Yet another survey demonstrates teachers’ excessive working hours, many of them spent on activities that contribute little to children’s learning (Ofsted is source of stress for teachers, says Ofsted survey, 22 July) and resulting in record numbers leaving the profession. Despite the government’s cascade of initiatives, it is either oblivious to the true reasons for this unmanageable workload or simply won’t face up to the reality that its own policies on testing and inspections (and that of previous governments) are the major cause.
Only a fundamental change in the conditions schools operate in will bring about a significant reduction in workload. Such change must place far greater emphasis on assessment that informs pupils’ learning. And it must refocus the role of inspections towards school development and improvement, rather than making absolutist judgments about schools.
Chris Pratt
Author of Building a Learning Nation, Leeds
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