On Monday, 26 September, I will be launching a public consultation on draft criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales, and proposals for giving the role of accrediting initial teacher education courses to the Education Workforce Council, through a committee it will be required to establish. This is a pivotal step, and I expect progress to be made at pace. I recognise the value and the difference that a truly collaborative ITE system can make when universities and schools work in genuine partnership.

The best in Wales has a tradition of self-improvement through collaboration. It should not rest only with our schools and teachers to deepen and extend collaboration and mutual improvement—our universities must also deliver. This is the road to success. Not a single academic from any teacher education centre in Wales was returned for the most recent research excellence framework, and I want this to change.

Revised accreditation criteria make clear our expectations, indeed our requirements, for fundamental change. One, an increased role for schools. Two, a clearer role for universities. Three, joint ownership of the ITE programme. Four, structured opportunities to link schools and university learning. And, finally, the centrality of research.

Over the coming months, I will be visiting all universities in Wales, with either Professor Furlong, or my director for education. We want to explore what progress has been made, and how they are developing their vision for the future of their provision. I am resolute that change cannot and must not wait. Whilst new programmes of ITE will be accredited and marketed to prospective students from the summer of to prospective students from summer 2018, I expect to see substantial progress now. I want to see partnership arrangements between schools and universities maturing. I want to see universities in Wales working collaboratively with each other, as well as more widely. I also want to see a system that is self-improving, with the profession working for its own improvement and for that of others. Early in the new year we expect the partnerships to signal their intent to seek accreditation with revised programmes. All teachers need to develop the right teaching and assessment skills to enable them to use the new curriculum to support learning and teaching successfully. Combined with collaboration, innovation and leadership skills, we will develop reflective and highly effective teachers and leaders who have a commitment to their own professional growth and that of their colleagues.

New professional teaching standards will set out rigorous expectations for entry to the profession so that we can attract the very best and we will also seek to inspire career-long development by describing what highly effective practice looks like. To support ITE reform, there has been a regular programme of engagement with the profession and we welcome the continued support of the universities to further develop the new professional teaching standards for the qualified teacher status.

As we move forward with this exciting ITE change programme, it’s also important that we consider both alternative and traditional routes into teaching. There are so many individuals with the expertise and knowledge who we know will enrich our education system. I want to ensure that we have high-quality employment-based routes into teaching, involving effective professional support and development, that are flexible and responsive and are developed through working closely with the sector and education consortia. My central purpose of ITE reform is to improve the quality of provision delivered and better prepare our future teachers to develop skills to teach so that learners can learn. I want teaching to be a first-choice profession and I want to attract the best into teaching and make it a lifelong career. And this will only be a reality if our initial teacher education offer is the right one. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.