Education

How education is structured

• Primary phase: Ages 5-11. Testing in core subjects of maths, English and science in Year Six

• Secondary phase: Ages 11-16. Achievement measured by GCSE +vocational diploma results (14-16). Benchmark of 5 or more passes A* to C inc. maths and English – but moving to Baccalaureate measure

• Further education: 6th form education – A/As levels/BTECs/diplomas and IB (international Baccalaureate

• {Higher education: Degree level studies at university}

Who is involved?

• The Department for Education (previously DCSF)

• Local education authorities (councils)• Governors• Churches/faith groups• Charities• Private sector/business• Ofsted• Exam boards

The Secretary of State

• Provides state education• Ensures government policy carried out• Maintains standards and oversees

curriculum• Trains teachers• Controls and initiates in educational

system/funding

Role set out in 1944 Education Act

The political view

“This Government believes that teachers and headteachers, not politicians and bureaucrats, should control schools and have more power over how they are run.”

Michael Gove, 2010

Academies – the political view

“We are committed to giving governors, headteachers and teachers more control over how they run their schools. We know they are best placed to decide how to give their pupils the best possible education.”

David Cameron, Nov 2010

The other argument…

“It is an attempt to destroy a democratic, planned, state education system and replace it with a two tier, market driven collection of independent schools at the mercy of education companies driven by profit.”

The Anti-Academies Alliance

The new approach – academy schools

• Publicly funded but outside council control

• Funded directly by central government

• Get extra money that previously would have been kept by council for support services

• Do not have to follow national curriculum so long as alternative is “broad and balanced”

Academies ii

• Any school can apply to become an academy (primary, secondary, special)

• Proposals are determined by Secretary of State – council need not be consulted

• Schools rated “outstanding” by Ofsted automatically qualify and fast-tracked

• Others can now apply - as can groups of schools

Why are academies different?

• Freedom from council control

• Ability to set own pay and conditions for staff

• Freedoms around the delivery of the curriculum

• Ability to change the lengths of terms and school days

• Academy trusts deemed charities

Academy issues

• Fragmentation of the education system• Less collaboration – more competition?• Councils’ role changing – esp. over

support services • Will councils have less money to support

other schools?• Unions’ concerns over teachers’

pay+conditions• Could academies cherry-pick best staff?

Academy issues ii

• Possible two-tier system - councils left with more challenging schools as best ones ‘opt out’

• Less co-operation over admissions+exclusions between school

• Lack of checks and balances – governors and councillors are elected and democratically accountable

• Planning new schools to meet demographic + population changes more difficult

Free schools

• Based on Swedish model+American ‘charter’ schools

• Can only be set up where proof of parental demand

• Existing schools cannot apply – only for entirely new schools

• Can be either primary of secondary• Will need a suitable proposer – parents;

businesses; charities; teachers• Not permitted to make profit

Michael Gove’s view…

“The people who are driving Free Schools are true pioneers. They are leading a revolution in the education system.”

“They will offer more choice to parents in the type of education their child receives, and will raise standards in many communities where the need is great.”

Free schools

• Funded directly by government• Must abide by rules on admissions as other state

schools• Capital funding on a case-by-case basis (£50m allocated

by govt.)• Proposals will be signed off by Secretary of State• Councils will be consulted – but no veto• Same freedoms as academies• Need not employ qualified teachers• Could open in disused buildings – no planning consent

needed

How many?

• 174 as at September 2013• Creating 130,000 extra places• 8 out of 10 in areas where there is shortage of

spaces

• Include:• Brighton Bilingual Primary: teaching in English

50% and Spanish 50%• School 21 – Newham, for pupils in poorer areas• Everton Community Free School Trust –

sponsored by Everton FC

Community schools

• Run by councils (local education authority)

• LA owns assets/land/buildings

• LA pays staff

• LA determines admissions criteria for dealing with oversubscription

• Develops strong links with community – eg sharing facilities

• All ability – no selection

Local Education Authorities

• Have moved from ‘providers’ to ‘commissioners’

• Provide and maintain primary and secondary schools + ensure enough places available

• Arrange admissions + allocate places• Provide strategic management (school

improvement)• Promote high standards• Ensure schools follow National Curriculum• Prepare bids for govt. money

Issues for councils

• Planning places challenging as academies can choose to expand (govt. policy to allow popular schools to enlarge)

• Academies may resist expansion as they value ‘smallness’

• Greater risk of schools ‘doing their own thing’

• Losing out in funding? Lack of level playing field

Grammar schools

• Only 164 left in country (Kent has 33; Medway )• Select pupils by ability (via the 11-plus)• Are part of state sector

• Coalition allowing expansion where population growth demands it

• But parents can ballot for their abolition (one such ballot held since 1998 – unsuccessful – Ripon)

Ofsted

• Created in 1992

• Chief inspector is Sir Michael Wilshaw

• Inspects schools, LEAs [councils], teacher training courses, nursery sector, youth services

Ofsted

• School inspections focus on:

• Overall effectiveness• Improvement/capacity to improve• Achievement and standards• Quality of provision• Leadership and management• Efficiency/financial management

School inspections

• “shorter and sharper” (April 2005)• Schools get less notice – a few days• Inspectors spend less time at school

• Schools are graded:• Outstanding (1)• Good (2)• Requires improvement [previously

unsatisfactory] (3)• Inadequate (4)

‘Schools causing concern’

• A failing school is one which:

• Is not considered to be providing “an acceptable standard of education”

and• Those in charge are judged unable to secure

improvements

• If failing, the school is placed in “special measures”

Special measures

• Ofsted and Lea will write to tell school what is wrong

• Governors must draw up action plan within 40 days to address weaknesses

• School is regularly monitored

• If school unable to improve, can be ordered to ‘close’ and become academy

Notice to improve

• Less serious than special measures

• Usually focuses on one area (eg standards)

• School usually deemed able to improve (unlike special measures)

Governors

• Strategic role – not day-to-day running• “Critical friend”• Agree policy/budgets• Plan school’s future direction• Appoint the headteacher• Ensure National Curriculum taught• Decide pupils’ spiritual, moral welfare

is encouraged via agreed principle

Admissions

• The School Admissions Code (April 2007)

• Mandatory code – replacing voluntary code

• Aimed at eliminating ‘covert’ selection• Admissions policies must not

disadvantage any child • Prohibits use of ‘unfair over

subscription criteria

Admissions ii

• Schools must not:

• Ask parents about personal background, eg earnings, job

• Give priority to those who make school their first preference

• Give priority to children based on hobbies or interests

Admissions iii

• Under the code, schools can:

• Give priority to brothers and sisters of those already at school

• Choose to select up to 10 per cent (where specialist)

Admissions Code (Nov 2012)

• Primary school places allocated on same day (April 16) from 2014

• Greater freedom to good, successful schools to increase pupil numbers

• Allow primary schools to take twins even if exceeds 30-child class limits

• Academies+free schools can give priority to children from poorest backgrounds

Admissions iv

• Offers made on National Admissions Day – separate for primary/secondary

• Parents have right of appeal to independent panels

• Most authorities operate “equal preference” scheme, preventing schools from forcing parents to place them first

• But parents still rank schools and places offered at ones they rank highest where available

National Curriculum

• Sets out subjects to be taught• Details the knowledge skills and understanding required• Standards expected• Core subjects are: maths, English and science• Seven foundation subjects: History, geography, ICT,

art+design, PE, music, Design and Technology

• RE (religious affairs) must be taught but is not part of NC – parents can opt to withdraw children from parts/all of RE syllabus

National Curriculum

• Foreign languages not part of NC – dropped as complusory subject for 14-16-year-olds in 2002

• But Govt. now says from 2010 all children will learn language from age of seven to 14 (following Dearing review)

• Language GCSEs fallen dramatically – in Kent fewer then 30 per cent of pupils in 2008 took and passed GCSE language

National Curriculum – Gove’s view

• Wants to slim down the NC

• Focus on basics with more flexibility

• Learning to be organised around traditional subject disciplines rather than ‘pseudo subjects’

• Simon Schama to advise on history curriculum – concept of ‘our island story’

How well are schools doing?

• “League tables” published annually in England show classroom standards at ‘key stages.’

• Primary - Key Stage 2: Performance of 11-year-olds in core subjects of maths, English, science

• Secondary - Key Stage 4: GCSE/GNVQ results where bench mark is five passes at A to C, inc.maths and English (2007)

• Key Stage 3 scrapped after exam chaos 2008

How well are schools doing?

• Tables include:

• Percentage passing expected level in each subject (Level 4 at Key Stage 2)

• ‘Value added measure’ – showing progress of pupils based between key stages

• New Gove measure – English baccalaureate indicator – 5 or more GCSEs that inc. Maths, Eng, two sciences, a language, history or geography

School tables

• Absence rates – persistent and unauthorised

• Comparative data over recent years

• Type of school (eg academy, mixed, grammar etc)

• Numbers sitting exams

Governors ii

• A governing body will be made up of:• Parents(elected by other parents)• Teachers (elected by colleagues)• Support staff• LEA governor(s)• Co-opted governors (business)

• Heads can choose to be a governor (most do)