ATL

ATL Cymru - 'Slashing training for teachers could lead to a second hand education system'

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers warned today that slashing the funds available for teachers' ongoing training and development was a false economy and could lead to a second hand education system in Wales. As part of the cuts in the education budget the Assembly Government is stopping the current GTCW bursary scheme which allows teachers to choose areas for their professional development. The union is also concerned that cuts in other areas will also curtail teachers' access to high quality professional development. ATL believes that such a move will reduce teachers' skills, efficiency and enthusiasm.

Dr. Philip Dixon, Director of ATL Cymru said: 'Teachers are very concerned that the Assembly Government could be so short sighted. Ongoing continuous professional development (CPD) is essential if teachers are to remain at the height of their game. It's essential, not some optional extra that can be slashed when times get hard. Although the GTCW bursary scheme was overly bureaucratic and seriously underfunded it did mean that teachers could access funds to help them chose their own CPD. Teachers valued that autonomy because it respected their professionalism and integrity. Training that's imposed isn't worth half of development that's chosen. Training that's imposed upon teachers is often of poor quality. If the School Effectiveness Framework is to make any real impact it has to include a commitment both to teachers' right to CPD and the right to choose their own CPD.

The union is so concerned about the issue that it has brought forward the publication of its position statement on Continuous Professional Development and launched it today. The document highlights that 22% of teachers in Wales rated CPD provision as poor, and that CPD is patchy across Wales. The document urges that the quality of CPD be more rigorously checked. The union argues that the rationalisation of teachers' CPD is long overdue. It also believes arrangements need to be formalised so that milestones in a teacher's career have a national programme of structured professional development linked to them: "We believe that the Chartered Teacher programme would plug the gaps identified in the current CPD framework as there are a limited number of clearly defined opportunities for the vast majority of teachers to gain professional recognition.'

Notes to editors:

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.
2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first-rate research, advice, information and legal advice.
3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). The union is a member of the social partnership - working with the UK government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.