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Don Ledingham

Thursday 21 September 2006

Peter Peacock has announced a plan to make it easier to "sack" underperforming teachers.

Of all the teachers I've worked with in my career (perhaps 400) I think I've only come across three or four teachers who I thought should be sacked. Without exception they didn't like children and seemed to go out of their way to make children's lives a misery. I've been driven ever since to ensure that such behaviour cannot be tolerated and would do everything in my power to ensure that such people have no part to play in the profession. Sure there have been other teachers who have maybe chanced their arm or put in minimal effort but that is often the consequence of ineffective management i.e. it can be changed.

As for other teachers who might be underperforming I have always had great faith that - if they want to improve - it can be done. The problem sometimes occurs when the teacher doesn't recognise that their practice has become stale or not that children are disengaged from the learning process - due to their teacher's approach to the teaching process. I think that's why I believe so strongly in gathering pupil opinion about the teaching process and encouraging individual teachers to use that feedback to enhance their practice.

We are incredibly fortunate in East Lothian that our teachers want to do their best for children in their care. I am constantly bowled over by the quality of teaching in our classrooms - if we can just create and sustain a culture where people can share their enthusiasm and expertise with their colleagues.

Last point - I was speaking to a Headteacher colleague from another authority at the weekend who told me about some teachers in her school who just wanted to teach the same way as they had been teaching for the last twenty years and to keep teaching that way for the next twenty. I don't see this as a "sacking" issue but it does highlight the challenge we face to persuade some teachers that the lives of so many children will be compromised by such a self-centred approach. The challenge for Headteachers and local authorities is to work out strategies which will engage and enthuse such teachers - in much the same way as we attempt to engage and enthuse our pupils, whilst maintaining and developing confidence.

Comments

Teachers and PP's sacking comments

Maureen

Saturday 23 September 2006

There are many very good points made in this entry. It does concern many teachers that if you they don't do what the management and above want them to do and in the way they are asked to do these things then they may be up for a 'sacking'!
Yes - there are teachers out there - very few I believe - that should hold their posts. I do agree that some difficulties can be resolved by looking at the structure and level of discussions going on in the school. Sometimes having an adult conversation would help! The comment about teachers teaching this way for 20 years and will continue to teach this way for the next 20 are true - often they feel like this because the profession has had a pounding from all areas over the last few years and many teachers feel that there are babies and bathwaters being thrown out all over the place!
As one of the other comments have noted re secondments - it would be a plus if the voluntary transfer scheme could be considered again. This scheme allowed teachers to request a transfer to another school without seeking promotion or the dreaded round of interveiw - which can be very unsettling over the year. It allowed teachers to be refreshed and renewed - gain new experiences and find their feet again.
I also feel that we have allowed the paper to drive us forward and this has - understandably - cut short the ability to risk take in a secure environment.
Many teachers feel that they will be 'shot down in flames' if HMI arrived and every bit of paper is not in place - this could not be further from the truth! The HMI are not ogres and look at the quality of the pupil experience school wide. Evidence is absolutley necessary but rafts og highlighted and ticked sheets do not always mean a sound experience.
The comments from PP will unnerve many a teacher - hopefully only those that know they shouldn't be here! It will also unnerve teachers working in overly structured environments where creativity has gone because noone seems interested in that.
There is terrific practice out there - let's celebrate it and hope the 'bad' guys feel ashamed!

Sacking Teachers

Hilery Williams, DSS

Friday 22 September 2006

I wonder if internal secondments is a way forward for those teachers who have been teaching for 20 odd years
but who have, in effect, have one year's experience repeated 20 times?

Moving from one environment for another - with support - is likely to make the most unconfidentof teacher
reflect on her professionalism, experience and values and beliefs.
To do this in a controlled and safe way - i.e. for a short period (one month, one term, one year?) knowing they can
return to their comfort zone may be a relatively cheap method of challenging teachers to reflect on their practice.
And then - if we wish to be bolder - we could encourage staff to look for secondments across sectors.
If we are to embrace Curriculm for Excellence then we need to focus on teaching children not subjects. The
barriers to moving between secondary and primary been destroyed. Let's make creative use of the
opportunity to question fundamental principles of pedagogy.

Just a thought.

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