The Line of Duty

Each successive Education Secretary over the past fifteen or so years has managed to alienate experienced, talented QUALIFIED teachers, lie to new teachers joining the profession, and systematically unpick the great work that is (was) done in schools.

I left teaching Secondary full time because I just got sick and tired of being told what to do by people who knew nothing. For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was a deputy head in a school who said in a meeting about the aims for the arts in the school in coming years: "I know that's what YOU think, Colin, but this is what WE want to do at [School]."

Now, in many cases that would be fine and the right thing to say in order to focus everyone on the company goals. But when it is said in the context are an arts meeting, to the Curriculum Leader for Drama, who was the only one with real professional experience in Theatre, and was about the definition of the difference between a Director and a Producer (I had provided the actual definition; another teacher thought the two roles were the same thing)...well, it brought into question what my role in the school was. Shortly after that, and exasperated by the move towards lowering standards just to increase easier achieved grades...I resigned.

Over the following years I worked in supply, watched the role of the teacher be constantly undermined, began working as a Primary teacher (where once again I was shafted by the politics of "toe the line" mentality) I decided it was time to walk away completely. I miss being a teacher - I REALLY miss the kids.

But I do not miss the bullshit politics that pervades it.

And I do not miss the patronising, unqualified, audacious and interfering politics enforced by politicians who have no experience, understanding or qualification to tell me what to do. (E.g. Nicky Morgan doesn't even understand how percentage graphs work, for pity sake.) So for her to tell teachers to basically "put up and shut up" and to "do your duty" on academies is truly shocking. Quite frankly, how DARE she dismiss outright an overwhelming number of qualified people who do that job just to push through her political agenda?

Children's education is as valuable to society as the strong foundations of a huge sky-scraper. Get it wrong and you might not notice straight away, but a long way day the road when it is all too late the whole building will come crashing down. So if you don't know how to build (you damn well should be allowed to be a foreman on a building site, for starters) you don't march in and TELL all the builders that you have changed the delivery of building materials and to just "do your duty".

What Nicky Morgan doesn't comprehend is that many great teachers will be leaving the profession based simply on the fact that they have been told no matter what happens they will be in an academy. There is no evidence that links academies with higher standards. I KNOW THIS FOR A FACT - I have worked in schools, academies, and schools that have turned into academies. I know how they get the grades to raise places on the league tables and I can assure you it is NOT about standards raising. In fact, it is damn near fraudulent, and in many cases immoral, unethical and possibly illegal. The reason Nicky Morgan has no clue what will happen is because she is no better placed to command over education than she is to run a building site; or be CEO of a retail company; or fix your boiler in your house; perform basic surgery on a wound on your left foot; clean windows on a tall building; handle chemicals using COSHH regulations; organise a publicity event or even a Christmas party for a few children; in short...she is not qualified to make the dictations she makes. And I am more and more glad every day that I am out of teaching. And if anyone ever asks me if they should be a teacher I simply say NO, NO, NO!

But telling teachers to just "do your duty".

Mrs Morgan - kindly shove your academy policy up your arse. If nothing else...it would stop her speaking.