Lucy Powell is absolutely right to criticise the
Secretary of Education for wanting to replace the head of Ofsted with "someone
with a track record of taking on the unions" (Morning Star,15/02/16). As she
says, Ofsted is meant to "help schools improve, not to pick fights". This is not
to say that Michael Wilshaw has done enough to praise teachers for their
excellent work and commitment, or to acknowledge the resulting improvements in
education in the state sector, but to suggest that "a union-busting US
replacement" is needed to replace him is absurd.
Has there ever been one instance of teacher
unions taking action against government initiatives which would raise school
standards in the UK? There have been protests against large class sizes, against
pay freezes which lower real wages, and against unnecessary additions to
workloads already approaching sixty hours a week, but the aim is always to
protect a profession dedicated to raising standards. Tory policy on pay and
workload has resulted in massive recruitment problems, with many schools using
agencies to find recruits abroad, and many children being taught by unqualified
staff, and/or teachers with only an A-level in the subject. A cynic might even
suggest government policy is to lower standards, especially in some deprived
areas, to strengthen future arguments about the need for more
privatisation.
Certainly, Morgan`s desire to "pick a new
fight" with unions has everything to do with raising her stature in the Tory
party, and with her personal ambition regarding leadership, and nothing
whatsoever to do with raising educational standards. Being "tough" on unions is
a default position for anyone with leadership aspirations in this right-wing
government. Whilst Hunt deliberately sets out to create the impression of
chaos in the health service, Morgan clearly aims to replicate this in state
education.
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