DC’s teacher didn’t go to university.

At least having a degree in the subject taught ensures said teacher has been exposed to the basic principles/tenets of the field. Who’s checking whether she has enough breadth of knowledge on literary classics? What if all the woman had read is Hilary Mantel? Your child is not going to fit in at Oxbridge if they aren’t able to discuss Chaucer etc lol.

I agree Bibble.

I don’t know how those schools would pass their inspections then, by OFSTED or ISI or whatever. The inspectors at any school I’ve known have been very keen on checking paperwork.

And, yes, all private schools have to be inspected.

All private schools must be registered with the government and are inspected regularly. Source: gov.uk here.

You only need a degree and QTS to teach in a state school. Independent schools can and do employ anyone they like. They’re a business after all, so if they are paying an unqualified teacher, they’re quids in.

What a dick post

Religious schools too.

A degree is not a guarantee of ability, but it's some sort of indicator of subject knowledge. Provided, of course, that the school does not demand that a French teacher teach physics. An awful lot has to do with being well-read and experienced, however. I do not have a degree in English, but was obliged to teach Cambridge GCSE English Language at my private school, and one of my boys was top in the country in the subject. Mind you, one of my girls was the top student in the world in A2 Classics too. A subject in which I did one of my degrees.

That’s not my experience in the local private schools nearby. All the adverts for teaching positions that come out require fully qualified teachers with a degree and a PGCE.

However, I have to agree with many on here, a degree doesn’t make you a good teacher.
You might achieve top grades at uni and be rubbish at teaching.

Usually its degree or equivalent experience. It's not that long ago most teachers didn't have a degree. A degree is not a guarantee of ability.

I have a degree and I tech I’ve always thought that having a degree doesn’t make you a good or better teacher. Subject passion and inter personal skills are much more important.

My friend's DC took a gap year between A levels (straight A's) and university and ended up teaching GCSE science in a private school. It was a small school but expensive but parents were not paying for the qualifications of the teachers.

‘Most private schools now go through Ofsted, and standards have improved.’

That’s not true. They have their own, incredibly biased inspectorate which is there to support the whole private school system - and it’s toothless. no powers other than reporting to actual authorities if they find dangerous situations.

I think quite a lot of private school ‘teachers’ aren’t really qualified. I was really surprised when I heard this, I have several friends who have dc at private schools and it’s really odd, probably because I’m a state secondary teacher and everyone I work with has a degree.

Generally, the rule for teaching in state schools is that you can teach to A level whatever your degree is and to GCSE whatever your A levels are in.

Yeah, well it’s true.

You are concerned that your child's teacher didn't go to university, but you know that private schools often employ untrained teachers. You're getting what you signed up for. When I did my teaching degree, the best teachers often went to the toughest state schools, while two of my friends, who had poor classroom management skills, went into private schools because they believed they weren't good enough for state schools.
Most private schools now go through Ofsted, and standards have improved. In state schools, because of tight budgets and a lack of staff, high-level teaching assistants may be used as teachers.
The bottom line is how knowledgeable, skillful and effective the teacher is. You have no reason to complain if she is teaching your child well.

Honestly? I'm a teacher. I have two degrees and a PGCE. And I could have skipped all of them for the training they provided me in doing my job. Everything of value I learned about education I learned on the job.

She has loads of experience as a TA and a proven track record of success as a teacher. That's far more valuable than any module I took at uni.

Oh this is fun.

Teachers at state schools do have to be qualified. At private schools, nope. Ha.

As a former senior academic in a prestigious university I can tell you that I've encountered probably thousands of graduates that I would absolutely not want teaching my grandchildren! A university degree is not really any longer an indicator that somebody is 'educated', in the sense we used to mean by that term, or that they're fit to teach. Conversely, I've known many people without a university degree whose erudition and ability to inspire intellectual curiosity and independent thinking is exactly what I would wish for every child. Don't fall prey to a kind of mindless credentialism and risk alienating somebody who may be excellent for your child.

Yes but that was because teacher training wasn’t recognised as degree level qualification then. Teaching certificates included learning a couple of subjects at degree level, plus training on how to teach them. A university degree at that time would just have been academic. So teachers with an academic degree but no teaching certificate would be less well trained, if at all.

This case is someone who doesn’t have any higher education at all OR any teacher training. It’s not the same at all.

Private schools often have non qualified staff.

If she’s doing a good job of teaching, then there isn’t a problem. Just forget it.

but pilots undergo training to be pilots, and technicians and engineers working on planes are not doing it without relevant industry training either. In those cases, the industry itself is setting the standard and passing or failing those who undertake the training.

Teachers require subject knowledge as a prerequisite to being able to teach. Without the subject knowledge, we're pretty useless. The teaching bit can be acquired on the job but the rest needs to be in place, surely?

@3CustardCreams the common core NC is whatever the current government says it is. Read some of the posts about how SATS are crushing the life out of y6 kids' interest in learning. Talk to state teachers about how Gove's reforms have similarly made much of secondary a dull, rote learning experience. When I say private schools have freedom, I mean within a structure of senior management, faculty heads, cross curricular themes. It's not literally individual teachers just doing what they feel like on that day. It means in KS3 history you can include some stuff about the local history of your area, or look at the alumni of your school who went to war. Mostly we do do pretty similar but we're not absolutely bound to it and can make a bespoke curriculum but noone is dropping Shakespeare.

Er, Brunel went to university in France, aged 14.

I do think it’s a bit different when the field is education, generally think you’d expect the person to have a qualification higher than the one they are teaching. Up to GCSE is probably fine but to teach A level without a degree is a bit iffy.

Then that school is breaking the law and should be closed. Please don't use that highly dubious example as a typical example. It bears no resemblance at all to any of the numerous private schools I know who have just as, if not more rigorous safeguarding and DBS procedures.

Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. At my grammar school in the 70s about a 1/3rd of the masters had teaching certificates but no degree. Having a degree in the subject did not make for a better teacher, believe me.