Chief Inspector Pulls Back on Handling PR following NAHT (NI) complaint to Minister
NAHT (NI) committee met with Stanley Goudie, Chief Inspector ETI, on 12th May in a sometimes tense exchange.
A number of ongoing issues were explored: the failure of the Chief Inspector to robustly defend our school leaders’ right to observe teaching and learning; the possibility of anonymous parent questionnaires being used for malicious purposes and the potential for individual teachers to actually complete multiple questionnaires.
Increasing negativity from the Chief Inspector has reduced leader’s confidence in the ETI, for instance, his description of declining standards in Nursery Education is not borne out by his own reports and he agreed to meet further with Nursery reps to explore the issue.
Appalling media coverage given to a recent school inspection report was fuelled by Mr Goudie’s willingness to give an unprecedented Radio interview and make press comments beyond the report. NAHT (NI) at the time complained to the Education Minister about the inappropriateness of the Chief Inspector making additional and public statements about an individual school. Until only last week, a direct link to the school’s report was available to view immediately below the Chief Inspector’s biography on the ETI website. This is outrageous and carries a degree of harassment, indeed no other school report has or had such a direct link. Mr Goudie claimed to be unaware of the link.
Pushed further he admitted that there had been “internal discussion” after his media foray and that in future DE, not ETI, would handle any public relations requests.
Aidan Dolan
Education Director NAHT (NI)
aidand@naht.org.uk
Tel: 02890776633
