16 October 2008
By Paul Dicken
Primary school teachers are facing growing class disruption, increased workloads and pressure from the 'tyranny of testing', according to research. The report, Teachers under pressure, by Cambridge University professors Maurice Galton and John MacBeath, looked at teachers' experiences in primary, secondary and special education over a five-year period.
It found that 'successive government reforms have succeeded in progressively draining off the enthusiasm and commitment for teaching, so that the greatest professional source of satisfaction — seeing children learn — is undermined by tables, targets and the tyranny of testing.'
Despite attempts by the government to reduce teachers' workload, especially administrative duties, it was uncertain whether this had benefited teachers. The report, sponsored by the National Union of Teachers, said the biggest change in recent years had come from the introduction of planning, preparation and assessment time.
'While broadly welcomed, there was ambivalence about the role of teaching assistants in covering teachers' time out of the classroom,' the report said. It added that extra 'non-contact time' did not necessarily appear to reduce teachers' overall weekly workload, nor the amount of time spent during evenings and weekends.
The research also suggested there was a lack of creativity in teaching, although teachers 'have been able to perceive the scope for radical change within their own classrooms and within their own schools'.
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