Too much time is devoted to social care, say critics

They are expected to boost children's self-esteem and act as child protection officers, says the Institute of Ideas.

The group is hosting a conference this weekend, bringing together teachers, parents, writers and education experts.

Claire Fox, the group's director, said they wanted to widen the debate about what education is for.

She said the idea of the conference is to widen the debate about what education is for and how it should be organised.

She said: "Education is being expanded to do a range of things which have nothing to do with education.

"It is being used to create new citizens, to solve social inequality and to produce employable people."

Jo Williams, an English teacher and parent, is expected to tell the conference: "Teachers are asked to spend too much time on activities that are not about increased learning.

"Child protection, bullying and now self-esteem are taking up too much time in the classroom."

Ms Fox believes education is too prescriptive: "Teachers are not therapists. At this conference we want to argue that teachers should concentrate on the content of what children should learn.

"Schools should refuse demands that they make children feel better or make them empoyable. Give pupils the knowledge of the world instead."

'Emotional learning'

Many teachers and educationalists support the idea of teachers helping to boost children's self-esteem in a variety of ways. They believe it helps children as individuals and that it will help them learn more effectively too.

The concept of 'emotional intelligence' is being used more in schools, whereby children are encouraged to say how they feel and be assertive with each other.

Supporters argue this is a vital life-skill which will help people to be happier.

'Circle time' is often used to help deal with issues which might be bothering pupils or bad behaviour.

Peter Sharpe, a psychologist and consultant to schools, will tell conference delegates that schools should focus on self-esteem and emotional learning.

"What we need now is clear and unambiguous leadership from central government that acknowledges the value of promoting emotional literacy as a way to help raise standards ethically and in a way that can be reasonably sustained, in education and other public services."

But opposing that view is Dr Kathryn Ecclestone, of the University of Exeter, who says the danger is that teachers will see all pupils as in need of emotional support.

"In the obsession with self-esteem, we are in danger of regarding everyone as emotionally fragile and vulnerable," she says.

"We are not stopping to ask whether we have any right to delve into peoples emotional lives or whether we are creating problems that don't exist."

About 400 delegates are expected at the conference, including the Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo.