THE Easter holiday means a short break for many people, but for hundreds of teachers (and the odd minister), it also spells the start of the teaching union conference season.
And while the conference season will, of course, see important policy debates on issues such as testing, school accountability and the curriculum, it’s also worth stepping back to see how the teaching profession itself has been transformed over the past decade.
It’s the hard work and dedication of teachers and their pupils – together with the extra investment and reforms Labour has put in place – has seen record results for our young people.
Compared to 1997 we now have over 40,000 more teachers and their pay has gone up by 17 per cent in real terms. Almost 200,000 extra teaching assistants and other support staff have also made a huge difference to what happens in every school and classroom in the country. And we should be proud that Ofsted says that today we have the best ever generation of teachers.
Teaching is now a highly respected and rewarding profession. In fact, in 2007, it was the second most popular career destination for graduates. But that does not mean we should rest on our laurels. The job is not yet done. I want to see more of the brightest and the best come into teaching – and even greater professional development for those already in the classroom.
That’s why we’re introducing a new Masters in Teaching and Learning qualification. Our aim is that, in time, every teacher will be able to get this qualification on the job as we further increase the status of teaching by making it a masters level profession.
It’s also why I am determined to develop new ways of getting people into our most challenging schools and in key subjects. We’re expanding the successful Teach First programme which each year recruits hundreds of top graduates into some of our most challenging schools and it’s encouraging that half of them stay in teaching beyond the initial two years.
From September, head teachers in lower-performing schools or schools with a high proportion of pupils from the poorest families will be able to offer a £10,000 “golden handcuff” to attract and retain new teachers to their schools.
And through a competitive entry system, we will now offer some of the highest calibre candidates the opportunity to train to be a teacher in six months. If that helps more people who used to work in financial services make the switch from the City to a rewarding career teaching maths or science in the classroom, then that’s all the better.
Over the past 18 months, I have visited well over 150 schools and I have seen time and time again, among heads and teachers alike, the same moral purpose – the belief that every child and young person has potential and can succeed with the right support. And it is the professionalism and dedication of teachers which is vital to narrowing the gap between the poorest children and the rest as we break the historic link between poverty and low attainment.
To help us do that I want the accountability system to recognise and reward all of the work that schools do to help children and young people achieve their potential. Parents will always want to know the results of local schools – both primary and secondary – but they also want to know whether schools are raising standards for every child, whether children with special educational needs are getting extra help, whether discipline is good and whether parents are listened to. That’s what our new School Report Card aims to ensure.
Last week, I met principals, teachers, parents and pupils at schools in New York where report cards showing the performance of every school have been pioneered. They give parents an objective and comprehensive judgement of how schools are doing – not just attainment, but also the progress that all children make, and the school’s wider environment such as behaviour and discipline.
And while I’m clear that we need an English version of the report card which is simple, fair and easy to understand, I think this fuller picture of a school’s performance is the right way forward. It won’t be comfortable for everybody: while it will mean greater recognition for schools which make huge strides with challenging intakes, it will also shine the spotlight on schools with good results but where pupils are not making as much progress as they should.
It will mean a sharper focus on the progress and achievement of every child and not just some – the moral purpose that unites the labour and trade union movement and which motivates teachers in our classrooms every day of the week.
Ed Balls is Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and Labour MP for Normanton
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It doesn’t take much to get teachers to teach and kids to achieve.
Get the classrooms under control and take the handcuffs off the teachers. You people have created a system where the kids run riot and the teachers are frightened to stop them.
You and your mates can delude yourselves all you like. The classrooms in state schools are to a large extent completely lawless…..and it is your fault
That is what is meant by getting the basics right