and size of ITT teams within providers
One of the consequences of under-funding is a reduction in the number of full-time staff
working on ITT programmes in HEIs and/or their replacement with part-time and casual
staff who tend not to be research active. Casual staff, however able and committed,
cannot be expected to invest time and energy in developing new ways of working or to
engage in long term planning. One of the important ways in which the theory and practice
of ITT are brought together for trainees is through the visits to schools of their tutors with
whom they work in the HEI. When such visits are routinely carried out by casual staff who
do not work with the trainees in the HEI, the potential value of the visits for the trainees
and for the mentors is reduced.
In their written submission of evidence to the Review, Estyn points to concerns about
staffing in ITT providers where ‘the best work is produced by teams of tutors that can
share good practice and administrative burdens, rather than by individual tutors working in
isolation’ (p 9). While the rationalisation of provision we have suggested would make it
easier to ensure the ‘critical mass of tutors’ that Estyn advocates, issues around the unit of
resource will still need to be dealt with.
• Number and distribution of schools with which each provider works in partnership
ITT providers work with a large number of schools some of which are far from the HEI.
While the geography of Wales may account for some of the long distances that tutors and
trainees have to travel, it does not provide a rationale for the high number of schools with
which each provider works or for their distribution. It is surprising that, given the
established nature of partnership in Wales and the commitment to it expressed by schools
and HEIs, few schools have been convinced of the advantages of hosting larger numbers of
trainees. Taking on a large number of trainees means that rather than being marginalised,
professional preparation is seen as an important school activity and necessitates
commitment from the school as a whole rather than only from individuals in the role of
mentor. While a small rural primary school could not be expected to take on more than
one or two trainees, a cluster of such schools could. In the first ITT Strategic Plan
Guidance (2003/4-2005/6), Estyn listed seven priorities for providers. The list included
73
involving ‘mentor and partner schools more in the planning, managing, monitoring and
evaluation of courses’; and reducing ‘the variation in the quality of school-based training
by improving the support and feedback to mentors and partner schools’. Meeting these
priorities is challenging, but it is considerably more problematic when providers are
working with large numbers of schools over a wide geographical area. To improve the
quality of partnership ITT it is vital that schools and HEIs work more closely together;
HEIs, therefore, should consider developing a deeper relationship with a smaller number of
schools than at present. If the recommendation that three Schools of Education be
established is accepted, then as far as possible, each School should work with schools in
their region.
• Quality of providers’ self-evaluation
As referred to above, in the common inspection framework, the starting point is the
provider’s self-evaluation. In their written evidence to the Review, Estyn suggests that the
quality and usefulness of the self-evaluation would benefit from: more detailed analysis of
the strengths and weaknesses of trainees’ teaching; inclusion of observational data in the
self-evaluation of the quality of training; and greater use of quantitative benchmark
information. With regard to the latter point, it has already been recommended that a
working party be formed to develop a set of performance indicators for ITT.
ITT and the challenges of policy change in education in Wales
5.17 Meeting the challenges listed in 5.16 above and thereby increasing quality in current provision
is highly desirable. These challenges, however, are exclusively concerned with current provision
and do not address the issue of policy change in Welsh education. One of the proposals listed
in ‘The Learning Country’ includes ‘looking again at the form and content of initial teacher
training to ensure that it offers the best foundation for a successful teaching career and takes
account of wider Assembly priorities’ (para 77, 2001).
5.18 In Chapter One of this Report we touched on the role of ITT in achieving the new
professionalism that the change agenda calls for. ITT is clearly crucial to the development of
the teaching profession and thus to the improvement of schools, not only because it is
concerned with the preparation of the ‘teachers of tomorrow’, but also because it is carried out
by schools and HEIs working in partnership. Regional partnerships of schools and HEIs in which
there is genuine equality and reciprocity have the potential to become key agents of change.
With schools and HEIs working together on the change agenda, trainees would inevitably
become part of that process.
5.19 Radical change in the ITT curriculum – that is the learning opportunities for trainees and the
ways in which HEI and school-based educators and trainers work with them – is likely to be
needed if the vision set out in ‘The Learning Country’ is to be realised. We would argue that,
while accountability is important, there is a need to look at quality afresh, in terms other than
quality management and assurance. We believe that, within the framework of the Standards,
this is an opportune moment to ask questions, such as the following:
74
• What might be the respective contributions of HEIs and schools to the learning and
development of beginning teachers?
• In planning the experiences of trainees and in the ways in which they work with them, in
what ways can HEIs and schools take account of the burgeoning research and other
evidence on beginning teachers’ learning and on work-based learning?
• What are the ways in which the trainees’ learning might be linked to a school improvement
agenda?
5.20 The need is for exploratory innovation accompanied by learning which can be of benefit to the
system as a whole.
5.21 At the end of the report on ‘Excellence and Innovation in Initial Teacher Training’, Estyn urges
providers to ‘develop a well articulated and shared vision of the teachers they aspire to produce
and the training that trainees will receive’ (2003, p. 24). We would argue that such is the
importance of this task that it should be undertaken by providers and their school partners
working together. Teachers, with their experience as school-based teacher trainers and
educators, and their membership of the profession which the trainees aspire to join, have a
critical contribution to make to this work.
5.22 In each of the three regions a working group should be set up to develop a new curriculum for
ITT that takes full account of the change agenda. Membership should be drawn from the
School of Education and its school partners, and LEAs in the region. At regular intervals
representatives from the three regional groups would come together in a national forum at
which GTCW, Estyn, HEFCW and any other providers would also be represented.
Recommendation 29 That the Welsh Assembly Government make available funding for the setting
up and running of three regional ITT working groups with representatives from the regional School of
Education and its school partners, and LEAs.
Recommendation 30 That the Welsh Assembly Government make available funding for a national
forum on ITT. Membership would be drawn from the three regional working groups and from GTCW,
HEFCW and Estyn.
Mechanisms for enhancing quality
5.23 Recommendation 14 states that ‘Wales should establish three main Schools of Education and
that HEFCW should, in the future, assign ITT numbers to each of these three Schools with a
view to ensuring strong, regionally based provision that meets the national need’. Clearly this
recommendation has implications for the ways in which quality is rewarded. Currently, the
relationship between quality (as judged by Estyn inspectors) and providers’ intake targets is
tenuous; in allocating numbers HEFCW’s consideration of quality is tempered by the small size
of some providers and of the financial fragility within the sector.
5.24 In their written evidence to the Review, Estyn argues that with a smaller number of larger
providers it would be possible more clearly to link the allocation of intake targets to quality
outcomes. However, within the context of national planning during a period when overall
75
numbers are to be reduced, such an approach to rewarding providers of quality training with an
increase in student numbers is not workable. While HEFCW will remain in the position of
allocating numbers and, if necessary, withdrawing accreditation, we believe that it is in the
national interest that provision is as comprehensive and as financially secure as possible in
each of the three Schools of Education. In the case, therefore, of concerns being raised about
the quality of provision, we would argue that the initial response should emphasise professional
support – clearly linked to action plans of improvement – in order to raise quality. A reduction
in allocated numbers should be considered only when it is clear that efforts to improve
provision have not succeeded.
5.25 However, the system we are advocating, in which providers are not set in competition with
each other, will need new and additional mechanisms for enhancing quality. We would suggest
the following:
• In line with GTCW’s suggestion that kitemarking arrangements for schools and
providers be considered52, we suggest the drawing up of criteria for schools to
demonstrate that they have a culture of professional learning. GTCW is well placed to
take on the responsibility of drawing up the criteria. On meeting the criteria, schools
should either singly or in clusters be able to bid to be recognised as Professional
Learning and Development Schools. Working in collaboration with one of the three
regional Schools of Education, such schools or clusters of schools should have the
remit to work with other schools in their region to support them in meeting the criteria
concerning the culture of professional learning, that is to develop their capacity to train
beginning teachers (both in their initial training and induction) and to support the
continuing professional development of the school workforce. Additional funding
should be made available to support Professional Learning and Development Schools in
their out-reach work.
• Providers in Wales have not had access to the same range of funding sources for
development as have providers in England. Moreover, as HEFCW notes in its written
evidence, ‘the Council’s funding for innovative ITT provision has focussed on increasing
recruitment rather than ‘pedagogical ‘‘leading edge’’ provision per se…’ (p. 9) Each of
the new Schools of Education should be encouraged to develop research and
development expertise in areas relevant to teacher education, training and
development. Each School could be given modest additional funding for one or two
projects. One of the criteria for the receipt of such funding would be an obligation to
ensure that the findings from any activity would be proactively disseminated
throughout Wales and beyond.
Recommendation 31 That the Welsh Assembly Government introduce the notion of Professional
Learning and Development Schools.
Recommendation 32 That the Welsh Assembly Government consider giving HEFCW additional
funding to enable HEFCW to offer providers funds to support innovative projects in relation to teacher
education, training and development.
52 Professional Development Framework for Teachers in Wales Advice to the Welsh Assembly Government GTCW 2005
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Chapter 6 Initial Teacher Training and Induction/
Early Professional Development
Question:
How might better links be developed between Initial Teacher Training and Induction/Early
Professional Development for newly qualified teachers?
6.1 In addressing this Review question, we were asked to consider the following issues:
• How induction might be more effectively integrated with Initial Teacher Training;
• Whether some issues currently covered within Initial Teacher Training might be better
addressed within Induction and vice versa;
• Whether the Welsh Assembly Government should consider offering all newly qualified
teachers a guaranteed Induction period in schools.
Achievements to date in Induction
6.2 In ‘The Learning Country’, the Welsh Assembly Government made a commitment to introduce a
statutory induction year for Newly Qualified Teachers (NQTs) followed by a further two years of
support.
6.3 Over the intervening four years, much has been achieved. NQTs in Wales are now guaranteed
a 10% reduction in their timetables; there is funding available within school budgets to support
their professional development; clear procedures have been established for in-school support;
there is a clear specification of the standards that must be met on the completion of Induction
and clear procedures and roles for the assessment process. Finally, earlier this year, GTCW
consulted on a professional development framework that would link the standards from QTS
through Induction and on into later ‘professional milestones’ and standards53. The GTCW’s
advice on the Framework has been accepted in principle by the Minister.
6.4 In their first review of the implementation of the induction year, Estyn54 reported that most
NQTs considered that their induction had been valuable, that their timetables had indeed been
reduced by 10% and that NQTs and their induction tutors were making good use of the career
entry and professional development portfolios.
6.5 However, by contrast, many of the HEI witnesses we spoke to expressed rather different views.
They expressed concern about the content and quality of support being offered during induction
and whether it effectively built on what had been offered during ITT. There were also concerns
53 GTCW (2005) Professional Development Framework for Teachers in Wales; Consultation on Professional Milestones and
Standards (Strand 1), Cardiff: GTCW 54 Estyn (2005) The Implementation of the Induction Year for Newly Qualified Teachers in Wales, Cardiff: Estyn
77
about the lack of systematic use of the Career Entry Profile in a way that would ensure real
development.
Induction across the UK
6.6 As part of our Review, we examined evidence on induction from Northern Ireland, England and
Scotland and noticed some significant differences with the scheme implemented in Wales. The
differences with Northern Ireland and England concerned the nature of Standards and
Competences specified in induction frameworks; the difference with Scotland concerned the
idea of a guaranteed induction placement. We believe that these differences are relevant to
criticism of the current system and suggest ways of addressing our Review questions.
Wales
6.7 The Welsh ‘End of Induction Standards’ are indeed ‘Standards’ – attributes and achievements –
that NQTs must be able to demonstrate. For example, on ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ the
NQT must be able to demonstrate the following:
Knowledge and Understanding
To meet the End of Induction Standard the NQT must:
• Demonstrate an understanding of practice and the broader educational perspective in
Wales when engaging in professional dialogue;
• Demonstrate a detailed working knowledge of their sector, the school in which they teach
and their related professional responsibilities;
• Demonstrate secure knowledge and understanding of the theory and practical skills in the
curriculum area or subjects taught;
• Deliver the common requirements of the National Curriculum in Wales; that is,
communication, mathematical, problem solving, creative and Information Technology
skills; Cwricwlwm Cymreig and personal and social development.
6.8 The weakness of such a model, and perhaps the reason for the criticism of current practice
noted by some of our informants, is that this approach simply encourages a ‘tick box approach’
to learning. To achieve the standard, NQTs simply have to demonstrate that they have
achieved something in each of these areas. As a result, while some nominated induction tutors
in schools may use the standards to support a rich programme of further professional learning
for NQTs, others may not, using them simply as an assessment tool.
England
6.9 In order to address such weaknesses, in England the TDA now offer guidance to newly qualified
teachers55 that emphasises their own involvement in the process of learning. For example in
relation to the same area, ‘Knowledge and Understanding’, the guidance states:
55 TTA (203) Induction Standards – TTA guidance for Newly Qualified Teachers, London: TTA
78
To complete induction satisfactorily, newly qualified teachers must continue to meet the
requirements of the Knowledge and Understanding section of the standards for the award of
QTS, and build on these. Specifically they must:
b) show commitment to their professional development by:
• Identifying areas in which they need to improve their professional knowledge,
understanding and practice in order to teach more effectively in their current post and
• With support, taking steps to address these needs.
6.10 There is then, in the guidance in England, a much more explicit specification of the sorts of
professional learning that need to go on during the NQT year.
Northern Ireland
6.11 As we learned during our Review56, Northern Ireland has for over 10 years now had in place a
very different approach. It is a framework that sets out in detail the range of competences that
need to be addressed by new teachers in all three phases of their early teacher education –
Initial Training, Induction and Early Profession Development. These competences have recently
been revised and updated by the General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland57. The value of
this framework is that it is much more than a set of outcomes or standards to be achieved at
the end of any one phase; rather it is a spiral curriculum specifying what needs to be learned
(and re-learned) at each stage of early teacher education. Moreover, because it covers all three
phases, each of the partners involved in supporting professional development – HEIs, Schools,
and Education and Library Boards (equivalent to LEAs) – has a clear expectation and a common
language for understanding what trainees at each stage need to learn.
6.12 Below is an extract from the recently revised GTC(NI) competences – it is one of five focusing
on the issue of assessment.
Table 11 Teacher Competences – extract from the Northern Ireland framework
Aspect of
competence
Initial Teacher
Education
Induction Early
Professional
Development
Beyond……
Use a range of
assessment
strategies to
evaluate pupil
learning
Know about and
be able to use a
range of
ipsative,
formative and
summative
assessments.
Appreciate their
uses and
limitations
Identify common
misconceptions
and intervene to
address pupils’
errors; make
evidence-based
assessments
against relevant
criteria.
Involve pupils in
assessing both
their learning
strategies and
their
performance
Help others to
use a range of
assessment
strategies to
evaluate pupil
learning
Source: GTCNI (2005) p5958
56 See evidence to the Review provided by Mr Vivian McIver, Assistant Chief Inspector, Education and Training Inspectorate,
Northern Ireland 57 GTCNI (2005) Reviews of teacher Competence and Continuing Professional Development, Belfast: GTCNI 58 GTCNI (2005) op cit
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Proposals to strengthen Induction
Better integration between Initial Teacher Training and Induction
6.13 The experience in Northern Ireland is directly relevant to the issue of integration between
Induction and ITT in Wales. What the Northern Ireland model suggests is that although it is
possible to develop a common list of Standards for QTS, Induction and beyond, these will not in
themselves ensure that all teachers have appropriate learning experiences. For that to happen,
Wales needs to develop its own competency framework, like that of Northern Ireland – a
framework that could be used by HEIs, schools and LEAs to ensure coherence and integration of
learning throughout the early years of teacher education.
The spiral curriculum
6.14 The Northern Ireland model also makes it clear that it is not a matter of including or excluding
different issues from initial training or Induction. All topics are necessary. The issue is to think
through what new teachers need to learn about different issues which they will return to again
and again as they progress through the different stages of their early careers.
A guaranteed Induction placement
Current difficulties in Wales
6.15 One of the biggest challenges in current Induction arrangements, noted by both HEI staff and
Estyn, is that, at present, the vast majority of primary NQTs have difficultly in securing a
permanent full-time post and that as a result they are finding it difficult or impossible to
complete their Induction within one year. It is self evident that effective Induction cannot be
achieved if NQTs do not have secure employment.
6.16 As a partial response to these difficulties, in July 2005 the Welsh Assembly Government
announced a relaxation of the regulations so that NQTs could work as short term supply
teachers for up to five years before beginning their Induction. However, it is clear that a far
better experience of Induction could be achieved if NQTs were offered a guaranteed Induction
place following their initial training, as is now the case in Scotland.
Should Wales follow Scotland?
6.17 The Teachers’ Induction Scheme in Scotland was introduced in 2001 following the
recommendation of the McCrone Report (2000)59. The Scottish Executive claims that the
scheme:
59 McCrone Committee of Inquiry into Professional Conditions of Service for Teachers (May 2000), A Teaching Profession for the
21st Century, Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
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• Guarantees a one-year training post to every eligible student graduating with a Teaching
Qualification from a Scottish Higher Education Institution;
• Ensures a maximum class commitment of 0.7 Full-Time Equivalent, with time set aside for
professional development;
• Provides each probationer with access to the services of an experienced teacher as a
nominated probationer supporter;
• Ensures a consistently high quality probationary experience;
• Provides remuneration for the probationary period which compares well with that of other
professions. (Scottish Executive 2005)60
6.18 However, in Wales, with the current substantial over-production of teachers, especially primary
school teachers, we believe that on present numbers the establishment of a guaranteed
Induction placement for NQTs is not possible. In current circumstances, providing a
guaranteed place for Induction would not only be extremely expensive, it would simply delay
the problem of finding trainees permanent appointments. Moreover, the expectations and
disappointments of NQTs would have been raised even further after the investment of an
additional year. Serious consideration of a guaranteed Induction placement scheme cannot
therefore begin until the supply of NQTs in Wales is brought more closely into line with
demand.
An all Wales Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme for teachers
6.19 However, we do recognise the real benefits of developing an all Wales Guaranteed Induction
Placement Scheme for teachers and would encourage the National Assembly to undertake the
necessary planning in order to establish such a scheme on the same timetable as the reduction
in numbers we have recommended. If the size of the sector were reduced in line with our
recommendations by September 2010, an all Wales Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme
for teachers could commence in September 2011. Given that the overwhelming majority of
those trained would then be able to find employment in Wales, the scheme would only have to
fund places for that relatively small number of newly qualified teachers willing to make a
commitment to teaching in Wales (for say two years after Induction) but currently unable to
find employment.
6.20 Such NQTs could be offered a place as part of a nationally coordinated pool. The pool could be
funded jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and participating LEAs who could be
required to identify designated ‘Induction Schools’ with a strong record in supporting new
teachers; NQTs could then be assigned to those schools as supernumary teachers for the year.
In order to encourage teacher mobility, in assigning numbers to LEAs the Welsh Assembly
Government could take account of differences in recruitment in different parts of Wales.
Recommendation 33 That the Welsh Assembly Government should look again at the content of
Induction and consider drawing up a set of broadly based competences appropriate for all three stages
of early teacher education: ITT, Induction and Early Professional Development. These competences
could then be linked to the Induction Standards and other ‘milestones’ currently being developed by
the GTCW.
60 Scottish Executive (2005) Teachers’ Induction Scheme, 2005-06 www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/tisc-00.asp
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Recommendation 34 That the Welsh Assembly Government considers in more detail plans to
establish an all Wales Guaranteed Induction Placement Scheme for Teachers. Such a scheme, we
believe, could be introduced on the same timetable as we have recommended for the reduction in
numbers of ITT trainees.
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Chapter 7 Strategic planning
Question:
How might the strategic planning of Initial Teacher Training provision in Wales be developed?
7.1 In addressing this Review question, we were asked to consider the following specific issues:
• How the strategic planning of ITT provision might be best co-ordinated between the bodies
with an interest in ITT provision and the supply of NQTs;
• How a sense of vision and direction can be developed and communicated to those bodies;
• Whether it would be appropriate to alter the existing responsibilities of any of the key
stakeholders or co-locate them in one body; the risks as well as the rewards of any such
changes and their cost.
Current arrangements
7.2 At present, strategic leadership of ITT in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly
Government. However, on a day to day level, responsibility of the management of the system
is widely distributed.
7.3 At national level:
• The Welsh Assembly Government has a key role in managing supply, working, as
we described in Chapter 3, with the DfES teacher supply model. The Welsh Assembly
Government is also responsible for national bursary schemes and for the regulatory
framework within which ITT operates. This latter task includes the development and
issuing of various circulars such as the recently revised Standards framework. The
Welsh Assembly Government also currently takes responsibility for the management of
the GTP scheme.
• HEFCW is responsible for funding teacher training by allocating Welsh Assembly
Government intake targets to individual institutions. It is also responsible for
accrediting providers of initial teaching training for school teachers and commissioning
research to improve the standards of teachers and teacher training. The Council works
closely with Estyn on accreditation and other matters related to the quality and
standards of ITT and the enhancement of provision. It also works closely with ITT
providers and representative bodies on all these matters.
• Estyn is responsible for inspecting and providing advice to the Welsh Assembly
Government and other bodies, such as HEFCW, on ITT. It publishes reports and gives
advice on quality both in relation to individual institutions and across the sector as a
whole.
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• GTCW is required to advise the Welsh Assembly Government and other organisations
on the recruitment, retention and supply of teachers. Further, under the 1998
legislation, the GTCW may be asked to undertake activities designed to promote the
recruitment and retention of teachers, although this has not yet been required of it by
the Assembly.
7.4 Within higher education:
• The University of Wales is responsible for the validation of the academic
qualifications associated with teacher education.
• Individual HEIs are responsible for recruitment, for the development of the
curriculum within the standards and other national requirements, for the management
of partnerships and quality assurance in the delivery of courses. They are also, in
collaboration with HEFCW, responsible for the development of new provision.
7.5 There are also a number of national consultative bodies which provide leadership, advice and
support for the ITT sector. These include:
• UCET Cymru – on which all HEIs are represented;
• The University of Wales Subject Panel – on which all providers within the
University of Wales are represented;
• Teacher Education Liaison Group (ITT) – on which all HEIs, Estyn, HEFCW, GTCW
and the Welsh Assembly Government are represented.
Strengths and weaknesses of the current system
Strengths
7.6 The strengths of the current system are that, because of its relatively small size, there is good
communication and personal relationships across the sector as a whole. Those within HE work
together in a number of different forums and both collectively and individually, senior
colleagues from each of the main providers have good working relationships with officers within
the Welsh Assembly Government, Estyn and the Funding Council. The establishment of the
Higher Education Liaison Group (ITT) in the mid 1990s, where representatives of all of these
different groups come together to discuss current policy issues, is an exemplification of this
collaborative approach. This Group was renamed the Teacher Education Liaison Group in 2004
to reflect its role in liaising on all matters of initial and continuing professional education and
development.
7.7 Another strength of the system is the separation of powers whereby the financial authority of
the Funding Council is separated from the authority of the Welsh Assembly Government and the
operational authority of HEIs. In England, the TDA combines strategic, financial and executive
authority, marking out the management of teacher education in England as different from every
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other sector of higher education in the UK. In Wales, those powers are separated thereby
retaining an important degree of autonomy for the HE sector.
A lack of resourcing within the Welsh Assembly Government
7.8 However, despite these evident strengths, there are real weaknesses in the current system.
The first is that the Welsh Assembly Government is substantially under-resourced for the tasks
that it is required to perform. We have already recommended in Chapter 3 that the Welsh
Assembly Government needs, as a matter or urgency, to strengthen its statistical capacity if it
wants to plan teacher supply for itself. However, during our Review we found evidence of other
serious under-resourcing as well.
7.9 One contemporary example that many respondents pointed out was that Wales is only now in
the process of consulting on the revision to the Standards initially set out in Circular 13/98; the
new Standards being consulted on this summer were derived from the English circular issued in
200261 and are intended to keep the Welsh and English systems in broad harmony whilst
providing variation to cover Wales-specific issues. However, by the time that consultation took
place, England was already revising its Standards. These are likely to be very different from
previous versions in that they are being drafted to incorporate changes in the English
educational context that come about as a result of, for example, the ‘Every Child Matters’
policy. What this example demonstrates is that, at present, Wales does not have the resources
either to develop Standards of its own ab initio or to keep up to date with changes taking place
in England. Such under-resourcing will become even more apparent as the educational agenda
in Wales becomes more and more different from that of England, creating the necessity for
Wales to have the capacity to develop the detail of its educational policy in this field for itself.
7.10 Reconciling these current weaknesses with the Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘Making the
Connections’62 agenda, with its emphasis on value for money in public administration, is
difficult. However, it remains the case that there is, across Wales, an almost unanimous view
that at present the Welsh Assembly Government is under-resourced for the tasks that it wishes
to take on in this and other fields. If resources cannot be increased at the centre, then we
conclude that it will be necessary for the Welsh Assembly Government to outsource some of its
specific responsibilities – for example the running of the GTP programme. Other tasks, such as
detailed development of new Standards, might, in the future, be achieved by more effective
collaboration between officers and those in HEI and LEAs with expertise in teacher education.
At present it is the case that little use is made of that expertise at national level and a more
collaborative approach may well be beneficial to all parties.
A need for strategic leadership
7.11 Another widely perceived weakness is the current lack of strategic leadership of the sector both
in relation to ITT itself and in terms of linking ITT to the broader change agenda within Wales.
The ‘distributed’ management of the sector may have some benefits but at present it seems
that no one in Wales is taking responsibility for moving the system forward and helping it
61 Department for Education and Skills/TTA (2002) Qualifying to Teach – Professional Standards for Qualified Teacher Status and
Requirements for Initial Teacher Training, (Circular 2/02), London: DfES 62 http://www.wales.gov.uk/themesmakingconnection/about-e.htm
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respond to the many challenges that it faces. In combination with the lack of resources within
the Welsh Assembly Government itself, the result it seems is often a policy vacuum.
7.12 What our Review has revealed is that ITT in Wales will continue to face many serious challenges
in the years ahead. Current issues on the policy horizon include:
• Ongoing work on getting the numbers right;
• Continuing the search for increased quality;
• Ensuring that ITT responds effectively to the rapidly changing policy context in Wales;
• Linking effectively with Induction and CPD;
• Linking effectively with initial training and CPD provision for others working in the
education service.
7.13 Wales therefore urgently needs a National Advisory Body for Education and Training for Schools
that can provide more effective strategic leadership on all these issues, placing ITT within the
broader changing workforce agenda.
7.14 This National Advisory Body needs to have a broad remit covering the education and training of
the workforce within the Welsh education system as a whole; ITT should be an important but
not its sole responsibility. It needs to be authoritative, to have a degree of independence but
the ability to work with a range of stakeholders. It should be formally constituted and include
representation from HEIs and other providers, schools, LEAs, and with observers from Estyn,
HEFCW and the Welsh Assembly Government. It would need a small part-time secretariat.
7.15 As to where such a body should be located, there are a number of options. It could either be
an independent advisory group within the Welsh Assembly Government, or an independent sub-
committee within the GTCW.
Recommendation 35 That the Welsh Assembly Government addresses its own under-resoucing of
staffing in relation to teacher education either by employing more staff or by developing more
effective collaborative arrangements between officers and those with appropriate expertise across
Wales.
Recommendation 36 That the Welsh Assembly Government establishes a National Advisory Body
for Education and Training for Schools with responsibility for providing advice to the Minister on all
matters concerning the strategic development of staffing within the education service in Wales,
including the ITT sector.
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Annex A – Terms of Reference
REVIEW OF INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING PROVISION IN WALES – SETTING THE
FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHER SUPPLY
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Aim
The aim of the Review is to consider the provision of Initial Teacher Training (ITT) in Wales, and
advise on how the provision of ITT may more effectively meet the current and likely future needs of
schools in Wales in the context of the Welsh Assembly Government’s developing policies and aims. ITT
is defined to include the training currently provided by the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and
through employment-based training in schools. The Review will need to consider and evaluate other
potential means of providing ITT. The Review will only be concerned with the needs of maintained
schools in Wales.
Specifically, the Review should examine and make recommendations on:
• forecasting the demand for newly qualified teachers (NQTs) in Wales and whether it is
possible or practicable for ITT courses in Wales to be much closer aligned in number
and type to the needs of schools in Wales alone;
• the development of existing and alternative routes into teaching so as to attract a
wider range of people into the profession, particularly under-represented groups and
those able to teach in priority subjects (currently covering English (including drama),
mathematics, science, Welsh, modern languages, design and technology and ICT
courses at secondary level), and through the medium of Welsh;
• securing and improving the quality of provision of ITT with particular regard to priority
secondary subjects; issues relating to the foundation phase; the impact of the 14-19
agenda on the need for teachers in maintained schools; and Welsh medium / Welsh as
a second language; and SEN issues related to ITT courses;
• the implications for ITT of the new requirement for the induction of NQTs and their
early professional development (EPD), and how these may be integrated with ITT;
• the scope for strategic planning of the provision of ITT and the supply of NQTs.
In achieving this aim, the Review should draw together new and existing evidence and invite
submissions from relevant stakeholders within Wales. The Review should also identify relevant lessons
from practice outside Wales.
The Review should provide a view of the future shape of ITT provision in Wales that the Welsh
Assembly Government could aspire to achieve. It should make detailed recommendations for practical
and achievable changes which could be implemented over the next 5-10 years, and suggestions for
future courses of action which could be looked at over a longer time period.
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In the course of the Review information will be gained which may assist the Assembly Government in
determining targets for ITT places in Wales for 2006-07 and an interim report on these matters will be
required.
The Review should examine and report on the following key questions:-
1. The needs of schools in Wales
How can the need for ITT provision be calculated to achieve a better match between the supply of
NQTs and the future needs of schools in Wales?
This should cover: phase, subject, geographical location, courses, course routes and ability/need to
teach through the medium of English and/or Welsh. The Review should look at how existing data from
the DfES England and Wales Teacher Supply Model could be supplemented or replaced with Wales-
specific data which could predict more closely the ITT intake targets needed to produce the future
numbers of teachers required in Wales. It should take into account:
(a) demographic changes in the pupil population and recruitment and retirement/leaving data
about the current workforce in Wales;
(b) the effects of the teachers’ workload agreement;
(c) the impact of the 14-19 agenda on the need for teachers with QTS and the relationship with
PGCE (FE);
(d) the effect of Wales-specific issues on the need for teachers – e.g. the Foundation Phase,
language issues and SEN;
(e) the arrangements for funding ITT provision in Wales;
(f) the need to take account of cross-border movement (both the fact that it is not practically
possible simply to prevent students from outside Wales entering ITT courses in Wales, and
the movement to posts of NQTs produced in Wales and England); and wastage rates during
courses or on graduation.
The Review should recommend a robust methodology for estimating the demand for teachers in Wales
that is practical and straightforward, based on factual evidence from existing or recommended
statistical data, but capable of reflecting likely policy changes – for example in respect of class sizes
or teachers’ workload.
2. Course provision for Welsh needs
To what extent could or should Wales aim to provide as far as possible just for its own needs for NQTs
and, as far as practicable, avoid producing NQTs from ITT in Wales unlikely to work here?
The Review should take into account:
(a) what the effect of attempting only to provide ITT in Wales for Wales might be on ITT
providers, including whether any changes in the existing provision might affect the possible
range of courses available (including Welsh medium courses), and the ability of institutions
to offer other types of provision such as continuing professional development and/or
research;
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(b) how, taking account of EU provisions ensuring equal access to courses and the mutual
recognition of QTS between Wales and England through equivalent ITT structure and
provision, changes to the type, number and geographic availability of courses might affect
recruitment to those courses from Wales and elsewhere;
(c) how far the numbers and quality of teachers required are likely to be produced from within
Wales, and to what extent Wales needs to rely on NQTs coming from England or elsewhere;
(d) whether there are lessons to be learnt from the experience with Training Schools in England.
The Review should recommend whether this is a desirable and/or practical aspiration and, if so, the
time-scale within which it might be achievable.
3. Adjusting provision in Wales
In the light of answers to questions 1 and 2 above, how might ITT provision be adjusted in order to
ensure a supply of NQTs of the highest quality, appropriate to the needs of schools in Wales?
The Review should take into account:
(a) whether the future balance of undergraduate and postgraduate provision should be altered
compared with the current balance, looking at both primary and secondary provision, in the
light of an aim of improving NQT standards. Any proposed changes should ensure that
access to ITT is not reduced nor has a detrimental effect on recruitment to courses;
(b) means of increasing diversity by offering ITT provision that is attractive to under-
represented groups and the disabled;
(c) any issues arising from reconfiguration in the ITT sector such as amalgamations of providers
or collaborative working arrangements;
(d) the availability and potential for more flexible or different types of provision – e.g. whether
flexible, ‘modular’ or part-time courses offering ITT in relation to individual need should be
added to HE institutions’ provision; distance learning for mainstream ITT courses offered by
HE institutions; SCITTs (school centred ITT providers); Open University courses; and the
operation of the Employment-Based Training and Education Scheme, which covers the
Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) and Registered Teacher Programme (RTP);
(e) strategies which could be used to reduce wastage during courses (people leaving courses)
and afterwards (people with QTS not entering teaching or some other education role);
(f) the possibility of using people with appropriate qualifications (e.g. people who are employed
in industry/commerce) who could teach in a limited, part-time way, provided they could gain
QTS or a status that would enable them to take on a teaching function, possibly as part of
their employers’ commitment to the community.
The Review should recommend options for ensuring that the way ITT is delivered is relevant to the
needs of schools and that QTS is accessible to a wider range of suitable people, while not prejudicing
standards, and that those beginning training continue into teaching.
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4. Maintaining and improving quality in ITT
What sort of high quality ITT provision should Wales aspire to develop over the next 5 to 10 years in
order to continue improving standards of teaching and pupil achievement?
The quality of ITT provision is a key contributor to the standard of teaching and learning in Wales. The
primary purpose of ITT is to provide a supply of high quality NQTs in sufficient numbers to meet the
needs of every school in Wales – whatever their geographical location, medium of instruction, phase
or subject needs. However, if appropriately organised, ITT could contribute significantly to those
schools engaged in ITT provision in terms of:
• curriculum and pedagogical development;
• staff development;
• links with other schools; and
• links with higher education.
While these contributions are clearly secondary to ITT itself, their potential should be taken into
account when assessing ITT provision overall.
The Review should therefore consider the following questions.
(a) Are the current means of assessing quality sufficient to maintain and improve standards?
(b) In the light of the answers to questions 2 and 3, how can quality be assured if different and
more flexible ways of delivering ITT are developed?
(c) How might current provision be improved – both to ensure the supply of high quality NQTs
and to contribute to school development?
The Review should recommend how the quality of ITT (and therefore of NQTs) can be maintained and
improved, particularly in the light of possible new routes to QTS; and how ITT can be organised in a
way that will contribute to raising the standards of teaching and learning in schools more generally.
5. ITT and Induction/EPD
With the introduction of Induction and Early Professional Development for NQTs, is there a case for
examining the balance between ITT and what can be done through Induction and EPD and how they
might be better integrated?
Developments in Induction and EPD now effectively extend the training and education period for NQTs
into their first years in the profession. The Review should examine:
(a) the linkages between ITT, Induction and EPD, particularly the QTS standards and the end of
Induction standards;
(b) in the light of the answers to questions 2 and 3, whether Induction and EPD would be better
placed for certain areas of initial training than ITT, particularly awareness of, or knowledge
of, Wales-specific policies or standards, including the Curriculum Cymreig, the 14-19 agenda
and the Foundation Phase.
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The Review should recommend how the arrangements for Induction and EPD might be better
integrated with ITT to provide a continuum of training from initial training to consolidating practice in
the classroom. If it considers it appropriate, the Review should recommend whether the Welsh
Assembly Government should consider studying in more detail, as a separate exercise, the issues that
might surround the introduction of a guaranteed post in which to complete the induction year (or
similar) for NQTs in Wales or other proposals aimed at providing for all NQTs to complete Induction.
6. Strategic planning
How might arrangements for the strategic planning of ITT provision in Wales be developed that is
responsive to the needs of schools in Wales?
Currently, responsibility for the policy for, and the strategic and operational planning of, ITT is
undertaken by a number of different bodies. The Review should examine the different activities
undertaken by the Welsh Assembly Government; HEFCW; Estyn; and HEIs and schools in Wales.
The Review should consider:
(a) taking account of the answers to the preceding questions, how the strategic planning of ITT
provision to meet the anticipated needs of schools in Wales might be best co-ordinated
between the bodies with an interest in ITT provision and the supply of NQTs;
(b) how a sense of vision and direction can be developed and communicated to those bodies;
(c) whether it would be appropriate to alter the existing responsibilities of any of the key
stakeholders or co-locate them in one body; the risks as well as the rewards of any such
changes and their cost.
The Review should recommend, in the light of its conclusions on all the other questions above, how a
strategy for the delivery of ITT and the required numbers of NQTs can be developed and owned by
those involved with ITT. The recommendation should be framed so as to be capable of being
implemented within existing institutional structures.
Related issues outside the scope of the Review
The Review should not consider the following issues:
(a) the content and delivery of ITT in terms of meeting the standards for Qualified Teacher
Status and the minimum requirements for ITT courses. (The Assembly Government is
currently addressing these in a review of Welsh Office Circular 13/98);
(b) the marketing of teaching as a career, including teaching incentives.
Conduct of the Review
Tenders will specify how it is proposed to carry out the Review; and should identify the personnel to
be involved, including any independent specialist advice that it is proposed to obtain. The cost of that
advice should be included in their tender. Travel and subsistence costs incurred in carrying out the
Review will be met separately at rates specified in the contract.
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The Assembly Government requires that the Review will be conducted with reference to a support
group. The group will enable the reviewer to develop and test their thinking during the course of the
Review. Individuals will be invited to join the group by the Assembly Government, in consultation with
the reviewer. Teaching and Leadership Division will provide the secretariat support to the group and
meet members’ costs. It is expected that the reviewer will meet the support group monthly during the
course of the work and this arrangement will enable the Assembly Government to monitor progress on
the Review.
Timing
The Review is expected to start from 14 March 2005 and to last for some six months, with a written
report and recommendations submitted by the end of September 2005.
Information gained in the course of the Review may assist the Assembly Government in determining
the targets for ITT places in 2006-07 and the following years. An interim report assessing the need for
ITT places and the implications for ITT providers, with recommendations for targets for ITT entry in
2006-07 and provisional estimates for targets for 2007-08, should be provided by the end of June
2005.
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Annex B – Programme of Activities
In undertaking the Review we undertook the following activities:
• From our Terms of Reference (Annex A) we derived a series of questions. We then wrote to
over 100 organisations setting out these questions and requesting written evidence to be
submitted to us. The questions were also placed on a website which was widely advertised.
The organisations that submitted written evidence are listed in Annex C and where electronic
copies of evidence were provided they are available at:
www.edstud.ox.ac.uk/research/ittinwales/ittwaleswelcome.htm
• The Review Team and Support Group met to take evidence for six whole days in Cardiff.
Details of the programme of evidence sessions are given below.
• Members of the Review Team visited each of the main Higher Education ITT providers in
Wales for a whole day. In each institution they met ITT colleagues, senior representatives
from the institution and, in many cases, groups of teachers and headteachers from partner
schools. Full details of these visits are provided below.
• The Review Team organised two one-day seminars to discuss the future of ITT in Wales at
University of Wales, Gregynog; two representatives from each HEI attended.
• A number of other individual meetings were arranged with lead bodies such as HEFCW,
GTCW, TDA.
• Finally, a wide range of relevant policy documents and other literature was consulted. Details
are provided in Annex C.
Review Team meetings were held in Cardiff with the presence of the Support Group unless otherwise
stated. Other meetings were held in the institutions listed.
1. Panel meeting - 26th May 2005
The following people gave evidence to the Review Team and Support Group
Mr Vivian McIver Assistant Chief Inspector, Education and Training Inspectorate,
Northern Ireland
Professor Ian Menter Professor of Teacher Education, University of Glasgow
2. Seminar I with HEI Providers - 6th June 2005
John Furlong, Hazel Hagger and Cerys Butcher held a full day seminar at the University of Wales in
Gregynog with representatives of all ITT providers in Wales.
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Participants:
North East Wales Institute Andy Cornwell, Subject Leader for Informal and
Continuing Education
Dr Hilary Fabian, Head of Education and Childhood Studies
Graham Williams, Head of Partnership
Swansea Institute Dr John Parkinson, Head of School
School of Education Dr Sue Sanders, Director of Studies
Trinity College Carmarthen Gwilym Dyfri Jones, Head of the Faculty of Education and Training
Rev. Mary Thorley, Head of the School of ITET
UWIC, Cardiff School Dr Paul Thomas, Head of School
of Education Paul Herrington, Head of Secondary Partnership
University of Wales Aberystwyth Professor Peter Neil, Director of School of Education and
Lifelong Learning
University of Wales Bangor Dr Janet Pritchard, Head of School of Education
Mrs Margaret Gould, Director of Primary ITET courses
University of Wales Newport Dr Carl Peters, Dean of School of Education
Emlyn Powell, Associate Dean and Head of Partnership
3. John Furlong visited Trinity College Carmarthen - 22nd June 2005
Discussions were held with:
Dr Medwin Hughes Principal
Ms Sue Ainsworth English Co-ordinator
Mr Alun Charles Director of School-based Studies
Ms Mary Davies Senior Mentor, Ysgol y Dderi
Ms Sue Davies Head of the School of Education Studies and Social Inclusion
Ms Olive Dyer Foundation Subjects’ Co-ordinator
Mr David Griffiths Headteacher, Llandybie CP School
Mr Gwilym Dyfri Jones Head of Faculty of Education and Training
Ms Anne Loughran Mathematics Co-ordinator
Ms Elaine Perry Director of Continuing Professional Development
Mr Jason Rees Head of Religious Education, St Cenydd Comprehensive School
Mr William Rees Headteacher, Monkton Community School
Ms Sian Wyn Siencyn Head of the School of Early Years Education
Dr Catrin Thomas Academic Registrar
Mr Gethin Thomas Headteacher, Ysgol Dewi Sant
Rev. Mary Thorley Director of College-based Studies
Ms Jean Williams Senior Mentor, Queen Elizabeth Cambria School
Mr Gwydion Wynne IT Co-ordinator
4. Panel Meeting – 27th June 2005
The following people gave evidence to the Review Team and Support Group
Ms Amanda Wilkinson Director, Higher Education Wales
Mr Dai Michael Whitchurch High School
Mr Barry Slack Whitchurch High School
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5. Hazel Hagger and Cerys Butcher visited the University of Wales Aberystwyth – 7th July 2005
Discussions were held with:
Dr Catrin Hughes Registrar and Secretary for the University
Professor Peter Neil Director of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Ms Margaret Bevan Department Administrator
Ms Gwenan Owen Director of PGCE Primary
Dr Malcolm Thomas Director of Learning & Teaching
Dr John Harries Dean of Science
6. Hazel Hagger visited Swansea Institute of Higher Education – 8th July 2005
Discussions were held with:
Professor David Warner Principal
Professor Ken Reid Deputy Principal
Dr Gary Beauchamp Director of Primary PGCE
Mr Duncan Hawley Director of Secondary PGCE
Mr Ken Jones Dean of Humanities
Dr John Parkinson Head of School of Education
Dr Sue Sanders Director of Studies
7. Hazel Hagger visited University of Wales Newport – 14th July
Discussions were held with:
Professor James Lusty Vice Chancellor
Mr Allan Fear Head of School Inspection Unit
Ms Karen Morris Head of Primary Programmes
Dr Carl Peters Dean of School of Education
Mr Emlyn Powell Associate Dean and Head of Partnership
Mr John Roberts Associate Dean
8. Hazel Hagger visited the Open University in Wales – 15th July
Discussions were held with:
Mr Martyn Rees
9. Panel meeting - 15th July 2005
The following people gave evidence to the Review Team
Mr Richard Edwards National Association of Head Teachers Cymru
Dr Heledd Hayes National Union of Teachers Cymru
Mr Gethin Lewis National Union of Teachers Cymru
Mr Geraint Davies NASUWT
Mr Darren Northcott NASUWT
10. John Furlong visited the University of Wales, Bangor – 20th July
Discussions were held with:
Professor Gareth Roberts Pro Vice Chancellor
Mr Neil Foden Headteacher, Ysgol Friars
Ms Maggie Gould Director of Primary ITT
Mrs Nesta Jones Deputy Headteacher, Ysgol Tryfan
Mrs Meriell Parry Prifathro, Ysgol Gynradd Tregarth [also Chair of CDAG]
Dr Janet Pritchard Head of School of Education
95
Ms Delyth Rees Director of Secondary ITT
Mr Huw Roberts Former Director BA (Education)
11. John Furlong visited the North East Wales Institute - 21st July
Discussions were held with:
Mr Thomas Moore Academic Provost
Mr Phil Bassett Academic Director of Education, Sport & Lifelong Learning
Mr Andy Cornwell Subject Leader for Informal and Continuing Education
Mr Tony Davies Head teacher, Minsterley Primary School Shrewsbury
Dr Hilary Fabian Head of Education and Childhood Studies
Mrs Gylla Magee Head teacher, Barker's Lane CP School, Wrexham
Mrs Mary McDonald Head teacher, Venerable Edward Morgan RC School Shotton
Mrs Diana Webber Head teacher, Maesbury CP School, Oswestry
Mr Graham Williams Head of Partnership
12. Panel Meeting – 25th July 2005
The following people gave evidence to the Review Team and Support Group
Ms Susan Lewis Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales,
Estyn
Ms Elaine Allinson Managing HMI, Estyn
Mr Meilyr Rowlands HMI, Estyn
Ms Meri Huws Chair, Welsh Language Board
Mr Meirion Prys Jones Chief Executive, Welsh Language Board
Mr Hayden Llewellyn Deputy Chief Executive, GTCW
Ms Karen Evans Policy & Planning, GTCW
Mr David Hopkins Acting Chair, ADEW
Mr Bryan Jeffreys Director of Learning and Development, Vale of Glamorgan
Ms Lindsey Reardon TDA Teacher Recruitment Adviser, Wales
Ms Mair Watkins Pupil Support Division, Wales Assembly Government
13. John Furlong visited University of Wales Institute Cardiff – 26th July
Discussions were held with:
Mrs Jacqui Hare Pro Vice Chancellor Teaching and Learning
Ms Trish Evans Head of Primary Partnership
Mr Paul Herrington Head of Secondary Partnership
Ms Julie Piacentini Director of Teaching and Learning
Mr Paul Thomas Head of School of Education
14. Panel Meeting – 12th September 2005
The following people gave evidence to the Review Team and Support Group
Ms Helen Arthur Teaching and Leadership Division, Welsh Assembly Government
Ms Shan Richards Education Adviser (Foundation Phase), Welsh Assembly Government
Mr Phil Rogers Teaching and Leadership Division, Welsh Assembly Government
Ms Elizabeth Williams Youth and Pupil Participation Division, Welsh Assembly Government
Mr Heini Gruffudd Rheini Dros Addysg Gymraeg/Parents for Welsh Medium Education
Ms Elspeth Jones Cymdeithias Ysgolion Dros Addysg Gymraeg/Society of Schools for
Welsh Medium Education
Dr Gwilym Dyfri Jones Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in HE
96
Dr Ioan Matthews Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in HE
Mr Richard Roberts Cyd-Bwyllgor Addysg Cymru/Welsh Joint Education Committe
15. John Furlong had a meeting with HEFCW officers – 13th September 2005
Discussions were held with:
Professor Phil Gummett Chief Executive
Ms Celia Hunt Director of Teaching and Learning
16. Seminar II with HEI Providers - 23rd September 2005
John Furlong, Hazel Hagger and Cerys Butcher held a full day seminar at the University of Wales in
Gregynog with representatives of all ITT providers in Wales.
Participants:
North East Wales Institute Mr Phil Bassett, Academic Director of Education, Sport & Lifelong
Learning
Dr Hilary Fabian, Head of Education and Childhood Studies
Mr Graham Williams, Head of Partnership
Swansea Institute Dr John Parkinson, Head of School
School of Education Mr Ken Jones, Dean of Humanities
Trinity College Camarthen Mr Alun Charles, Director of School-based Studies within the
School of ITET
Mr Gwilym Dyfri Jones, Head of the Faculty of Education
and Training
UWIC, Cardiff School Dr Paul Thomas, Head of School
of Education Ms Julie Piacentini, Director of Learning and Teaching
University of Wales Aberystwyth Professor Peter Neil, Director of School of Education and
Lifelong Learning
Mr Gwilym Huws, Dean of the Faculty of Social Science
University of Wales Bangor Dr Janet Pritchard, Head of School of Education
Mrs Margaret Gould, Director of Primary ITET courses
University of Wales Newport Dr Carl Peters, Dean of School of Education
Ms Carys Davies, Secondary Schools Liaison Officer
17. John Furlong had a meeting with Open University in Wales – 13th October
Discussions were held with:
Dr Heather Graham Chief Executive of the Open University in Wales
Mr Steve Hutchinson Director, PGCE
Mr Martyn Rees
18. John Furlong and Hazel Hagger had a meeting with Officers of the TDA London –
18th October 2005
Discussions were held with:
Mr Graham Holley Executive Director, ITT Directorate
Mr Michael Day Director of Strategy
Ms Jacquie Nunn Assistant Director, ITT Development
Mr Jeremy Coninx Assistant Director, ITT Funding
Mr Jon Carr Continuing Professional Development
97
Annex C – Written Evidence
Of the people who were invited to respond to the Review, the following submitted written evidence.
Where evidence was submitted electronically it is available at the following website -
www.edstud.ox.ac.uk/research/ittinwales/ittwaleswelcome.htm
Individuals
Professor Richard Daughtery University of Wales Aberystwyth
Professor Toni Downes University of Western Sydney
Professor Gareth Elwyn Jones Swansea University
Professor Ian Menter University of Glasgow
Mr Vivian McIver Assistant Chief, Inspector Northern Ireland
Dr Sue Sanders University of Wales, Swansea
Local Education Authorities
Association of Directors of Education, Wales
Individual LEAs:
Blaenau Gwent
Conwy
Monmouthshire
Wrexham
Schools
Birchgrove Infants School (Swansea)
Bro Dewi School (Pembrokeshire)
Whitchurch High School (Cardiff)
Ysgol Bryn Coch (Flintshire)
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Login Fach (Swansea)
Ysgol Uwrchradd Glan Clwyd (Denbighshire)
Other Educational Organisations
Awdurdod Cymwysterau Cwricwlwm Ac Asesu Cymru/Qualifications, Curriculum & Assessment
Authority for Wales
Estyn
General Teaching Council for Wales
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
Higher Education Wales
National Association of Careers and Guidance Teachers
National Autistic Society
Newport School Improvement Service
Nuffield Review of 14-19 Education and Training in England and Wales
Rheini Dros Addysg Gymraeg/Parents for Welsh Medium Education Skill - National Bureau for Students
with Disabilities
Training and Development Agency for Schools
Wales Primary Schools Association
Welsh Secondary Schools Association
98
UCET Cymru
Welsh Language Board
Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in Higher Education
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
Religious Bodies
Church in Wales – Monmouth Diocese
Catholic Education Service
Welsh Assembly Government
Mair Watkins - Inclusive Education
Higher Education Institutions
Open University in Wales
North East Wales Institute
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Wales, Bangor
University of Wales, Newport
University of Wales, Institute Cardiff
Swansea Institute of Higher Education
Trinity College, Carmarthen
Vice Chancellors
Higher Education Wales
Professor R Merfyn Jones (University of Wales, Bangor)
Unions
National Association of Head Teachers
National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers
National Union of Teachers Cymru
Other Organisations
Disability Rights Commission
Equal Opportunities Commission
99
Annex D – Documents consulted
The following publications were consulted during the course of the Review.
ACCAC (2004) The Foundation Phase in Wales: A Draft Framework for Children’s Learning, Cardiff:
ACCAC
Brisard, E., Menter, I. & Smith, I. (2004) Models of Partnership in Programmes of Initial Teacher
Education’. A review commissioned by GTCS, Glasgow: University of Paisley
Commission of the European Communities (2005) Towards a European Qualifications Framework for
Lifelong Learning, Brussels: EU
Curriculum Council for Wales (1991) Advisory Paper 2. Community Understanding: a Framework for
the Development of a Cross-Curricular Theme in Wales, Cardiff: CCW
Curriculum Council for Wales (1993) Advisory Paper 18. Developing a Curriculum Cymreig, Cardiff:
CCW
Department for Education and Skills/TTA (2002) Qualifying to Teach – Professional Standards for
Qualified Teacher Status and Requirements for Initial Teacher Training, (Circular 2/02),
London: DfES
J M Consulting, DfES (2004) Review of the Unit of Resources for Initial Teacher Training: Study of
Provider Costs for the DfES www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW3.pdf
Education Data Surveys (2004) ITT Partnership in Wales. A study commissioned by the Higher
Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), July 2004, Oxford: Education Data Surveys
Edwards, R. (2003) The Recruitment of Men and Ethnic Minority Students to Primary PGCE Courses in
England and Wales, Cardiff: HEFCW
Estyn (2001) Good Practice in Mentoring Trainee Primary Teachers in Wales, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2001) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
and its partner schools, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2001) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training at Trinity College, Carmarthen and its
partner schools, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2002) Excellent Schools: A Vision for Schools in Wales in 21st Century, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2002) Information and Communications Technology in Initial Teacher Training Courses –
Secondary Phase, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2002) Early Professional Development – Newly Qualified Teachers, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2003) Excellence and Innovation in Initial Teacher Training: A case study approach, Cardiff:
Estyn
Estyn (2003) Initial Teacher Training in Wales 1996-2002. Summary of Estyn Findings for the Higher
Education Funding Council for Wales, Cardiff: Estyn
100
Estyn (2003) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training, North East Wales Institute, Cardiff:
Estyn
Estyn (2003) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training, Swansea Institute of Higher Education,
Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2004) The Graduate Teacher Programme. A New Route into Teaching’ – A Survey Report,
Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2004) Welsh Language – Our Language, Its Future (Iaith Pawb), Estyn: Cardiff
Estyn (2004) Guidance on the Inspection of Initial Teacher Training, Estyn: Cardiff
Estyn (2004) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff,
Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2004) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training, North East Wales Institute
Reinspection, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2005) The implementation of the induction year for newly qualified teachers in Wales, Cardiff:
Estyn
Estyn (2005) The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education of Education and
Training in Wales, Teacher Training 2003-2004, Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2005) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training at University of Wales, Newport,
Cardiff: Estyn
Estyn (2005) Standards and Quality in Initial Teacher Training at University of Wales, Bangor, Cardiff:
Estyn
Furlong, J., Barton, L., Miles, S., Whiting, C. & Whitty, G. (2000) Teacher Education in Transition,
Buckingham: Open University
Gerwyn Lewis, D. (1980) The University and the Colleges of Education in Wales 1927-78, Cardiff,
University of Wales Press
Griggs, R. (1998) History of Trinity College Carmarthen 1848-1998, Cardiff: University of Wales Press
GTCNI (2005) GTCNI Reviews of Teacher Competences and Continuing Professional Development,
GTCNI
GTCNI (2005) Reviews of teacher Competence and Continuing Professional Development, Belfast:
GTCNI
GTCW (2002) Teacher Recruitment and Retention Survey, Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2002) Continuing Professional Development – An Entitlement for All, Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2003) Action Plan for Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Wales, Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2004) Annual Statistics Digest, Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2005) Professional Development Framework for Teachers in Wales. Advice to the Welsh
Assembly Government, Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2005) Annual Statistics Digest, Cardiff: GTCW
101
GTCW (2005) Professional Development Framework for Teachers in Wales: Consultation on
Professional Milestones and Standards (Strand1), Cardiff: GTCW
GTCW (2005) Teaching Profession of the Future – a discussion document, Cardiff: GTCW
HEFCW (2004) Initial Teacher Training in Wales: performance information 2004, Cardiff: HEFCW
HEFCW (2003) Initial Teacher Training in Wales: performance information, Cardiff: HEFCW
HEFCW (2004) Initial Teacher Training in Wales: performance information 2004, Cardiff: HEFCW
HEFCW (2003) Reducing Barriers to Participation in the Teaching Profession by People with
Disabilities, Cardiff: HEFCW
Independent Investigation Group on Student Hardship and Funding in Wales (2001) Investing in
Learners: Coherence, clarity and equity for student support in Wales (the Rees Report),
Cardiff: NAW
Lyle, S., Hassam, R-ul. & Hicham, H. (2003) Ethnic Minority and Recruitment in Initial Teacher
Training in Swansea Bay, Cardiff: HEFCW
McCrone (2000) Committee of Inquiry into Professional Conditions of Service for Teachers, A Teaching
Profession for the 21st Century, Edinburgh: Scottish Executive.
McIver, V. (2002) Early Teacher Education in Northern Ireland, ETI: Bangor, Co Down.
McNair, A. (1944) Teachers and Youth Leaders (The McNair Report), London: HMSO
National Assembly for Wales (2000) Putting Wales First: A Partnership for the People of Wales,
Cardiff: NAW
National Assembly for Wales (2001) The Learning Country: a comprehensive education and lifelong
learning programme to 2010 in Wales, Cardiff: NAW
National Assembly for Wales (2002) Reaching Higher: Higher Education and the learning country,
Cardiff: NAW
Nisbet, J. and Broadfoot P. (1980) The impact of research on policy and practice in education,
Aberdeen University Press
OECD (1999) Knowledge management in the learning society, OECD/Centre of Educational Research
and Innovation, Paris: OECD
Opinion Research Services (2005) Consultation on a Professional Development Framework for
Teachers: Summary Report of Findings for General Teaching Council for Wales, Swansea:
Opinion Research Services
Scottish Executive Education Department (2001) A Teaching Professional for the 21st Century:
Agreement reached following recommendations made in the McCrone Report, Edinburgh
Smithers, A. & Robinson, P. (2003) Factors Affecting Teachers’ Decisions to Leave the Profession,
University of Liverpool
Steering Group for Welsh Medium Provision in Higher Education (2004) Welsh Medium Provision in
Higher Education: Draft Strategy, Cardiff: HEFCW
102
The Education and Training Inspectorate, Northern Ireland (2005) The Induction and Early
Professional Developments of Beginning Teachers (Survey Report), ETI: Bangor, Co Down.
The Richard Commission (2004) Report of the Richard Commission: Commission on the Powers and
Electoral Arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales
Tropp, A. (1957) The School Teachers: The Growth of the Teaching Profession in England and Wales
from 1800 to the Present Day, New York: Macmillan.
TTA (2003) Induction Standards – TTA guidance for Newly Qualified Teachers, London: TTA
Welsh Assembly Government (2001) A Plan for Wales 2001, Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2001) The Learning Country: A Paving Document, Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2002) Reaching Higher: Higher Education and the Learning Country,
Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) Community Focused Schools, Cardiff: DfTE
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) Wales: A Better Country, Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2003) ‘The School of the Future’. Interim Report of the Education and
Life Long Learning Committee, Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government (2004) Learning Pathways 14-19 Guidance (Circular No. 37/2004),
Cardiff: DfTE
Welsh Assembly Government (2004) Response to Consultation on Qualified Teacher Status, Standards
and Requirements of the Provision of Initial Teacher Training, Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2004) Children’s First Event: Four Years on from Waterhouse, Cardiff:
NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2005) Consultation on Regulations Relating to the Review of the School
Staffing Structure in Wales, Cardiff: DfTE
Welsh Assembly Government (2005) Evidence to the School Teachers Review Body on Pay and
Conditions of Employment of School Teachers, Cardiff: NAW
Welsh Assembly Government (2005) Guidance on the Employment-based teacher training scheme-
the GTP and the Registered Teacher Programme (circular no. 08/2005), Cardiff: DfTE
Welsh Assembly Government (2005) Inclusion and Pupil Support, Cardiff: DfTE
White, P., See, B.H., Gorard, S. and Roberts, K. (2003) Review of Teacher Recruitment and Retention
in Wales, Cardiff: Cardiff University
www.learning.wales.gov.uk
www.childrenfirst.wales.gov.uk
www.interactiveeducation.ac.uk/
www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/content/publication/compendia/1999/fow/fow-intro.htm
103
Annex E – The Pre-Professional Degree
Example of possible ‘Pre-Professional Degree’ (P-PD) in e.g.: Early Childhood Studies, Youth Studies,
Vocational Education and Training, Special Needs, Counselling
Strand 1
(30 %)
Strand 2
(30%)
Strand 3
(20%)
Practical experience
(10%)
Welsh Language
Support
(10%)
Year
1
National
Curriculum
subject 1
National
Curriculum
subject 2 or
additional
subject(s)
e.g. sociology,
psychology,
sports science,
etc.
P-PD 1
e.g. child
development,
youth studies,
teaching and
learning,
vocational
education and
training,
counselling,
special needs.
Placement 1
e.g. in schools,
vocational training
centres, special
needs centres, etc.
WLS 1
Year
2
National
Curriculum
subject 1
National
Curriculum
subject 2 or
additional
subject(s)
P-PD 2 Placement 2 WLS2
Year
3
National
Curriculum
subject 1
National
Curriculum
subject 1 or 2
or
additional
subject(s)
P-PD 3 Dissertation:
research in
placement setting
WLS 3
Notes:
In this example, all P-PD students would have to take at least one national curriculum subject –
history, Welsh, science etc – to degree level. Some students could take a second national curriculum
subject or choose additional subjects that complement their P-PD specialism. In this way, students
could choose either an academic or a vocational emphasis.
In each School of Education offering a P-PD degree, some main subject provision needs to be
available for study through the medium of Welsh
104
