VERDIN High School has earned praise from a Government minister for its commitment to teacher training.

The Grange Lane based school is one of a select band of institutions across the UK known as a training school - major providers of teacher training placements that take on an average of 12 trainee teachers per year, while most schools take an average of four.

Secondary schools, such as Verdin, receive up to £55,000 per annum to undertake teacher training and an Ofsted report found that two thirds of the schools surveyed attributed improvements in recruitment and retention of teachers to involvement in the Training Schools programme.

Schools Standards Minister David Miliband said: "Training schools were established to raise the standard of initial teacher training and the latest report by Ofsted shows we are doing this.

"The report also found that many teachers felt training school status improved the quality of their own teaching as they became more reflective and analytical of their own practice.

"There is also evidence to show that pupil attainment in these schools is rising.

"Ofsted says the quality of teaching in this country has never been higher and the latest report shows that we can expect a steady flow of excellent teachers, with the highest qualifications, to continue entering the profession.

"I congratulate all of the training schools across the country and look forward to expanding the programme further."

Verdin High School is the only school in Vale Royal to have training school status, although announcements about other schools which have been successful in their bids will be made by the end of spring term, 2004.

rfraser@guardiangrp.co.uk