Kirsty Williams, Cabinet Secretary for Education
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Our national mission to raise standards, reduce the attainment gap, and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride, can only be fulfilled if we have high quality, well-qualified teachers.
I have been clear in my expectations of our teacher training reforms and the high quality bar I expect Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers to meet. The principle purpose of the reforms is to improve the quality and consistency of provision, introduce a new approach to teacher education, and ensure that all programmes meet high aspirations for world leading ITE in Wales.
On our reform journey we have worked closely with our stakeholders as part of our drive to build consensus and commitment to improving provision. In a short space of time, we have made significant progress. We have:
- Developed, consulted on and published ITE accreditation criteria
- Held a week long series of workshops organised by the OECD, involving world leading experts in the field of Initial Teacher Preparation
- Empowered the Education Workforce Council to accredit individual ITE programmes, through the establishment of the Teacher Education Accreditation Board (the Board)
- Completed the public appointment of the highly credible and high calibre Chair and Deputy Chairs of the Board, Professor Furlong, Dr Áine Lawlor and Professor Olwen Mcnamara
- Seen ITE Partnerships submit their new, academically validated, ITE Programmes to the Board in December.
It is against this backdrop I was pleased to hear from Professor Furlong and receive the results of EWC’s Teacher Education Accreditation Board’s deliberations. I am assured of the rigour of the Accreditation process.
By empowering the Education Workforce Council to accredit individual ITE programmes, through the establishment of the Board it is rightly the teaching profession and experts, not Welsh Government, that determines if ITE programmes are suitably demanding, credible and professionally appropriate.
Wales newly accredited ITE programmes are:
Primary – Undergraduate
- CaBan BA Primary
- Cardiff Partnership BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
- Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS
Primary – Postgraduate
- Aberystwyth ITE Partnership PGCE
- CaBan PGCE Primary
- Cardiff Partnership PGCE: Primary
- Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership PGCE with QTS
Secondary - Postgraduate
- Aberystwyth ITE Partnership PGCE
- CaBan PGCE Secondary
- Cardiff Partnership PGCE: Secondary
- Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership PGCE with QTS
The CaBan, Cardiff Partnership, Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership and Aberystwyth ITE Partnership have proven to the Board that their accredited ITE programmes are the real step change Professor Furlong’s Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers pointed to; the high quality provision attracting the right people with the right skills, qualifications and an aptitude for teaching, to enter the profession.
Today is an important milestone in our reform journey and all involved should be proud of this significant achievement.