School governors and academies

Here is one of the government's little delights. There is a thing now called performance related pay, which means that a teacher cannot get pay increments without proving that they have been doing a good job - fair enough. They have to accumulate their own evidence, be observed teaching and - and here is the problem - the children in their class have to achieve a certain standard.

So here is the situation: teacher A has a class full of bright children, and they all reach the necessary level with the minimum of effort on her part. Teacher B has a class with a high preponderance of children with special needs, and she works extremely hard to get them to achieve their potential, but they are unable to reach the required standard. Teacher A will get the increment; Teacher B will not. How can this be fair?

This is more of the simplistic back-of-the-envelope policy making that does not look at reality.

www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/10/perry-beeches-academy-trust-lauded-by-cameron-falls-apart-executive-head-quits

Another one down. How many to go?

Luckygirl That sounds most unfair and it could be argued that such a system will reinforce inequality because surely it will affect recruitment and retention rates in areas of high deprivation?

On top of the mess in the Perry Beeches Academy Trust that durhamjen has referred to, Toby Young - one of the most vociferous campaigners for free schools - has announced he is giving up his role of Chief Executive of the West London School Academy Trust. He was very critical of teachers and LA schools when he embarked on his mission but now says that "running free schools was harder than I thought".

This is a disaster - but will the government learn from it and realise the precarious situation are schools are sliding in to with these MATs? - I doubt it; they are bound by political dogma.

www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/12/unqualified-daughter-of-minister-teaches-in-his-academy-schools

This is in Pimlico.