Head teacher 'hit list' branded unfair

Head teacher 'hit list' branded unfair

By Justin Parkinson BBC News Online at the NUT conference in Harrogate

An e-mail asking councils for "hit lists" of failing head teachers who should be sacked is contrary to "natural justice", an employers' spokesman has warned.

The e-mail could lead to the law being broken, say employers.

Graham Lane, education chairman of the Local Government Association, said it was "another example" of government interference in the running of schools, which could break employment law.

His comments, at the National Union of Teachers (NUT) conference in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, came after it was revealed the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) had sent an e-mail to local authorities, asking for the names of heads who should be "taken out".

The e-mail, marked "urgent", also asked them to identify schools which should close.

A DfES spokesman said the move was designed to ensure schools and councils were putting money to best use.

'Breaking contract'

But Mr Lane told BBC News Online: "It's absolutely ridiculous. I can't believe it is happening."

"There is a proper way of getting rid of bad head teachers and this is not it.

"The fact is that this is a process that could lead to a tribunal case over constructive dismissal. We are the employers. not the DfES.

"If a local authority has to make a report to a third party - the DfES - it is breaking its contract."

The e-mail also asks for the names of deputy head teachers and other senior school staff who could be removed in an attempt to improve pupil performance.