Commenting on the Department for Education’s response to its
consultation on strengthening qualified teacher status (QTS) and
improving career progression for teachers, Geoff Barton, General
Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said:
“We are losing far too many teachers from the profession,
particularly early in their careers, and we welcome today’s
proposals as a step forward in addressing that problem.
“Providing new teachers with more support to develop their
classroom practice and confidence will be good for them and good
for the young people they teach. It makes the profession a more
attractive career for graduates and will help improve retention.
We welcome also the proposals to provide teachers with more
opportunities for progression later in their careers, and the
plan to pilot sabbaticals for established teachers.
“However, it is vital these proposals are properly funded by the
government and that they do not end up becoming yet another
additional unfunded cost on schools. There are several cost
implications, including development and implementation of the
enhanced professional development offer, resources and materials,
and ensuring that schools are able to provide the release time
for these programmes.
“We urge the Treasury to ensure there is sufficient funding in
place to deliver these plans. This issue is too important to be
allowed to founder on the rocks of austerity.”
