Surely everybody who works in UK teaching jobs should be tasked with providing the same standard of education. If the government wants to persuade the large swathes of the teaching workforce that are still sceptical about its performance-related pay reforms then ministers need to show that performance will be accurately measured.

Should this criteria not be developed alongside an industry watchdog that has access to all schools - and therefore teachers - in the UK? 
 
Currently, the heads of the country's top private schools are not convinced about government plans to impose Ofsted-style inspections on their classrooms.

According to TES, these private school headteachers fear the move will eat away at their independence and bring increased levels of paperwork and bureaucracy, while even compelling schools to become more exam-focused in the way that their teachers teach.

As things stand, the 1,257 members of the Independent Schools Council are held to account by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI). This means that unlike other state schools, teachers are peer-reviewed and schools are not given overall headline gradings. The ISI also takes a more holistic approach to its inspections, assessing all elements of school life, such as the quality of academic achievement and pupils' personal development.

The merits of this approach can be compared against Ofsted's with each method sure to have its own distinct advantage. However, the important point is that they are different, the disharmony is not the most ideal framework to boost morale in the teaching sector while transitioning to performance-related pay.

This is certainly the government's idea and TES understands under the new proposals, private schools will be given new overall ratings, matching those issued by Ofsted.

General secretary of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, which represents leading private schools, William Richardson, stated: "Overall, we are concerned that there is, indeed, an attempt to impose on schools inspected by ISI aspects of the Ofsted inspection framework for maintained schools (and, perhaps, in time, the complete framework). 

"Our overall aim is to slow down and then impede any policy moves designed to impose Ofsted methods, procedures and personnel on our schools."

Only this week education secretary Michael Gove told a conference of private school headteachers that giving Ofsted powers to inspect independent schools would send a "very powerful signal" that all schools were being vetted "without fear or favour".

A spokesman for the ISI confirmed the group was involved in "ongoing conversations with the Department for Education regarding the proposed changes to the way in which independent inspectorates undertake their work."

"At this stage we believe these would not lead to greater rigour or the most effective inspection of compliance in the schools which should be at the heart of any proposed changes." he said.

As somebody who has experience working in a teaching job, do you think a unified approach to inspections would be fairer? Why should people performing the same role be open to greater scrutiny than some of their peers?

Let us know what you feel about the subject.

Posted by Darryl Mydat