Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Tristram Hunt MP, responding to the publication of GCSE results today, said:

“Congratulations to everyone who has secured their grades today. These results are the culmination of years of hard work and perseverance. We pay tribute to pupils and to their teachers, head teachers and school and college support staff for the crucial role that they have played.

“Our mission in education is to secure for every child the opportunity to get the best start in life. But under David Cameron’s government, this is becoming less likely.

“David Cameron’s unqualified teacher policy means that entry requirements into the teaching profession are amongst the lowest in the developed world. It is now the case that some of the pupils who have received their grades today may have higher qualifications than the teachers who will be teaching them at the start of the next school term.

“Labour will put a stop to this, ensuring all teachers become qualified. Every child deserves a highly trained, highly motivated, qualified teacher. That’s how they secure a command of mathematics and the English language. That’s how we ensure every child gets the best start in life.”                                                                                                                                

ENDS