(Strangford) (DUP):...The discomfort and frustration
that pupils with special needs can face when their routine is
disrupted is unnecessary and could be handled much better. Ofsted
and other inspection agencies must be held accountable for
ensuring normality in the school day. In addition, our teachers
have been feeling extreme pressure to perform as “perfect” in
their profession. None of us is perfect. As you know, Mr Paisley,
there is only one person who is perfect: the man above. We are
just humble human beings with all our frailties and mistakes.
The National Education
Union has stated,
“Able teachers, repeatedly assessed as ‘outstanding’, still have
their preparation, teaching, management of behaviour and marking
of students’ work evaluated incessantly. The pressures created by
Ofsted cascade down through the system, increasing teachers’
stress and workloads to the point of exhaustion and burn-out.”
...The NEU also notes that Ofsted has failed to
address the impact that poverty and the cost of living are having
children’s learning. Other factors need to be considered when
Ofsted carries out its inspections and draws conclusions about
education. One such factor is poverty and the cost of living. The
moneys that parents have for their children has an impact on them
when they are in school. Another is the responsibility of schools
to ensure that pupils have a meal to start the day and are
getting fed. Sometimes—I say this very respectfully—a child may
not be the best dressed or the tidiest, but that may be because
of pressures at home. What is being done to consider that?
(Portsmouth South)
(Lab):...Earlier this year, I visited the National Education
Union advice line in Doncaster. I spoke to teachers
desperate to find a way to stay in the profession that they love,
but the pressure of inspections was listed by teachers and staff
as a significant factor in their decision to leave. I visited a
school in Gillingham where people described the relief that the
inspections were suspended during covid, because they could
then
“focus on doing what was best for the children”.
That seems completely counterproductive to me, and to many
parents and teachers too...
To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE
