School that gets pupils to spy on their teachers

A SCHOOL is using pupils as ‘secret shoppers’ to snoop on teachers in lessons.

Longfield Academy, a secondary school in Darlington, County Durham, asked its youngsters to observe classes and give anonymous feedback to senior leaders.

The move prompted outcry among staff, who accused the school of turning pupils into ‘spies’ and warned that children do not have the right expertise to critique lessons.

Head Susan Johnson said the scheme was part of a strategy to ‘celebrate success and promote sharing of good practice’. It is based on ‘ mystery shopper’ schemes in which individuals anonymously use shops and restaurants then tell the companies of their experiences.

Chosen pupils are briefed early in half-term, then report back to the school’s senior leadership team in the penultimate week of term, according to a presentation to teachers, seen by the Times Educational Supplement.

Feedback based on the children’s findings is given to Longfield’s six faculties in the last week of term, known as ‘customer service week’.

The presentation said teachers are given time to ‘build on the positives and address customer satisfaction’. But one of the school’s teachers told the TES: ‘I think it’s absolutely outrageous. The kids were sent in to spy on us. The minute you hear the word “observation” or “secret shopper” …you’re terrified.

‘ We have to be seen as the authority in the classroom and we are giving students the power to take that away.’ Another teacher said: ‘The children cannot identify why you are doing what you are doing … that’s not their job.’

Tom Bennett, teacher and director of ResearchED, who wrote a report for the Department for Education on behaviour management, said many schools are looking at ‘student voice’ – which he called ‘unhelpful and unhealthy’.

He added that teachers should be treated as ‘adults and profes- sionals’ not ‘untrusted employees’. Mary Bousted, of the ATL teachers’ union, said the ‘nasty’ tactic risks making teaching a ‘popularity contest’, adding: ‘ it corrupts the proper order of relations in schools.’

Head Mrs Johnson told the TES: ‘We are acutely aware that the pupils are our customers, and gathering pupil voice has always been important to us.’

She added that ‘staff feedback received so far has been positive’.