Headteachers unhappy with all parties’ education policies
|
Version 0 of 1. A majority of headteachers are unconvinced by the competing education policies being offered by any of the political parties in next month’s general election, according to a survey of state school leaders across England. The poll, conducted by The Key education consultancy and Ipsos Mori, found that 58% of the 1,200 heads, deputy heads and financial officers said they were undecided about which party was best equipped to improve the education system in England. Just one in five of those polled named Labour as best equipped, while less than 7% named the Conservatives and a miserly 2.5% named the Liberal Democrats. Those surveyed were clear that the current government’s performance on education did not meet with their approval, with 77% saying they were dissatisfied, including 45% who said they were very dissatisfied. Louise Salewski, the headteacher of Streatham Wells primary school in Lambeth, south London, said: “How disappointing that no political party offers a vision of education that inspires confidence. School leaders want policies based on the evidence of research on what works best, not political whims.” The election policy that attracted the most dissatisfaction was the plan announced by David Cameron to convert into academies all schools rated as inadequate or requiring improvement by Ofsted inspectors. It was opposed by more than 80% of the school leaders polled. Only the pupil premium – which gives school a cash grant for each pupil in receipt of free school meals – was given overwhelming support as a policy likely to have a strong impact after the election, approved by 70%. Of the policies having a negative effect on the education system, the Conservatives’ free schools programme was named by more than three-quarters of those polled. The survey also recorded some interesting findings about how heads regard the school system. Despite their rejection of the coalition’s policies, 47% said the quality of education had improved over the past five years, while 41% said it had stayed the same. Just 12% said education had got worse. And while teacher morale, workload and recruitment were cited by a wide majority of heads and deputies as major challenges, 55% said the quality of teaching had improved since 2010. The school leaders named fewer statutory changes required by government, reducing workload and improving school funding as the things most likely to improve the education system. “It is clear from the responses that school leaders find government interference a huge distraction. The fact that the quality of teaching was rated only fourth most important when it comes to improving education is probably the most striking – and the most disturbing – aspect of the data,” said John Tomsett, a headteacher and co-founder of the Headteachers’ Roundtable. While there have been some positive reforms, The Key’s chief executive, Fergal Roche, said the findings demonstrate headteachers’ frustration with politics. “School leaders are clearly telling us that they are fed up with the constant changes and are, unsurprisingly, disenchanted as they face continued challenges around tightening budgets, a shortage of places and a hefty workload,” Roche said. |