20th August 2012 12:44
By Blue Tutors
Are the best teachers those with a teaching qualification?
A report on the BBC Education website yesterday (01/08/2012) raises the concerns of those teachers with QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) over the relaxation of rules regarding the hiring by academies of experts rather than teachers.
Professor Chris Husbands, director of the Institute of Education at London University said the plan contradicted national and international evidence.
Prof Husbands cites the 2010 White Paper, called the Importance of Teaching, which says international evidence shows "the most important factor in determining the effectiveness of a school system is the quality of its teachers".
"There is simply no research evidence at all to suppose that lowering the bar and recruiting significant numbers of unqualified teachers will do anything other than lower standards.
However, the government argues that allowing expert linguists, engineers, computer scientists and the like to begin teaching at academies without having experienced formal teacher training will help progress. A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "This additional flexibility will help schools improve faster."
As a temporary measure perhaps it is a good idea, however, there is no guarantee that an expert scientist will make an exceptional teacher.