On the day that the result of the school banding process is announced, UCAC education union has spoken of its increasing concerns about the new system.
Elaine Edwards, UCAC’s General Secretary said “We have tried to keep an open mind about the process and to give the Minister the benefit of the doubt. He has stated that the aim of the process is to identify the schools most in need of support and then to provide that support to them. But we are increasingly worried about the unintended consequences of the system.”
“We have two main concerns. The first is that the results will be misinterpreted. Although a complex formula using 12 different pieces of data is the basis for the results – schools are given a simple 1-5 score. The likelihood is that this impossibly oversimplified score will be used to measure schools’ overall performance, and will encourage competition between them.”
“Secondly, we remain to be convinced about the quality of the support that will be provided to schools in Band 5. Unless there’s a guarantee of high quality support, tailor-made for the schools’ needs, the system will be worthless.”
“The danger is that the system looks and feels like a League Table – perhaps not by intention, but certainly de facto – and that it will mislead rather than provide transparency, and dishearten schools and teachers rather than providing constructive support.”
