Tony Blair’s aspirations for an inclusive society (TES, Opinion, September 11) are admirable, but why does he use exclusive language about the teachers who might perform this miracle for him?
Could he please explain in greater detail what he means by a “good teacher” or a “good school”?
Why use the word “good” at all? He clearly hopes that teachers will be social engineers.
Engineers of all types are currently in short supply and three strategies are being used to help to recruit them:
* improve pay, * relax entry requirements and * make the profession more attractive.
In comparison, the Government’s response to recruiting more educational social engineers is:
* freeze pay and make it results-dependent, * tighten entry requirements and; * make the profession even less attractive (for instance, by placing an extra 10 days on the working year).
All teachers might as well become state slaves forthwith, if this is how badly they are going to be treated.
Ted Guyver 41 Meon Road Mickleton, Chipping Campden Gloucestershire
