Industrial action 'blocking' inspections at NI schools
Plea from chief education inspector to teaching unions as just 39% of schools here full co-operated with inspectors
Northern Ireland's chief education inspector has urged teachers' unions to call off industrial action which she says is preventing her from being able to carry out complete inspections.
Noelle Buick said just 39% of schools fully co-operated with inspectors.
Members of four of the five teachers' unions in Northern Ireland are engaging in industrial action in a dispute with management over pay and conditions.
The unions say teachers are worse off in real terms after receiving just two 1% pay raises since 2010.
Teachers have been taking part in action short of strikes, which includes refusing to co-operate with school inspectors from the Education and Training Inspectorate.
Launching the ETI's biennial report, Ms Buick said inspection is vital to improve educational institutions.
The report found that due to the non co-operation, areas identified for improvement in a small number of schools involved in the follow-up process have not been re-evaluated.
“The risk is that, in these schools, learners may be continuing to experience a quality of education which is not good enough,'' the report said.
“In primary and post-primary schools this action has left the ETI unable to assure that any school improvement work is having the desired impact for 3,433 learners.''
Ms Buick has urged the unions to call off the action.
“Parents deserve to know if their children are getting a good education and have a right to be reassured about the quality of education in their local schools,'' she said.
“Inspection is vital to bringing about improvement in the interest of the learners.
“The work of inspectors affirms what is working well and challenges what is not good enough.''
Justin McCamphill, national official for the NASUWT union in Northern Ireland, said there is no mood among his members to end industrial action without a resolution to the pay and conditions dispute.
“There would have to be a substantial pay settlement for them to do that (end industrial action),'' he added