Changing step or marking time? Teacher education reforms for the learning and skills sector in England

The unprecedented degree of attention given to the learning and skills sector in England by successive New Labour governments has led to a significant increase in what is expected of the teaching workforce. To help meet these expectations, a 'step change' in the quality of initial teacher training for the sector is promised, alongside provisions for career-long professional development. In this article, the authors argue that the effectiveness of these reforms is likely to be compromised by a combination of under-funding, poor integration of initial teacher training into human resource policies within colleges, and an over-prescriptive curriculum. In addition, they consider the re-definition of teaching roles currently taking place in the sector and warn that this may further undermine the reforms by simultaneously discouraging many teachers from achieving fully qualified status and downgrading their professional standing.