BBC report on the Institute for Policy Research recommendation.

In the best traditions of Yes, Minister, I think I see an opportunity for a quid pro quo.

Yes, the government may abolish my six week summer holiday, if it can compensate me for the loss of the one perk that makes my job tolerable in the following ways:

1. If my students don’t make progress, I face disciplinary action and potentially the sack – so I would like the power to remove those students who deliberately jeopardise the education of their classmates and defy their teachers.
2. If the government must set targets, could it please consult someone who knows a little bit about education first? For example, a basic grasp of the difference between “insure” and “ensure” would help. An understanding of the difference between information and knowledge would be even better.
3. Please stop retraining me five times a year. If the government can’t do this, please could it stop using materials and philosophies that it told me to forget five years ago.
4. Just once, I would like to be able to introduce and pursue a new initiative, stick with it for long enough to give it a fair chance, and then review it to see if it worked. I’m getting tired of watching them all fizzle out while we all jump aboard the bandwagon for the latest idea. And frankly, it makes the government look like it has the attention span of a blonde teenage goldfish.
5. If the government wants to blame me (and my colleagues) for juvenile delinquency, then I would appreciate the powers to do something about it.
6. Grade inflation. It happens. It happens because the government made it happen. Simple example: Physics O Level 1985: “Explain how nuclear power stations generate electricity.” Physics GCSE 2005: “Are nuclear power stations an ethical way to tackle global warming?” If you can’t see the problem with that, then you are part of the problem.
7. Would someone like to explain how English, maths, science, religious education, citizenship, PE and PSHE can all have at least 20% of curriculum time each?
8. I’d like my weekends off, thanks.
9. If you want to overwork teaching staff so much that 1/3 of teachers are trying to find alternative employment and 1/10 are off sick in the last weeks before the summer holiday, then put your hands up and accept that you are doing something wrong.