The Live Wire



Press Release

WHO WILL INSPECT THE INSPECTORS? PAT CALLS FOR INSPECTION SAFEGUARDS FOR TEACHERS

12 September 2005

The Professional Association of Teachers (PAT), which represents teachers, head teachers and support staff across the UK, is calling for safeguards for teachers, following reports of new inspection arrangements planned by the Government.

PAT General Secretary Jean Gemmell said: "While it is important that more information should be made available to parents, we are very concerned about the implications of identifying individual teachers. This raises important questions about confidentiality and the individual's right of reply.

"Parents would be able to pass judgement on teachers without having access to all the facts. There is also the possibility of biased perceptions.

"Who will inspect the inspectors? Are teachers' careers to be placed in jeopardy by the judgements of individual inspectors? There must be safeguards to protect teachers from unfair or inaccurate reports. Inspectors do make mistakes. PAT receives regular complaints from members about unjustified, inappropriate or misinformed comments made by inspectors.

"Our own survey on inspections [Looking up the Microscope: a survey of teachers', lecturers' and nursery nurses' perceptions of the school and college inspection systems (1999) (http://www.pat.org.uk/index.cfm?param=News/news_detail.cfm&id=293)] identified flawed judgements made by inexperienced or inappropriately experienced inspectors.

"It is also simplistic to say that pupils' performance can be linked directly to an individual teacher's 'performance'. A range of educational, social and learning factors have to be considered too.



Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.

Voice: the union for education professionals

More from Dods

© Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd