Ofsted should “keep on the margins” and let teachers get on with their “national mission” in the wake of the pandemic, a headteachers’ leader has said.
Addressing the Commons’ education select committee this morning, Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said that teachers need “as few distractions as possible” as they “teach like they’ve never taught before”.
Mr Barton was asked: “Because you talked about the quality of teaching, who...is responsible for making those significant changes then, in those schools where that needs to happen?”
He responded: “That is the most important thing, isn’t it? What we’re talking about now is a national mission whereby teachers go in and teach like they’ve never taught before. And that’s why they need as few distractions as possible.
“That’s why we welcome the fact that performance tables aren’t going to happen this year. Ofsted need to keep on the margins and let’s just let teachers do that.”
He added: “Now, the people I represent, school and college leaders - it’s all about the quality of teaching. And that’s why I would just reference again a reminder of the things within the classroom and around the classroom that particularly appear to work, allowing them then to choose those as appropriate for the cohorts they’ve got.
“That’s something they will be used to and something I think they will turbo charge as those young people start to come back into our schools and our colleges.”
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