While understanding the need to ensure teachers have the requisite skills, I was astonished to read that Conservative leader David Cameron is proposing to ban anyone with a third-class degree from embarking on teacher training. He described the move as being “brazenly elitist”; sounds as if even he knows it’s dodgy!
Just in case you suspect that what follows is sour grapes, may I assure you that I would not be disqualified by Cameron’s entry criterion. In fact, years ago I successfully completed my training as a teacher (it was called a “dip ed” in my day). I did my teaching practice in a tough secondary modern where, within two weeks of my arrival, half the staff were struck down with ’flu. In their absence I acted up and temporarily became head of the English, geography and history departments and the producer of the school play! I never got over the shock of being demoted when they all returned.
My doubts about Cameron’s proposal aren’t anything to do with whether raising the bar will lead to teacher shortages (apparently it might only exacerbate the problems of recruiting sufficient maths and science teachers), or whether, as Cameron hopes, it will raise the status of the teaching profession and attract higher calibre applicants.
No, my worry is whether, paradoxically, raising the academic bar might lower the competence bar.
I’m not aware of any robust studies that show a correlation between academic excellence and teaching ability and, even if there were any, they would not necessarily be demonstrating a causal connection. When you think of what teachers actually have to do – connect with diverse kids with different needs/abilities/learning styles, instil a love of learning, demonstrate an enthusiastic curiosity about life in general, manage risks and disruptive behaviour, keep cool before, during and after Ofsted inspections – and all the rest of it, it is hard to imagine that having a second- or first-class degree will be a sufficient predictor of success.
I understand the attractions of having a neat, easily checkable, entry criterion, ignoring other factors and extenuating circumstances, but it sounds to me as if Cameron is falling into the trap of over-emphasising IQ and under-valuing EQ and other multiple intelligences that are likely to be at least as relevant as the class of degree. Actually, I think the answer might be to select people with halos hovering over their heads. But saints are few and far between so raising the bar that way would definitely result in teacher shortages!