Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that newly qualified teachers have access to structured early professional development that builds on and complements their initial training.

The government is continuing to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in training and developing teachers, including newly qualified teachers. This involves supporting schools to lead on the creation of high-quality training opportunities for teachers through the national network of teaching schools.

The Department for Education also recently consulted on options to support teachers’ professional development. The consultation, entitled ‘A World-Class Teaching Profession’, ran from 9 December 2014 to 3 February 2015 and set out proposals designed to support teachers in improving the quality of professional development. The proposals included a fund for professional development and an offer of government support to those working on the establishment of a new, independent professional body – a College of Teaching. An announcement will be made in due course.