I wonder how many people know that head teachers are only allowed to observe lessons given by a teacher for three hours in any one year?

It is an example of the power of the teacher unions and how they can interfere with the effective management of schools and thus with the best possible education of children.

I only learned this because of a recent article in the Times Educational Supplement:

Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary, said he would put an end to regulations that constrain normal classroom observations to three hours per year.

“It’s absurd that heads should be legally restricted from entering classrooms in their own schools,” he said. “We need to trust professionals if we want to get the most out of our education system, and that means scrapping regulations like this.”

One of the worrying things is that Mr Gove feels the need to justify his view in the most cautious terms. He is obviously worried about rousing the wrath of these unions. He says that young teachers may need more help. Is it not also possible, that some teachers may be giving weak lessons and should be told to get their act together or be sacked? That is how a good school should be run. Bad teachers should be sacked otherwise the school will not give the best possible education which, lest the unions forget, is the purpose of the exercise. All teachers should know that they have to maintain a standard and that this will be monitored.

The outrageous rule that teachers can only be observed for three hours a year is a very strong example of the 'producer interest' at work - employees organising things for their own benefit rather than that of their customers. It occurs in all organisations but in a state monopoly with strong unions, it runs riot.

It is quite clear that the present Labour government has allowed the unions to play a role in deciding policy on such things:

At present, teachers’ unions - with the exception of the NUT - are consulted by the Government and help to decide policy affecting teachers’ pay and conditions, including the limit on classroom observations.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said the so-called “social partnership” would be under threat if the Conservatives gained office. She issued a warning to Mr Gove to take it seriously.

“He is not committed to any formal structure for the social partnership to take place,” she said. “It’s not inviting the unions in for beer and sandwiches and then telling us what’s going to happen. There is real negotiation.

It is a disgrace that the present government has allowed any union to take a role in deciding policy. It is politically corrupt. The government is elected by the people to decide for the benefit of the people. It is not elected to allow unions to write laws or to allow any interest group to have the privilege to write laws.

This story makes one wonder how many other laws are there that have been written by unions in the decade - in education and perhaps health, too?

Posted by James Bartholomew • Indexed in Education

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