Something EVERY parent of a child in a UK State school should know about

[QualifiedTeacher]

The UK Government has new proposals to allow non qualified teachers to teach in UK schools. This means our children?s education may be placed in the hands of teachers without basic qualifications such as English and Maths GSCE let alone a Bachelors degree. This policy will mainly be affecting children from the lower economic backgrounds and the reasoning behind employing unqualified teachers is simply because it costs less.

I have attached an epetition which gives more information and is asking for signatures to oppose the use of unqualified teachers in UK State schools. If the numbers signing this petition is large enough, we can get the debate discussed in the UK Parliament. Please help and protect the education of all UK children in State schools.

Thanks

"MrsG you and Gove would have a lot in common in principle, as a lot of what he says impresses us all. Things like, 'I would like to see more QTs teaching SEN children and less TAs.' Who could fault that?"

I could, on grounds of grammar. Which is why he wouldn't say it. His grammar is quite good.

Flexybex. I'm pleased to hear pay increases are performance linked. I don't know how you can compare the work of a cabinet Minister or a bin person to a teacher nor the pay. Although I suppose all are equally qualified.

Teaching: a life of pure sacrifice, all for the love of Gove. Let our praises be our only our only wages.

Those in favour say, ?Aye!?

BoneyBack,

I learned how to manage behavioural issues a long time before I became qualified to teach. Why do you assume that only qualified teachers would be able to manage this. You had to learn the same as others and unless your PGCE/PgCE was different to the rest of us, classroom management is something you learn on the job, in the classroom. Nobody trained me, I was given a class and that was it. I learned from there.

Because several posters have said that only qualified teachers can cope with those classes. So if there is still a role for qualified teachers, where's the problem? If the unqualified are getting 'better results' then unless you apply the christine blower 'logic' there should be more of them, rather than fewer? Unless it is about teachers maintaining their closed shop, and closed dminds to innovation, rather that the learning experience and outcomes for children - which is very obvious from the prevailing tone of this thread.

Abra1d - better to ignore all the misuse of 'less' and 'fewer' and similar on this type of thread or it would drive you crazy... Reminds me of when I used to try to tactfully point out that signs on the Y5 classroom door saying Remember to bring in swimming kit on Friday's till I realised it was a losing battle

Abra1d, I've read and commented on Gove's SEN Green Paper, have you? Do you understand the concept of and the need for paraphrasing?

And do you have any useful to contribute to the debate?

morethanpotatoprints

Which was it "on the job" or "a long time before I became qualified to teach"
your statements are contradictory.

MrsG

You have said that you want unqualified people to be teachers, this should include the good with the bad. Or do you just want to make qualified teachers look bad by stacking the deck against them?

MrsGuy.
I agree, however, not all posters are like that on this thread. I have 3 dcs, 2 of which went through various changing systems and curricula. I have given up now and decided to teach my last dd myself. I don't think I could do a worst job.
Maybe some teachers should be looking at how they can make the current situation work for children rather than telling parents we need to know how terrible it is for them and how badly this will affect children. How on earth can they establish that fact yet.
The ability to manage change is fundamental to any organisation or business if certain teachers are unable to do this for the sake of children, maybe they shouldn't teach.

Perhaps teachers might seem more professional if they didn't use the word 'Gove' as if they were petulantly spitting it out. Have no axe to grind about the man himself - he has a job to do, so why do people feel the immature need to make it personal?

I used the example of bin persons' salaries compared to teachers' salaries because they are comparable, and, teachers and bin people have little scope to progress beyond the highest salary in the range.
It makes a mockery of the government's claim that 'Graduates earn £12,000 a
year more than non-graduates' (Office of National Statistics), and illustrates that even qualified teachers are underpaid.

morethanpotatoprints

I do not have a PGCE/PgCE.

BoneyBack. Did you not have a class to yourself until you qualified? I used to apply my practice to the theory we learned in lectures.
A week after starting my PGCE/PgCE (not sure which) I was given 16 hours teaching (8) units I was responsible for. No previous resources, planning scheme, nothing. Completely on my own

Boneyback.
Sorry cross posted there, I thought you were a teacher

MrsG all the research shows that unqualified don't get good results in the long term and that low ability children

"Children taught by support staff lag behind by a year, five-year study reveals"

www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/sep/04/teaching-assistants-classroom-improvements

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8539366/Teaching-assistants-fail-to-improve-school-results.html

www.bestevidence.org.uk/assets/What_works_for_struggling_readers.pdf

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=11&ved=0CGYQFjAAOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.northumberland.gov.uk%2Fidoc.ashx%3Fdocid%3Dd7a1a1db-171e-452f-af5c-49c4516b029b%26version%3D-1&ei=0zgdUIHlLKa00QXMv4HYCw&usg=AFQjCNF9P9laH1N_byvKf18BYP4mtclUuQ&sig2=GEAbBiQxYwDKFPYWM2-5pQ

MTPP

"Completely on my own" you should have complained to the school/uni that was responible for your training as this isn't allowed, you should always have a qualified teacher in the classroom with you.

The Teacher/Mentor should then discuss the lesson with you and give you pointers these should also include classroom and behaviour management.

MTPP

I am a teacher.
I just don't have a PGCE/PgCE.

Neither do I.

I am a teacher .
I don't have a PGCE I do have a PgCE

Quite frankly, this post is becoming repetitive. We are getting the same lame responses to the issues from the same individuals who probably have their children's education 'protected' because of the catchment area they live or because they opt to pay for their education privately. It is in certain individuals' interests that social economic mobility ceases. In this country we have had children from working class backgrounds who passed the 11+ and went to grammar schools who then became MPs, judges you name it. We have children born here and overseas from lower castes in India who have aspired to become top international surgeons.

These opportunities existed because we had a first class education system that offered a free university education to the majority of people who wanted it. Now these opportunities are slowly being taken away via tha abolition of the EMA, higher and higher university fees and now having unqualified teachers taking over classes in state funded schools.

As I said earlier, this issue is one that will affect mainly those children in

mainstream schools including academies as mainstream schools and academies have been doing this prior to 27th July 2012 when it was made official

children with SEN especially those with ESD and EAL

BME children

Children in receipt of FSM (Free School Meals)

Last year we had the worst riots England and Wales has ever seen. The majority of the participants were from the groups that this policy will affect.

From April next year ALL the public sector cuts will come into play namely

Cuts to JSA
Cuts to HB (Housing Benefit)
Cuts to DLA (Disabilty Living Allowance) to both children and adults
Cuts to the SEN schools budgets
Cuts to LEA funding

to name but a few.

How anybody can perceive all of this making for a better society, I do not know.

Flexybex

I'm sorry if I sound dim but aren't they totally different jobs, requiring different skills, sets of responsibilities etc. Plus bin men work unsociable hours. I know some teachers do, as I did. But it isn't obligatory.
Cabinet Ministers also do a different job etc. I don't see them as being comparable. Maybe, both teachers and bin people can only progress within a certain pay scale. However, teachers can ususally (until pay freeze) progress far more than many other graduates in other occupations.

Qualified teacher

You forgot, In my opinion. Some people do possess some intelligence and have lived through many changes in the education system and if they could be bothered could pick so many faults with your last post. Your lame responses comment doesn't really apply to any of the posters here from what I have read. There has only been free university education for a short space of time if you look at the history of education. I can't be bothered to add anymore apart from why not be happy that all the above cuts will probably not affect you.

morethanpotatoprints all of the above cuts will affect every teacher

Which PGCE/PgCE is which then?
I would like to know which I am or was when I acctually saw the point in doing the job.

Feenie/BoneyBack
Do you think your teaching practice would have been any better for gaining a PGCE/PgCE? I am glad I did it for personal reasons but I don't think it made me a better teacher, or indeed made any difference at all as to how I taught.

morethan I admit that salary comparison is not very useful. Probably a bit arrogant too.
However, just to clarify, the salary of a classroom teacher in a primary school rarely rises above £42K.