To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many responses there were to the recent consultation on the General Teaching Council draft code on diversity rules; and how many of them expressed concern about principle 4, bullet point 3. (260193)

The General Teaching Council for England's (GTCE) public consultation on its draft Code of Conduct and Practice for registered teachers ran from 28 November 2008 to 27 February 2009. At the close of the consultation, 3,683 responses had been received by the GTCE to their online questionnaire and they are currently being analysed. A breakdown of subject areas that drew a response will be published by the GTCE after 16 March. In addition to the online questionnaire, the GTC received 563 letters from individual respondents specifically on Principle 4, Clause 3; each respondent has received a reply from the GTCE dealing with any concerns they may have raised about this aspect of the draft Code of Conduct and Practice.