I am an observer of the pound;2,000 reward for teaching excellence, having joined a state school part-time only in Deptember from the private sector.

I do a lot of supply at my school in many departments and am dismayed at the effect on morale of this system. It is hugely laborious, divisive and subjective. Obviously one does not deny the existence of excellence by particularly individuals but it is wrong to assume from this that general individual performance can be assessed fairly. It appears to menbsp;an appalling distraction.

Increasingly education is considered as a factory process of adding value to raw material. This approach is deeply insulting to teachers and pupils, quite apart from being wildly simplistic.

I am fortunate that I am moving abroad, a pity, as I enjoy the work here. I am also encouraging my teaching son to work abroad. The general standard of teachers in both private and public sectors in Britain is high and they should be properly rewarded.

Tim Claye
Business studies and economics teacher at a Buckinghamshirenbsp;school