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Children will be left without qualified teachers under rules banning schools from asking staff to cover for absent colleagues.
Bouncers, former soldiers and ex-police officers are among a growing army of "cover super-visors" being hired to oversee lessons when teachers are off sick or away on training courses.
Ministers have been given a warning that the rules will promote "teaching on the cheap".
Changes to teachers' contracts from 1 September state that staff will "rarely cover" for colleagues. The reform, in a deal between the Government and unions, aims to cut teachers' workload.
But while cover supervisors are supposed to take lessons only for short periods, there are fears the change will lead to an explosion in their use for months at a time.
Andrew Baisley, a secondary school maths teacher from Camden, said some heads were employing bouncers and former military staff, seeing the cover supervisor's role as little more than "crowd control". Unqualified staff are also cheaper than fully-trained, experienced teachers, he added.
Tony Callaghan, a recently retired head, has started Teachers In Classrooms to campaign against the "widespread deception of parents". He said: "The teaching trade unions have colluded with New Labour to promote what is essentially a fraud The 'rarely cover' rule will only exacerbate the situation."
Heads are also banned from asking teachers to put up classroom displays, supervise exams, monitor pupils at lunchtime or attend more than one meeting a week.
The Department for Children said cover supervisors should be "short term solutions" with pupils following prepared lessons.
Reader views (3)
What a surprise? And the government, the public, the entire nation, wonders why private schools are racing ahead in the exam results. Blame the middle classes, blame the postcodes, blame the private schools, blame everyone except themselves. We scrimp, save, re-mortgage anything we can, get in debt, to give our child a good education after experiencing the state education with our other children, and its worth every penny. We are not middle class, but parents who want the best education for our child who is a very capable child, the same education we got from the state many years ago, which is not available to the current generation. I feel so sad for our children in this country, let down by people who are supposed to be running this wonderful country. Our children are our future and our country's future. Give them a good education, every child deserves it.
- Johnathan, ealing, 26/08/2009 10:38
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Another example of the public seector living in another world - at our expense! If the contract for teachers is being changed can it also dtate retirement at 65 like the rest of us???
- Very Very Angry At Paying Tax For Mp'S Expeses, Home Counties, 25/08/2009 12:41
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It's daft. People have to cover for colleagues in other occupations, what's so different about teachers?
- Paul, London, 25/08/2009 10:07
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