The fight to shape Labour鈥檚 education policies has burst into life, with so-called 鈥減rogressive鈥 educationists and 鈥渢raditional” teachers battling it out to influence the party鈥檚 schools manifesto. Last week, a group of 165 teachers who favour traditional teaching methods and a knowledge-rich curriculum formed the Campaign for Evidence-Informed Teaching (CEIT), in the hope of influencing future policies. In response, a 鈥渂road coalition鈥 of about 300 educationists have set up The Educators Alliance (TEA). David Blunkett The group wants Labour to create 鈥渁 more diverse education system鈥 with a 鈥渨ide range of approaches鈥 that 鈥渨ork for all young people鈥, for example by improving access to creative subjects or potentially rethinking the current emphasis on 鈥渉igh-stakes terminal exams鈥. Both groups have published open letters responding to Lord David Blunkett鈥檚 , which was commissioned by Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, to help to inform the party鈥檚 manifesto. The report was published last week. Adam Smith, a primary teacher from south London, criticised the report for not representing teachers鈥 views. He tweeted that anyone who wanted to join a centre-left pressure group to influence Labour鈥檚 education policy should get in touch and 鈥渨ent out to have a coffee鈥. In less than 24 hours, the group had gathered 125 members and more than 2,000 followers of its Twitter handle, @CEITeaching. CEIT founder ‘shocked’ by AstroTurf claims 鈥淭he positive support was really nice,鈥 Smith says. 鈥淏ut I was also shocked by the accusations. It did not occur to me people would think we were AstroTurf – or some kind of Tory pressure group.鈥 In 2016, the Parents and Teachers for Excellence group was set up, claiming to be a grassroots movement to move the debate from the 鈥渆lites in Whitehall鈥 and mobilise parents and teachers to make the case for education reform. But Schools Week later revealed one of its directors was Tory donor Jon Moynihan, a venture capitalist and Vote Leave campaigner. The group was also orchestrated by policy reformers linked to Michael Gove – drawing parallels with what is known as 鈥淎stroTurfing鈥, the practice of masking sponsors of an organisation to push a public relations campaign as a grassroots movement. Smith believes his members are 鈥渕ostly鈥 Labour voters who are either teachers or senior leaders. He says they want to be 鈥渃onsulted more actively in the formation stages of policy. We鈥檙e engaging in this, because this is how democracy is supposed to work, right?鈥 He found the idea that the group might be receiving external funding laughable: 鈥淣o, it鈥檚 not.鈥 ‘We know these approaches work’ The teachers in CEIT understand the importance and the value of a knowledge-rich curriculum and more direct, explicit forms of teaching, he says. 鈥淲e know these approaches work in our classrooms.鈥 They have united to convince Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary. 鈥淲e are in a fight for our voice to be heard by the Labour party.鈥 He says education reforms since his time as a pupil have been 鈥渉ard won鈥 I genuinely believe if you think there is a way to do things that is good, then part of your responsibility as a citizen is to talk to people about that and try to influence them to agree with you… And to fight for it.鈥 But TEA spokesperson Dr James Mannion, podcast host and director of the teacher training organisation Rethinking Education, says it is not a battle 鈥渂ecause what we鈥檙e trying to do is much bigger than what CEIT is trying to do. “And we really welcome their contributions to the debate as one set of voices among many.鈥 He admits that 鈥渋n a way鈥 his group has 鈥渟prung up鈥 in response to CEIT but denies this means there is now a contest between 鈥減rogs鈥 and 鈥渢rads” to influence policy. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not interested in continuing this tired debate between the so-called traditionalists and progressives 鈥 the vast majority of teachers don鈥檛 identify strongly either way, and lots of people鈥檚 practices are shared.鈥 He says TEA wants Labour to listen to everyone involved in education 鈥 not just teachers 鈥 to get a 鈥渂roader鈥 range of 鈥渕ore representative鈥 views than those expressed by CEIT. 鈥淭he system at the moment clearly doesn鈥檛 work for many young people,鈥 he says. But when parents feel their kid is in a school that鈥檚 at odds with their values, often 鈥渢here鈥檚 no other option available鈥.