TEACHERS’ unions on Thursday slammed the latest publication of school league tables as part of a continuing attack on schools and teachers.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union said: ‘Predictably, the publication of the tables has provided yet another opportunity for another round of denigration of schools and teachers by the government.
‘Despite what this government would have the public believe, educational standards have been rising consistently for over a decade.
‘Today’s figures show that even on the basis of the government’s flawed measures, the overwhelming majority of schools are securing the highest levels of attainment for the young people they teach.
‘They should all be congratulated.
‘No one is complacent. Everyone recognises that there is more to be done to ensure that the best is being achieved for every child.
‘But the government’s approach of manufacturing deficiencies to seek to justify its flawed education policies, rather than celebrating success is counterproductive and divisive.
‘Schools and staff need support and resources, not constant denigration.
‘Performance tables do not help to raise standards. They distort and narrow the curriculum offer.
‘They do not reflect the hard work of young people and teachers or the enormous progress being achieved day in and day out by schools.’
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said: ‘League tables are a complete distraction from the hard work that goes on in schools.
‘Parents wisely draw on their own experience and those of others in their neighbourhood to judge schools by a range of factors that are not reflected in raw examination results.
‘It is reducing the levels of child poverty and ensuring that schools and local authorities have the resources and budgets to try and minimise such disadvantage that will make the difference in some schools.
‘Factors such as hunger, lack of heating, space to study in, access to computers or books inevitably impact on pupils’ ability to concentrate or keep up in the classroom.
‘The Department for Education should be focusing its attention on addressing these issues instead of its pointless obsession with turning all schools into academies or free schools.
‘(Education secretary) Michael Gove will be facing a dilemma as to how he addresses the number of academies that are failing his imposed floor targets.
‘Local authorities no longer have the right to step in to address issues in academies such as falling standards.
‘This is now the responsibility of the Secretary of State who, it would appear, is going to be kept quite busy.
‘As the Academies Commission recently noted in its far-reaching report, academies “are not a panacea” and do not in themselves improve educational standards.’
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:
‘Congratulations to schools and pupils for their hard work in achieving excellent results, particularly when financial cuts are biting hard.
‘Many families have money worries, more pupils are coming to school hungry, and many schools are having to provide extra support for more pupils despite their own budget cuts.
‘The increasing complexity of these league tables makes it less and less likely that parents will use them to hold their children’s schools to account.
‘By constantly adding extra measures, the government is increasing the pressure on schools to jump through centrally imposed hoops, while continuing to tell whoever’s listening that they trust schools to get on and do the right thing.
‘And as a result, teacher morale is dropping through the floor.’
Commenting on changes to A-Levels announced on Wednesday by Ofqual, NUT general secretary Blower warned: ‘2015 looks set to be the year when everything changes in schools and for young people with both GCSEs and A-levels being replaced or altered.
‘This is an unmanageable level of change which could lead to a collapse of the system.
‘Reform of “A” level will be contentious. If Michael Gove is really interested in ensuring that they are robust and relevant, he should seek the opinion of the teaching profession who on so many occasions the Secretary of State wrongly ignores.
‘It is telling that many of the previous reforms to the A-Level structure that the Secretary of State is seeking to reversing have helped to increase numbers of learners from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds who succeed at A-Level and beyond.
‘As with Michael Gove’s education reforms elsewhere, he appears obsessed with recreating the education system and the attendant social inequalities of what should be of a bygone age.
‘We need an education system that recognises the talents of all young people and prepares them for further study, training and careers across the board, not just the traditional route that Michael Gove is perhaps more familiar and comfortable with.’
NASUWT general secretary Keates added: ‘’The ending of the modular structure of A-levels, the de-coupling of AS levels and A-levels and other changes announced previously, such as limiting resits, are all profound reforms that should not be contemplated lightly.
‘The fact that these changes are being taken forward in a cavalier, evidence-lite fashion, which is the norm for this coalition government, should be of deep concern to all those who are interested in a high quality, 16-plus qualifications system.
‘There is no evidence to justify these reforms, simply assertions by the Secretary of State.’
She warned: ‘It should be a matter of grave concern to all that the development of A-level specifications is to be farmed out to a small group of elite universities.’
ATL general secretary Bousted said: ‘De-coupling AS levels from A-levels will reduce opportunities for many young people, will end the current progress check AS levels provide and mean that young people are likely to study fewer subjects at sixth-form.
‘Young people need the chance to show what they’ve learnt – these new exam proposals won’t let them do that.
‘Michael Gove misses the point that only a very elite group of students benefited from an intensive regime that determined their future on the results of one set of exams.
‘Currently A-levels enable students from a broader range of backgrounds to gain good qualifications and access a wide range of career options.
‘ATL is not convinced that universities have the capacity to develop AS and A-levels, and it would be a mistake not to utilise the considerable knowledge and expertise in schools, colleges and with employers to develop new AS/A-levels.
‘We believe the proposed timescale is far too short to implement such a large-scale reform of A-levels and also ensure that the exams are fit for purpose.
‘The government is making too many changes at once, to both GCSEs and A-levels, and this raft of reforms introduced over such a short timescale is a recipe for disaster for young people and teachers.’
