What does the new Tory government mean for teachers?

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2015/may/13/tory-government-mean-for-teachers

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So, after months of talk about a hung parliament or even the possibility of a Labour education minister, the Tories have returned to power with a majority. How are teachers feeling?

Teachers who support the Conservatives are of course happy to see them in power (keen on their pledges to “back teachers”). But many others are worried about what is to come. There’s a sombre mood in many schools – the prospect of a Tory majority hadn’t been considered too much.

Hold on, can’t we just look in the manifesto and work out what they’re planning?

In theory, from their manifesto we should get a good idea about what the Conservatives plan. But without the restraints enforced by the need to hold together a coalition, they could do more than they had announced.

Current pledges include an acceleration of the academies agenda, an increase in the number of free schools and an expectation that 11-year-olds know their times tables by heart. What’s more, those who don’t achieve good results in their Sats face a resit in secondary school. Oh, and they are cutting school funding.

Didn’t they say they’d protect that?

Yes, and they are “ring fencing” the current spending but not increasing it. So, if you take into account a predicted 7% rise in pupil numbers and the extra staffing costs that would entail, this could be a significant blow to schools. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the cuts in funding in real terms could be as much as 12%.

Well, I guess at least Sats resits are a good idea. Surely this means students will catch up?

Teachers are pretty clear on this. If you really want pupils who have not progressed enough at key stage 2 to catch up, the worst thing you can do is provide a separate exam and curriculum that forces them to linger on skills from primary school while others continue their education at the “normal” rate. What’s more, it’s worth asking how much we want to test and pressure our children?

No wonder teachers are glum. Any reasons to be cheerful?

A key positive is the commitment to increasing apprenticeships. Much more needs to be done in this area and a lot of teachers are desperate to see more practically-able students get the chance to progress and develop.

What about primary schools – what will the impact be on them?

The elephant in the room over the general election was the impending crisis in primary school places. The Conservatives alluded to this in their manifesto, commiting to spend £7bn on creating “good” school places. What needs to be clear is whether this will mean more free schools or financial support to expand existing primary schools. Either way, there are going to be significant changes to the provision of primary education in the next five years.

What about teachers’ pay?

Considering the new government’s commitment to eradicating the deficit by the end of the parliament, it seems likely the below-inflation pay rises will continue. But if this happens there’s a good chance teaching will not attract top talent. If you freeze the pay for so long and continue to pressure schools with threats of academy status if they are not deemed by Ofsted to be performing, while cutting their funding, then who is going to want to do the job?

None of that sounds great. Still, if the teachers are not happy then they can always speak to the education secretary, who is … ?

Nicky Morgan, again.

That’s good. She was the one who wanted to work with teachers, wasn’t she?

I mean, she conducted a “survey” about working conditions and then proceeded to do absolutely nothing.

It was widely supposed that Morgan was largely brought in to restore calm to the debate on education after Michael Gove’s controversial reign. But she does not appear to have any intention of diverging from Gove’s agenda. As such, she was very quiet before the election but has already appeared more combative since. She has already said she will “tackle” poor schools, rather than support them. While teachers are used to such language from our politicians, it does not increase the cheer.

OK, everything looks terrible. There is only one thing for it, industrial action. Let’s stand up for education and strike.

Aha. The Tories are dealing with that as well. The new business secretary is making reforming the strike laws in this country his top priority. The Trades Union Congress has been quoted as saying the new reforms will make the unions about as powerful as Oliver Twist.

Oh dear, so what will teachers do?

Teachers will do what they always do. They will recognise that in the face of cuts to welfare and public services, schools play an even more central role in the lives of children in this country, particularly the most deprived and vulnerable ones. They will never give up attempting to improve the lives of the students in our schools even in the most trying circumstances.

Well I suppose that’s something to smile about.

Indeed.

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