NUT comment on David Cameron’s speech on Education

Friday, 9 September 2011 2:23 PM

David Cameron spoke at the opening of a Free School in East Anglia, Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said this:

“The Prime Minister’s vision of an education system which delivers the best for everyone is one with which we agree. The Union simply does not accept that the fragmentation of our education system is the right answer. The Free Schools and Academy programme are a divisive and unnecessary experiment with this country’s education system which will certainly ensure more losers than winners.

“We all want our schools to be achieving the very best for their pupils but to impose yet more draconian targets on schools will further stifle the education system in this country. Far from giving schools more freedom it will ensure that we see an increase in teaching to the test.

“The Prime Minister conveniently forgot the link between education standards and high quality teaching when it decided that Free Schools do not have to employ qualified teachers. 

“To ensure that every young person has the very best chance to both reach their full academic potential and to be a ‘ good citizen’ we need well ordered schools within a coherent education service supported by youth provision, and a range of local support services. This Government’s programme of cuts is hitting all this provision.

“The Government needs to refocus their divisive education policies, forget about the meaningless choice and diversity agenda for the few, and return to the aim of achieving a good local school for every child operating within the local authority family of schools”.

For further details contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706/ 07879480061
 
 

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• david cameron
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• free schools
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