Teachers want school tables to go

By Gary Eason
BBC News Online at the NASUWT conference

NASUWT delegates are meeting in Llandudno during the Easter break

Teachers are calling for the abolition of school league tables in England.

A motion for consideration at the annual conference of the second biggest teachers' union, the NASUWT, also calls for the removal of national testing.

It says the funding saved should go to support "a broader and more balanced school curriculum".

Another resolution says teachers are "steadfastly opposed" to any attempt to bring in a six-term school year.

Ranking

While "league tables" are generally loathed, the opposition to testing is by no means certain to become union policy.

Many teachers say tests are a useful tool - what they object to is the use of the results to rank schools.

At present this happens with the tests children take in their final year of primary school in England.

The government has also taken to publishing separately the results of 14-year-olds' tests.

There are now no performance tables elsewhere in the UK.

Calendar changes

The proposal to redirect the money saved by scrapping tests picks up from teachers' complaints that a focus on the tested subjects, especially maths and English, has detracted from other aspects of the curriculum.

This is borne out by Ofsted inspections and research by the qualifications watchdog, the QCA.

Many local authorities in England are considering switching to a six-term year and are at various stages of consultation.

So far, between 30 and 40 councils have decided to make the change to more uniform teaching blocks.

Under the plans, terms would be shorter, with the long term from September to Christmas broken in two, with a two-week break in the middle.

Supporters say a six-term school year will help raise standards because pupils will respond better to shorter terms because they will be less tired.

The Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, has indicated his support for the idea.

But the NASUWT is opposing plans to change the school year in Essex and in Hampshire.

Its conference delegates may decide to adopt an amendment to the main opposition to changes that would call for negotiations nationally over the annual pattern of term dates.