For years head teachers, teachers and governors have been subjected to huge amounts of unnecessary government paperwork and bureaucracy, directly impinging on budgets and time spent educating children.

The educational press has reported that £2-3 billion is being spent every year on primary maths alone, by bureaucrats, prescribing specific ways of teaching - which has had little effect on pupil progress over the last five years.

There are now 30,000 rules regulating our educational system.

More than half of heads will leave the profession in the next 4 years, many citing being "bogged down by bureaucracy" as a major factor in their decision. Increasing numbers of deputy heads do not want to take their place for the same reasons.

In a recent study on effective leadership, interference and mismanagement by the government was highlighted as the biggest barrier to school improvement.

We, the undersigned, protest in the strongest possible terms against the levels of excessive paperwork and bureaucracy imposed on our schools and we urge those in authority to act now to redress this situation.

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