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Press Release

EDUCATION BILL "DEPRESSINGLY FAMILIAR"

28 February 2006

The Professional Association of Teachers (PAT) has criticised the Education and Inspection Bill published today (28 February 2006) as "depressingly familiar".

PAT General Secretary Philip Parkin said: “I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing a sense of déjà vu. It seems that nothing has changed since the minor tweaks made to the White Paper's proposals earlier this month. It's all depressingly familiar.

“Our serious concerns about admissions, the future of local authorities and the role of Trust Schools and their backers remain.

"Encouraging competition between schools in this way will mean that some will fail, with dire consequences for pupils and staff.

"The Government should not be in the business of building failure into the education system or experimenting with schools and children for ideological reasons."

Commenting on the discipline measures in the Bill, Philip Parkin said: "Before I became PAT General Secretary, I was on the Practitioners’ Group on Pupil Behaviour and Discipline (Steer Group). I am therefore pleased to see that the Bill has taken on board the Group’s key recommendations to clarify teachers’ rights in disciplining pupils.

"Parents and pupils have rights but they also have responsibilities. Maintaining good order, whether in the classroom, in the playground or on the school bus, is essential to enable teachers to teach and children to learn.

"Good behaviour is something that can be taught and learned."



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