Speaking at school leaders’ union NAHT’s annual conference today (Fri 2 May), Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, will call on the government to be brave and ‘dare to dream’ in order to create their legacy, as previous Labour governments have.
Addressing hundreds of school leader delegates, from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, he will say:
“The challenges this government has inherited are substantial and critical. Fourteen years of underinvestment, crumbling schools, petty interference, dangerous inspection, recruitment and retention crises, and a whole lot more – it was beginning to look like a deliberate attempt to destroy the profession.
“But we have a new government, a new Secretary of State for Education, and a new opportunity to take another look at how we value schools in this country. An opportunity to reimagine. And an opportunity to dream.
“The government mustn’t forget to dream. Because we know that every major advance in education has been brought about by a Labour government. Whether that was:
- The introduction of free secondary schools under Clement Attlee
- The expansion of comprehensive education and the establishment of the Open University under Harold Wilson
- The introduction of a national debate about education standards under Jim Callaghan
- Or the largest post-war school building programme and the creation of Sure Start under Tony Blair
“Each was a watershed moment - not defined by the practicalities of the day, but by a vision for the legacy they wanted to leave behind.
“It would be disingenuous not to acknowledge that this Labour government inherits a more fractured and divisive political landscape than the one it left behind. A nation still reeling from Brexit, still scarred by the consequences of Covid, and increasingly consumed by culture wars and post-truth politics.
“Uniting a country under such circumstances is challenging at best, impossible at worst. But in spite of this - and perhaps even because of it - our political leaders must resist the temptation to govern in the shadow of their fiercest critics.
“The truth is if this government wishes to bring lasting change to education, there’s never been a better political climate to do it. The last election presented them with a huge mandate, and the electorate expect them to avail themselves of it. That majority is huge political capital. Be brave, don’t fear losing that majority.
“The vison for education, the ambition for our children, for our country’s future, cannot start with your bank balance. If we fail to invest in education, we fail to invest in our future. Our future economic growth and prosperity relies on nurturing the talent contained in our children. “Education,” as Gordon Brown once argued, “is the best economic policy there is.”
“After fourteen years of hearing about the unaffordable cost of investing in schools, we’re now seeing the unaffordable cost of not investing in them. Crumbling buildings. Scarce resources. A SEND system in crisis. And an entire profession paid less in real terms than it was fifteen years ago.”
Mr Whiteman will welcome early progress of the government on everything from breakfast clubs and uniform policies to steps to improve capital funding and pledges to deal with the SEND and recruitment and retention crises. He will say he is ‘delighted’ that the government has recognised the value of early years and primary education, including with plans to expand school-based nurseries and increase the early years pupil premium.
But he will say that if the government is to fix the problems in education it has inherited, schools will need proper funding and practical support.
“That is the point we have been making to government. If education is the single most powerful driver of a prosperous society, then it must be first in line when investment is made. The truth is, investing in schools doesn’t just make economic sense - it’s an act of belief. In children. In communities. In the future.
“So please, invest in schools. If not because a 10% rise in funding returns £6 for every £1 by 2080, if not because Sure Start cut hospital admissions by 19% in the poorest areas, if not because better educational outcomes drive productivity, power growth, and build a stronger economy – then do it because it’s the mark of a country that believes in itself. Because it’s what good countries do. And it’s how great governments create their legacy.”
Mr Whiteman will urge the government to listen to the 38,000 school leaders it represents, not detractors who suggest that doing so would signal it had ‘somehow gone soft on standards’.
He will say: “We have grown by over 30% because we faithfully articulate the voice of the profession….And be clear there is no one more ambitious for children, no one who cares more deeply about high and rising standards and no one more prepared to do whatever it takes than the teaching profession itself.”
Mr Whiteman will also speak about the threats and opportunities technology presents to the current generation, saying:
“Our pupils live and learn in a world unrecognisable from the one we grew up in. We are now living in an era where the potential for technological progress is almost limitless, bringing with it untold opportunities.
“But alongside those opportunities comes a rapidly shifting vocational landscape - where jobs and skills can change overnight, and where artificial intelligence is already reshaping our working lives.
“If we want to prepare children for that future, we have to look further ahead to give them what they need now. Technology can connect us, as we saw during the pandemic. But it can also isolate and divide - and create lonely, dangerous spaces for children trying to find their identity and their place in the world.
“The critically acclaimed Netflix drama Adolescence may have been a wake-up call for some - but its portrayal of toxic masculinity and online radicalisation came as no surprise to our members, many of whom deal with the consequences of these issues every day.
“Tackling those dangers takes real leadership. From politicians. From families. From teachers and school leaders. Because if we’re serious about stopping a generation of boys disappearing into a vortex of hatred and lies, then we must work together - to show them that decency, selflessness, kindness and honesty can offer the fulfilment and reassurance they’re searching for.”
He will also address the ‘national shame’ of child poverty: “We have more children in poverty than ever before. That national shame is the inheritance for this government.”
And calls on His Majesty’s Chief Inspector to scrap the current proposals for report card inspections, saying:
“It’s now been 18 months since an independent review found that Ofsted had contributed to the death of our fellow head teacher, Ruth Perry. As ever, we take this moment to think of her family, her friends, her colleagues, and her pupils - each of whom still feels her loss deeply.
“As I said at our 2023 conference, one of the saddest things about learning that a head teacher had taken her own life under the pressure of an Ofsted inspection was how unsurprising it felt to so many in the profession. Our own advice line has taken numerous calls over the years from distressed members - some feeling suicidal - because of this ineffective and needlessly punitive system.
“Following Ruth’s death, we were promised change. What we’ve been offered, once you scratch beneath the surface, is more of the same: another crude grading system to hang over the heads of school leaders.
“And of course, our critics will tell say you that school leaders object to inspections because they don’t care about standards. School leaders aren’t afraid of accountability. In fact, most of them embrace it - that’s why they chose a life of public service.
“But the idea that Ofsted’s model is the only way to assess schools is utter nonsense. Our colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland will be the first to admit their systems aren’t perfect - but the fact they offer something broader and more nuanced than a crude traffic light system proves there is another way.
“A way that doesn’t pile additional pressure onto an already stretched profession. A way that gives parents meaningful insight into where a school is on its improvement journey. And a way that doesn’t leave school leaders worried they’ll be blamed for falling house prices in their neighbourhood - just because an inspector didn’t like a particular process, or took issue with how they filed their paperwork.
“So, my message to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is this: Scrap these proposals. Disabuse yourself of the notion that there’s no alternative. And think again.”
Paul Whiteman will be addressing conference at 3.40pm on Friday 2nd May. A livestream will be available on NAHT’s website on the day:
https://www.naht.org.uk/AnnualConference.
The full speech is available on request.