British Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was recently slammed by head teachers during the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) annual conference as she defended the government's plans for the "mass academization" of schools in the United Kingdom. Morgan stressed that the controversial academization is the government's position.
Head Teacher's Industrial Action
Head teachers were vocal about their stand regarding the government's plans forcing all schools to become academies by 2022. According to The Guardian, the head teachers could take industrial action after 95 percent of almost 500 primary school head teachers passed a motion that "no schools should be forced to become an academy."
"Academies: to be or not to be, that is the question," Kim Johnson, a head teacher of an academy in Kent said. "A question you must be free to answer for yourself. No school should be compelled to convert."
'Mass Academization' In The U.K.
The policy for the "mass academization" of schools in the United Kingdom had faced widespread cirticisms from teachers, head teachers, Labor, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs, as well as local government leaders from all those parties. But Morgan underscored that more autonomy due to the forced academies program would help raise education standards, Daily Mail notes.
Morgan also added the "dual system" practice would be less efficient, compared to a compulsory model for running schools in the country. However, critics said the policy would just replace local authorities with centralized Whitehall control, as per The Independent.
Primary Schools Assessment System
Aside from the "mass academization," head teachers also slammed the government's implementation of the new primary school assessments system that have contradictory guidelines. NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby said the government made a serious mistake in implementing the policy.
"Testing has a role to play in the assessment of children but the poorly designed tests and last minute changes we have seen this year do not add value to teaching," Hobby said. "Increasingly, parents and teachers agree that high-stakes statutory tests can actually make it harder to find out what children are really learning and to improve their education."
Morgan, however, told the head teachers at the NAHT annual conference that the new primary school tests were not about passing or failing the test. She also urged parents not to join the planned boycott on May 3 as educators protest at the new assessments policy.
"This is not about pass or fail, this is about knowing how children are making progress at the end of their primary school years," Morgan said.
The Effects Of "Mass Academization"
Meanwhile, the government's plan to force all schools to become academies has uncertain benefits. NAHT leader Kim Johnson also highlighted the fact that the "mass academization" policy is expensive, noting that smaller schools could suffer, BBC News reports.
"I will happily persuade my colleagues of the merits of autonomy and freedom," Johnson said. "But I have doubts about forcing every school in England to convert to academy status. The cost of this initiative is high and the benefits are uncertain. Smaller schools could suffer."
Johnson also added that the government should focus on what's happening inside the classrooms instead of structural reforms. Due to the negative criticisms, the Department of Education was disappointed, stressing the government only wanted to ensure every child has access to an excellent education they deserve.
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