TESTING children in line with Government targets is putting a strain on staff and pupils, St Albans MP Kerry Pollard was told recently by headteachers.
Mr Pollard met 25 primary school headteachers at Mandeville School in St Albans, and discussed contentious topical issues in education, including London weighting and funding for extra classroom cover.
After the meeting Mr Pollard said: "The additional work and worry resulting from keeping up with new government initiatives and the constant demand for data from so many different sources was a major concern among the headteachers.
"I believe that we should pay teachers London weighting in line with other vital workers such as the police, which should help the problem of recruitment.
"Headteachers also feel it is vital that their budgets allow for extra classroom cover and administrative support to help teachers with their workload and allow time out of the classroom."
Mandeville School headteacher Amanda Godfrey said after the meeting: " It was very useful to have Kerry Pollard at our meeting, to share our thoughts and to hear his views, with the wider perspective of his being a member of the education and skills committee."
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