Michael Gove: heads must intervene earlier to root out bad teachers when 'alarm bells are ringing' - Telegraph
Apparently this will mean schools will not get their normal "3 days notice" that OFSTED are coming, but could be inspected at any time without warning.
From Septembr head teachers will be allowed to sack the worst-performing staff in just a term – rather than a year – as part of sweeping reforms being announced today.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 today, Mr Gove said: "If the alarm bells are ringing and the red lights are flashing it used to take a year but we are now concertinaing it.
"I think head teachers should intervene earlier. I don't think anyone wants to terminate someone's employment unless it's necessary."
When asked if a teacher whose class does not improve will be "in the firing line", he replied: "Yes."
Mr Gove added: "It's their responsibility to ensure that children behave and that children succeed."
Earlier he told the Telegraph: "You wouldn’t tolerate an underperforming surgeon in an operating theatre, or a underperforming midwife at your child’s birth.
"Why is it that we tolerate underperforming teachers in the classroom? Teachers themselves know if there’s a colleague who can’t keep control or keep the interest of their class, it affects the whole school.
"Children themselves know they are being cheated. Ultimately we owe it to our children. They are in school for 190 days a year. Every moment they spend learning is precious. If a year goes by and they are not being stretched and excited, that blights their life. We have got to think of what’s in the children’s interests first."
Mr Gove hit back at criticism by the unions that the new rules would create a 'bully's charter' for unethical heads who want to get rid of troublesome or challenging staff.
"At every stage there's an opportunity for teachers to be represented and for a fair judgement to be made.
"Nothing matters more than the quality of time children spend interacting with a good teacher."
Controversial rules restricting the amount of time heads can observe teachers in the classroom will be axed to give schools more freedom to monitor staff.
In a further move, the Government will announce that all teachers will be assessed against rigorous new teaching standards every year to ensure performance is being maintained and measures will be introduced to stop poor teachers being “recycled” from school to school.
Ministers claim the reforms – being introduced from September this year – will create a “simpler and faster system to deal with teachers who are struggling”.
It follows the publication of official figures showing that just 17 staff in England have been struck off for incompetence in a decade.
But the proposals sparked outrage among teachers’ leaders who branded the changes “draconian”.
The NASUWT union said members would “oppose these changes vigorously”, suggesting that activists may resort to industrial action to prevent them being introduced.
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The changes to the appraisal and capability policies will rightly be seen by teachers as an attack on their professionalism and will anger and depress them in equal measure.
“What the Government proposes is potentially a bully’s charter.”
Under current legislation, all state schools in England are expected to draw up “capability procedures” outlining how they deal with staff performance. The rules are based on regulations introduced by Labour in 2006.
But heads complain that current guidelines are far too bureaucratic.
It can often take heads as long as 18 months to get rid of poor teachers after making multiple written warnings and going through official hearings.
Head teachers are also banned from formally observing teachers in the classroom for more than three hours in one academic year.
Today, the Department for Education will unveil new regulations designed to significantly reduce the amount of red tape surrounding teacher performance.
This includes:
• Allowing poorly-performing teachers to be removed in about a term;
• Removing the three hour limit on teacher observation, giving heads complete freedom to assess staff throughout the year;
• Scrapping more than 50 pages of “unnecessary” guidance currently regulating capability procedures.
Ministers have already drawn up a revised list of “teacher standards” – guidelines setting out the basic skills new and existing staff must have to remain in the classroom. This includes a greater emphasis on subject knowledge and managing bad behaviour.
From this September, schools will be required to assess teachers every year against these standards.
The Government is also consulting on new proposals that will require schools to pass on information about teachers when they attempt to move to new schools. This will show whether staff have been marked down for poor performance in the past – dealing with the problem of “recycling” poor teachers.
Speaking last year, Mr Gove said: “Heads and teachers also want a simpler and faster system to deal with teachers who are struggling. For far too long schools have been trapped in complex red tape.”
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 today, Mr Gove said: "If the alarm bells are ringing and the red lights are flashing it used to take a year but we are now concertinaing it.
"I think head teachers should intervene earlier. I don't think anyone wants to terminate someone's employment unless it's necessary."
When asked if a teacher whose class does not improve will be "in the firing line", he replied: "Yes."
Mr Gove added: "It's their responsibility to ensure that children behave and that children succeed."
Earlier he told the Telegraph: "You wouldn’t tolerate an underperforming surgeon in an operating theatre, or a underperforming midwife at your child’s birth.
"Why is it that we tolerate underperforming teachers in the classroom? Teachers themselves know if there’s a colleague who can’t keep control or keep the interest of their class, it affects the whole school.
"Children themselves know they are being cheated. Ultimately we owe it to our children. They are in school for 190 days a year. Every moment they spend learning is precious. If a year goes by and they are not being stretched and excited, that blights their life. We have got to think of what’s in the children’s interests first."
Mr Gove hit back at criticism by the unions that the new rules would create a 'bully's charter' for unethical heads who want to get rid of troublesome or challenging staff.
"At every stage there's an opportunity for teachers to be represented and for a fair judgement to be made.
"Nothing matters more than the quality of time children spend interacting with a good teacher."
Controversial rules restricting the amount of time heads can observe teachers in the classroom will be axed to give schools more freedom to monitor staff.
In a further move, the Government will announce that all teachers will be assessed against rigorous new teaching standards every year to ensure performance is being maintained and measures will be introduced to stop poor teachers being “recycled” from school to school.
Ministers claim the reforms – being introduced from September this year – will create a “simpler and faster system to deal with teachers who are struggling”.
It follows the publication of official figures showing that just 17 staff in England have been struck off for incompetence in a decade.
But the proposals sparked outrage among teachers’ leaders who branded the changes “draconian”.
The NASUWT union said members would “oppose these changes vigorously”, suggesting that activists may resort to industrial action to prevent them being introduced.
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “The changes to the appraisal and capability policies will rightly be seen by teachers as an attack on their professionalism and will anger and depress them in equal measure.
“What the Government proposes is potentially a bully’s charter.”
Under current legislation, all state schools in England are expected to draw up “capability procedures” outlining how they deal with staff performance. The rules are based on regulations introduced by Labour in 2006.
But heads complain that current guidelines are far too bureaucratic.
It can often take heads as long as 18 months to get rid of poor teachers after making multiple written warnings and going through official hearings.
Head teachers are also banned from formally observing teachers in the classroom for more than three hours in one academic year.
Today, the Department for Education will unveil new regulations designed to significantly reduce the amount of red tape surrounding teacher performance.
This includes:
• Allowing poorly-performing teachers to be removed in about a term;
• Removing the three hour limit on teacher observation, giving heads complete freedom to assess staff throughout the year;
• Scrapping more than 50 pages of “unnecessary” guidance currently regulating capability procedures.
Ministers have already drawn up a revised list of “teacher standards” – guidelines setting out the basic skills new and existing staff must have to remain in the classroom. This includes a greater emphasis on subject knowledge and managing bad behaviour.
From this September, schools will be required to assess teachers every year against these standards.
The Government is also consulting on new proposals that will require schools to pass on information about teachers when they attempt to move to new schools. This will show whether staff have been marked down for poor performance in the past – dealing with the problem of “recycling” poor teachers.
Speaking last year, Mr Gove said: “Heads and teachers also want a simpler and faster system to deal with teachers who are struggling. For far too long schools have been trapped in complex red tape.”
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