CONSERVATIVE PARTY EDUCATION PROPOSALS

20 November 2007

Commenting on the Conservatives Party’s new education proposals, Steve Sinnott, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said:

“The Conservative Party’s proposals are hardly new. Reheating their failed grant maintained schools policy is scarcely likely to achieve a good local school for every child. Instead undermining planned school places will be chaotic, costly and sew insecurity in the vulnerable communities the proposals are aimed at.

Creating more prescription for schools contradicts the Conservative’s avowed aim of giving schools more freedom. Deceptively simple proposals such as imposing setting and streaming and a one size fits all approach to teaching reading may appear attractive to the Conservative Party central office but they have little connection with good practice and what works in schools.

The proposals rightly recognise that teachers’ efforts to tackle unacceptable pupil behaviour needs backing but abolishing appeals panels could lead to schools facing legal action through the courts. Appeals panels need reforming but not in the way which leads to a morass of legal complexity.

I urge the Conservative Party to re focus on supporting teachers in the classroom and to fulfil their early promise that they would act to enhancing the confidence and autonomy of the teaching profession.