New government plans announced today include the ongoing assessment and licencing of teachers which need to be renewed every five years. The proposals will be introduced for newly qualified teachers from 2010 and will be Headteacher assessed.
Unions remain divided on the proposals with some representatives viewing it as an unnecessary step. Others welcome it as increasing the status of teachers, reaffirming the professional status which has seen a decline over the last few years as assessment moved more towards administered tests rather than teacher assessment.
This builds upon previous licencing schemes for School Improvement Advisers which saw existing professionals engaged in school improvement facing additional tests to ensure their ongoing suitability. Presumably, if they failed then they would be ineligible to continue their school improvement role and this then begs the question what would happen to their employment by the relevant Local Authority or external agency.
Many educationalists have feared that the current education system whereby the role of the teacher is to disseminate information to the children is one that has not traditionally provoked ongoing professional development. Initiatives such as Literacy and Numeracy hour, along with other expensive school improvement methods, has had some impact. However, reform needs to be at a grass roots level with Headteachers being held to account for the current status of their individual school and plans to allow schools to open chains need to be shelved until education returns to it’s promotion of discussion, sharing of ideas and pupil centred learning rather than training pupils to pass examinations.
