The reform of initial teacher training: the fragility of the new school‐based approach and questions of quality

A survey was carried out in autumn 1994 to ascertain early responses to the Government's reforms of initial teacher training. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of primary and secondary schools throughout England and Wales and to all of the higher education institutions engaged in initial teacher training. This paper examines some of the key findings of the survey and uses them to evaluate the accuracy of some of the predictions which had been made about the impact of the reforms. The conclusion reached is that predictions of collapse and major disruption have not materialized but that there is instability and fragility in the system which raise questions about quality.