Your news report 'Trainee PE teachers failing to make grade', (December 21) was an attempt to describe the outcome of an Ofsted inspection of provision at this University College.

The Ofsted report on the secondary Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) in PE is only one of four reports into our secondary PGCE profile.

In total, we offer PE, Design and Technology, Music and Religious Education. The elements of the inspection report you quote relate only to one aspect of one of six areas of inspection of each subject.

The University College's provision in PE and in all other subjects has been approved. Elements of the University College's provision are referred to in draft reports by Ofsted as being of the highest quality.

The University College is an approved provider; continues to be allocated funded places by the Teacher Training Agency for secondary training; and, in fact, is bidding for growth in its secondary provision.

Recently-published national league tables which show the University College ranking equal first for the percentage of students gaining Qualified Teacher Status by the end of the PGCE course. In addition, the league tables showed that 93 per cent of the Secondary PGCE PE students obtained a teaching post on completion of their course.

The University College of Ripon and York St John takes nothing more seriously than the training of teachers and the pursuit of excellence in this field.

Your editorial is profound in its emphasis on the significance of the quality of the teaching profession. I hope that appropriate recognition will now be given to the calibre of institutions such as the University College of Ripon and York St John and to the extent of our contribution and commitment.

Professor William A Wardle,

Deputy Principal,

The University College of Ripon and York St John,

York.

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