April 13: Time to restore teachers’ pride

Nearly half of headteachers who took part in an Association of School and College Leaders survey revealed they have vacancies in the core subjects of English, maths and science.

Furthermore the situation looks set to worsen because, while the number of graduates is falling as a result of higher university fees, the number of children of secondary school age is increasing.

If children are going to be equipped for the world of work it is essential that they have an acceptable level of competency in these elementary subjects.

Many would argue that former Education Secretary Michael Gove was right to institute a reforms designed to introduce greater rigour to the curriculum and exams system. However, the continuous changes in terms of both teaching and assessment have resulted in more paperwork, greater pressure and longer hours.

The upshot is that too many teachers find they no longer have the energy or enthusiasm to inspire the young people in their classrooms – surely the exact opposite of Mr Gove’s intended outcome.

While his successor Nicky Morgan has promised an end to Government tinkering, the damage has already been done. Four in 10 teachers leave after their first year and the profession itself has been denigrated to such an extent that it is no longer a career that appeals to graduates.

The next Government must reverse this trend that sees teachers voting with their feet and replace the existing adversarial relationship with the teaching unions with a new way of working together that delivers a better teaching environment for the next generation of children.

Hollow promises: Election pledges lack credibility

AKIN to cynical supermarket offers, the promises being made by the main parties in the final weeks of the election campaign are a desperate bid to snatch last-minute votes from the undecided.

The Labour party has pledged to crack down on tax avoidance, claiming this will bring an extra £7.5bn a year – a figure seemingly plucked from thin air.

The Liberal Democrats promise to sit between two stools – shaving a further £3bn off the welfare bill while somehow generating £12bn through tax rises.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, are seeking to lure back core voters by taking family homes worth up to £1m out of inheritance tax.

Welcome though this is as a positive move in an otherwise too negative Tory campaign, it is still unlikely to be the magic bullet the party is seeking.

Firstly, because George Osborne had previously promised to scrap inheritance tax in 2010, only for it to be dropped like a stone once the party entered coalition with the Lib Dems. And secondly, because it would be clawed back by targeting the pension relief of the wealthier individuals it is purported to benefit – a clear case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Victory is still there for the taking for the Tories, but falling into the trap of making increasingly wild pledges is not the way to secure votes.

David Cameron would be far better served underlining the message that the Conservatives’ long-term economic plan alone has the ability to deliver the hope and optimism that voters are seeking.

A 30-year silence: Orgreave decision under wraps

AN astonishing two-and-a-half years have passed since the Independent Police Complaints Commission began considering an investigation into South Yorkshire police’s own referral of its conduct during and after the notorious battle at Orgreave during the miners’ strike.

In that time the IPCC has failed to reach a decision on an incident that continues to be an open sore in former mining communities and beyond, placing further strain on relationships with police.

Now it has finally settled on a course of action – yet incredibly the watchdog refuses to makes its decision public, claiming that it could prejudice the ongoing Hillsborough inquests.

Given that it is difficult to think of more serious possible misconduct by police officers – not to mention the need to restore trust in the wake of Hillsborough – it is inconceivable that this approach should be 
taken.

Surely if the police should have learned anything from recent events it is that full transparency is the best course of action in such instances – and the least the public expects.