Statement on the Initial Teacher Training (ITT) Market Review Report
9 July 2021
King’s College London supports the drive towards excellent standards across all ITT programmes. Universities provide a substantial proportion of teacher training in England and King’s College London remains committed to this. We have a rich history in the education of secondary school teachers, training around 200 secondary school teachers each year, many in shortage STEM subjects, including computing.
Our work is grounded in long-standing partnerships with 200+ schools in and around London. Our programmes have consistently been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted and our ambitious curriculum, co-created with our partner schools, draws on the world-class education research of our team of highly experienced teacher educators. This includes ongoing research, funded by ESRC, to support those who have completed ITE programmes during the global pandemic.
The Market Review proposals to move to a single national approach to curriculum, delivery and assessment of ITT potentially undermine two fundamental features of excellent teacher development:
Choice and local responsiveness are key elements of the Government’s education policy approach, as is a commitment to responding to the latest research and evidence. We do not believe the education system would be well-served by a uniform and centralised approach to teacher development – a variety of pathways into teaching is of long-run benefit.
King’s College London will constructively engage with the public consultation to advocate for an outcome that ensures we are able to continue the vital work of training highly accomplished early career teachers for the schools in London and beyond.
Professor Nicola Phillips
Vice President & Vice-Principal (Education)
Professor Beatrice Szczepek Reed
Head of the School of Education, Communication and Society