As reported by the Independent, ex-Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman accuses the education secretary of prioritising unions over students in a fiery attack on Labour’s school reforms
The former head of Ofsted has lashed out at the education secretary, accusing her of caring more about the interests of unions than schoolchildren.
In a scathing broadside at Bridget Phillipson’s education reforms, Amanda Spielman accused her of bowing to the “demands of unions”. Ms Spielman, who stood down as the head of the schools watchdog in 2023, called for her to abandon the plans “before the damage is done”.
A government source pushed back against Ms. Spielman’s remarks, stating that she should “focus less on criticising the government’s reforms and more on reflecting on her tenure at Ofsted and the loss of confidence in her leadership among the teaching profession.”
Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill aims to ensure all state schools – academies and those run by councils – follow the same pay and conditions framework. It would also see academies forced to teach the national curriculum for the first time, while they would also lose the power to recruit teachers without qualifications.
The National Education Union (NEU) has welcomed the proposals, saying they would “make a meaningful difference to the lives of staff and children”, but has also vowed to push for more investment.
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