Heateachers warn - don't vote Labour...

[ArcangelaTarabotti]

Headteachers warn - don't vote Labour!

24,372 schools in the UK.
Rather telling that only A handful support the letter.

I'm sure I can find 80 police sergeants who vote Tory if you want?

Or 80 refuse collectors?

80 firemen?

Somebody else can write an article about them though. I can't be bothered and don't have the agenda.

Hang on - aren't academies charities? Because if they are, they may well be breaking the Lobbying Act with this letter.

The media are as bad as each other the guardian apparently had 100 signatures from doctors warning people not vote conservative ?

And there was the "business leaders" letter, too. But bodies with charitable status do have to operate under different rules, now, and I wonder if anyone has investigated that?

I hate one issue politics - whatever the issue ! There is always a multitude of questions and policies to weigh up - no one thing is so important that you can ignore all the rest.

On this issue - I wonder if all current and former heads were invited to sign it ? Otherwise the headline should be " a tiny proportion of heads and former heads expressed an opinion on on element of government policy".

I think we need a law to ban negative campaigning - if you can't say something positive about what you want to do, then you aren't allowed to say anything.

they are wrong ....they should be voting UKIP. A UKIP government , or at least if they held the balance of power, they would sort education out ....and immigration.

On the available evidence (ie UKIP can't organise their own party, never mind a government department, or the country) that seems to be a poor choice, longjumping.

"Or the money poured into Free Schools which have failed, are in the wrong places, or didn't even manage to open their doors."

There were big plans to open a free school in our local town. It received massive publicity - big ads on the sides of buses etc. The intention was to eventually have over 400 places. There were 8 applications for places - yes, just 8.

I work in a large primary school - have yet to speak to any staff who think anything about the current government and their marvellous education policies than 'shower of twats'. And the teachers at DD's secondary (an academy, no less) are mightily unimpressed with the new curriculum.

The new curriculum which, incidentally, starts in September and still hasn't been given, in full, to the teachers meant to be teaching from it! Fantastic planning and implementation there, Tories. Well done.

But do continue trying to influence us with your shite articles from the Mail, OP. Because none of us are bright enough to know that the Mail are pro-Tory.

This thread has totally convinced me not to vote Labour now. And I haven't even read the letter.

The National Association of Head Teachers has 27,988 members ..... Hmm so a letter in the Daily Mail (so well know for supporting literate professionals) signed by 80 people some of which aren't even heads seems a bit um weak to say the least.

Brilliant 0.002% of head teachers, some of whom, erm, aren't head teachers.

Less than 0.002% of head teachers say don't vote Labour

That would have made a brilliant headline!!

Just come late to this thread.

Three thoughts:-

1.FASNA, is so far as I know, a charity. Regulated by the Charity Commission

On the face of it this article and letter puts FASNA in breach, particulary as they have put a link to the article on their web site. But I am no expect and would welcome other views.

1. Academy Trusts are, indeed charities. However they are in a special category called "Exempt Charities"

This means that although they are still bound by Charity Law in every respect thay are not regulated by the Charity Commission. Instead they are regulated by the Secretary of State for Education.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/exempt-charities-cc23/exempt-charities

3.Islington Council warns all schools in Islington, every election, that schools are not to put themselves in the position of appearing to endorse party political positions. There are also, good, practical, professional reasons why it is not proper for a Head to to rely on their postion as a Head to endorse the support of a particular party. Apart from anything else it could lead to queries regarding impartiality when, for example, dealing with a parent with disclosed political affiliations. It also puts the "school" in the position of supporting a party political position which many of the parents might not support.

I am dismayed that Tanya Watson, of William Tyndale School has signed this letter, and so is calling on people to vote Conservative.

This seems to me to be both wrong, and an act of folly. She has just alienated a substantial section of her parent body...

But the letter is not just in the DF, it is proudly displayed by FASNA togther with the DF article by way of a link from their web site. So the letter is authentic.

The letter doesn't seem to be telling people how to vote though - it seems to be calling on all parties to protect autonomy for schools - blah blah blah. Not telling anyone else what to do - that seems to be a Daily Fail spin. Ds2's head has signed, - his blog has hardly been enthusiastic about changes to education in recent years. I can quite understand why he would want to distance himself from our useless LA though I wonder what he thinks about the accompanying article? The danger of putting your name to something political I guess. I shall be eyeing him suspiciously now

Oh just saw your post about the link from their website nlondondad. Blimey, so they must support the daily fail interpretation. Benefit of doubt doesn't apply then!

The new curriculum which, incidentally, starts in September and still hasn't been given, in full, to the teachers meant to be teaching from it! Fantastic planning and implementation there, Tories. Well done.

It's worse than that - it startED last September, with the farcical situation where Year 2 and 6 remain on the old one because new tests weren't developed in time and they wanted to rush in the new curriculum before the election. It's a right mess.