'Impersonal' education criticised

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Centralised control over primary education has increased significantly in the past 15 years as ministers introduced new targets, more testing and league tables of schools based on results.

Research conducted as part of the biggest inquiry into primary education in England for 40 years warned that the focus on results and initiatives had created an "impersonal" system.

The study was conducted by Liz Jones, Andy Pickard and Ian Stronach at Manchester Metropolitan University as part of the Cambridge-based Primary Review.

Their report said many older teachers felt they had lost the freedom to run their own lessons in the face of government "micro-management of their work".

It "remains to be seen" whether the Government's drive for more "personalised" education will bring about a "more liberal" concept of schooling, the study said.

"The system appears to have been damaged over the last 15 years or so by excessive policy intervention, and by frequent successions of initiatives, task forces and projects of various kinds," the study said.

"The preference for short-term initiatives of sometimes conflicting ambitions rather than long-term development is regrettable, although there are some indications that research-based criticisms of this 'churning' culture are now being taken more seriously."

The academics called for a "slower" and more carefully-considered way of developing education policies, involving more discussion with schools.

Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: "Schools and teachers have the freedom and autonomy to do what they do best - teach. We make no apology for policies which are delivering the highest standards ever."