Has The Teacher ‘Call To Arms’ Been Heard?


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Holly Gardner

Holly Gardner is TT Editor, as well as a Freelance Publisher. She has been working with @TeacherToolkit for over 6 years - since she published his first book in her role as Senior Commissioning Editor at Bloomsbury Publishing. Since then, she left her day job,...
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How can the accountability framework be improved?

Our very own Ross McGill will be part of the NAHT Commission formed to suggest changes to the accountability framework in England. Amongst others, Ross will joined by Dame Alison Peacock, Professor Becky Allen, Michael Tidd, Sir Robin Bosher, Emma Knights, Sir Kevan Collins and Sam Freedman. The commission was launched today and will report in September 2018.

A Call to Arms

This is a result Ross has been calling for:

For the past three or fours years, it is my belief that the Government does not have the solution to our education system. We do. And that with every Government that comes and goes, we are left in the lurch, waiting for the next possible answer or source of funding to help address the latest crisis, research or push the latest agenda. It is my belief that the answer lies in us as a profession as a collective force – to do more to resolve the issues with teacher workload and retention by ignoring eternal agencies; dictating the mood in schools.

‘Why and how?’ you may ask. Well, if enough of us start to be serious about strategies to improving teacher recruitment, retention and wellbeing, we can bring about collective change. But, we need a relentless and collective voice.

The Solution?

For Ross, the solution is obvious. The crux of the matter is that every teacher needs the time to mark, plan and teach with simplicity and passion; to collaborate and to develop. We must give our teachers the space to be able to do these things well and be in front of their students and alongside their colleagues. That’s it, let’s not get bogged down in days of endless marking and 1,000s of data-point entries; we need well-funded schools to be able to achieve this simple aim.

Let’s not over-complicate classroom life with shifting goalposts, fads and preferences dictated by external watchdogs and policymakers. Teaching and learning trumps everything we do in schools, and the sooner those involved in the sector keep this primary goal in mind, our students, teachers and our profession as a whole will gain.

Let’s strip back the nonsense and focus on what every teacher across the world needs to do; Mark. Plan. Teach.

We’re looking forward to September to hear what the Commission reports.


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