ESTELLE MORRIS

I do recognise that, where recruitment difficulties persist, teachers can be put under great pressure.

I know there are things I did in education that will never be reversed. I have not done that in film yet because I have only been here for about nine months.

If you invent the Mini Cooper, pour all your energy and passion into it and it gets made, you should be on a roll. In the film industry you have to start again the next day.

I was head of the Sixth Form Centre when I left the school.

I am confident that the vast majority of teachers will work with us towards achieving that goal.

The need for improved technical support in schools has expanded as the Government and schools have increased their investment in information and communications technologies.

You have got to attract the brightest and the best, but the brightest and best won't stay unless they see real career options.

If bringing up the next generation is important, why aren't they the best qualified, the best paid? Why aren't we as concerned about their career progression as we are about those who work in the education or health services?

I taught for 17 years in an inner city comprehensive schools.

This government has always said increasing pay is something for something.

It is a very unusual sector and the one thing I would ask of them is to understand that for most of them one-third of their films are being financed by the taxpayer and that carries huge accountability and responsibility.

Before this government came to power, many failing schools were simply allowed to drift on in a pattern of continuing failure. The government is determined to break that pattern and is successfully doing so.

There is nothing wrong with becoming more ambitious along the way, but I think what the government has asked the council to do is a perfectly good starting point.

If we can modernise the workforce, make them better qualified, have this framework of qualifications, then I think they have a very good case for more money.

Where the private sector, or anyone else, has skills, knowledge and resources that can help to deliver a high quality of education and to raise standards, we should use them.

What politicians want to create is irreversible change because when you leave office someone changes it back again.

I think film is a very powerful advocate and message carrier.

Headteachers and governing bodies run schools and that won't change.

By creating useful job descriptions and making clear what qualifications should be expected, the Department aims to help improve schools' ability to recruit the right people.

I want to give producers more financial security.

There is a shortage of teachers but the January 2001 schools census showed that teacher numbers were at their highest level than at any time since 1984 - and 11,000 higher than 1997.

In the 21st century when few of us stay in the same job all our lives, I would like to think there was flexibility so teachers could become social workers, or foster carers become teachers.

At different times I taught humanities, social sciences and pre-vocational education.

OFSTED has made large cuts in the paperwork which schools are asked to provide and further steps to reduce the bureaucratic burden will be introduced in September.

My focus and that of all members of the Government responsible for delivering services to the public is to make sure that the public sector can use all the skills it needs to do the job the public wants it to do.