Half of teachers have no degree in their subject
MORE than half of secondary school teachers do not have a degree in the subject they teach, a damning Government report revealed yesterday.
And nearly four out of 10 have no relevant qualifications beyond A level. [>
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The proportion of lessons taught by staff who were not formally qualified in their subjects has also risen slightly in the past five years. [>
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Subjects worst hit included maths – in which 25 per cent of teachers did not have a relevant post A-level qualification, such as a degree or teaching certificate – and English, with 21 per cent. [>
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Fewer than half of maths teachers have a degree in the subject, despite a multi-million pound recruitment drive. [>
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Tory shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said: “We simply can’t compete with other countries when we don’t have the scientists and mathematicians in teaching to train the next generation of innovators.” [>
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The National Foundation for Educational Research surveyed more than 14,000 teachers in nearly 330 secondary schools in England. [>
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It found there had been an overall 10 per cent rise in the proportion with degrees in their specialist subjects. [>
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But only 43 per cent had a degree in the subject they taught and 38 per cent had no relevant post A-level qualification. Science subjects tended to have the highest proportion of teachers with relevant degrees. [>
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But some had no post A-level qualification in the subject, including 10 per cent of those teaching physics. [>
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The survey also found that grammar and smaller schools in wealthier areas had a higher proportion of staff with qualifications beyond A-level than those with deprived pupil intakes. [>
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Lib Dem shadow schools secretary David Laws said: “It’s no wonder that many young people from deprived backgrounds struggle to do well.” [>
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Schools Minister Jim Knight insisted that the Government’s “revolution” in teachers’ pay and conditions meant mass staff shortages were over. He said: “Shortages only remain in a few areas where all sectors are struggling to find qualified staff.” [>
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The Government plans to make teaching a masters-level profession for staff entering their first job. [>
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The Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ Dr Mary Bousted said: “Teachers also need a good understanding of learning, assessment and individual pupil needs, and the teaching skills to offer the best learning experiences for all their pupils.” [>
