A HEAD teacher has used his school's annual awards ceremony speech to challenge the Government to stop changing the education system.

Staff and pupils at York's Huntington School celebrated another "excellent" year at their annual awards ceremony in the University of York's Central Hall.

But as well as outlining the schools successes, including how exam results broke new records and value-added scores had improved, head teacher Chris Bridge asked the Government to stop changing the education rule book.

He said: "I throw out a challenge to Government. They shower us with acronyms - I want to send one acronym challenge back.

"OYMAC SWIFTY - Once You've Made A Change Stick With It For Ten Years.

"The Government and exam boards bring in too many changes. This means that there are always pupils we are doing things with for the first time, and all the uncertainty that brings.

"If SWIFTY was a Government motto, it would force Government to test things before they introduced them, check more research and take longer, winning

the support they needed

and really making the case for change. All the best educational law and practice stays in for 50 years. The worst changes before we have even introduced it."

The guest speaker was ex-pupil Andy Rickell, who now works for the cerebral palsy charity Scope.

Updated: 11:07 Tuesday, December 06, 2005