Teachers' A-level results 'more important than degrees'

February 11 2011

Government plans to only award teacher training places to graduates with 2:2 or above degrees "doesn't make sense".

This is according to Richard Cairns, headmaster at the prestigious Brighton College, who said that A-level results are more important than degree classifications.

Speaking to the Times Educational Supplement, he noted that he would not offer a position to someone who achieved a C-grade in their English A-level.

"The fact they have a 2:2 in media from Portsmouth University wouldn't come into it," he commented.

"The government should look at performance in the sixth-form; A-levels are a much easier measure for an employer. We all know that the quality of a 2:2 varies in different universities and different subjects. The university system is in a mess."

At present, around 91 per cent of graduates entering teacher training courses have 2:2 degrees or above.

The government revealed earlier this month that secondary teacher training places are to be cut in England this year, with numbers set to fall by 14 per cent.

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