UCU concerns over political and misleading comments on teacher training

The union backed calls for greater investigation into the comments after the Universities' Council for Education of Teachers (UCET) said that Ofsted had made 'misleading comparisons between different types of ITE provider' and that 'the content, language and timing of the press release were overtly political in a way that is not appropriate for the office of chief inspector of schools.'

UCU has previously questioned Ofsted's role and said it shared UCET's view that the Ofsted inspection regime is open to the charge that, far from reporting candidly and with impunity on the state of provision, it is seeking to justify government policy on ITE.

Michael Gove controversially moved ITE out of universities into schools and the union said the Ofsted release does look like bias against university involvement in ITE.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'This press release unfortunately looks like an effort by the government and Ofsted to play down universities' involvement in ITE. It is simply not on to use the information in such a misleading way. This is an overtly political statement and raises more serious concerns about Ofsted's role.'