Major teaching reform in England will erode the intellectual basis of the profession

The quality of any education system is highly dependent on the quality of its teachers. Research has shown how vital universities are in equipping teachers with the theory and the principles they need to do their jobs well.

In England, universities are currently responsible for 100% of initial teacher education (ITE) at undergraduate level and around 70% of postgraduate courses. And evidence from the Department for Education itself indicates that this approach works. Between 2018 and 2020, all the institutions that offer ITE were rated good or outstanding by Ofsted, the UK government’s quality assurance agency.