THE Bishop of Blackburn today claimed that many headteachers were at breaking point as he launched a scathing attack on the Government for putting too much pressure on schools.

The Rt Rev Alan Chesters also fired a fierce broadside at the House of Lords and said he wondered what world some of his "noble colleagues" were living in.

Bishop Chesters, the Church of England's senior education spokesman, spoke at the Oxford Conference on Education at St Catherine's College, Oxford, today.

He said the amount of paperwork flooding into schools was driving many headteachers to breaking point - although he supported much of what the Government was trying to do. But he said: "The Government, like its predecessor, seeks to put more and more responsibility on the individual schools.

Headteachers in many places are at breaking point with all the paperwork and I spend my time trying to resign from governing bodies because the expectations of governors seem so demanding.

"I sometimes listen to debates on education in the Lords and I wonder just what world some of my noble colleagues live in. When it comes to it, there is little recognition that in spite of the expectations placed upon you by society ... you compete for attention with the influences of the home and the media." Bishop Chesters, a former school chaplain and chairman of the Board of Education of the General Synod, has launched an appeal through Church of England parishes across Lancashire for "vocations to teaching".

He added: "I believe the need for dedicated teachers is critical. Yet the shortage of teachers does not surprise me. I often feel sorry for teachers.

"It is not just that most of the social problems which beset contemporary life - from family breakdown and racial discrimination to poverty and abuse of various kinds - are part of your daily life, whether you like it or not.

"What concerns me is the lack of respect the profession enjoys. You share this with the Royal Family, politicians, clergy and even doctors. Perhaps it is right that respect does not come with office or role but has to be earned.

"As with church and its clergy, so with schools and teachers. Media interest is intense and usually negative. This is my greatest criticism of OFSTED and quite a bit of time is taken up with the pastoral aftermath once the report has been made public."

His comments come after Martyn Morris, the head of Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, attacked the latest national curriculum directive to teach a new subject called citizenship to all students.

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