Industry News
League tables an educational "cancer"
Posted on 30th November 2007
The head of a leading independent school has called newspaper league tables a "cancer on the face of education", it has been reported.
Martin Stephen, high master of St Paul's School, told a conference he was proposing to governors and parents that the school withdraw from the league tables, the Times Educational Supplement stated.
He said he hoped other independent schools would also consider moving away from such tables, claiming they encouraged "tick-box" teaching.
"League tables are the worst thing to have happened to education. They have delivered education into the hands of the media," Dr Stephen claimed.
Earlier this month, the National Governors Association (NGA) called for an end to the league tables system, commenting that the information provided through them was narrow and could misrepresent schools.
Phil Revell, chief executive of the NGA, said governors do not want to opt out of any system for measuring performance but wanted a means of testing schools' performance that provided more accurate assessment.
He added that many agree the system of assessment and league tables for pupils aged 11 created "real stress" for pupils.
© Adfero Ltd