Teachers object to new government plans to sack headteachers of 'coasting' schools

Education Secretary has outlined new measures that include sacking head teachers and forcing under-performing schools to become academies.

Nicky Morgan said that where head teachers 'have a plan' they will be given the time to improve (Ben Stansall/ AFP)

Teachers have expressed their anger at government plans to intervene and sack head teachers in schools “requiring improvement”.

The Education Secretary Nicky Morgan told Andrew Marr that under new plans, ministers could force 'coasting' schools missing government standards to become an academy and could go as far as sacking the head teacher.

Ms Morgan said to the BBC: “We will provide support. Of course we will look at the academy model too.”

But teachers have objected to the proposals, with many taking to Twitter to say that the government were taking the wrong approach when it came to failing schools.

Describing Ms Morgan’s position as “gun-to-head rhetoric,” according to one user, many claimed their position was in threat unless they delivered results.

Some even went as far as to suggest the move was as aggravating as the changes introduced by Michael Gove, Nicky Morgan’s predecessor, who incurred widespread disdain from teachers during his fight against what he called “the blob”.

According to the government, the measures will examine progress made by all secondary school pupils over the course of their time in education to gauge where students can be helped to reach their potential.

Ms Morgan added: "Where heads show that they absolutely have the capacity to improve, they have a plan and are working with their governors, we want to give them time to do that.

"But, where a school does not have a plan or the capacity to get themselves out of "requires improvement" helping students to fulfil their potential, we will provide support."

Commenting on Ms Morgan's plans to improve schools, Kevin Courtney, deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "The government is looking in completely the wrong place if they are interested in social justice.

"There is no convincing evidence that the academies programme has improved education overall or for disadvantaged children.

"Proposals to sack even more head teachers will exacerbate the teacher and head teacher supply problems that have become evident in the last years of the coalition government. These will only get worse unless the government changes course."