The newly qualified teacher in school

Initial teacher education (ITE) is a central part of the Government's educational reform programme. The location, structure, control and financing of teacher education are all under review, based upon the Government's belief that the existing system is unsatisfactory. What is lacking in much debate about ITE, however, is authoritative evidence. This article presents an analysis of one such piece of evidence, the report by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) on The New Teacher in School. The report presents the findings of Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) on the performance of 300 newly qualified teachers in their first year of teaching. In this article we begin by locating The New Teacher in School in the context of debate about educational standards and teacher education policy. We move on to compare the 1993 report with the findings of the 1988 report of the same name. The article outlines the 1993 Report's findings, then develops a methodological and substantive critique. Comparisons are made with findings from two local studies which complement and broaden HMI data. One of the local studies surveyed 355 Newly Qualified Teachers from two ‘teacher training’ institutions who graduated/certificated between 1991 and 1993. The other local study surveyed 146 headteachers in West Sussex and Hampshire. Conclusions are drawn about the implications of this evidence about the performance of new teachers in school for the development of teacher education policy in England and Wales.