ATL

Michael Gove MP's speech to Conference 2010

The Government's proposed Licence to Practice is nothing but an expensive overly-bureaucratic half measure. I know of no teacher who wants to go through this process nor has the time to do so. It won't add anything to the number one priority of all teachers – improving the education of their pupils. A Conservative Government would not introduce it.

The Government claims a License to Practice raises the status of the teaching profession. It does not. We know that the key to raising the status of the profession is not going through a pointless process every five years. It's about trusting teachers to do their job. Giving them the freedom they need. The fact is that this Government has stripped powers from you – the professionals. It doesn't believe that headteachers know how best to run their schools and reward their staff. It doesn't believe that teachers can depart from the National Curriculum and still provide a world class education. It doesn't believe that teachers are responsible enough to keep discipline in the classroom. But we do. The Conservative Party will give you freedom to teach how you want to. We'll reduce your bureaucratic burden and the horrendous amounts of forms you have to fill out. We'll reduce the burden of OFSTED inspections and ensure they concentrate on supporting you to do the best possible job. We'll end the disastrous system of limiting judgements which sees good schools failing inspections for failing to file a form correctly.

And one of our key planks of reform I hope you'll agree with me is much needed. Only yesterday an ATL survey found that 25 per cent of teachers had faced violence from a pupil. This Government has undermined adult authority in the classroom. Too often teachers don't feel they have the powers they need to stop disruption. This Government doesn't trust teachers in the classroom and the balance of power has shifted too far towards pupils. A Conservative Government will restore adult authority to the classroom. We'll give teachers the power to remove disruptive pupils from the classroom. We'll ensure the law is on your side. We'll make behaviour contracts compulsory so parents also have to play their part. We'll give headteachers the power to search for and ban any items they feel are disruptive. So if a child is expected of having items which cause disruption on them we will let teachers search them. Something the Government is against because it is against children's human rights.

The choice at the next election is clear. If you want a Government that doesn't trust in you but wants to hem you in with endless centrally driven initiatives and programmes and constrains you in the classroom then vote Labour. If you want a Government that believes in you and will give you the professional freedoms you need to deliver safe classrooms and high quality schools for all, vote Conservative.