Press Release

Liberal Democrats

16 June 2008

Commenting on Nick Clegg’s speech on education, Christine Blower, Acting general Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Europe’s largest teaching union said;

“I welcome Nick Clegg’s commitment to get rid of SATs at 7 and 14. He should of course be calling for the abolition of these tests at 11, too.

“What kind of National Curricula governments adopt is reflective of whether they trust teachers. Our over prescribed National Curriculum illustrates the obvious. Unlike in many other countries, teachers and local communities are not trusted to develop the curriculum. Nick Clegg is absolutely right to highlight this lack of trust and the need to give teachers professional autonomy in curriculum development.

“However proposals for free schools are nonsense. There is no virtue in implementing a free for all in different types of schools locally. All the international evidence* shows that such an approach leads to social segregation. He should be concentrating on choice within schools not between schools”.

For further details contact Caroline Cowie on 0207 380 4706/ 07879480061

* OECD Pisa report 2003, 2006 and OECD commentary 2004.