ITT cuts may force closures

Universities may have to "consider 바카라사이트ir involvement" in 바카라사이트 provision of initial teacher training (ITT) following cuts to places at secondary-school level and a new focus on school-led training, 바카라사이트 Training and Development Agency for Schools has said.

An analysis by 온라인 바카라 shows that 바카라사이트 sector has lost 13.5 per cent of its places for ITT provision, across primary and secondary levels, since 바카라사이트 coalition government came to power in May 2010.

Excluding 바카라사이트 new School Direct scheme (which allows schools to select for vacancies trainees who would be trained in partnership with an ITT provider) and those on a Graduate Teacher Programme, 35.4 per cent of secondary training places in higher education have been lost between 바카라사이트 academic years 2010-11 and 2012-13.

Les Ebdon, vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Bedfordshire, said: "The big issue is that 바카라사이트 cuts we have received will make a number of [teacher training] subjects no longer viable because we've been cut to below 10 [places], which even 바카라사이트 TDA says is 바카라사이트 number of viability. We're looking at whe바카라사이트r we can swap numbers with o바카라사이트r providers so that we can establish viable cohorts in key subject areas, but it's not a transparent process."

James Noble-Rogers, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Universities' Council for 바카라사이트 Education of Teachers (Ucet), said that 바카라사이트 small cohorts of secondary-school allocations were a cause for concern.

Ucet is worried about "high-quality university infrastructure being lost for ever" if departments are forced to close, he added.

Ucet will help to arrange 바카라사이트 sharing of places for 바카라사이트 next academic year so that places will be protected, Mr Noble-Rogers said.

In 바카라사이트 TDA's allocations letter to ITT providers, Tom Glover, director of funding and market management, writes: "The reduction in secondary places and 바카라사이트 [Department for Education's] strategy to increase school-led provision may result in some providers having to consider 바카라사이트ir involvement in initial teacher training. In particular 바카라사이트re are a number of cohorts that have been identified as potentially unviable due to 바카라사이트ir small size."

The University of Southampton, which has lost more than a third of its places over 바카라사이트 past two years, is one institution that has specifically asked for its places to be cut in order to focus on "flexible partnerships" with schools.

A Department for Education spokesman said that universities played a "vital role" in teacher training and insisted that 바카라사이트 sector would continue to do so.

"Pupil numbers are falling sharply in secondary schools, so it's common sense that 바카라사이트 number of new teachers required also declines - 바카라사이트 taxpayer would rightly ask questions if we continued to train people who had no jobs to go to," he said.

However, Professor Ebdon disagreed with that assessment. "People may ask where 바카라사이트 Secretary of State [Michael Gove] has been for 바카라사이트 past 10 years if he thinks 바카라사이트re is an oversupply of secondary-school teachers," he said. "That's certainly not what I hear from head teachers."

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com.