Yet again, its time for the sinister swathes of incompetent teachers hiding amongst the midst of our helpless children to conceal their true forms, let the shining light of tabloid justice pass by their classroom windows and leave their cruel misdeeds unexposed. Yes folks, the infamous ‘15,000’ statistic, originally issued by Chris Woodhead, one-time Artemis of the modern witch-hunt, is back to instigate the end of the wicked purveyors of classroom ineptitude quicker than a Kansan émigré’s wayward water pail.

The former Chief Inspector of School’s notoriously dubious tally of ineffectual teachers originally came in Ofsted’s 1999 annual report but it’s been recently rehashed. Some of our friends in the media pointed out that just 10 teachers have been struck off from their positions in the decade since Woodhead’s numerical misdiagnosis. They imply that this figure results from systematic failure, caused partly by the shortage of cases referred to the GTC, partly by the fact that so few of such cases have been removed: not, under any circumstances, because the discredited 15k statistic was a spectacular exaggeration.

The continued citation of Woodhead’s approximation continues to cast a dark shadow over education; sowing suspicion within school communities and creating needless divisions within the sector. The expression ‘witch hunt’ of course originates from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and I think we can tease out some similarities here: entirely subjective interpretations of offence and justice; the destructive frustration borne of thwarted hysteria; indicters motivated by their own preservation and advancement through the continual identification of new sinners and the preservation of moral outrage. Back in seventeenth century Massachusetts, the process of finding offenders sometimes involved the investigators cooking cake made from rye meal and urine. Although this element of Salem’s story may not have a modern equivalent, I’m sure some teachers would be happy if the recipe was shared with some of their more prominent detractors.

Where the analogy really falls down, of course, is that although we know now that Sarah Good et al were the victims of hysterics, not clandestine sorcerers, nobody would try and deny that inadequate teaching can occur, albeit on a infinitely less common basis than that suggested by Woodhead’s not-so magical number. Every industry contains those ill-matched to their trade. Teaching is of course amongst the most highly-skilled professions in the country, but if individuals are not suited to the classroom, they should be supported in their transition to another job; not publicly victimised and hounded out of their schools. Teachers need continuous training on their jobs and most crave the opportunity to constantly improve their skills.

What’s more, poor teaching is most likely to be caused by the tremendous pressures of the job and, all too often, the lack of support for teachers within their schools. A culture of naming and shaming, of schools or individuals, doesn’t help improve standards of education; it merely causes distress to teachers and communities and unjustly sullies an extraordinarily honourable profession. We know from our support services that teachers who are in need of assistance, particularly those who feel under insurmountable pressure and whose performance is being affected, find it impossible to seek help within a school culture – or educational system – that is created by the dogmatic and misguided pursuit of rogue teachers; a hysterical witch-hunt based on discredited arithmetic. However, real improvements would be seen if government and schools ensured the implementation of working policies that helped teachers deal with stress and other common mental health problems.

A widespread passion for improving standards in schools is a good thing. Let’s hope that those who share teachers’ fervour for education realise that the wellbeing of teachers is crucial to their cause. However, if detractors keep pointing the finger at teachers themselves, fetch me some rye meal and preheat the oven: I’m off to bake a cake.