Cumbrian teaching union's plea to Gove replacement

By Ian Duncan

Published at 11:51, Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Teaching union leaders have challenged the new education secretary to get a grip of the Cumbrias schools and help solve its standards scandal.

Michael Gove

The departure of Michael Gove, who had held the post for the past four years, during yesterdays Cabinet reshuffle came as a shock to many but they were treating with caution his largely unknown replacement Nicky Morgan.

The change was welcomed by Alan Rutter, the Cumbrian divisional secretary for the NUT, who said he hoped the new minister would be more willing to have a conversation than her predecessor.

He said: I would expect her to do everything in her power to raise standards Gove wasnt interested.

Mr Rutter said that the former education secretary had single-mindedly pursued his favoured policies of selective schools and academies and he hoped his replacement would be allowed to take a different approach.

He said that members had been treated with both disregard and arrogance under Mr Goves rule and added: It cant be any worse than it is at the moment.

Mr Rutter said that politicians brought an element of their personality into whatever role they were given but admitted that he did not know too much about the new education secretary and added: I dont know very much about her at all but we only hope that she is sympathetic.

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Cumbrian teaching union's plea to Gove replacement