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Helen Beebee is horrified that ILTHE accreditation has made new lecturer training the equivalent of ten weeks' work. Can you imagine members of any other profession presumptuous enough to think that they could be trained for entry-level posts in such a short period?

If academics demand rigour in relation to their research, surely they should apply a similar standard of scholarship to their choice of teaching methods? Thus exposure to research into learning and teaching while training must raise teaching standards.

Beebee calls for "a standard nationally recognised qualificationI like the postgraduate certificate in education". Most ILTHE-accredited courses are exactly this, with courses designed and run locally to national standards.

The question is who controls standards. A membership-controlled body comprising 15,000 plus academics is better placed than a government quango.

Sue Bloxham
St Martin's College, Lancaster