Head Teachers Escape Need For Qualifications
The educational background of headteachers is being reviewed. The Department of Education is considering removing the compulsory need for headteachers to hold National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH). The new lowered standard was intended to stimulate the number of teachers applying for head teacher roles to replace the aging heads that are coming up for retirement. But many head teachers believe the current move is a retrograde step. Judging by the following comments from senior players in education the Department for Education may have underestimated the response from the teaching fraternity
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the ASCL head teachers’ union, described the move to a voluntary qualification as detrimental to raising the status of heads.
“Having a national, professional qualification for head teachers has helped to raise the profile and status of school leadership in this country and it is something we should be proud of,” said Mr Lightman.
“We regret that the government is making this qualification optional at a time when there has never been such great need for highly-trained school leaders.”
The National Association of Head Teachers said that it believes that “all head teachers should have Qualified Teacher Status”.
The move is also a contradiction of the proposals by Micheal Gove and the DfE to increase the bar for teachers and move to degree qualifications for teachers.
