Teachers 'will be put off disadvantaged schools'

A teacher's union has warned that new Government directives may put teachers off working at disadvantaged schools, it has been reported. 

"Arbitrary targets accompanied by threats of school closure demoralise, not motivate," said Steve Sinnott from the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

He was responding to an announcement from the Government that said that schools will face penalties if they do not reach targets.

Prime minister Gordon Brown said that schools must achieve results of five A to C grades among 30 per cent of all pupils at GCSE level within the next six years.

One of the penalties for schools which fail to do so is closure.

Mr Brown added: "We can no longer tolerate failure."

Teachers union the NASUWT, however, has spoken up in favour of Mr Brown's reforms.

While agreeing that they may be off-putting to some teachers, general secretary for the organisation Chris Keates said that Mr Brown was "right to challenge a culture of complacency in education".

Source: The Guardian

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