TEACHING unions are acting as ‘stretcher bearers’ and are having to patch up teachers who are being put under too much pressure, it is claimed.

More and more teachers are leaving the profession with a settlement agreement rather than being put through a ‘capability procedure’ which could end with their dismissal, according to the Lancashire representative for the National Union of Teachers.

Simon Jones said he regularly deals with teachers in ‘floods of tears’ in his office who have had their confidence shattered.

The capability procedure is used to address weakness in performance.

Mr Jones said: “We constantly seem to be picking up cases of people being pushed through the capability process.

“It seems if a teacher has one bad lesson they are placed under observation. On paper it is a support plan but in actual fact it is rarely supportive.”

He said teachers will have their lessons observed, will be subject to book scrutiny and headteachers will offer them a ‘pre-policy’ support plan.

“The thinking is if they do not sort themselves out at this stage it will end up in a capability procedure and they can ultimately be dismissed. Even if they leave of their own accord they get reported to the professional board.

“Often it is when people are ill or have problems with their home life and have a dip in performance.

“It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If someone says you are bad at your job you start to believe it and your confidence goes. You become a quivering wreck.”

He said the system now largely operates on fear.

“Most heads are living in fear of Ofsted and league tables. It is not good for the schools, the kids or the individual teachers,”he added.

He said unions are becoming more like ‘stretcher bearers’ who are ‘patching up’ teachers and sending them back to work or getting them out of schools altogether with a settlement agreement.

“It is ridiculous at this time of teacher shortages that there are lots being spat out on to the scrap heap,” he said.

“This is happening more and more. They are leaving before they are pushed.

“It feels like my job is dealing with people in floods of tears. There is something really wrong.”

He added the number of stress related illnesses are at also at ‘epidemic proportions’ with a quarter of his casework relating to long-term sickness.

Mr Jones called for a fundamental review of the assessment regime, concrete action on tackling teacher workloads and for the funding crisis to be addressed.

Department for Education guidance states school should follow a model procedure that is ‘fair, efficient and in accordance with good employment practice’.