Secretary of State for Education officially opens new home for Institute of Education
Release Date 22 June 2012
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The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP officially opened the new 30m home for the University of Reading's renowned Institute of Education (IoE) this week.
In 2011 the IoE, one of the leading providers of teacher training in the UK, relocated to the University's newly refurbished historic London Road Campus situated in the heart of Reading.
The Education Secretary was greeted by the University of Reading Vice-Chancellor Sir David Bell. During his visit Mr Gove met with IoE staff and students before touring the stunning new facilities.
Mr Gove called Reading a premier league' university and said its Institute of Education represented the best aspects of the University of Reading.
He said: "There is a blend of tradition and modernity, a respect in the beautiful historic Great Hall for the best that has been thought and written in the past, and at the same time a determination to ensure that in the years and decades to come our young people can enjoy a better than ever standard of teaching, can benefit from teachers who have enjoyed cutting edge research, and who can use the most advanced technology and the most sophisticated means of learning in order to achieve everything of which they are capable.
"The University of Reading is consistently and by every measure a premier league university in this country. Firmly in the top 20 research institutions, envied across the world for the quality not just of undergraduate teaching but also deep research, and consistently and by any measure, recognised as an outstanding place of learning."
In addition to those who achieve awards at Master's and PhD level, every year, close to 500 or our students become newly qualified teachers (NQTs). The University has excellent partnership arrangements with over 300 local schools which employ the majority of our graduates. Graduates from the Institute have an excellent chance of finding employment - well over 90% of our NQTs found a teaching job last year. With pay scales to match other industries, job security, an excellent teacher's pension and better work life balance, teaching is becoming one of the most sought-after professions of today.
Sir David Bell said: "For over 20 years, our Institute of Education has delivered exceptional teacher training and programmes of study in the field of education. Our prestigious London Road campus, the original home of the University, is now a first class environment for the Institute. Teachers in training, as well as those continuing their professional development, will benefit enormously from our new facilities.
The Institute of Education has a long and distinguished tradition of working in partnership with schools across the region. We are confident that the Institute will continue to play a leading role in educating the exceptional teachers that the country needs, now and in the future.
The IoE's new home now boasts dedicated state-of-the-art spaces for the teaching of subjects such as music, PE, drama, languages, the sciences, ICT, art as well as a unique programme in Theatre Arts, Education and Deaf Studies (TAEDS). IoE also conducts world leading research which has made significant and widely recognised contributions to the study of education and associated fields.
Professor Andy Goodwyn, Head of the Institute of Education, added: "This project represents the largest investment in an education department in the UK in recent years. As a result, we will boast facilities that will be second to none, located on an attractive campus in a central location, further enhancing the wonderful experience we offer students."
ENDS
For all media enquiries please contact James Barr, press officer, on 0118 378 7115 or email j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk
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Notes for Editors
The University of Reading's Institute of Education is a major provider of teachers nationally and regionally, offering PGCE Secondary and Primary, BA (Ed) and the Graduate Teacher Programmes (GTP). The secondary programme and the primary programme have both received the top Ofsted grades in 2006/7 and the Institute is now a category 'A' provider for all our courses. The employment rates of our graduates are the highest in the University and the best in the country of any initial teacher training provider.
The University's London Road campus was founded in 1904 when Alfred Palmer presented six acres on the south side of London Road to what was then the University Extension College at Reading. By 1906, most of the College had relocated there and the campus also included the five houses known as Acacias' and Greenbank', on London Road itself. GW Palmer, Lady Wantage and the Suttons were among the first to make substantial donations to a fund for new buildings. The central scheme for the site was a series of low buildings linked by cloisters through beautiful gardens. The foundations for the Great Hall were laid in 1905 while the wonderful library at Acacias was opened in 1923. In the period up to the end of WWII, the campus was home to the study of French, classics, history, crafts and fine arts, zoology, botany, physics and chemistry, geography, geology, agriculture and education.