Tuesday 1st April 2008

Oxfordshire County Council Conservatives

Set our schools free

Conservative county councillors called for the government to get out of the face of Oxfordshire schools and give parents and teachers more say in the way schools are run.

Speaking in a debate on schools at today’s meeting of the full council, Councillor Melinda Tilley (Kingston Bagpuize) set out the nine key points she urged the government to follow to set the county’s schools free.

She said:

“The inspection regime imposed on schools by this government are hostile and bureaucratic and have already led to suicides amongst headteachers.  I want the government to do nine simple things to help the situation.

1. give more say to teachers and parents locally;

2. shift the balance of power in favour of the teacher to improve discipline and behaviour;

3. get every child capable of doing so reading by the age of 6;

4. reduce bureaucracy in the testing system;

5. allow more teaching by ability;

6. focus on under-performance;

7. champion excellence;

8. ensure deprivation funding goes direct to pupils;

9. give more resources to those from deprived backgrounds. “

She added:

“Do we remember our own teachers because they submitted their methodology reports on time or because they inspired us by their teaching?”.