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09/01/2015
Less Than A Third Of Parents Check League Table To Choose A School
Less than a third of parents (29%) check the league table when choosing a school for their children, it has been revealed.
Instead, 54% look online for information and talk to parents of pupils already attending the school, according to a survey by ComRes, commissioned by the NASUWT Teachers union.
Almost three quarters of parents (73%) agreed there should be much stronger regulations over how much schools are allowed to charge for the services they provide to pupils, with over a third (36%) of parents saying the cost of educational visits is not affordable. 33% said the same about school uniforms and a fifth (20%) for the cost of equipment.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: "It is clear that on many of the key education policy issues the majority of parents do not share Coalition Ministers' views.
"It remains the case that for the majority of parents the locality of a school is a key factor, supporting the NASUWT's long-argued view that what every parent wants is access to a good local school.
"It is clear that punitive ranking of schools in performance league tables is not something on which the majority of parents rely and therefore schools, parents and children are subjected to this negative annual ritual unnecessarily.
"Parents' concerns about the rising cost of education vindicate the warnings given by the NASUWT to Coalition Ministers that on their watch access to educational provision is increasingly now on the basis of parents' ability to pay.
"The fact that the overwhelming majority of parents agree that it is important that children are taught by teachers who are professionally qualified is a damning indictment of the Coalition's decision to remove the requirement for all schools to employ qualified teachers."
(CD/JP)
Instead, 54% look online for information and talk to parents of pupils already attending the school, according to a survey by ComRes, commissioned by the NASUWT Teachers union.
Almost three quarters of parents (73%) agreed there should be much stronger regulations over how much schools are allowed to charge for the services they provide to pupils, with over a third (36%) of parents saying the cost of educational visits is not affordable. 33% said the same about school uniforms and a fifth (20%) for the cost of equipment.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: "It is clear that on many of the key education policy issues the majority of parents do not share Coalition Ministers' views.
"It remains the case that for the majority of parents the locality of a school is a key factor, supporting the NASUWT's long-argued view that what every parent wants is access to a good local school.
"It is clear that punitive ranking of schools in performance league tables is not something on which the majority of parents rely and therefore schools, parents and children are subjected to this negative annual ritual unnecessarily.
"Parents' concerns about the rising cost of education vindicate the warnings given by the NASUWT to Coalition Ministers that on their watch access to educational provision is increasingly now on the basis of parents' ability to pay.
"The fact that the overwhelming majority of parents agree that it is important that children are taught by teachers who are professionally qualified is a damning indictment of the Coalition's decision to remove the requirement for all schools to employ qualified teachers."
(CD/JP)
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A fine dry days weather with sunshine quite widespread, particularly from mid-morning. Temperatures best across southern districts. North to northwesy breezes occasionally freshening around the coasts. Maximum temperature 15 °C.Tonight:Most dry with good clear spells bringing a rural frost in the south for some. Cloudier around northern coasts where the odd light shower may develop. Northerly breezes persisting. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
