Goal is to rediscover 'balance' in primary teaching

David Blunkett's speech to association outlines policy under a future Labour government

Parents should be as concerned about choosing a primary school as they are over the choice of secondary. By the time children reach 11, the die has been largely cast. Educational underachievement and socio- economic factors have already taken their toll.

The national test results at 11 show that half our young people are performing below par in maths and English. Even when the problems over testing are taken into account, there is still a major problem to be addressed.

Debate has raged since the Sixties around the most appropriate method for teaching at primary level. In 1967, the Plowden report set the stage for what was intended to be a balance in teaching between instruction and exploration. However, interpretations of the report leant too far towards child-centred education. Small-group exploration was overused at the expense of whole-class instruction.

Since Plowden, primary teaching has too often neglected the importance of the direct transmission of information to children. Teachers' pedagogic skills have often been lost in an over-reliance on children's self-discovery and exploration.

The Government has failed to disseminate good practice or to act. The overloaded National Curriculum caused particular problems for primary schools. Too much concentration on academic debates over the curriculum squeezed out the vital focus on teaching the basics. A decade later, ministers choose simply to abuse rather than to support schools constructively.

By the time the report of the so-called "Three Wise Men" was released in 1992, teacher training had focused too much on one approach, confusing many teachers and undermining their skills in translating knowledge into learning. Teachers had not been taught how to teach.

The Three Wise Men's report recommended a sensible balance in teaching. It suggested that teachers should choose teaching techniques "fit for their purpose" and not according to dogma or habit.

Teachers must be taught more about how to manage a class, including how to teach a whole class, as those in other countries are taught. Teaching the basics from the start must be the overriding goal. This is why we must not simply have league tables of teacher training institutions but a plan of action for improvement as well.

This is not about embarrassing teachers. It is about recognising that even the best require refreshment and encouragement. The Government offers only pressure, we are offering pressure with support. We want to ensure teachers are equipped for a new century with new challenges.