Teachers’ subject training not long enough, MP’s hear

The Education Select Committee has heard that a number of teachers are starting their careers in primary school with only a few hours training in some subject areas.

However, much of the comment focused on new regulatory requirements and curriculum shifts rather than subject areas.

Professor Jane Courtney of the Deans of Education Network at the higher education think tank, Million+ explained: "If we look at some of these areas we could be sending people out with as little as three hours taught input in a subject like PE. What primary schools have to do - they know their staff are undertrained - is provide CPD (continuous professional developments) for PE or provide coaches.

"Children are getting fragmented education with a little bit of coaching from this person and a little bit from someone else."

Andy Mitchell, Design and Technology Association assistant chief executive, commented: "Stuff in the new GCSEs - the vast majority of design and technology teachers know nothing about. The reason why it is worse now and it was never quite like that before is because we will not be able to rely on large centres of research and development - Keele, Loughborough, Nottingham-Trent, Exeter - all of these have withdrawn from initial teacher training education [for design and technology]."

In a statement the Department for Education said: "Primary teachers have always taught a range of subjects and are not expected to be subject specialists.

"Providing the best possible training is at the heart of the government's drive to improve teaching standards, ensuring that all children, regardless of background, have the opportunity to fulfil their potential.

"Our review of initial teacher training (ITT) will ensure that trainee teachers can demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge across different subjects, and we have committed to go further by replacing qualified teacher status (QTS) with a new, stronger accreditation system to raise the bar for new teachers."