Union praises ‘excellent’ GCSE results despite ‘excessive workload’ of teachers
General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK, Chris Keates, has welcomed today’s GCSE results but also called on the Government to rethink its emphasis on “arbitrary targets”.
Ms Keates said the results, which show that the number of pupils achieving A* to C grades have risen, were “excellent” and added that it was “highly commendable that standards have been maintained across the board, despite the tremendous pressure our young people are under.”
She went on to suggest that the hard work of teachers must also be recognised, saying they had “supported students to achieve these results despite the burden of excessive workload, year on year cuts to pay, constantly changing policies and ongoing budget cuts.
“Today’s results provide an opportunity to celebrate the commitment and achievement of the workforce and our children and young people which is a hallmark of our public education service.
The NASUWT General Secretary added: “When the dust has settled on the celebrations, there is a legitimate debate to be had about the appropriateness of the comparable outcomes policy introduced by Ofqual.
“What the Government will have to recognise is that if it wants a system which brings stability in outcomes year on year regardless of the performance of pupils, it cannot keep imposing on schools, through arbitrary targets, an expectation that results for all schools will always increase.”
