‘We’ve lost the room and freedom to give children an excitement about learning’

Schools that are regimented and too focused on ticking boxes and tests are taking the enjoyment out of education, an incoming teachers’ leader has alleged.

Alison Sherratt (pictured), the new president of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), says that teachers have lost the “room and freedom to give children an excitement about learning”.

She said: “School days are too broken up into regimented tasks, with the days dictated by a strict timetable with little room for changes to reflect how children learn and what’s best for specific children.

“And far too much of what is taught is based on what children are going to be tested on, which leaves little time to pick up children’s questions about other issues or explore topics of interest. We’ve lost the room and freedom to give children an excitement about learning.”