UCU response to Million+ manifesto for teacher education

The union said it supports the manifesto's calls for teacher training numbers to be restored to universities, and for all teachers to have an academic and professional qualification.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Universities have a proud history of working in partnership with schools and colleges to offer excellent teacher education. They play a crucial role in producing a highly trained and flexible teaching workforce.

'Unfortunately, reducing the number of teacher training places allocated to universities has led to under-recruitment of trainees in key areas, and destabilised university education departments. The manifesto is right to call for these allocations to be restored so that universities can continue to develop a high-quality teacher education offer.'