GREEN Party leader Natalie Bennett this morning expressed her support for today’s strike by the National Union of Teachers called over excessive workload and bureaucracy, performance-related pay, and unfair pension changes.
Bennett said: “Teachers are understandably angry about a whole host of issues that are currently devastating our education system, and they are standing up for their pupils’ future as well as their own.
“They’re defending the professional standing of teachers against Michael Gove’s push to have unqualified staff teaching in academies and free schools.
Bennett added: “Performance-related pay threatens cooperation and team-work among teaching staff, reflecting the same approach being taken between schools, which are being urged to compete against each other for pupils and results, despite the fact that there’s strong evidence that cooperation between schools produces better results. That’s been demonstrated in Brighton and Hove, where the Green-run council has significantly improved GCSE results with a cooperative approach.”
Bennett will be visiting picket lines around her home borough of Camden this morning, and Green Party members are joining protests around the country.