Labour education spokesperson Trevor Mallard has called on the Government to reveal which recommendations in the report
on the length and time schools are open for they will adhere to.
Trevor Mallard said the final report of the working party that reviewed the length of the school day and year include
some recommendations more compatible with Labour's education policy than the Government's.
"For example, the Government wants no part in deciding what professional development teachers undertake. In contrast,
Labour sees professional development as a major government responsibility.
"There is nothing more crucial to a child's learning than the quality of their teacher. Having a teacher continually
upgrading their skills is beneficial to the entire school sector, not just the individual school where the person
happens to be teaching at the time. It is therefore largely a government responsibility and Labour will take this job
seriously. The Government wants to pass the buck onto schools.
"This is one of those reports where the Government could pick and choose a few of the cheap and nasty recommendations
and put the ones that might make a real difference to the standards in schools into the 'too hard' basket," Trevor
Mallard said.