The Government have announced a new teaching apprenticeship which they say will revolutionise the way schools recruit teachers, while supporting more people to earn while they study for a degree.
They say the teacher degree apprenticeship will offer “a high-quality, alternative route for people to become qualified teachers”.
Shreeve: Professional standards must not be watered down
Commenting on a new teaching apprenticeship, to be launched this autumn, Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, said,
“This week Education Secretary Gillian Keegan claimed new teacher apprenticeships to ‘be a game-changing opportunity for schools to nurture and retain talent from the ground up’.
“Certainly, more teachers are desperately needed, but without watering down professional standards.”
Shreeve: Will this work?
He added,
“New teacher degree apprenticeship trainees will spend 40 per cent working towards their degree and teaching qualification and three days a week teaching as an apprentice.
“Will this work? Every time I taught during my first two postgraduate teacher training qualifications, I was observed by the actual class teacher, a university mentor or both followed by a lengthy feedback report. This support matters.”
Shreeve: It puts standards and safety at risk
On ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ (4th Feb), the Education Secretary was asked,
“Is it not a scheme for ‘teenagers with not particularly stellar qualifications being paid less than the normal wage because they’re an apprentice teaching children?”
Mr Shreeve went on to comment,
“Gillian Keegan reminded the audience of the £30,000 teacher starting salary. Invaluable classroom support will need funding too.
“Placing underqualified and inexperienced teachers into classrooms is unfair on pupils, apprentice teachers and their colleagues. It puts standards and safety at risk. Before facing such sustained teaching commitments, new entrants to the profession must be fully qualified.”
Shreeve: This scheme is unlikely to halt or reverse weak recruitment and retention
Mr Shreeve finished by saying,
“Apprenticeships are vital to give people a chance to build skills and careers, but this is not the way to combat the challenges of teacher recruitment. Teachers should be graduates. How else will standards be raised on the Isle of Wight?
“Graduates avoid school teaching because of low pay, high workload and oppressive accountability measures. This scheme is unlikely to halt or reverse weak recruitment and retention.”
You can read the full announcement on the Government’s website.
