The National Association of Head Teachers has described draft plans to raise teachers’ standards as a welcome foundation on which to build better practice.
Russell Hobby, General Secretary of the NAHT, said that as a strong supporter of proposals that aim to help elevate the status of the profession, he found much to agree with in the first report of the Independent Review of Teachers’ Standards revealed today, 14 July (see the DfE website: 'New standards raise the bar for teachers').
Mr Hobby said: “I’m pleasantly surprised by this report. It would be hard to deny that it reflects exactly what we want teachers to be doing.
"Of course, no document can capture the richness, creativity and diversity of teachers' work. Nor should it aspire to. If we treat this as a basic foundation upon which we in the profession build the detail of what practice looks like and how it grows, then the standards do the job.
"The standards are clear, concise and relevant. They are not perfect of course - there is a subject bias that will sit awkwardly with primary and special needs teachers. The reference to phonics sticks out like a sore thumb.
"It is right that conduct should be part of the standards. You cannot separate conduct from teaching quality. It is part of the way great teachers inspire students.
"We now need to get to work on fleshing out the standards. What do they look like in different settings? How do they grow and develop over the course of a career? What is the difference between average and excellent?"
Page Published: 14/07/2011
