How on earth has Anthony Kelly come to the conclusion that universities have been silent about the government’s reforms to teacher education in England, or are somehow to blame for the progression of Michael Gove’s agenda (“Bowing to pressure”, Opinion, 12 February)?
The idea that university-based teacher education will be defended by being located in research-intensive universities is also unhelpful and a self-serving argument that should be consigned to the dustbin of special pleading.
The efforts of universities to protect the high-quality routes into teacher education and the evidence-based research about pedagogy that universities provide have been reported at length in Times Higher Education and elsewhere. Our Deans of Education group has not been alone in writing to and meeting successive schools ministers and presenting evidence to the Education Select Committee. The problems with the reforms have also been taken up by vice-chancellors, the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers, David Willetts when he was universities minister and by opposition MPs in parliamentary questions.
Next month, Million+ is launching a teacher education manifesto in the House of Commons. This issue is far from done.
Pam Tatlow
Chief executive, Million+
