Ill-equipped to teach

SIR – The government plan for grammar schools (Letters, April 16) will probably founder on the key issue of getting suitable teachers.

In order to compete in the modern world, Britain needs more young people with advanced technical and numeracy skills. The average school leaver gets little useful instruction in subjects such as maths, technology or physics because many current teachers didn’t receive any either.

The problem is compounded by teacher training colleges, which produce teachers who wouldn’t even consider a career teaching maths or the natural sciences. Their lack of training in proven methods of maintaining good discipline in the classroom further diminishes their ability to teach effectively. J R Ball Hale, Cheshire