Fact-finding mission for Minister for Schools

Minister for Schools, Nick Gibb, came to Edge Hill University yesterday on a fact-finding mission in light of its ‘outstanding' reputation for teacher training.

During Thursday's visit to the Faculty of Education the MP met with senior staff and heads from academies and partner schools for an insight into its highly effective teacher training programmes.

Mr Gibb's visit to Edge Hill University was part of his research on schools policy and on teacher education and training in advance of the Government publishing its Initial Teacher Training Improvement Strategy. 

As one of the two largest providers of initial teacher training, the largest university provider of professional development for the whole school workforce, and a known innovator in its field, the University was an obvious place for the Minister to continue his fact-finding mission, particularly given last month's award of 33 ‘outstanding' judgments in all 33 assessment cells in the Ofsted's full inspection of the University's work in all key stages of both schooling and post-compulsory education and training.

Robert Smedley, Dean of the Faculty of Education, said: "The University has played an immensely valuable role in the development of the children's workforce for the past 125 years and we're pleased that the Minister for Schools was able to come here to listen to our views regarding the future of what is becoming an ever-changing profession. Edge Hill's outstanding reputation for, and a commitment to, the highest quality training of education professionals is what sets us apart from others and we hope that our work and views will help to inform Mr Gibb when making decisions to inform Government policy on education."

Nick Gibb is the Member of Parliament for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton and the Minister of State for Schools in the Coalition Administration.  He is responsible, alongside Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, for schools policy in the Department and has a particular interest in teaching methods and the curriculum, being a long-time supporter of the use of synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading.