MP: Voters ‘frustrated’ over gypsies
The issue of gypsies has been debated in Westminster by the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent.
Helen Whately told a Local Communities debate in Parliament of the concerns raised by her constituents, particularly in Ulcombe and Headcorn.
She said gypsies had a long history in Kent, but residents had objections to the way the expansion of their community had been managed.
She said: “Travellers have long traditions in that area, and they are a valued part of the community, but there has recently been such growth and constant development that residents have contacted me to say how frustrated they feel that there is one rule for them and another for the travellers.”
Speaking after the debate, she added: “Since I became the candidate and now MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, I’ve received lots of letters and emails about the growth in traveller developments locally.” More than 1,000 unqualified teachers are working in schools in Kent and Medway, official figures show.
Statistics from the Department for Education reveal there are 1,100 teachers without formal qualifications in classrooms across the county.
The bulk – 920 – are in Kent, with proportionately fewer in Medway, where there are 180.
The figures come from the DfE’s latest workforce survey.
While the number represents under 10% of the total school’s workforce, the number is on the up as academies and free schools are, under government powers, allowed to appoint those without formal teaching qualifications.
Unions also claim maintained schools are increasingly recruiting unqualified staff to fill vacancies and to cut costs.
In state-maintained schools anyone classed as ‘unqualified’ must be those working towards the trained status, someone trained overseas or an instructor with a particular skill and employed only as long as a qualified teacher isn’t available.
John Walder, the Kent NUT representative, said schools risked appointing teachers who they knew little about, often for key jobs.
“You are talking about people who schools know very little about and what their skills are. They are unknown quantities. Heads are often having to fill vacancies at short notice. I have never met a parent who was happy about having an unqualified teacher in front of their children’s class.”
But Phil Karnavas, a principal in Canterbury, said: “Head teachers should be allowed to appoint staff who they believe will best serve the needs of the students.”
He said it was wrong to use nonqualified staff as a way of filling gaps or saving money.
“What should not happen is that non-qualified staff are used to plug staffing gaps or provide cheaper staffing because qualified teachers cannot be recruited or because budget pressures require savings.”
The previous coalition government gave new powers to both academies and free schools to hire unqualified teachers, saying it was a way of allowing head teachers to bring in professionals with “great knowledge and new skills”.