20 October 2006
Claims that English schools are failing almost 1 million pupils are misleading, damaging and a 'gross simplification' of the reality of education, teaching leaders said this week.
They were responding to a Public Accounts Committee report on failing schools that castigated persistent poor performance, and said that too many were not providing their pupils with an adequate education.
The October 17 report concluded that although the number of under-achieving schools had been reduced, there were still around 1,500 that were poorly performing.
PAC chair Edward Leigh said: 'To waste so much human potential in this way is a tragedy. The consequences in the long term for the pupils themselves and, more widely, for our society will be severe.'
But Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said such statements ignored the complexities of education. 'There may be a number of reasons why any particular school is experiencing difficulties, but that certainly does not mean those schools are failing their children. This is an alarmist scare story,' he said.
This view was echoed by John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of Schools and Colleges, who branded Leigh's comments 'irresponsible' and 'sensationalist'.
'Most of these so-called failing schools serve disadvantaged communities where the school is often the only place that improves young people's life chances,' he said.
'School leaders devote their lives to educating and supporting such children and will bitterly resent political games being played with these misinterpreted statistics.'
Ministers also entered the fray, describing the PAC's comments as 'insulting'. Schools minister Jim Knight said a significant number of the schools singled out in the report were not failing.
'In some, 60% to 70% of pupils get five good GCSEs and many others are improving very quickly thanks to incredibly dedicated staff and excellent leadership,' he said.
The latest Ofsted figures, also published on October 17, showed that 32 schools were closed last year because of poor performance, compared with 25 the previous year.
A total of 108 schools were in special measures at the end of summer term this year – 34 fewer than the previous year. In addition, 312 schools were in Ofsted's new category 'requiring significant improvement and given notice to improve'.
PFoct2006
