The government has today made changes to the model funding agreement for academies. From 1 October this year, academies will be able to choose to employ teachers who are unqualified in mainstream teaching roles. The NAHT sees this as a significant backward step which may damage the professionalism of teaching at a time when we should be strengthening it. It runs the risk of jeopardising standards and will do nothing to aid recruitment of high quality staff.
Russell Hobby, General Secretary, said, “In terms of education, nothing matters more than the quality of teaching. A recognised and demanding entry qualification is the hallmark of a profession and an assurance to parents that the people they trust with the care and instruction of their children know what they are doing.
"Of course schools benefit from the involvement of a range of people, with experience of different workplaces, the arts and sports for example, and schools these days contain a wide range of professions, but looking after a large class of students over the long term, and dealing with special education needs, are specialist skills that need training.
“Can the qualifications be improved? Absolutely. Should they be dropped? In no way: this new freedom for academies to employ unqualified staff in teaching roles is a backwards step and makes as much sense a freeing up hospitals to employ unqualified doctors. The fact that the government cannot see the similarity betrays a low regard for the teaching profession."
Page Published: 27/07/2012
