A Place to Stand

Thousands {of trainee schoolteachers} are repeatedly failing breathtakingly easy literacy and numeracy tests, putting children's education at risk.

One in five about to embark on teaching careers still have problems spelling and using punctuation as well as doing the most simple multiplication, division and percentages

......Ministers have previously insisted that a nationwide recruitment crisis in teaching is over but figures suggest a hidden problem over the quality of new recruits.

......Statistics from the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) show that of almost 34,000 would-be teachers taking the numeracy tests in 2004-5, almost one in five could not pass on their first attempt.

Just 81.1 per cent (26,964) sailed through first time. Some 10 per cent (3,314) passed after one retake and 8.9 per cent (2,969) needed more than two attempts before finally passing.

Would-be teachers performed better in numeracy in 2003-4 when 87.3 per cent (27,341) passed first time, 9.0 per cent (2,814) after one retake and 3.7 per cent (1,151) after at least two tries.

......'It's very concerning that so many would-be teachers after their 13 years in school education, three years on their degree course and a year's teacher training, can't seem to handle words and numbers properly."

...... This week the Confederation of British Industry claimed that a lack of specialist teachers in science is threatening the economy as thousands of potential scientists are being put off the subject at school.

A teacher plans to show a 35 minute video followed by a 10 minute class discussion. The lesson will finish at 11.30. When is the latest it can start.

// posted by neil craig @ 12:58 pm