LET TEACHERS TEACH RATHER THAN FINGER POINT!

Here’s my take on this story that appeared recently on the BBC website…

Schools failing brightest pupils

A culture of low expectations is letting down bright children in England’s non-selective secondary schools, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw says. http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/news/education-22873257

It’s always wise to be slightly suspicious of sweeping conclusions based on narrow statistics. The advent of League Tables pushes schools to achieve certain benchmarks; these are not necessarily aimed at higher achieving students. The important thing is for the government to sweep away as much red tape as possible and let the teachers teach. There is obviously a need to monitor standards and progress, and students of all ability levels need to be encouraged and given the best teaching and opportunities available.

The problem with finger pointing is that it has a very negative effect on teachers’ morale. It is an inescapable truth that demographics has a significant effect on the personality and ability of a school intake. Teachers with more challenging students should be encouraged in their efforts rather than pigeon-holed as failing. We need to encourage our teachers rather than setting them absolute goals that more often than not push them into the middle ground – the more gifted can be left to their own devices because they will pass the ‘C’ boundary and the lower achieving students receive more help to get them to that benchmark. This is an inevitable outcome of the league table system.

#secondaryeducation #teacher #students #standards #teachers #ALevel #ALevels #academy #tuition #educational #educationsystem #exam #education #examination #GCSE #academic #educate #tutors #college