In the news

Cutting leaders

Reacting to Ed Balls's inflammatory remarks about cutting the number of school leaders in order to save money, ASCL presented a vigorous response through the media, including ITV news, the Independent, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Metro, BBC online and a host of regional papers.

John Dunford said: "School leaders will be very angry to be lumped together with bureaucrats as a means of saving money. The claim by the secretary of state that the number of heads and senior school staff can be reduced without damaging teaching quality is manifestly false.

"There are good reasons why some comprehensive schools federate, but it would be disastrous if this policy is pursued by the government as a means of saving money."

Chief educational officer needed

Introducing an independent, objective chief educational officer may be the way to a more rationale policy making process - similar to health and agriculture where a chief medical officer and chief veterinary officer provide impartial advice - John Dunford wrote in a comment article in the TES on 18 September.

"If education is to be a major political battleground this year, the least we can ask of the politicians is that it is an evidence-based debate," John wrote.

Survey reveals vacancy plateau

Research commissioned by ASCL and the NAHT in September, which showed that the number of headteacher vacancies has plateaued, was covered in the Guardian, BBC Online, Western Daily Press, Birmingham Post, and other regional press. On the BBC Online, John Dunford said: "In the financial uncertainty that exists in the country at the moment people are staying on a bit longer. We will have to wait until next year to see if the demographic downturn - which has this bulge of headteachers in their 50s and 60s approaching retirement age - causes major recruitment problems."