As parents, teachers and academics, we are all concerned about standards in public life. Schools are urged to teach children high moral standards as a defence against a society in which respect for others is seen as declining dangerously and lack of respect is responsibile for many social ills.
Against that backdrop, I am appalled to hear of two instances in which heads have spoken to children coming into contact with teachers applying for posts and asked the pupils to behave as badly as they like. In one instance, children were asked to behave badly and deliberately play instruments out of tune. Schools should not, under any circumstances, encourage children to use deceit and duplicity.
This is not the way to inculcate respect. I would urge readers of The TES to take a stand against such underhand techniques as a recruitment strategy on the grounds that the underlying moral message in such methods is detrimental to pupils’ welfare.
Dr Carolyn Downs Heysham, Lancashire
