Education Update – October – December 2015

Education Update – October – December 2015

Selected items from the national scene as reported by TES

2^nd October 2015

Key Government Advisor and Head Teacher reject the proposed new baseline assessment

Dame Alison Peacock is refusing to use the controversial baseline assessment test proposed by the government for 4 year olds. She has reservations about labelling children through an external test at such a young age and plans to continue internal assessment through observation and talking to the children, thus also valuing teacher assessment. She said: “I worry that people will look at the external test and give greater weight to that score [than to teacher assessment]”. Almost 3000 heads are believed to be continuing with their own internal assessments. DfE spokesman said: “The Reception baseline has not been introduced to track the process of individual pupils, but to capture the starting point for a cohort of children.”

New GCSE grading

Nicky Morgan has said Grade 5 of the new 1-9 scale (9 is top, equivalent to an A*) will be deemed a ‘good pass’. However, it seems employers and colleges may undermine this grade if they decide a grade 4 is satisfactory. (Grade 5 will represent the top third of the marks for a current Grade C and the bottom third for a Grade B.)

Treat extremism like anorexia?

A leading counter-terrorist expert suggests teachers should tackle Islamist extremism in the same way as they would treat eating disorders. Jonathan Russell believes the problem should be treated like a safeguarding issue. He recommended the monitoring of pupils’ web activity in school because the internet is the “new battleground” in the war against radicalism.

9^th October 2015

Teacher shortages continue

The university admissions body Ucas has published statistics that show drastic shortages in key subjects re teacher-training. Nearly half of the training places for Foreign Languages are unfilled. Less than 75% of the trainees needed have been recruited in RE, business studies, art, classics and physics.

Titan schools planned

17 local authorities, including shires and big cities, are planning secondary schools with 12 forms of entry as larger pupil numbers peak over the next few years.

Has inclusion failed?

The number of exclusions involving SEND pupils is increasing. In 2013-2014 approximately 45,000 primary pupils were given fixed-term exclusions. Of these nearly 37,000 were SEND pupils. In secondary exclusions in the same period 4,950 students were permanently excluded; of these, 3,240 were SEND pupils.

16^th October 2015

Doubts continue over Ofsted

The validity of the process by which Ofsted axed 1,200 inspectors (40% of its inspectors) is being questioned. Three hundred inspectors who lost their position have claimed the procedure used was flawed. Ofsted has refused to provide the results of the selection tests they took, citing the Data Protection Act. Ofsted claims all applicants received feedback.

Final year students lack self-belief and resilience

A report ‘Mind over ‘Matter’ produced by the Demos think-tank from a poll of more than 1,000 teenagers shows that final year students are three times more likely to feel that their school is only focussed on preparing them for exams, rather than life in general.

Girls ahead!

DfE statistics show an increase in the number of 5 year olds performing well. â…” of children had reached a good level of development by the end of Reception in 2015. Girls did better on all measures with 74% having a good level compared to 59% of boys.

DfE scraps General Studies at A level

The DfE have decided to abolish A-level General Studies which has been in existence since 1954 and since 1993 has proved a most popular A-level. However, the New Schools Network research has found that the top 500 state schools account for almost 90% of entries in General Studies.

23^rd October 2015

Survey of Parents

PR Agency GKP polled 1000 UK of 5-16 year olds:

• 49% believe teaching is of a higher standard
• 39% believe school is not tackling weak teaching
• 48% say the school does not do enough to deal with misbehaviour in the classroom

Inadequate schools to become academies

Schools rated as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted will be converted to academies as early as this summer.

Bullying fears

An extensive survey of 78,000 primary and secondary pupils aged 10-15 has found more than â…“ of Y6 and Y8 girls are often afraid of going to school; 23% of Y6 and Y8 boys are often afraid of going to school.
Less children were taking drugs. 12% of 14 and 15 year olds report having taken cannabis.
The more time spent on social media websites the more likely they are to have low self-esteem, smoke, drink and eat unhealthily.

30^th October 2015

Cuts to Teacher Training

From next year thousands of trainees will receive thousands of pounds less in bursaries and salaries from the DfE compared to last year. There are concerns these cuts will fuel the growing school recruitment crisis regarding teachers.

The TES has learned that cuts to bursaries and salaries are being made that, by comparison with those training 2014-15, would have affected nearly 50% of the 19,000 primary teachers who began initial training then.

A DfE spokesperson said the ‘generous’ bursary system was reviewed annually to ensure it targeted areas in most need. The primary recruitment target for 2015 has been exceeded, they added.

Phonics is working claims Ofsted Chief Inspector

The teaching of phonics has been the most significant factor in the growing success of primary schools, says Sir Michael Wilshaw. However, he registers a ‘great cause for concern’ over the transition to secondary education.

North-South divide in Early Years progress

New research from an analysis of government figures by the IPPR North think-tank has found that 47% of children born into the poorest families in the North of England achieve a ‘good’ level in the Early Years foundation stage as opposed to 59% in London.

Challenge from Lord Nash

Lord Nash has told TES that schools struggling to meet the demand for additional pupil space should construct higher buildings. According to forecasts the school system will have to cope with 900,000 pupils by 2020.

6^thNovember 2015

Teacher shortages

Teacher shortages are predicted to continue over 10 years, TES reveals. The latest DfE teacher supply model shows that the number of teachers needed in Secondaries each year will continue to be higher than the demand until 2026. A DfE spokesperson said the number of teachers in England’s schools was at a record high. More people were returning to teaching than ever before and the number of teachers recruited in ‘most secondary subjects’ was up on last year.

Assessment proposals

Nicky Morgan, Education Secretary, announced a ‘rigour revolution’ this week starting with Primary school assessment. Tougher Key Stage 2 tests are due in Year 7. The Department is also considering re introducing national tests at KS1. Ms Morgan’s goal is for 90% of pupils to be studying English Baccalaureate subjects.

13^thNovember 2015

Shortage of Maths Teachers

The Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education (ACME) in a report this week warned that even ‘dramatic increases’ in the recruitment of Maths teachers will not be enough to end shortages, partly because many Maths teachers leave the profession within 3 years of qualifying. ACME says there is a need for 5,410 extra specialist teachers. A DfE spokesperson said that the number and quality of teachers is at a record high and more Maths trainees have been recruited in 2015-16 than in previous years.

Humanists call for legal intervention

A government decision to exclude “non-religious” views from the subject content of religious studies GCSE has caused three humanist families (backed by the British Humanist Association) to mount a legal challenge against the move in the High Court in London.

New National Teaching Service

Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan, has set out proposals for a National Teaching Service which would organise the sending of ‘outstanding’ teachers and middle leaders into under-performing schools around the country. A pilot in the North West aims to enlist 100 teachers to start work in Primaries and Secondaries in 2016. By 2020 it is hoped by the government that as many as 1,500 teachers will be deployed to under-performing schools

20^th November 2015

Anti-bullying survey

A survey by the Anti-bullying Alliance reveals that 44% of those bullied at school experienced anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. 34% of those bullied coped by avoiding school or college.

27^thNovember 2015

Mixed evaluations of the Pupil Premium Policy

A YouGov survey of 758 teachers found that a third (34%) of teachers think the Pupil Premium Policy has had ‘no effect on all outcomes’. 59% of Headteachers felt it had a positive effect, 30% that it had no effect at all and 4% of teachers felt it had a negative effect. Generally, the poll found that school leaders are more positive than teachers about the premium which was introduced in 2011 to help pupils from the most deprived backgrounds. A DfE spokesperson affirmed that the policy is providing vital support and says the Public Accounts Committee have found that since the policy’s introduction it has narrowed the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

Climate change

More than 90% of primary teachers in England believe they should be teaching children about climate change. It is not included in National Curriculum until Key Stage 3.

Poetry for Primary Pupils

New resources are available for Primary teachers. 65 poems have been chosen. Schools can register for the free resource at www.poetrybyheart.org.uk

10% of EY workforce in UK are male

The average in 33 developed countries is lower – approx. 7%. France and Netherlands are higher at 17% and 13% respectively.

Teacher shortage: Lack of secondary training places filled

Almost one in 5 secondary teacher training places for September 2015 have not been filled. 82% of secondary places have been taken up, compared with 94% last year. The Commons Select Committee is to investigate the teacher supply issue.

Potential Free Schools face tougher grilling

TES reveals that applicants for Free Schools may face Dragons Den-style interviews. Government ministers are, however, adamant that they will meet their 2020 target of at least 500 more.

Bullying in schools reduced

In 2014 DfE researchers gathered results which seem more favourable than the previous research in 2005. They recorded a reduction in bullying from 41% to 36% and in threats of violence from 20% to 14%. Reports of actual violence had dropped from 15% to 10ls.

4^thDecember 2015

Obesity in Primary Pupils

A new government study of 1.1 million children shows that nearly â…• of final year Primary pupils were obese last year. The proportion of obese 10 and 11 year olds has risen from 2006-7 when 17.5% were obese to 19.1% in this latest study.

Lack of Secondary technology

45% of Secondary teachers do not regularly use technology in their classroom. A study by Cloud-based ‘Canvas’ suggests that 46% do not feel they have had proper training.

Concerns over biggest Academy chain

A second major Ofsted inspection in 18 months has taken place in Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) which runs 68 academy schools in the country. This is due to a concern over declining GCSE results in 17 of AET’s 30 Secondary academies.

11^thDecember 2015

Wrap-around care

Primary head teachers have been reassured, by the government, in response to a concern from the NAHT union, that they will still have the ultimate decision-making powers on whether they offer wrap-around care.

Young people deprived of Sport

A new report from the London School of Economics claims young people are being squeezed out of sport because a third live in poverty and the cost is too high. The Report ‘Moving the Goalposts’ recommends more schools open sports facilities in the evenings and weekends.

Tablets disruptive

Ofsted warns that bringing tablet computers into school can be ‘extremely disruptive’. One in three Secondaries now allow the devices on school campus. Ofsted figures reveal that 30% now operate a ‘bring your own device’ policy into school. Ofsted believe this makes it difficult for teachers to teach.

One head’s approach to avoid exclusions

Julia Vincent believes in avoiding exclusions and has developed a strategy for head teachers to avoid using them by encouraging either ‘L-shaped’ transfers or ‘U-shaped’ transfers into local Pupil Referral Units. ‘U-shaped’ is a timed programme in the PRU to instigate change in the pupil and then limited re-entry into the home school. All moves back into mainstream education are supported by a fully trained key worker. Read the full article on p40 of TES.

18^thDecember 2015

UK – a world leader?

A study by researchers of the University of Oxford has discovered that Britain is a world leader in ‘teaching to the test’! Statistics of Britain and the US were taken from Pisa rankings and the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Results show that while 15 yr olds in the UK are close to average for maths, literacy and problem-solving, performance drops significantly among 16-24 yr olds suggesting that learning ahead of exams has been superficial.

Increasing number of all-through schools

There are now 113 schools offering primary and secondary education – 25 more than in 2014.