"I am confident that the vast majority of teachers will work with us towards achieving that goal"
About this Quote
Estelle Morris speaks as a coalition-builder as much as a minister. The assurance of "I am confident" does more than express optimism; it sets a public expectation that cooperation is the norm. By invoking the "vast majority", she isolates likely critics without naming them, signaling that resistance is a minority position while inviting most teachers to see themselves as part of a responsible, constructive mainstream. It is a soft power move: define the center, then welcome people into it.
"Work with us" carries both warmth and hierarchy. The inclusive us suggests partnership and shared purpose, yet it also marks the government as the agenda-setter. That duality reflects the New Labour education project of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Morris served as a senior minister and then as education secretary. The period was defined by ambitious targets for literacy and numeracy, stronger accountability through inspection and testing, workforce reforms to ease workload and expand support staff, and early moves toward structural change in schools. Teachers and unions were essential to any of it succeeding, yet many bristled at performance management, data demands, and perceived centralization.
Leaving "that goal" unnamed is strategic. A broad, malleable aim allows different constituencies to project their priorities onto it: raising standards, closing attainment gaps, improving behavior and attendance, making workloads sustainable. The wording asserts shared values before negotiating the means. It promises respect for teachers as professionals while nudging them to align with policy.
The line encapsulates the governing style Morris tried to embody: conciliatory, pragmatic, and keenly aware that reform without classroom buy-in is theater. It both reassures and pressures, offering trust while subtly policing the boundaries of acceptable dissent. Ultimately it recognizes a hard truth of education policy: durable change depends less on ministerial edict than on the everyday choices of teachers, and confidence becomes a performative act designed to help make that cooperation real.
"Work with us" carries both warmth and hierarchy. The inclusive us suggests partnership and shared purpose, yet it also marks the government as the agenda-setter. That duality reflects the New Labour education project of the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Morris served as a senior minister and then as education secretary. The period was defined by ambitious targets for literacy and numeracy, stronger accountability through inspection and testing, workforce reforms to ease workload and expand support staff, and early moves toward structural change in schools. Teachers and unions were essential to any of it succeeding, yet many bristled at performance management, data demands, and perceived centralization.
Leaving "that goal" unnamed is strategic. A broad, malleable aim allows different constituencies to project their priorities onto it: raising standards, closing attainment gaps, improving behavior and attendance, making workloads sustainable. The wording asserts shared values before negotiating the means. It promises respect for teachers as professionals while nudging them to align with policy.
The line encapsulates the governing style Morris tried to embody: conciliatory, pragmatic, and keenly aware that reform without classroom buy-in is theater. It both reassures and pressures, offering trust while subtly policing the boundaries of acceptable dissent. Ultimately it recognizes a hard truth of education policy: durable change depends less on ministerial edict than on the everyday choices of teachers, and confidence becomes a performative act designed to help make that cooperation real.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teaching |
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