February 2014
The know zone
- Help in testing times
In the event of illness or worse, what pension benefits can you or your family draw on? David Binnie explains. More - A question of balance
Sam Ellis has been worrying about even-handedness in school since he was a lad. Instead of concerns about being kept behind in class, he’s now anxious about education funding being reasonable and just or, at least, fairer than it was. More - Are you ready?
The new National Curriculum (NC) becomes statutory in September with further reforms in the pipeline to GCSE, post-16 qualifications and performance measures. Sue Kirkham looks at the detail. More - Strength in numbers
The focus in this Leader is on ASCL Council’s Funding Committee, which has a wide-ranging remit that includes all aspects of school and college funding. More - ASCL PD events
Legal Issues, Managing Challenging Pupils: Duties and Powers, Online Safety: Equipping Your School to Avoid Risk, and An Introduction to School Financial Management More - Managing change
ASCL Professional Development (PD) offers high-quality, relevant, up-to-date and competitively priced courses (see left). Our training is delivered by a team of skilled trainers and consultants, almost all of whom have been headteachers or senior school leaders. More - What a relief!
Sport Relief is back on Friday 21 March and schools and colleges up and down the country will be getting active and raising money to help change lives, both here in the UK and across the world. More - Adding value
The Energy vs. Minibus Debate! More - New dimension?
What is the number one issue affecting education that all political parties should agree on? Is it curriculum, funding, accountability or something else? And why? Here, ASCL members share their views. More - Leaders' surgery
The antidote to common leadership conundrums.. More - The holy grail...
Finding the right riposte to a cheeky – or worse – student is never easy, so it helps if you can call on divine inspiration, even if it’s lost on the audience. More
What is the number one issue affecting education that all political parties should agree on? Is it curriculum, funding, accountability or something else? And why? Here, ASCL members share their views.
New dimension?
Too many accountability reforms
One of the most topical issues engaging debate amongst leadership teams during the first two terms of this academic year has been the ever-changing landscape of external accountability.
This period has seen a ‘knee-jerk’ amendment to the way in which GCSE early entries are incorporated into performance measures and, as I write this, I am just wading through the most recent update to the subsidiary guidance published by Ofsted – an update that comes only four months after its previous version was launched. Effective external accountability will be an essential part of any successful education system.
A shared consensus of what makes for effective external accountability and more importantly, the measures that underpin it would go a long way to guard against the angst that many school leaders are feeling in trying to plan for and incorporate such reforms.
Gareth Burton
Deputy Headteacher, Cheltenham Bournside School & Sixth Form Centre, Gloucestershire
Education shouldn’t be party-politically-driven
That we are asking what political parties should all agree on identifies the current problem with education!
Any successful education system is (and should be) high-stakes; we are talking about the life-chances of future generations. The problem is that it has become party-politicallydriven and reactive, subject to the vagaries and whims of politicians with short-term goals.
The recent decision to change accountability measures because of concerns about a minority of schools’ early entry practices and the subsequent back-tracking on the history curriculum are emblematic of an act-now-think-later, high-handed and esoteric approach that is destructive and also a scandalous waste of time, resources and opportunities.
If we could all agree that changes that will impact on the life-chances of young people are underpinned by an unfaltering commitment to social justice and that decision-makers operate outside the control of politicians we might have an education system we can be proud of.
Patsy Weighill
Headteacher, Bilton School, Warwickshire
Education needs a clear purpose
The key issue affecting education at the moment is that there is no clear, nationally agreed, purpose to it!
Every week there seems to be another call in the media for something extra to be put into the school curriculum: computer programming, personal finance, cookery, swimming, enterprise, reciting poetry, Latin, history dates, capital cities, more religious knowledge, citizenship, healthy eating, increased fitness levels, road safety, vocational learning, apprenticeships, foreign languages, the arts... the list goes on.
The government speaks of wanting schools to “focus on those core skills that employers really want, because that is what is going to help our children get jobs when they leave school”.
Then, in the next breath, Michael Gove calls for primary pupils to be able to recite poetry. I’ve nothing against poetry! However, very few employers ask for it to be recited as part of their interview process.
The government should make it clear what education is for, or, alternatively, stop criticising us when we make curriculum choices to best meet the needs of the children in our own schools.
Ben Warren
Headteacher, Summerhill School, West Midlands
Government must stop interfering
I am concerned that government interference is hindering schools from dealing with the most disruptive students in an appropriate manner. Our school’s reputation is good and in the past we have not tolerated poor behaviour.
We are very proactive and have strategies in place for dealing with students who choose to misbehave. There comes a point sometimes where a school hits a brick wall and cannot help a child.
Some of these students go on to seriously disrupt the learning of others and cause staff a lot of unnecessary stress. A number of these students become totally out of control but we are now penalised if we try to exclude them temporarily or permanently from our school community for the benefit of others.
I feel that in some cases health and safety are being compromised by keeping these students in school. Other students perceive that they are getting away with their behaviour and the culture then spreads to others.
The government is asking the impossible when they expect us to keep some of these students in mainstream education. It is extremely difficult to get students into alternative provision and the quality of the alternative provision is often very poor.
(Name supplied)
Business Manager, North west of England
LEADING READING
- A brighter future
Issue 132 - 2024 Autumn Term - Time for a change?
Issue 132 - 2024 Autumn Term - A sea change?
Issue 132 - 2024 Autumn Term - SATs results
Issue 132 - 2024 Autumn Term - Taking care of you
Issue 132 - 2024 Autumn Term
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