Teacher training: seven more providers at risk

Teacher education provision is under threat in seven more institutions, following the publication of critical inspection reports by schools' inspectorate Ofsted.

The Teacher Training Agency began formal moves to withdraw accreditation from four more institutions this week after they failed parts of their inspections. Another three providers are also under threat following damning inspection results.

The TTA has initiated proceedings to withdraw accreditation from the Urban Learning Foundation, London, which had "poor" selection procedures in secondary English training; Bretton Hall College, which was given a "poor" in a re-inspection of its secondary music course; Chiltern Training Group, Luton, which was deemed to be offering poor provision in three out of six inspection categories; and the University of Greenwich, which had already slashed its teacher training provision after poor inspection results.

Other providers facing possible accreditation withdrawal proceedings include Leeds University, the University of Reading and the Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership.

These three have been given a "serious warning" to improve, said the TTA.

Reading University was judged to have failed in its assessment of trainees against the set standards. "Assessment criteria are not applied with sufficient rigour and consistency," the report said.

Leeds University, which failed part of its inspection of secondary postgraduate certificate of education IT courses, has been given a "serious warning", to improve, the TTA has said.

These latest moves follow accreditation withdrawal proceedings against Kingston University and the Open University, and the voluntary withdrawal of provision by Nene College.