Teaching students entry requirements

[cdtaylornats]

Below is the plan to tackle a recruitment crisis in Scotland’s schools. Does this deskill teachers? Is it a good idea? Would you support it in England?

STUDENTS will be accepted into university teaching courses even if they do not have basic English and maths qualifications in a bid to tackle a recruitment crisis in Scotland’s schools.

A Higher pass in English or standard grade equivalent in maths will no longer be required, fuelling fears over the future of the country’s education system.

Scottish ministers backed a plan by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) to effectively scrap entry requirements for student teachers.

Applicants must agree to gain the schoollevel qualifications while at university before they gain a teaching degree.

The government can scrap the requirements but I imagine most/all training providers will keep them, as they'll want students who can cope with the demands of the course. Very few undergraduate degrees will admit pupils without a level 2 English/Maths qualification, so if prospective teachers have degrees, you'd expect them to have these qualifications anyway, I think?

I don't agree with the changes- students deserve teachers with a basic knowledge of English and maths.

I don't think the bursary systems in England and Wales are perfect, but Scotland doesn't seem to have much funding available for teacher training at all- perhaps some kind of funding structure would help?