Letter: We get teachers we deserve

Sir: Fran Abrams' revelation that low A-level grades are sufficient for many teacher training courses should not raise many eyebrows.

In this market economy the market for qualifications and jobs is governed by simple rules of supply and demand. A poorly paid, publicly reviled, and systematically disenfranchised profession is not going to be the first choice of the brightest students. Raising of entry requirements would result in a shortage of applicants. Raising salaries would raise applications, and ultimately the expertise of the profession. This has been argued for many years. Broadly speaking, we have the schools and teachers we deserve, because we collectively value them so little.

JEREMY NICHOLS

Boxworth, Cambridgeshire