Tories scrap heads' qualification

The Conservatives have announced they would scrap the requirement for new head teachers in England to have a professional qualification.

The policy change followed accusations from education unions that Tory plans to shut the national training centre for heads were "totally incoherent".

Tory saving plans involve axing the National College for School Leadership.

Heads had questioned the logic of closing the only provider of what is a legally-required qualification.

In response, the Conservatives told the BBC News website that as well as scrapping the college they would scrap the requirement for the professional qualification it provides.

David Hart, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers, had said the plans to close the national college for head teachers "blew a hole" in the credibility of the Conservative education policy.

'Professionalism'

The college is the only provider of the National Professional Qualification for Headship - which is legally required by any new head teachers in England. (Similar qualifications are required in other parts of the UK.)

It's rather like saying to the doctors, we want you to run the health service of the future, but we don't want you to have a royal college David Hart, leader of the National Association of Head Teachers

But the Conservatives have defended their policy, set out in the cost-cutting James Report, by saying they will now also get rid of the mandatory professional qualification.

"We will scrap the requirement and leave it to the good sense and professionalism of governing bodies to appoint the best candidate to fill a vacancy," said the Shadow Education Secretary Tim Collins.

The plan to scrap the college "flies in the face of all reason", said Mr Hart.

"It's a totally incoherent proposal. It's rather like saying to the doctors, we want you to run the health service of the future, but we don't want you to have a royal college.

"Or it's like saying to the armed forces, you're essential to the future - but we don't want you to have Sandhurst," he said.

The James Report is the Conservatives' cost-cutting blueprint, and scrapping the national college is part of the proposed £5.7bn savings in education - its abolition being detailed under the closure of "seven DfES funds/quangos and excessive administration".

'Nonsense'

"It's a nonsense because the college is responsible for the national qualification for headship and all candidates for headships have got to have the qualification, it's a legal, mandatory obligation. Who is going to run the qualification?" said Mr Hart.

Another head teachers' leader, John Dunford, has written to the Conservatives challenging the proposals to close the national centre for training heads.

John Dunford, general secretary of the Secondary Heads Association, said it was "imperative" that the National College for School Leadership should stay open.

He said if the Conservatives were promising to give support to professionals such as teachers, this was inconsistent with closing down the national college designed to promote their professional standards.

A spokesman for Mr Collins confirmed the plan to remove funding for the national college - and said it was a "natural consequence" of devolving budgets to schools, including funds for training.

'Wrong direction'

"It is a saving identified by the James committee, to which we are committed," he said.

A Labour Party spokesperson attacked the closure plan as "making a nonsense of the Tories' claim to support head teachers" - and said the loss of the college was an example of how public services would be cut under the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrat education spokesman Phil Willis said the "real Tory agenda on education is being revealed. They want to privatise everything from schools to staff support".

"A good head teacher is central to a successful school. Our schools need world class leaders and scrapping the National College for School Leadership is a step in entirely the wrong direction," he said.

The national college, based in Nottingham, trains heads, deputy heads and senior staff in schools - and its closure would represent a "very considerable loss" to the education system, said Dr Dunford.

Opened less than three years ago, there are currently 9,000 senior school staff using the college to follow the National Professional Qualification for Headship.

"I am very concerned when I look at the education section of the James Report," said Dr Dunford.

"The Conservatives are going to give more power to head teachers - and if they do that they need to make sure they're properly trained," said Dr Dunford.

"The recipe in the James Report is to leave that to private sector training which schools can buy into - but that's not good enough, because our experience is that far too much of it is of low quality.

"You need the national college there to provide the structure and quality of the training," he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/vote_2005/frontpage/4458107.stm

Published: 2005/04/19 18:34:53 GMT

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