NASUWT comments on 21st Century Schools White Paper
Commenting on the 21st Century Schools White Paper announced today in the House of Commons by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, said:
“I welcome the fact that the Government has resisted the temptation to concentrate all its efforts on trying to find some new big idea or wheeze. It has instead focused on building on success, consolidating policies that have made a positive difference and abandoning those that have had their day and served their purpose.
“A number of the announcements will underline that state education is the sector of choice rather than of default for those who cannot afford private education.
“The shift from targets to entitlements and guarantees is welcome. There is a wealth of evidence to demonstrate that the focus on meeting targets was becoming a barrier to ensuring high quality service delivery. However, watertight, clear criteria for accessing the guarantees will be essential to avoid schools becoming targets for serial litigants.
“Academies are not the panacea for the challenge of raising standards and I therefore welcome the fact that there is nothing new in the White Paper on academies.
“The dedicated chapter on the workforce is very welcome. It reaffirms the continuing recognition by the Government of the fundamental importance of the workforce in any programme of reform.”
Licence to teach
“Professions such as medicine and law already have licences to practice. These enhance their professional standing.
“A licence to teach could have merit if it helps to emphasise to the public that teaching is a highly skilled profession for which years of training is required. It has the potential to give qualified teacher status the long overdue recognition that it is a high status qualification.
“The licence could be the key to unlocking the door to high quality professional development of which teachers, including supply teachers, have been starved of for too long.”
“Focusing the roll-out on newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and returners is the right place to start.”
Home school agreements
“Toughening up home school agreements will emphasise to parents that their responsibility for their children’s behaviour does not stop at the school gates. There are still too many who think it does.
“There has to be a proper balance between parents’ rights and responsibilities. Too many know their rights but not their responsibilities. There is always a core of hard to reach parents who fail to play their part and make an appropriate contribution to supporting the school. Where all other means of engaging these parents have failed then recourse to enforce co-operation through statutory provisions must be available. The educational progress of the majority cannot be compromised by an abdication of responsibility by a minority.”
