27.6.2000

Charles Kennedy calls for "Self-defeating" education targets and bureaucracy to be scrapped

Davey cites Ofsted's mistakes at Chessington school as an example of
"bureaucratic madness"

Charles Kennedy, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, will tonight [June 27th] condemn the Labour Government's excessive burdens on teachers and launch Liberal Democrat policies to ease the bureaucratic burden on schools.  He will refer to Ofsted's mishandling of inspections at schools like Moor Lane, Chessington.

In a speech at the LGA annual conference, Mr Kennedy will say: 

"To find that there are literally hundreds of millions of separate measures being monitored by schools as part of the Government's target-setting exercise is truly shocking.

"Evidence that targets can divert resources towards some parts of the education service at the expense of other equally deserving parts has been mounting for some time.

"It is imperative that the Government rationalise its targets, reduce the burden on schools and teachers and ensures that, where targets are actually disadvantaging schools, early action is taken."

Mr Kennedy will propose the Government reduces the bureaucratic burden on teachers and LEAs by removing all national targets and replacing them with one statutory requirement for schools to develop an individual education plan for each pupil with clear targets and criteria for improvement.

In addition to the points he will make in his speech about Moor Lane Junior School, Charles Kennedy MP said,

"All the additional and often unnecessary work created by the Government's targets clearly undermines teachers morale.  This is exacerbated when Ofsted mishandles its job so badly."

Local Liberal Democrat MP, Edward Davey added,

"Since May 1997, the Labour Government has set 4,585 education targets. These targets require over 300 million separate measures to be monitored somewhere in the system.  This is bureaucratic madness."

"When Ofsted add insult to injury by performing inadequate inspections, it's no wonder teachers are leaving the profession in droves."