In order to become a qualified teacher in England you need to pass Literacy and Numeracy Skills tests. In Wales this is not a requirement. If you have completed GCSEs, a degree to a high classification, you are still required to take these tests in England. How is this providing equality?
Many aspiring teachers face the challenge of passing the tests. These individuals may obtain the right qualities in which are beneficial and desired within teaching. In the Numeracy Test, you only have 18 seconds for each mental arithmetic question. Each question is read twice, you don’t see the question on screen before it moves on. If there is a real “teacher shortage” why is this barrier in place? Why is it that if you train in Wales you can still teach in England without this requirement?