The majority of teachers "are absolutely competent"

July 06 2010

The majority of British school teachers are perfectly competent and able to do their jobs well, one expert has claimed.

Professor Dylan Wiliam, professor of educational assessment and deputy director of the Institute of Education, was responding after a BBC Panorama investigation indicated that some incompetent teachers are being passed between schools rather than dismissed.

"Very few teachers are struck off because very few teachers are absolutely incompetent," he commented.

Professor Wiliam pointed out that some professionals find they work better in one school than another.

"It's not pretending there isn't a problem, it's trying to find somewhere where that person can actually be a good teacher and in many cases that works," he added.

There are very few teachers that are so bad that they cannot improve, Professor Wiliam added.

The Panorama report revealed that only 18 teaching professionals have been struck off because they are incompetent in the last 40 years.

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