UoG driving forward new Government’s plans to recruit 6,500 teachers

University of Gloucestershire - founded as a teaching college more than 175 years ago - is supporting the new UK Government's ambitions to recruit more than 6,500 teachers set out in its first week in office.

Bridget Phillipson MP, the new Secretary of State for Education, says in a letter to the education workforce that she wants to work closely with the sector to increase the numbers of teachers and raise standards in schools and colleges across the UK.

Originally founded by Reverend Francis Close, the University began life as the Cheltenham Training College in 1847 at the site that has since become its Francis Close Hall Campus in Cheltenham.

The University's School of Education and Science delivers a range of primary and secondary teacher training programmesto prepare learners for entry into the profession, includingPrimary Education with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

In the most recent Ofsted report(2022), the University's programmes for producing the next generation of teachers were rated 'Good', with inspectors highlighting their 'unique' emphasis on sustainability and the University's strong partnership with schools.

Ofsted said the Initial Teaching Education (ITE) partnerships between the University and 375 providers ensured that trainees were well prepared for the realities of a career in teaching and their welfare was well supported.

Dr Graham Parton, Head of the University's School of Education and Science, said: "It is vital that we boost teacher recruitment in our region, and it is really positive that the new Secretary of State for Education has pledged to introduce 6,500 new teachers into the workforce.

"As one of the country's oldest and well-respected educators of teachers we are well placed to meet this demand and provide the county with high-quality expert teachers."

Range of training programmes

Dame Clare Marchant, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: "We're proud of our long and successful heritage in producing many of the nation's excellent teachers who have helped shaped the lives of children and young people over the past 175 years.

"In delivering a range of teacher training programmes, we look forward to playing an important part in driving forward the new Government's ambitions by developing many more expert teachers in the years ahead."

In her letter to the education workforce, Bridgit Phillipson MP said: "Work to recruit 6,500 new expert teachers for our schools and colleges starts now, and we will bring forward a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education, work with local government to provide loving, secure homes for children in care, provide support for children with SEND and their families, and create higher-quality training and employment paths by empowering local communities to develop the skills people need.

"We will secure the future of our world-class universities as engines of growth, ambition and opportunity for all."

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