UCU: Lesson observations

Motion

Motion text: This conference notes that lesson observation schemes in FE are adding seriously to stress levels, even inducing serious illness, and failing to offer the constructive support that lecturers need. In some colleges, they have led to staff being dismissed on spurious capability grounds. In others, they have demoralised staff and help drive them out of the profession. Excessive formal and informal observation of lessons and lectures in colleges is counter-productive, stressful and potentially discriminatory. Institutions using over-frequent observation of teachers and lecturers to improve educational standards would be better off putting these resources into improved working conditions for academic and related staff in the form of less onerous workloads. We believe that the union nationally should be much more proactive on this issue. In particular, it needs to:
1. Conduct detailed research into the variety of schemes, their consequences, and their relationship to Ofsted inspections.
2. Challenge the underlying philosophy of any approach, which grades lecturers/teachers on 4 or 5-point scales.
3. Make recommendations to branches about best practice.
4. Investigate the possibility of legal challenges to schemes on health and safety grounds.
5. Provide wholehearted support for any local branch in dispute over the implementation of such schemes.