Vocal Voices

I see that members of the armed forces are to be "fast tracked into teaching".

According to the Department for Education (DfE), service leavers without degrees "will be the only people able to start training as a teacher without a degree and be qualified within two years".

One can only hope that they will have adequate qualifications and are not just experts at marching and drilling!

Ooooh I dunno - I reckon some school children would benefit from a bit of marching and drilling!!

My fist thoughts were of this being a bit of a gimmick to show that the government was helping the troops and filling the shortage of teachers, but it might actually be a practical solution.

In many branches of the military, advancement to SNCO and above is limited to those who with continuous training have gained the equivalent of an HNC/HND. If they are the ones to be offered a place in teacher training there should be no problems - they already have higher qualifications than those having left school and gone on the college. Oh, and they have life skills as well.

It seems to me that the Government see it as a solution to two problems - just shove the two together!!!!!!!

I know what you are saying about them having qualifications, but a two year qualification is only achieved by people with good university degrees.

Well they are fast tracking social workers!!! I would rather have an ex military in the school room than any of those useless social workers.

I'm not looking at the discipline aspect as much as wondering how they will cope without the academic study behind them if they are going to teach in high schools.

The best people in the military are can-do people with common sense. I'm just wondering what they will think when they get into our education system and find out just how bound up they are with the endless rules, "initiatives", OFSTED inspections and the absence of common sense.

Rodo wrote:I'm not looking at the discipline aspect as much as wondering how they will cope without the academic study behind them if they are going to teach in high schools.

If the idea was to take on infantry Privates or LACs or basic Naval ratings I would agree. However, many of the more technical trades in the middle ranks have equally high academic qualifications as A levels, the entry requirement of TTCs, allied to the practical application thereof. I am hoping that it is these Forces staff who will be offered the chance of fast tracking.