Sir Peter gives his opinion on the news of tougher tests for teacher trainees in England after the government said it wanted to raise the quality and standing of the profession.
“I welcome today’s plans to toughen English and maths tests for new teachers. All teachers should have a firm grasp of the basics. Too often the importance of maths, in particular, is underrated. Yet it is increasingly essential in every walk of life.
But the priority must be to upgrade the skills of the 440,000-strong existing workforce, not just in English and maths, but in wider teaching skills.
Sutton Trust research has shown that England would become one of the top five education performers in the world within 10 years if the performance of the country’s least effective 10th of teachers were brought up to the national average.”