For five years teachers have complained about the damaging and ill-considered changes forced upon them by the Conservatives. So why does it appear – based on grumblings heard in staffrooms and across social media – that Labour has yet to secure the teachers’ vote?
The answer, according to National Union of Teachers general secretary, Christine Blower, is that many of her members remain politely but firmly sceptical of Labour and its shadow education secretary, Tristram Hunt.
As the NUT gathers for its annual conference, in Harrogate, Blower warns that her members want to hear more hard-edged policies from Hunt and Labour before 7 May. However, some of what teachers have already heard is not to their liking.
“So far, there’s only one really good Labour policy,” Blower says in an interview with the Guardian, “which is that all teachers should be qualified teachers.”
In particular, Blower says, Labour’s stance on school funding and how it will deal with academies and free schools remains vague, while NUT members want to hear Labour take a tougher line on reforming Ofsted, the schools inspectorate in England that some blame for inculcating a climate of fear.
“We would like Labour to be talking much more about reform of inspections and Ofsted, because we believe there are other models that would work just as well without the baggage.”
Earlier this week at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ALT) conference in Liverpool, Hunt complained about Ofsted’s “increasingly byzantine demands of inspection”, and called for “an inspectorate that carries the full confidence of the profession, parents and business”.
Blower welcomes Hunt’s hints of reform – but remains unimpressed with his description of Ofsted as a a vehicle for progress in education. “He must also realise that in describing Ofsted as an extraordinarily progressive force for improving our schools, he is a million miles from the view of most teachers.”
As the largest teaching union in England and Wales, the NUT wields enormous clout, alongside the more moderate NASUWT, which is holding its annual conference simultaneously in Cardiff.
While Hunt won’t be speaking in Harrogate – the NUT doesn’t invite politicians – his party’s policies will be the subject of much debate in the corridors and aisles.
“There are 1,000 teachers in every constituency in the country – so I think they [Labour] absolutely do need to think about that,” says Blower.
Labour has yet to reveal any detailed plans on how to overhaul Ofsted, but some in the party are considering who will replace Sir Michael Wilshaw as chief inspector of schools when his term ends. Former Department for Education senior civil servant Jon Coles is said to be the strongest candidate: he was the DfE’s pick to head Ofsted in 2011 but that was blocked by Michael Gove, who appointed Wilshaw instead.
Wilshaw’s recent illness – he may not return full time until May while he recoversfrom surgery – has also sparked talk about potential replacements among the Tories, who are concerned he may take early retirement. But neither party wants to appear to be “measuring the curtains” before the general election result is known.
Blower is also unimpressed with the offers by the main parties on school funding – likely to be made clear when the union holds a priority debate on the subject.
“The purpose of the priority motion will be to press all the political parties, obviously including the Conservatives and Labour, to say that we will need more money in education,” Blower says. “Frankly, whoever wins the election, education funding is going to be a big issue.
“We’ve got David Cameron’s flat cash offer. We’ve got [Labour and Lib Dem] promises to protect the education budget – and by protect they mean protect against inflation, which today is an empty promise with inflation at zero when we know there are big extra costs coming the way of schools, such as national insurance and pension increases.”
The result is “a pretty serious hill to climb on education funding” that demands more resources to meet enforced pension, pay and national insurance increases, and help schools that are currently underfunded, as well as tackling the fact that Wales spends £600 less per child than England.
“We’re concerned about what the Lib Dems and Labour will say about funding. We know that there will be increases in the number of kids in schools, and that’s also got to be paid for.
“We’re not happy with what any of them appear to be promising at the moment. But when we see it in black and white in their manifestos, then we will be able to make a clear assessment.”
Aside from funding, Blower says her members are being increasingly hamstrung in what they can do, with schools now allowed little freedom to innovate, between the twin threats of Ofsted and league tables.
“Education is about developing the whole person. But if at the same time you’ve got the dead hand of Ofsted only looking at literacy and numeracy and not looking at the other things schools do, then schools are caught in a terrible bind,” Blower said.
“A primary school headteacher said to me, after Ofsted had come in and the school had gone from outstanding to good, that his local authority was on his back, complaining that the school didn’t run extracurricular activities any more. And he said to them: ‘Look, do you want football or do you want exam results?’”
