NASUWT comments on the Secretary of State for Education’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference

Commenting on the speech by Damien Hinds, Secretary of State for Education, to the Conservative Party Conference, Chris Keates General Secretary of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, said:

“Reports from teachers about poor pupil behaviour and serious indiscipline in their schools have been increasing in recent years.

“Evidence now shows pupil indiscipline in the top three concerns teachers have about their job. This evidence from NASUWT research has been shared with Ministers.

“Teachers will be disappointed, therefore, that in the light of this the Secretary of State has focused on more training for them rather than more support.

“It’s not the teachers who are the problem. It’s the impact of Government policy which has removed access to specialist internal and external support through cuts to services, increased class sizes, created a teacher supply crisis and narrowed the curriculum leading to disaffection of pupils who can no longer access creative subjects or high-quality vocational provision..

“This is the appalling reality of this Government’s policies.

“When evidence shows that over half of teachers are regularly subjected to verbal abuse and 11% have faced physical violence- it is support they need, not more training.

“The Minister said in his speech that teachers have his respect. If the profession truly has the respect of ministers then teachers will expect to see action not words, including substantially more investment in the additional support and resources teachers desperately need and an end to the wasteful policies and unacceptable management practices which have contributed so heavily to the current crisis in teacher morale and teacher supply.”