A wrong turn for Initial Teacher Education?

In this article the authors present the results of a small-scale quantitative research project examining the assumption that there is a direct causal link between the classification of a student teacher’s first degree and their ability to teach. Evidence presented in the article supports the hypothesis that the assumption is incorrect. There appears to be no correlation, relationship or link between the classification of a student teacher’s first degree and their ability to teach. The article examines what appears to be driving current policy rhetoric in this area and questions the extent to which such rhetoric may lead to a misallocation of limited resources within Initial Teacher Education.