Arts On The Move – for all your drama needs… Arts On The Move
JORVIK Viking Centre boosts its lockdown educational offer JORVIK Viking Centre
Teach KS2 STEM with VEX Go from VEX Robotics VEX Robotics
Teach KS1 STEM with VEX 123 from VEX Robotics VEX Robotics
Team GB and Aldi recruit Kevin the Carrot to inspire healthy eating in schools with their latest primary resources Aldi
Oxford University Press Courses
Arts On The Move – for all your drama needs…
Frenck KS2 lesson plan – Near future tense and new year resolutions
Michael Morpurgo Month 2021 – 10 of the best teaching resources for KS1 and KS2
KS2 Shakespeare Week activities – Explore identity
Over the last year, 89% of teachers say they have taught a lesson they believe to have been of little or no educational value in order to help students pass national tests, with 43% of all respondents admitting this took place on at least a weekly basis.
The survey of 436 teachers carried out by Teachwire sought teachers’ views on their level of autonomy in the classroom and the effect of high-stakes testing on the quality of their lessons and enthusiasm for teaching.
A significant proportion of the respondents, 61%, do not feel regularly excited by the content of the lessons they teach, though many feel the removal of high-stakes testing would help to change this, with 90% proposing this would allow them to teach more interesting lessons.
A similar proportion, 86%, also agreed that the quality of students’ education would improve if high-stakes tests were removed.
Alongside a narrowing of curriculum focus, time constraints were highlighted, with 81% of teachers saying they do not have adequate time to expand on the programmes of study and follow children’s learning interests.
The survey suggests that the antidote to this could, in part, be greater autonomy for teachers. If allowed to be more autonomous, 79% said the quality of their teaching would improve, 66% said it would reduce their workload, and 74% agreed it would encourage them to remain in the profession.
In response to the the report, Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary, of the National Education Union (NEU) said: “Education Ministers must listen to our teachers, and work with us to reform assessment and accountability system so that it is proportionate and meaningful.
“When nearly 90% believe that high stakes testing is undermining the quality of education our children receive, something has to change. Giving teachers the professional freedom to ignite a passion for learning in their children is key not just to secure good educational outcomes, but also for retaining excellent teachers.
“Is it any wonder that our system is haemorrhaging teachers, when over 60% no longer feel excited about the lessons that they are teaching? Our children and teachers deserve better than this.”
Teachwire.net group editor Joe Carter said: “Though teachers have long expressed concerns over high-stakes testing and a lack of professional autonomy, the strength of feeling appears to be intensifying over recent months. We ran the survey to get a clearer view on the degree to which teachers feel high-stakes testing is having an impact on both their passion for teaching and their students’ interest in learning. Though the results show a concerning picture, our intention is to use the research to provoke a more positive reaction. We will be finding and sharing examples where teacher expertise and autonomy is leading to excellent and engaging education.”
Click here to see the full results from the survey.
In partnership with
Make sure your assessment is effective with these expert insights.
Teachwire
Arts On The Move believes that creativity is what gives society its heart. Everyone has...
Arts On The Move believes that creativity is what gives society its heart. Everyone has some creativity within them and the joy of exploring and discovering can be unparalleled. At the...
Arts On The Move believes that creativity is what gives society its heart. Everyone has some creativity within them and the joy of exploring and discovering can be unparalleled.
At the...
Cover the near future tense and new vocabulary with Dr Amanda Barton’s new year resolutions lesson. This lesson starts with a quick look at French culture through an important new year tradition...
Cover the near future tense and new vocabulary with Dr Amanda Barton’s new year resolutions lesson.
This lesson starts with a quick look at French culture through an important new year tradition...
Use Shakespeare Week in March to help pupils explore their own identities. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve? Are you sometimes the green-eyed monster? Although Shakespeare wrote over 400...
Use Shakespeare Week in March to help pupils explore their own identities.
Do you wear your heart on your sleeve? Are you sometimes the green-eyed monster? Although Shakespeare wrote over 400...
Make a date in your diary for February for Michael Morpurgo Month 2021, and start...
Kat Howard and Claire Hill examine the importance of sequencing when it comes to effective...
This Tuesday 9 Feb use Safer Internet Day to educate children about being responsible online,...
If you want to distinguish the truly great teachers from the merely competent, there are...