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NUT boss refuses to acknowledge that teachers themselves want to make it easier for incompetent colleagues to be fired

By Jonathan Isaby

If ever reassurance were required that the teaching unions do not speak up for the rank-and-file teachers and and down the country, here's a little more evidence.

Today's TES reports a survey of more than 2,100 teachers commissioned by the Sutton Trust which carries the following findings:

  • 73% of school leaders and 52% of classroom teachers agreed there was “not enough freedom for schools to dismiss poorly performing teachers”
  • Just 21% of all teachers think schools have enough freedom to sack incompetent colleagues

Sadly, Chistine Blower, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, shows herself as an apologist for incompetent teachers in her response to the survey:

“It is regrettable that colleagues agree it is not easy enough to dismiss teachers. I wonder if the people that said yes to that question would change their minds if they found themselves being put through capability proceedings?”

She added that the NUT would resist any attempt to make it easier to sack teachers.

Last July, it was reported by the Daily Telegraph that "in the decade since the General Teaching Council (GTC) was created with the power to strike off those found to be incompetent, only 18 have been banned from the classroom."

Thankfully, Michael Gove has already announced the abolition of the GTC and announced last month an overhaul of teaching standards that will allow for the removal of incompetent teachers.

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