Transcript Slide 1
The Importance of Teaching –
Schools White Paper, Nov 2010
06 January 2011
David Russell – Director of Curriculum & Behaviour Policy
Contents
Part 1 – Overview of White Paper
Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment & Qualifications
Part 3 - Science
Part 1 – Overview of White Paper
Slides 4-15
The context
“.. so many great schools, so many superb teachers and so
many outstanding head teachers ..”
but we are failing to keep pace with the world’s best-performing
education nations
and the gulf between opportunities for the rich and the poor
has grown wider
the single most important lesson is –
‘The Importance of Teaching’
The narrative (1)
good teachers delivering good teaching is the single most
important factor in giving every child a high quality education
poor behaviour is one of the biggest barriers to attracting and
retaining good teachers
once schools have secured good behaviour, they will be able to
deliver a challenging curriculum for all pupils
The narrative (2)
the best school systems devolve power to schools, and we will
give schools the freedom to lead improvement
robust accountability for raising standards and narrowing gaps
will sit alongside our plans for increased autonomy
head teachers and teachers are the people who make the
difference, so we will give them real freedoms to decide how
best to improve their school
the school funding system will be transparent and fair, and will
effectively target disadvantaged pupils
A philosophical shift
From
To
State action
Decentralisation
Targets and accountability to the centre
Data transparency creating local
accountability
Regulation as the best guarantor of fairness
Autonomy and trust as the best guarantor of
fairness
Specific programmes to tackle issues
Accountability and incentives set to create
improvement
Identification of best practice and guidance
Deregulation and reducing bureaucracy
Planning the system
Opening the system up
Moving to end field forces and encourage
lateral improvement
Complete the change – build capacity
Teaching and leadership
raise the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession
(2:2) and focus ITT on core teaching skills
national network of Teaching Schools
support for teachers’ professional development, inc. end to 3
hour rule
powers to reward good performance; and address poor
performance
free head teachers and teachers from bureaucracy and red tape,
cutting duties, processes, guidance
Behaviour
clarify and strengthen teachers’ powers – search; same-day
detention; use of force
protect teachers from malicious allegations
strengthen head teachers’ authority beyond school gates
support head teachers to take a strong stand against bullying,
esp. prejudice-based
reform the exclusion appeals process
trial school responsibility for excluded pupils’ attainment
improve the quality of alternative provision
Curriculum, assessment and
qualifications
See Part 2 !
The new school system
reinstate the freedoms Academies originally had
all schools will be able to become Academies
ensure that the weakest schools are considered for Academy
conversion
support collaboration – chains, trusts, federations
support teachers, charities and parent groups to open Free
Schools
local authorities strong strategic role – champions for parents,
families, vulnerable students; ensuring school places;
coordinating fair admissions; can develop own local school
improvement strategies
Accountability
massive increase in public information on schools
reform performance tables; new measures on deprived pupil progress,
and destinations
reform school inspection: Ofsted focus on pupil achievement; quality
of teaching; leadership and management; behaviour and safety of
pupils
floor standard for primary and secondary schools – escalating
minimum expectation
support for underperforming schools, including minimum
expectations; intervene where failure entrenched; help schools learn
from one another; work with LAs to support underperforming schools
improve governing bodies
School improvement
school responsibility for driving improvement
ending duty to appoint SIPs
focus on school to school support – ‘families of schools’ data
NLEs – doubling; and Teaching Schools
Education Endowment Fund
evidence on best practice, materials, improvement services
support for schools below floor standards
test a school financial incentive rewarding collaboration
School funding
new Pupil Premium
consultation on clear and fairer funding formula
transparency – on school spending
remove requirement for LA clawback mechanism
end disparity in funding for 16-18 year olds
devolve the maximum funding to schools and realise
efficiencies
take forward conclusions of capital spending review
YPLA will become Education Funding Agency
In summary, this is about:
empowering teachers
autonomy for schools, accountability to parents and
the community
measuring success by international standards
making the funding system fairer, so that poorer
children get a better chance to do well
tackling the blockages to good teaching – bad
behaviour, prescriptive dogma, endless bureaucracy
the state fundamentally stepping back from the day
to day running of schools
Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment &
Qualifications
Slides 17-24
Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications
Headlines
Review and reform the National Curriculum
Support the teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics and introduce a
simple check at 6
Hold an independent review of assessment at 11
Encourage schools to offer the “English Baccalaureate”
Focus support on strategic curriculum subjects and give schools space to
offer a truly rounded education
Measure our qualifications internationally against the best in world
Reform GCSEs and A Levels
Reform vocational qualifications, following Professor Alison Wolf’s review
Support more people to continue in education or training to 18
Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications
Themes
Crucial role on international comparison to guide reform
Trusting the professionalism of teachers
Restoring rigour to the curriculum and qualifications
Concentrate on teaching for knowledge and understanding
– and not excessive drilling or exam preparation
We will review and reform the National Curriculum to
focus on essential knowledge and concepts
Reformed National Curriculum will:
– return to core entitlement organised around subjects.
– slim down - more freedom to teach and design their own curriculum
“Core of knowledge and understand that all children should be expected to
acquire…. must not try to cover every conceivable area of human learning”
- Academies and Free Schools retain right not to follow; expectation is
that more will choose to follow new National Curriculum
Review to be formally launched by Ministers:
– to cover both primary and secondary (and link to EYFS review)
– focus on international research
Widespread consultation
Aiming to implement from 9/13; new curriculum available from 9/12
We will promote systematic synthetic phonics and
assessing reading at age six
Clear evidence of the importance of learning to read; and the effectiveness
of systematic, synthetic phonics
– resources and training to support its teaching
– Ofsted judgements will reflect new expectations
– reform initial teacher training
Phonics screening check at age 6 – extra help for those struggling
We will reform the key stage two tests – the principal
measures of progress at primary schools
Concerns about excessive test preparation
Independent review by Lord Bew – rigorous, valid and reliable assessments
to ensure schools are properly accountable to parents, pupils and public
The English Baccalaureate will encourage schools to
offer a broad set of academic subjects at age 16
Students are expected to pursue a broad range of academic subjects to
16 across most of Europe
“English Baccalaureate” to encourage more students in England to do so
Recognise success with A*-C GCSE or iGCSE in:
– English
– maths
– sciences (2 GCSEs)
– language (ancient or modern)
– humanities (history or geography)
Only 15% of students achieved this, summer 2009 – only 4% FSM. And
more than 230 schools had no students achieving this
We will publish results school-by-school – alongside existing measures;
and (in time) provide certificates for individual students
We will focus central government support on strategic
curriculum subjects
More delegation, and fewer top-down curriculum programmes, but retain
support for uptake and achievement in mathematics and the sciences, to:
– increase the number of specialist teachers in physics, chemistry and
maths and improve the skills of existing teachers in these subjects
– support schools offering separate science GCSEs, physics and
further maths A level
We will ensure all schools are given the resources and
space they need to offer a truly rounded education
“Clearing away the clutter” from the curriculum will give teachers the
freedom to design lessons and provide experience:
– PE – especially, competitive team sports
– Sex and relationships education & PSHE
– Cultural experiences (music, museums and libraries,…)
We will compare ourselves to the best in the world
Participation in PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS to tell us how we are performing
– (slipped to 14th in science, to 17th in reading, to 24th in maths)
– compulsory for schools to take part (to guarantee we’re involved)
Add securing international comparability of qualification standards to Ofqual
objectives
– catching and keeping up with the best in the world becomes at least as
important as keeping exams the same year-after-year
We will reform GCSEs and A levels
We are working with Ofqual to look at:
– getting universities fully involved in the development of A Levels
– reducing A Level resits (2/3rds – 3/4ths resit at least once)
– reversing the “modularisation” of GCSEs (so taken at the end of the
course)
– greater weight on spelling, punctuation and grammar in GCSEs
We will review vocational education
Vocational education long the poor relation of academic education.
Too many young people following poor quality vocational courses because
they are easy for schools and colleges to deliver and give them
performance tables points – not for their intrinsic value
Professor Alison Wolf reviewing vocational education and qualifications –
will report in Spring 2011
Expansion of the Apprenticeships programme, 16-19 – up to 131,000 in
2010/11
We will support more young people to continue in
education to 18
Confirming the commitment to Raising the Participation Age – to 17 in
2013, and 18 in 2015
– not keen to criminalise young people; want to allow participation to bed
in, so enforcement against young people to come in over a longer
period
Part 3 – Science
Slides 26-30
The Department for Education will :
Continue specific programmes which have been
successful
Commit over £130m to STEM support over the SR
period
Announce shortly the STEM allocations in more
detail
Stay joined up with BIS
The Department for Education will :
Seek to attract more top science and maths graduates to be
teachers.
Support Teach First, create Teach Now to build on the Graduate
Teacher programme, and seek other ways to improve the quality of
the teaching profession.
Reform the rigid national pay and condition rules to give schools
greater freedoms to pay good teachers more and deal with poor
performance.
The Department for Education will :
Create more flexibility in the exam system so that state
schools can offer qualifications like the iGCSE
Reform league tables so that schools are able to focus
on, and demonstrate, the progress of children of all
abilities
Keep external assessment, but will review how key stage
2 tests operate in future.
The Department for Education will :
Keep science at the heart of curriculum
Announce the detail of the National Curriculum
Review very shortly
Keep working with and listing to stakeholders.
Thank you.