The role of skills and knowledge

At no point do we want to appear to denigrate the role of skills and knowledge in effective teaching, nor the safety net that qualified teacher status provides. The research is clear that all competent teachers do have a common framework of skills. It is just that outstanding teachers have something more and we are already pretty good at spotting and measuring the skills. This book is an exercise in positive discrimination in favour of a key role for characteristics in recruitment and development. In regard to skills, we are making one of two assumptions:

• Either candidates possess the required qualifications and skills (especially the experienced candidates) and you are looking for that something ‘extra’; or

• Candidates are lacking in some of the required skills and qualifications but you have in place a careful induction programme, with intense support, training and, especially, monitoring to provide these skills. (More on such an induction process in a later chapter.)

Teachers, whatever their flair, should not be left unsupported in the classroom without basic subject knowledge and skills in lesson-planning, behaviour management, assessment schemes, time and resource management, statutory duties, health and safety and risk assessments, to name just some of the basic requirements. QTS ensures that the knowledge and skills held by the teacher pass the necessary thresholds.