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In the wake of renewed controversy over the validity and usefulness of school league tables, the General Teaching Council for England today renews its call for a radical overhaul of the current assessment and accountability regime (20 Oct 2005).
The GTC wants parents to have meaningful, rigorous and regular information about their own children’s progress and the performance of local schools.
Opinion polling conducted for the GTC by MORI earlier this year shows that parents are sceptical about the relevance and value of school league tables.
GTC Chief Executive Carol Adams says:
“We know from our direct discussions with parents and from research that many parents feel that league tables are irrelevant in helping them choose a school and in judging how well the school is meeting the needs of their child.
“Schools should be entering their pupils for the mix of GCSEs and NVQ qualifications which will best suit and stretch the individual pupil, not making decisions with an eye to their position in the league tables.
“It is time to grasp the nettle and recognise that the current performance table system is neither meeting the needs of parents and pupils nor serving its stated aim of accountability to the local community and the tax payer.
“We urgently need ways of reporting to parents that give them a much a richer, rounded picture of schools and an assessment system that really supports and measures learning .”
