Gove rolls out tougher exams for teachers

The Education Secretary rolled out a revamp of teacher training exams today, including English essays, algebra and graphing.

Mr Gove said parents could be confident they had "the best teachers coming into our classrooms."

But National Union of Teachers general secretary Christine Blower said that Mr Gove's office had confirmed in July that teaching staff in his academies and free schools did not need any formal training.

"All too often the government is looking at ever shorter routes to qualifying as a teacher, including on-the-job training in schools.

"This leaves little opportunity or time for trainee teachers to be able to learn about child development and pedagogy in depth."

A Department for Education spokeswoman told the Morning Star the coalition was "still committed to qualified teacher status."

But academy heads were still the best placed to decide whether a prospective teacher needed formal qualifications, she said.