Letter: Teachers dismayed

Sir: Teachers are dismayed, discouraged and disgusted.

Dismayed to discover that the Government has no philosophy of primary education. Training a dog to jump through a series of hoops is not the same as teaching a child. Teachers are educators, developing children mentally, physically, morally, emotionally and aesthetically.

Discouraged to find themselves constrained by prescribed numeracy and literacy strategies, designed primarily to raise test scores, not educational standards. If one "crammed" children with an hour of numeracy and literacy five days a week, it would be remarkable if the test scores did not rise. Is this really the sole measure and sum total of educational achievement?

Disgusted by the latest government ploy of offering teachers extra money to "cram" children further after normal school hours. This, surely, is indicative of moral bankruptcy.

CHRIS WADSWORTH

London SE4