EDUCATION LEADER AND MANAGER
Representing leaders and managers in education P O L I CY
THE FLAWS OF GRADED LESSON OBSERVATIONS page 6
Ao C P R E S I D E N T
RICHARD ATKINS PREPARES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD page 14
CPD
WHY IT COULD BE TIME TO REVIEW YOUR STRATEGY page 18
OCTOBER 2014 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ATLUNION @ATLUNION
2015 F E AT U R E
HOW THE GENERAL ELECTION WILL AFFECT SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
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ELM / OCTOBER 2014
INSIDE 4
Welcome
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Welcome to the latest edition of Education Leader and Manager. Members will have noticed some changes to the latest edition of ELM. I hope you like the new look – we would love to hear your views on the design and the key issues you want to see covered in the coming months. Change has been a theme in government in England, with the reshuffle in mid-July seeing changes at both the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills and the Department for Education. With both eyes clearly on the 2015 General Election, Michael Gove was exiled to the Whips’ Office and replaced by Nicky Morgan. Further changes saw Nick Boles become skills minister, who admitted during his first parliamentary appearance in the job to knowing “nothing” about the sector, and the return of Nick Gibb to the Department for Education as minister of State for Schools. In this issue, we look ahead to what we think will be included in each party’s election manifesto, and in the ‘Final Word’, on page 22, ATL’s general secretary, Mary Bousted, looks at Gove’s legacy. Elsewhere in this edition we will update you on news from the sector, including the latest addition to the sector, the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL), Advanced Learning Loans and a farewell to the IfL. In addition to our report from Northern Ireland, we now have a regular comment from our colleagues in Wales, both looking towards the General Election and the influence Westminster may have on the devolved nations. We also profile the new president of the AoC and a perspective on change in FE in Wales. There are significant challenges ahead in the next parliament: funding will continue to be squeezed in schools and colleges, and it is unlikely we will see new models of funding for apprenticeships with increased employer contributions. Your voice in the education debates continues to be important.
News from the world of AMiE and education
The weaknesses of graded lesson observations
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The view from Northern Ireland and Wales
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How the General Election will affect education
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Meet the new AoC president Richard Atkins
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Case study: change looms for Welsh FE sector
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE SERIES
The Outstanding performance series seeks to help leaders and managers raise the performance bar by optimising the effectiveness of their staff and resources. AMiE offers help and guidance to enable leaders and managers drive the performance agenda rather than feel driven by the process of inspection.
35 The Point, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 7QU www.amie.atl.org.uk T: 01858 461 110 F: 01858 461 366 E: amie@atl.org.uk Helpline: 01858 464 171 Product code: ATL/PE42 Date: December 2013 Edition: First ISBN: 1902 466 721 Price: £10 (non-members)/free (members) www.twitter.com/atl_amie
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Well-being: leading and managing a well workplace By David Green and Mark Wright
Your new guide to a healthy working culture
AMiE is ATL’s section for leaders in education
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PETER PENDLE AMiE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
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Does your organisation’s CPD strategy work?
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How to ensure the happiness of your staff
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Performance-related pay – can it work?
22
GET IN TOUCH
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Michael Gove’s legacy OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 3
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NEED TO KNOW
NEWS IN BRIEF
Keep up to date with the latest education sector news and issues
A LEVEL AND GCSE REFORMS
LEARNING INSTITUTE CLOSES
A vote was passed in July for the IfL to be taken over by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF), with the transfer set to be completed by autumn. Triggered by fears that the IfL lacked funds to sustain itself in the long term, the 33,500-strong member organisation will pass its legacy and assets to ETF through a deed of gift. Membership had been in decline due to a necessary increase in fees, after government funding was withdrawn. The IfL's achievements include leading a successful campaign for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status to be legally recognised as equal to QTS for teaching in schools. The IfL has begun to close its operations, but will continue to offer normal member services until autumn. As yet, there is no precise timeline of the next application window for QTLS. Members who had renewed their membership are expected to become part of ETF.
F E T R U ST F O R L E A D E R S H I P
SHAPING THE SECTOR‘S FUTURE COMPARED to universities and schools, the FE sector is underresearched and misunderstood, believes new think tank and charity the Further Education Trust for Leadership (FETL). FETL is keen to support FE leaders’ innovative thinking and investigation into the role FE plays in society, but is aware FE leaders may struggle to find time and space alongside their role. As a result, it has announced the first round of its fellowships that will allow FE leaders to pursue a research interest away from their current position. They are looking for ambitious, bold and creative individuals who are passionate about FE, training and skills learning, and have a desire to research and write about an aspect of leadership that will ultimately benefit learners. Launched earlier in 2014, FETL aims to work with people in the sector to develop knowledge on FE leadership, including those from independent
training providers, community learning centres, employers, unions and colleges. It wants to help people shape the sector’s future by supporting leaders to have a better insight into the nature of FE. This, they believe, will raise the profile and understanding of the sector, while increasing media presence and encouraging policymakers to take notice. Applications are encouraged from those in all parts of the FE and skills sector, whether an independent training provider, community learning centre, employer or college, with a small number of grants of up to £50,000 available in this first round. Funding will cover the costs of a FETL fellow to take time away from their role to explore a research interest in the field of FE leadership. Applications close at midday on Friday 10 October. For further information, go to www.fetl.org.uk.
GCSE results in August showed an overall increase in students achieving A*-C grades. But ATL has voiced its concern for students over the move from modular GCSEs to those with end-ofcourse exams. Nansi Ellis, ATL’s assistant general secretary for policy, said: “We have serious concerns about the government’s plans for GCSEs from 2015. It has imposed too tight a timescale to implement such a large-scale reform of GCSEs, AS and A-levels at the same time and ensure these exams are fit for purpose.” A* awards at A-level rose again this year, but the government’s reform and reliance of testing through final exams has sparked concern. Nansi added: “We believe the current system, with AS-levels as the first half of an A-level, is better for the vast majority of students, and that's why ATL has joined the NUS campaign to reinstate AS as part of A-level.”
#NOVOTENOVOICE SCHOOLS COMPETITION WITH six million people in the UK currently eligible but not registered to vote at the 2015 General Election, the #NoVoteNoVoice campaign is calling on schools to help reach its target of one million new registered voters, in the
hope of bringing about a major change in British politics. School teams or individuals across England and Wales are being asked to use their creativity and resources to produce an exciting, creative billboard
advert that persuades people to register to vote. Entrants can extend their imagination to produce an advert that’s funny, quirky or serious, but which must meet the main aim of persuading eligible voters to register before May 2015.
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NEED TO KNOW
Mark Baker (left) and Andy Ground
R E P AWA R D S
CONGRATULATIONS THE WINNERS of, and those highly commended in, ATL’s 2014 rep awards, were announced during ATL’s conference in Manchester in April. Outstanding leadership rep 2014 (AMiE) Mark Baker and Andy Ground, both from South Leicestershire College, were awarded joint winners. Mark is branch secretary and Andy is branch president of AMiE’s South Leicestershire College branch.
P I L OT S C H E M E
O F ST E D
GRADED LESSON OBSERVATIONS
NEW CHAIR
FOLLOWING a recent report that questioned whether graded lesson observations in FE are suitable, Ofsted announced a pilot scheme to stop them from September 2014. They have been noted as a cause of stress in teaching staff, being viewed as box-ticking and a disciplinary tool. Inspectors will undertake a grade-less approach to judging teaching quality. Read more in our ‘Policy Matters’ section, on page 6.
The appointment of new Ofsted chair, David Hoare, has been welcomed by AMiE chief executive Peter Pendle, who said, “He has already shown a positive interest in the development of children,” and recognised it as a “difficult role”. He added: “David quickly needs to address the pressure placed on teachers from the current Ofsted regime, which is in disarray with questionable quality control processes. He needs to remember that schools are not businesses, and shouldn’t become businesses.”
NEW EDUCATION BOSS SAYS “THANK YOU” NICKY MORGAN MP, the new Secretary of State for Education, has written to ATL to thank the thousands of members who made suggestions for the sector through our Shape Education campaign. She said: “I am grateful to ATL for creating a channel that has enabled so many teachers to share their thoughts with my department. Their insights are invaluable to effective policymaking.” She added that she had read ATL’s education manifesto with interest. Find out more about ATL’s Shape Education campaign at www.atl.org.uk/shapeeducation.
The competition provides schools with an opportunity to help students develop their creativity and engage in citizenship, as well as understand the importance of democracy and social change. The winning entry will be selected from a 14- to 18-year-old age group and prizes include five new iPads for their
school, the chance to visit the Houses of Parliament to receive the award and the advert used in the campaign. Schools can register and request a toolkit to assist with their entry at www.votebooster.org/education. Entry is now open, with all entries to be received by midday on 31 January 2015.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE AMiE LEADERSHIP REP OF 2015
If you feel your union rep deserves recognition for the work they do on behalf of AMiE members, please let us know. To nominate your AMiE rep, visit www.atl. org.uk/repawards. The closing date for nominations is Friday 19 December 2014.
MORE LOANS FOR LEARNING A consultation by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills is considering extending the current advanced learning loan system for those aged 24 and over, to include learners aged 19 and over studying level two and three qualifications. The move would see the learner pay all course fees over the lifetime of a loan, rather than receive part-funding from the government and pay the remaining fees upfront. However, there is concern this move could see a decline in learner numbers, with those taking out the loans being only learners who are willing and able to accept the financial commitment it brings. With the annual earning threshold for payback set at £21,000, many (especially those studying only level two qualifications) may never repay the cost of their learning. The advanced learning loan system for those aged 24 and over has only been in place since August 2013, and there is apprehension that the time given to monitor learner responses has not been long enough for a decision to be made to extend the scheme.
GOODBYE TO LIZ SALISBURY
Our regional officer for the Eastern Region, Liz Salisbury, left AMiE in August. She has enjoyed six years with AMiE and formerly ACM, and has moved on to work for BALPA, the airline pilot’s trade union, as a national officer. We wish Liz all the very best for the future. OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 5
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POLICY MATTERS
SHOULD COLLEGES STILL BE USING GRADED LESSON OBSERVATIONS? ‘Litmus-paper’ approaches to observation are flawed. Isn’t it time we acknowledged that? WORDS TERRY PEARSON
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raded lesson observations have become an established aspect of leadership and management in most of England’s schools and colleges. Indeed, there will be many teachers and leaders in our colleges for whom graded lesson observations have been a part of their entire career. It may therefore come as a surprise to many to find that there is a notable base of evidence to suggest it is unlikely that much faith can be put in the judgements that arise from these lesson observations. I have provided an introduction to some of this evidence elsewhere (Pearson, T. 2014). But, essentially, credible research indicates that it is very difficult to accurately grade a teacher’s performance or the overall quality of what was seen by using a ‘litmus-paper’ approach to lesson observation – where an observer dips into a lesson and uses a record of what was noticed to form a judgement as to where the teacher, or the lesson, sits within a cluster of ratings (most commonly ranging between inadequate and outstanding). The key issues exposed by the research relate to:
• senior school leaders’ ratings of teachers in their schools being only slightly more accurate than decisions based on pure chance (Medley, D. M., & Coker, H. 1987) • senior school leaders being generally able to identify teachers who were the most and least effective in their schools, but far less able to distinguish between teachers in the middle of this distribution (Jacob, B., & Lefgren, L. 2008) • judges from a range of backgrounds, no matter how experienced, being unable to identify successful teachers (Strong, M., et al. 2011). Most pertinent perhaps are the outcomes of a study undertaken by Thomas Kane and Douglas Staiger in 2012. It involved 1,333 teachers and 8,491 lesson observations, and may be to date the largest and most in-depth study of the accuracy of graded lesson observations. These were carried out by more than 900 observers, who had been certified after intensive training and whose practice had been standardised. The frequent occurrence of inaccurate judgements when using graded lesson
observations was reinforced, as the study found that, for a given teacher, ratings varied considerably from lesson to lesson, and for any given lesson, ratings varied from observer to observer. They also found that they could only get close to reasonable levels of consistency in ratings for a given teacher by rating four different lessons, with each needing to be rated by a different observer.
Judging teachers’ performance While none of the above studies have taken place in England, and each of them naturally comes with its own caveats, surely we are hard-pressed to identify sufficiently valid reasons for not expecting similar findings to emerge from similar studies of the accuracy of graded lesson observations in England’s colleges, if they were to be carried out to similar standards. These research reports point us towards some of the systemic inadequacies of graded lesson observations as a means to judge the performance of a teacher or the quality of a lesson. The results contest the longstanding view that deploying
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REFERENCES Jacob, B., & Lefgren, L. (2008). Can Principals Identify Effective Teachers? Evidence on subjective performance evaluation in education. Journal of Labor Economics, 26(1), 101-136. Kane, T.J. & Staiger, D.O. (2012). Gathering Feedback for Teaching: Combining High-Quality Observations with Student Surveys and Achievement Gains. MET Project Research Paper. Seattle, WA: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Medley, D. M., & Coker, H. (1987). The Accuracy of Principals’ Judgments of Teacher Performance. Journal of Educational Research, 80(4), 242-247. Pearson, T. (2014). Lesson Observation: How Trustworthy are Graded Observations? FE News [online] at www. fenews.co.uk/featuredarticle/lesson-observationhow-trustworthy-are-gradedobservations [accessed 25 July 2014]. Strong, M., Gargani, J. & Hacifazlioğlu, Ö. (2011). Do We Know a Successful Teacher When We See One? Experiments in the Identification of Effective Teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 62(4), 367-382.
ILLUSTRATION: IKON
THE MOST POSITIVE RESPONSE LEADERS AND MANAGERS CAN MAKE IS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND TAKE HEED OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE RESEARCH. one-off graded lesson observations are both a valuable and a trustworthy leadership and management practice. So how might we expect senior leaders and managers in our schools and colleges to respond to the findings of these studies, given it is doubtful that schools and colleges will have the resources needed to improve the trustworthiness of graded lesson observations to an acceptable level? Of course, it is possible to carry on as if nothing needs to change. However, this is unlikely to be productive, as one of the key tasks of leaders and managers in our colleges is to ensure unreliable data is not used to inform decision-making. An alternative reaction might be to simply remove the numerical grade that is awarded to lesson observations in the future. This, too, is unlikely to be helpful. Most graded lesson observations
do not only have a numerical element, they also contain a descriptive element, and discarding only one of these will make little, if any, difference at all. An observation will still be categorised and, consequently, will still have a label attached to it. The most positive response leaders and managers can make is to acknowledge and take heed of the findings from the research. Senior managers might review their organisations’ policies to identify where important decisions depend upon the use of judgements from graded lesson observations. This review will include, for example, decisions that relate to determining a teacher’s pay, evaluating a teacher’s performance and promoting teaching staff. It is highly probable that it is not essential for information from graded lesson observations to feature in these types of decisions. There are plenty
of other sources of data that can be used to arrive at a credible judgement of a teacher’s performance. Leaders and managers might also reassess the way lesson observations are deployed. It may be worthwhile ascertaining how many different models of lesson observation they currently use and establishing to what extent the organisation relies upon any particular type. Leaders and managers will then be able to make much better informed decisions about how best to advance the use of lesson observations in their places of work. There are many forms of lesson observation that are not beset with the problems of worth and trustworthiness that plague graded lesson observations. Leaders and managers could do a lot worse than explore how some of these can be put to good effect in their organisations. 3 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Terry Pearson is a former FE senior manager with experience of observing teaching in a wide variety of settings and developing effective systems for lesson observation. He now works as an independent education consultant. He can be tweeted @TPLTD or emailed at terrypearsonltd@gmail.com.
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COMMENT: NORTHERN IRELAND
No one will cast an effective vote THE GENERAL ELECTION AND EDUCATION IN NORTHERN IRELAND
COLUMNIST MARK LANGHAMMER DIRECTOR OF ATL NORTHERN IRELAND
T
he impending 2015 UK General Election will matter and the outcome will affect education in Northern Ireland, but not directly, nor in ways that may seem obvious. There are two core issues to understand. First, education in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter, so will, in theory, be unaffected by the outcome of the UK General Election other than in terms of the size of the ‘block grant’. Second, no one in Northern Ireland will cast an effective vote in the UK General Election. The ‘construct’ of Northern Ireland is designed to retain the region within the UK, but be politically disconnected from it. The Labour Party will not contest in Northern Ireland, nor will the Liberals. Neither will the Conservatives seek a mandate in Northern Ireland. All will govern in Northern Ireland without a shred of a mandate, or even a single vote. We can’t elect the UK government, nor vote the government out.
THE `CONSTRUCT´ OF NORTHERN IRELAND IS DESIGNED TO RETAIN THE REGION WITHIN THE UK, BUT BE POLITICALLY DISCONNECTED.
The British party political boycott of Northern Ireland means, effectively, that Northern Ireland voters can only vote for local (communally based) parties, none of whom will form the UK government. Currently, we elect 18 members to Westminster, made up of eight DUP, three SDLP, one Alliance and one Independent (Unionist), with five Sinn Féin members who have electorally pledged to not attend Westminster. That’s not to say the 2015 election won’t count. The DUP may be hoping to hold a balance of power with a view to joining a Conservative-led coalition. Or to propping up a minority government on an issue-by-issue basis. Education in Northern Ireland is divided between two devolved departments. The Department of Education runs the schools system, whilst the Department for Employment and Learning runs FE and HE. The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive is not run as a coalition or as a power-sharing cabinet. Ministers are appointed, proportionate to electoral strength, to run their own departments. On measures requiring legislation, ministers need to secure all-party, cross-community consent. This system of vetoes, whilst guarding against the abuses of the past, make for slow implementation. Within education, a long-running battle of the shape of a single Education Skills Authority resulted in stalemate, with the DUP blocking legislative moves by the Sinn Féin minister. Likewise, Sinn Féin has blocked moves by the DUP Minister for Social Development to implement (a version of) the British welfare reforms. The consequence of not agreeing welfare reform cuts has been that the block grant is correspondingly cut by the Whitehall Treasury. With major savings to make, the current position is that the (DUP- and Sinn Féin-run) education and health departments will be protected, but all other departments will be disproportionately cut. That is bad news for FE in Northern Ireland. At least some of the British parties contesting to be the next government might not implement welfare reform in the same way, or to the same degree. To that extent, the outcome of the Westminster election does matter for Northern Ireland and for education spending here.
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COMMENT: WALES
Is the grass greener here? Not entirely AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION, WALES SHOULD EXPECT SUBTLE CHANGE
hatever the outcome of the Westminster election next year, little, if anything, will change in Wales as a result of it. Education is now almost completely a devolved matter. It is the Assembly election in 2016 that provides members in Wales with a real choice between the parties over the issues that affect them. In fact, what little impact the Westminster election has on Welsh education will be reduced still further as the devolution of pay and conditions is now on the cards. But more of that later. The impact of the 2015 election will be felt more obliquely. Depending on the winner, there could be new, restrictive trade union laws. Changes to equality legislation and access to tribunals could also affect members living in Wales. And the amount spent on education (and health) will have a ‘consequential’ effect on the Barnett formula. To put it crudely, if less is spent in England, then there will be less to spend in Wales. But the Welsh government’s policy on testing, banding, qualifications, curriculum, FE governance and funding will not change at all. Those looking across the border can be tempted to think that the grass is greener here. We have no academies. Free schools are unknown. The Ofsted regime stops at Offa’s Dyke. But we have problems. Our schools have been chronically underfunded for well over a decade. At the last count, we were spending over £600 less per pupil per year. Our FE sector is now facing savage cuts, especially in post-19 provision. And the national PISA shame is well known – each time we enter, we finish last out of the home nations, and further behind them, too. It will be interesting to see if the state of Welsh education plays a role in the Westminster election. Already the Conservatives have used the alleged state of the Welsh health service as an indication of what you get if you vote Labour. I fear that our
COLUMNIST PHILIP DIXON DIRECTOR OF ATL WALES underperformance in education will be used in the same way. As I said at the start, pay and conditions are currently not devolved, but it is likely that they will be soon. This will directly impact on members not only in schools, but also in colleges, as wages there are tied to teacher reward. Once that happens, then Assembly elections become even more important for us. Next year, ATL Cymru will be beginning its campaign for those Assembly elections. We will be learning from the experience of ATL colleagues in England. The engagement with MPs and prospective MPs has been very constructive. We want to do the same with our Assembly members. We will also be canvassing members for their views on ATL Cymru’s manifesto. One thing is sure: whatever the election, our would-be rulers need to hear from us – and having heard, they need to learn, and having learnt, they need to act accordingly.
BUT WE HAVE PROBLEMS. AT THE LAST COUNT, WE WERE SPENDING OVER £600 LESS PER PUPIL PER YEAR.
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FEATURE
All change?
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FEATURE
o we are now firmly in the run-up to the next General Election. The Tories have recognised that maybe Michael Gove might not be best placed to win votes from education professionals and so have exiled him to the Whip’s Office to do to Tory MPs what he has done to schools and colleges for the past four years. Having a fixed-term Parliament takes away the uncertainty of one element of the next election. We know when it will take place and who will be the main contenders. It is a view, often expressed by school and college leaders, that if only politics could be taken out of education, then all would be well. The professionals could get on with it. And, unlike the politicians, they would know what they were doing. Appealing though this picture may be, it is never going to happen. The combined school and college budget was £316bn in 2013-14. Given this level of public money, it is only right that our elected representatives should have an interest in, and power to determine, education policy.
Policy turbulence in the UK
As the 2015 General Election looms, Peter Pendle examines what it might have in store for schools and colleges WORDS PETER PENDLE ILLUSTRATION JOE WALDRON
That said, the trouble is that the politicians ‘do’ education so badly. Countries that do well in the PISA education league tables take a long and strategic view. They determine where they want their education system to be in the next 20 years, and work steadily towards that broad horizon. Successful education systems are characterised by stakeholder involvement. The professionals are consulted with, and their expertise is valued and used to make policy implementation better and more effective. In successful education systems, the views of all stakeholders, including employers, are used to design OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 11
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F E AT U R E
qualification systems in which there is no false dichotomy between knowledge and skills. In these systems, the acquisition of knowledge and its application is a continuum and both are important. The problem for the UK is that none of the conditions above apply. The UK education systems have experienced policy turbulence on an unprecedented scale since the implementation of the first national curriculum in 1988. Countless revisions of the curriculum and the qualifications system have ensued, and, at present, school and college leaders are facing a veritable tsunami of change – to GCSE, AS, A-level and vocational qualifications. In schools, the implementation of PRP is taking huge amounts of time and energy, which would be better expended elsewhere (as there is no evidence, from any country that has introduced PRP for teachers, that it raises educational standards). And then there is the weekly policy demand – for universal free school
THE PROBLEM IS THAT SO MUCH OF THIS WORK IS UNNECESSARY BUREAUCRACY, WHICH TAKES AWAY FROM THE REAL ISSUE OF PLANNING AND TEACHING. meals, competitive sport, spiritual and moral well-being – and so it goes on, and on… Since incorporation in 1993, the FE sector has had to live through the FEFC, TECs, LSC, YPLA, EFA and SFA, along with enough different funding methodologies and systems to keep auditors happy for the next millennium. Even then, the politicians have never quite managed to give the sector a fair funding allocation.
A fragmented system Politicians of all parties talk about freedom and autonomy for schools and colleges, but it is just that – talk. What they practise is central control. And their enforcer, Ofsted, with its ever-changing inspection frameworks and lack of quality control – school and college leaders never know which Ofsted team will turn up at their door; one that has a clue, or is clueless – creates an atmosphere of fear and a drive towards
gold plating. This means extra work on top of already unsustainable workloads for education staff so that, when the inspector calls, all will be documented. The problem is that so much of this work is unnecessary bureaucracy, which takes away from the real issue of planning and teaching effectively, and assessing pupil progress in detail, which is the foundation of educational practice. Although easy to write, it is difficult, demanding of complex knowledge and professional skill, to do well. Given the unprecedented policy turbulence of the past four years, David Laws, the Lib Dem Education Minister, promised at ATL’s Conference this year in Manchester, to slow things down. Much, he argued, had been achieved,
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F E AT U R E
THE COMBINED SCHOOL AND COLLEGE BUDGET WAS
IT IS GOOD TO SEE THE CONTINUED EMPHASIS ON CREATING SUSTAINABLE, HIGH QUALITY VOCATIONAL PATHWAYS FOR MORE AND MORE YOUNG PEOPLE.
so the policy dust should be allowed to settle and the professionals should be allowed to get on with policy implementation. In the reply to his speech, we averred that it might be OK to let things settle if we were in the right place – but, in our view, we were not in the right place and further policy changes would be needed to make an increasingly fragmented system work for pupils, parents and the professionals.
Party manifesto predictions As we write, the politicians are also sharpening their pens to write their manifestos, and we predict the following… The Lib Dems will major on education policy, as they perceive this to
be a vote winner – a policy place where they can make use of Michael Gove’s unpopularity to demonstrate how different they really are from their coalition partners. They will, rightly, take credit for the pupil premium – a policy that has redistributed significant funds to schools with deprived pupil intakes. Universal infant free school meals will be another achievement, which, despite its contested implementation, will be claimed as a measure of the Lib Dem’s commitment to social mobility and closing the gap. The Conservatives will major on further diversification of the education system – more free schools and more academies. Even Nicky Morgan, the new user-friendly Secretary of State for Education, has made it clear that she intends to plough on with Gove’s reform programme. They will trumpet their determination to raise educational standards through the introduction of more rigorous qualifications and make a pitch to the electorate that, if they vote Labour, they will jeopardise all the progress that has been made by a reforming Tory government. Labour’s manifesto is the hardest to predict, but it is clear that the Blunkett report on the middle tier is now established policy. So, if Labour is elected, there will be established a system of regional school commissioners with powers to require schools to collaborate and to intervene if they are deemed to be failing. Labour will re-establish the requirement for state-
funded schools to employ teachers with QTS, and will create a new post of ‘master teacher’ to retain effective classroom practitioners in the classroom. But there is no promise to establish a national salary scale for master teacher posts. It is likely, also, that Labour will call a halt on qualification reform – driven by a concern about the increasing fragmentation of the UK’s education systems, and a concern about the drive towards timed written exams as the main mode of assessment. UKIP will want the return of grammar schools! College leaders may have noticed that, in the above analysis, no party will have much to say about FE – except for the Labour Party, with a nod to moving towards learner rather than qualification-based funding in adult education, and encouraging the development of vocation and technical HE qualifications that are actually fit for purpose. Labour’s spokesperson, Liam Byrne, added flesh to the bones of the party’s emerging policies for FE and HE. It is certainly good to see the continued emphasis on creating sustainable, high-quality vocational pathways for more and more young people, and the emphasis on partnerships between colleges, schools, universities and employers. Vocational education will be the focus of the House of Commons Education Select Committee’s last inquiry before the General Election – unsurprisingly just too late for the party election manifestos. OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 13
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PROFILE
I
was delighted to be elected president of the AoC for 2014-15, and am currently planning the year ahead. As a long-standing member of ACM, AMiE and ATL, I am pleased to have this opportunity to outline to you my hopes, ambitions and concerns for the colleges sector for next year, which will, of course, include the next General Election. But, first, I thought you might be interested in my route to the presidency. My own professional background includes having been a teacher, lecturer and manager in schools and colleges in Sussex, Surrey and Yorkshire, before becoming a college principal 20 years ago at Yeovil, moving on to Exeter College in 2002. I joined ACM when it was created in 1987, and spent two periods on the Association’s national council. From 2002 to 2004, I had the privilege of serving as president, during which time we affiliated to the TUC for the first time. Later, I joined the
Learning and Skills Council’s Adult Learning Committee, which was chaired by the excellent Frances O’Grady. In 2007, I was elected to the AoC Board as a regional representative, and I was involved in the review and reconstitution of the Association, resulting in a new Board, the appointment of Martin Doel as chief executive and the introduction of the role of president, to serve as a leading professional. For 2014-15, I will be combining my role as AoC president with being principal of Exeter College, something I could only contemplate because of the support of my governors and colleagues. Combining these jobs will be one of my tasks for the year. In terms of policy I have four priorities. A year is a very short time to make an impact and I hope to focus on these four issues and report back to member colleges regularly. My first priority is fair funding for colleges. As the education sector closest to business and industry, we can
understand the need to manage public expenditure and restore the nation’s finances to sound health. As businessminded people, what we struggle to understand is why colleges have suffered much worse funding cuts compared to universities or schools. Funding for adult learners is being reduced by 15% each year, and for 16to 18-year-olds by about three per cent. Last year’s pernicious funding cut of 17.5% for students aged 18+ illustrated the way that funding cuts have been tough for colleges. At present, students aged 16 to 18 are funded at 22% less than those aged 11 to 16, despite the fact that in other countries and in independent schools costs increase at the age of 16. In the run-up to, and in the aftermath of, next May’s General Election, it is vital that everyone draws the attention of politicians to this unfair funding, which will inevitably affect the government’s ability to implement policy. My second priority is teaching and learning. I believe that technical, professional and academic teaching is the core business of all AoC member colleges, and I want to do all that I can to develop and promote this professionalism. The recent Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning identified some of the ways to establish best practice. Third, I wish to promote the continued autonomy of colleges. At the previous General Election, the AoC argued to remove the bureaucratisation and micromanagement of colleges, so that governors and leaders could take greater responsibility for, and be accountable for, the success of our colleges. Finally, I hope to use the role of AoC president to publicise the successes of FE, specialist and sixth form colleges. We need to celebrate our achievements frequently, to remind ourselves, and others, of how colleges transform lives.
On becoming AoC president for 2014-15 A few words on his aspirations, from the newly elected Richard Atkins WORDS RICHARD ATKINS
14 ELM | OCTOBER 2014
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ALL CHANGE FOR WALES FE Belt-tightening in the colleges sector is spreading across the border WORDS MIKE JAMES
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
A
s we approach the next General Election in 2015, managers in Welsh FE are facing the requirement to do more with less money, and react to the changing nature of skills provision. We are also increasingly recognising the need to work far more closely with businesses. Up until recently, FE in Wales did not have to address the kind of funding reductions that English colleges have experienced. It was only a matter of time before the Welsh government had to say “Enough is enough. It is now the turn of FE” when it came to tightening public sector spending. That has now happened. Welsh FE institutions are in a position where they are having to make savings in the millions, whilst still delivering the same, or better, quality of provision. So we have had to start thinking a bit more innovatively. Once colleges were colleges – funded by the government to offer learning to all. However, funding reductions have meant we need to generate income to continue to offer the breadth of learning we know is needed for individuals,
employers and the community. We also need to be effective, efficient businesses. So the sector must focus on making money and thinking about the way it operates and spends. Welsh FE has had to develop a business mindset. Growth is about new markets and ways to make money. It is also about expanding the opportunities for learners and using these to inspire our communities to become more involved. This also must be reflected in the way in which we offer services. Managers in the Welsh FE sector are making real progress in driving the skills agenda. It is vital that we do not see ourselves as mere qualifications factories, where we hand out certificates just for the sake of it. Our goal is developing not just skills, but also the mindsets of learners so they can achieve their potential. This does involve a change in approach, and managers in Welsh FE have grasped the nettle. We are working hard to provide bespoke courses, update people’s existing skills and offer flexible means of delivery. We cannot remain a seven-day-a-week, 34-weeks-a-year operation. The focus has to be on enterprise. That does not mean creating a new generation of people setting up on
their own. Rather, it means providing employers with a workforce that is ready to take the initiative from day one. This involves teaching a broader range of skills than before. Working with a more businesslike approach means that Welsh FE is also working more closely with businesses. The sector has always collaborated with employers and Sector Skills Councils, but the Welsh FE sector is upping its game. We now need to look at what the market needs, rather than supply the same courses that we always have done. We also need to go out to the employer – providing work-based learning and training – to upskill workforces at times and locations that are convenient for the employee. It’s all about being flexible. Finally, I would like to issue a challenge: do we really need to keep calling ourselves ‘Further Education’? I think some rebranding is required, as we do so much more than merely educate further. Perhaps we should call ourselves the ‘Skills Education’ sector, or ‘Enterprise Education’? We have changed so much to meet the challenges we face that the name no longer fits. Mike James, principal and chief executive, Cardiff and Vale College OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 15
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his publication from AMiE raises awareness of the important connection between work and health. It looks at how to develop a well workplace through meaningful engagement with staff, and how reflecting on your physical, mental and emotional well-being is an integral part of that process. We produced the booklet in response to the need for support of members on issues where the absence of a well-being strategy has contributed to a range of organisational problems,
including ineffective restructuring, poor decision-making, sickness, capability and grievance issues. A personal and organisational approach to well-being, in which staff are valued, motivated and safe, can reduce sickness absence and improve performance. At a practical level the booklet offers tools to help with time management, establishing a work-life balance, and recognising and dealing with the impact of undue stress. It offers tips to help you look after yourself and identifies the characteristics of a healthy working environment. There
is also a section dealing with the operational aspects of implementing a well-being strategy. A key theme is that well-being is not a thing to do, but a way to be. We hope this publication prompts new thinking on how well-being can be approached more strategically, more holistically, more compassionately and thus more effectively in future. Leaders and managers have the power to shape a healthy working culture, which is not a luxury to be sold off when the going gets tough. It is a prerequisite for organisational success.
ABOUT AMiE We are the only union to represent managers and leaders across the entire education sector, providing: • help, advice and support: a confidential helpline, online guidance and a network of professional and experienced regional officers to support you in your role as both an employee, and as a manager or leader • excellent personal and professional development: accredited training and development opportunities for you in your role as a manager or leader • a voice in the education debate: an opportunity to influence policy and get involved in issues that affect you • publications and resources: a range of free publications focused on contemporary leadership issues • more for your membership: discounts and rewards for you and your family on a range of products and services.
And with 50% off your first year’s membership*, there’s never been a better time to join AMiE. Join online at www.amie.atl.org.uk/join or call 0845 057 7000 (local call). Let AMiE take you further.
CONTACTING AMiE
AMiE REGIONAL OFFICERS
AMiE 35 The Point Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7QU Tel: 01858 461 110 Fax: 01858 461 366 www.amie.atl.org.uk National helpline Tel: 01858 464 171 Email: helpline@amie.atl.org.uk Clare Atkinson Office administrator Tel: 01858 411 541 Email: catkinson@amie.atl.org.uk David Green Assistant director of AMiE (employment services) Tel: 01858 411 540 Mobile: 07711 929 043 Email: dgreen@amie.atl.org.uk Ellie Manns Development officer Tel: 01858 411 545 Email: emanns@amie.atl.org.uk
WHO CAN JOIN? Colleges: AMiE welcomes managers at all levels in FE colleges, sixth form colleges and adult education providers. Schools: We warmly invite school headteachers (including those in academies), deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers, acting headteachers, bursars and business managers to join AMiE. We also have many members in national organisations, training organisations and other areas of the education sector, including HE.
Julia Pearson Administration manager Tel: 01858 411 542 Email: jpearson@amie.atl.org.uk
EASTERN Contact the national helpline Tel: 01858 464 171 Email: helpline@amie.atl.org.uk
Peter Pendle Chief executive Tel: 020 7782 1507 Email: ppendle@atl.org.uk
SOUTH EAST Steve Cooper Tel: 01983 856 362 Mobile: 07436 549 565 Email: scooper@amie.atl.org.uk
Mark Wright Assistant director of AMiE (leadership and management) Tel: 020 7782 1530 Mobile: 07436 805 330 Email: mwright@amie.atl.org.uk For membership queries, please contact the membership department on 020 7782 1602 or email: membership@atl.org.uk.
*TERMS AND CONDITIONS APPLY, VISIT WWW.AMIE.ATL.ORG.UK FOR FULL SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS, MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND FURTHER INFORMATION.
LONDON Kalbinder Herr Tel: 01865 765 454 Mobile: 07711 929 038 Email: kherr@amie.atl.org.uk
NORTHERN Pauline Rodmell Tel: 01204 660 440 Mobile: 07711 929 037 Email: prodmell@amie.atl.org.uk SOUTH WEST Rachel Jennings Tel: 01752 839 643 Mobile: 07738 641 689 Email: rjennings@amie.atl.org.uk WALES Hilary Mason Tel: 01591 620 700 Mobile: 07435 970 063 Email: hmason@amie.atl.org.uk
CENTRAL Louise Scarff Tel: 01604 810 980 Mobile: 07918 741 030 Email: lscarff@amie.atl.org.uk
NORTHERN IRELAND Mark Langhammer Tel: 02890 782 020 Mobile: 07918 195 070 Email: mlanghammer@atl.org.uk
EAST ANGLIA Darren Smith Tel: 01502 217 584 Mobile 07570 670 411 Email: dsmith@amie.atl.org.uk
SCOTLAND, CHANNEL ISLANDS, ISLE OF MAN Contact the national helpline Tel: 01858 464 171 Email: helpline@amie.atl.org.uk
OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 17
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MASTERCLASS
CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: DOES YOUR APPROACH NEED WORK? Why a review of your organisation’s CPD strategy could pay dividends WORDS MARK WRIGHT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AMiE (LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT)
T
he huge pressure on school and college leaders to raise attainment is unlikely to abate, yet the stretch on resources is also intensifying, given increased student numbers and fewer trained staff. The need to optimise the effectiveness of front-line staff is becoming even more of a critical success factor. Leaders who stay on the right side of change are likely to have thoroughly questioned whether or not their approach to CPD is fit for purpose. Although there have been improvements in recent years, the effectiveness of CPD in schools and colleges still varies widely. For example, the five Inset days used for staff training in schools can range from those that are delivered in an inspiring manner to those that are “like a boring reading out of parish notices that have no bearing on my needs for improvement” – a comment I heard recently, which seems to echo the thoughts of many teachers I’ve spoken to about their experience of Inset. Ineffective CPD can be worse than no CPD, given that it takes time away from teaching; the challenge is to ensure that it is as efficient and effective as possible. It is therefore worth reviewing your approach to CPD in your organisation.
The learning environment A useful mirror through which to assess your approach is the expansiverestrictive framework devised by
Professor Alison Fuller and Professor Lorna Unwin of the Institute of Education, London. A more ‘restrictive’ approach to CPD focuses on building sufficient capacity to simply get the job done, ie the focus is on the needs of the job rather than the needs or latent potential of the member of staff doing the job – or even the wider and longerterm effectiveness of the organisation. This approach may be necessary during a crisis or when there’s an urgent need to ensure capacity is built quickly to fulfil an organisational objective. Although it can increasingly feel like this is what the education system is becoming these days, it is not an ideal approach for realising staff potential in schools and colleges. It is, indeed, overly restrictive and cannot deliver what is required. Many leaders and managers may not feel comfortable identifying their organisational approach to CPD as being more on the ‘restrictive’ side of the expansive-restrictive continuum, but it’s important to see beyond the pejorative nature of the term and take it as a reality check – ask if this approach is seriously likely to deliver the performance needs of your school or college during testing times. It is often the case that there will be some element of your CPD that would be seen as expansive, so the real issue is to think whether the whole environment of learning tends to the expansive side of the continuum. Those who do adopt an ‘expansive’ approach to CPD take a much more
“LIKE A BORING READING OUT OF PARISH NOTICES THAT HAVE NO BEARING ON MY NEEDS FOR IMPROVEMENT.”
EXPANSIVE C1
CPD is used to align the goals of developing individual and organisational capability
C2
CPD vision goes beyond immediate job requirements – progression for career
C3
Teacher has dual status as learner and employee: explicit recognition of, and support for, status as learner (reflective practitioner)
C4
Trainee teacher makes a gradual transition to productive worker and builds expertise in their subject and in pedagogy – dual professionalism
C5
Trainee teacher is treated as a member of an occupational and workplace community, with access to the community’s rules, history, knowledge and practical expertise
C6
Teachers participate in different communities of practice inside and outside the workplace – new ideas are recognised and valued
C7
Workplace maps everyday work tasks against qualification requirements – qualification valued, as adds extra skills and knowledge to immediate job requirements
C8
Teachers have access to accredited CPD to gain further qualifications for progression to the next level
C9
Teacher has planned time off-the-job for study and to gain wider perspective
C10
New teacher’s existing skills and knowledge recognised and valued, and used as platform for new learning
C11
Teacher’s progress closely monitored with regular constructive feedback from designated mentors and managers
TEACHER COMMENT 18 ELM | OCTOBER 2014
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1 THE EXPANSIVE-RESTRICTIVE FRAMEWORK FOR CPD Consider the approach to CPD in your organisation in light of the 11 factors that comprise the Fuller & Unwin expansive-restrictive framework.
RESTRICTIVE CPD CHAMPIONS Many middle managers now have a much more outward-focused role than previously.
CPD is used to tailor individual capability to organisational need CPD focus is on minimal skills required to fulfil current job tasks Status as employee dominates: status as learner restricted to minimum required to meet college requirements Fast transition to productive worker with limited opportunity to maintain and enhance occupational expertise Trainee teacher treated as an extra pair of hands, who only needs access to limited knowledge and skills to perform job
Participation restricted to narrowly defined job role and work station, limited expectation/ recognition that teachers will generate new ideas Weak relationship between workplace tasks and qualifications – no value placed on, or recognition of, skills and knowledge acquired beyond immediate work tasks Qualifications only available to accredit limited range of on-the-job competence Off-the-job seen as ad hoc events either as reward or to remedy a deficit – limited connection to everyday work (can even be seen as ‘obstructive’ to the immediate tasks at hand) New teacher regarded as ‘blank sheet’ or ‘empty vessel’ Teacher’s progress monitored against targets, limited feedback, mentors and managers not given time for feedback
holistic focus and use CPD to build both the capacity of individual staff members, and the relationships between staff and the organisation as a whole. There is a fundamental recognition that the two are entwined. Reflection using this framework can be quite sobering for leaders and managers. Not only can it challenge the view they have of their approach, but it also challenges how they may need to respond. What might senior leaders do to encourage middle managers to adopt more empowering approaches to CPD for their departmental or year group teams when these managers’ own performance targets are based on ‘results’ rather than building staff capacity? Is there a need to review performance targets, which may unwittingly be dampening the potential of the school or college in favour of short-term ‘results’ this year?
Middle managers as CPD champions The journey to become or remain an efficient and effective school or college is made easier by adopting a culture that nurtures an expansive approach to CPD. There are certainly signs in schools that this is beginning to happen and this is being helped by the fact that many middle managers now have a much more outward-focused role than previously. They play an important part in collaborating with other local schools and can form strong communities of practice, which build ‘expansive’ staff capacity if managed effectively.
Much of the expansive approach is as much about ethos and outlook as anything. Expansive does not necessarily mean expensive, as training can certainly be at times. It is about really valuing staff and entrusting them with the professional responsibility to develop and grow. The strong side benefit of this is that it grows the capacity of the school or college in the process. The middle manager has the key brokering role of marrying students’ improvement needs with staff development needs and highlighting the interventions that are designed to address both.
Expanded horizons An expansive approach to CPD can provide the holistic benefits that deliver the ‘greater than the sum of the parts’ synergy that schools and colleges will need to aspire to in order to navigate challenges. The time to review the approach to CPD is now, and the expansive ethos needs to encompass the very leaders and managers set to deliver the changes that are to come. A shift to an expansive approach is not without its challenges, but the rewards are great. A burgeoning sense of trust and professionalism in staff has massive benefits for the organisation and for learners. There are, of course, practical steps to take around the visibility, shape and processes that could make up an expansive learning environment, and AMiE/ATL would be only too happy to work with you on this. OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 19
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ADVICE
When it comes to staff happiness, there’s no such thing as a quick fix WORDS DAVID GREEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AMiE (EMPLOYMENT)
I have just started as head of a new academy. I am very keen to ensure that the staff team work well together and, in particular, that to the best of our ability, we avoid problems of regular absenteeism due to repeated sickness and stress-related ill health. I realise some problems are outside of our control, but I believe that before you have an effective team, you have to have a happy team. Do you have any advice on how to make this happen?
You are quite right to link effectiveness to the happiness of your team. Efficient and effective organisations tend to be happy places, with low staff sickness absence. Yet this can all too often be overlooked in the rush to meet deadlines, targets and in dealing with the many rigours of school and college life. There are no short, simple solutions, and an overarching strategic approach to organisational well-being is recommended. A good place to start is with an assessment of overall staff well-being. From here you can consider the impact of your leadership style and organisational culture on well-being. Our view is that, no matter what external pressures and challenges are impacting the organisation, its leaders have a responsibility to aspire to good leadership, which means setting a culture where staff are motivated, inspired and safe. The key to success is proper engagement with your staff, not just while you develop your well-being strategy, but as an ongoing aspect of it. By this, we mean enabling individuals to see how they contribute to your organisation’s vision; and ensuring managers respect, empower, develop and praise their staff. It also means ensuring you have an effective staff voice, whose opinions count. This may sound a little academic, but such an approach can be reflected in your HR policies, which themselves should be an important operational aspect of your well-being strategy. For example, look at how effectively you consult and negotiate with union representatives; and review your policies for managing change, and
avoiding and resolving problems. There are also the related policies on recruitment, selection and training. These will help ensure you have the correctly trained staff; that CPD is appropriate and effective; and that your organisation mentors and inducts new staff efficiently, whilst providing coaching on an ongoing basis for line managers and other staff. Then there are other areas where well-being overlaps with HR. Your policy on flexible working, your approach to avoiding work-related stress and workplace bullying may also be covered by HR policies and procedures. In addition, your sickness and safety policies are going to be an important element of your well-being strategy. But other less obvious areas may also require attention. As you will expect, developing and then putting a well-being strategy into effect is going to take time. What’s more, there must be a strong commitment from the organisation’s leadership. You need to be not just aware, but fully signed up to the strategy and the process. Of course, the demands on education staff are great. We work, after all, in probably the most regulated and politically controlled sector of society. So the challenge for leaders and managers is enormous. But a healthy workplace is not a luxury that can be sold off when the going gets tough. Rather, it is a prerequisite for organisational success and needs to be approached as such.
3 MORE INFORMATION Find out more about these issues in our new booklet, Well-being: Leading and Managing a Well Workplace, which is being sent out to members, and will also be available as a free download from AMiE’s website.
20 ELM | OCTOBER 2014
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UNION MATTERS
PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS: THE PITFALLS OF PRP Can performance-related pay ever work well? WORDS MARK WRIGHT, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AMiE (LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT)
S
chool leaders and managers in England’s maintained sector have the unenviable task of implementing PRP. Rather than viewing it as a sure-fire way to improve results, it is, in practice, an exercise in damage limitation. Handled without sensitivity, it can sink the morale and performance of those who believe they ought to have received a reward, and an extra few pounds isn’t likely to spur on those who are already high-performing through intrinsic motivation. The first year of its introduction will reveal many of the PRP pitfalls, but also some lessons on how it can be managed effectively. Some of these can be foreseen, but it is still far from an easy process. PRP will shine a light on the school’s pay policy, which needs to be fair and transparent, but getting target setting right is crucial – this is where the rubber really hits the road with PRP. It’s likely to be the source of much of the unrest that is due to hit the fan.
CALL THE AMiE HELPLINE ON 0 1 8 5 8 4 6 4 17 1 IF YOU WOULD LIKE T O TA L K T H R O U G H T H E I M P A C T T H AT P R P I S H AV I N G O N Y O U R S TA F F.
accurate by the teachers themselves; managers need to have moderated the measures used across the school, as they will no doubt be moderated informally in the staffroom. In these circumstances, keeping staff morale sufficiently high and focused on the real needs of school improvement requires skilful leadership. Positive action is required to counter any back-biting and complaining that can be an unintended by-product of the PRP process. It is important to ensure that the school culture, critical to success as it is, does not become bogged down by personality and politics. Given the known risks of PRP, it is possible to mitigate against them to some extent by adopting conciliatory approaches (eg an effective well-being strategy) and by ensuring that managers are sufficiently skilled to deal with staff angst sensitively and effectively. Thought also needs to be given to the lessons to be drawn from implementing PRP. Talking through any challenges the process throws up
HANDLED WITHOUT SENSITIVITY, IT CAN SINK THE MORALE AND PERFORMANCE OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE THEY OUGHT TO HAVE RECEIVED A REWARD. When success is hard to measure, it is too easy to resort to targets that are easily measureable, rather than those that really count. This defensive and reductionist approach can encourage teachers to think that only a small part of their job is important, ie that which is captured in three clearly measured personal-performance objectives. Any measure needs to be valid, reliable and considered fair and
can serve both as a learning purpose, as well as a cathartic one, if there is a need to find a way through the charged energy of staffroom politics! The AMiE publication, Improving Performance Through Critical Conversations, published last year, provides tips about dealing with the kind of challenging conversations with staff that PRP will conjure and is available from AMiE’s website. OCTOBER 2014 | ELM 21
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FINAL WORD
y the time this edition of the new-look ELM lands on your doormat, Michael Gove’s tenure as Secretary of State for Education will be long gone – but not, I think, forgotten. How could he be? Rarely has a politician divided public opinion so strongly. Michael Gove knew what he wanted, was untroubled by doubts, undeterred by evidence and undaunted by opposition from any quarter. His aim was for an autonomous, diverse and self-improving school system, which floated free from the shackles of government at local and national level. And yet, for all his talk of freedom, autonomy and difference, Michael Gove failed to realise his vision. He realised, too late, that whilst the Department for Education might propose, it is the inspection agency, Ofsted, that disposes. Throughout Gove’s period in office, Ofsted continued on its merry way – with an inadequate inspection methodology, which misuses national data sets to categorise individual schools; with inadequate quality control of its inspection teams, which leaves school leaders and college managers highly vulnerable to whichever Ofsted team turns up at their school or college gate – one that has a clue, or one that is clueless. The effects of Ofsted on the lives of education professionals cannot be overstated. Based on an intrinsic and fundamental lack of trust in them, Ofsted operates on a tide of fear and trepidation, with inspection teams that are seen as capricious and all-powerful, so that heads responding to their perception of the wishes of the chief inspector, another Michael (Wilshaw), is seen as rational behaviour. But when those wishes encompass (in no particular order) teachers wearing smart clothes, competitive sport, phonics, setting children by ability, a focus on spiritual and moral development, and a broad and balanced curriculum, you begin to see the problem. It is not that, of themselves, any item on this list is
GOVE´S LEGACY IS OF WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE POLICY SUPPORT. M A RY B O U ST E D, AT L G E N E R A L S E C R E TA RY
a bad thing – some are very good things (although setting by ability is the single biggest, in-school factor, limiting the achievement of deprived pupils) – it is, rather, that taken together, they are a complete hotchpotch. Too late did Gove realise that Ofsted was more of a problem than a solution and, despite increasing evidence of Ofsted’s effects, Gove did far too little about it. Whilst he was strongly driven by ideas, Gove was impatient of their implementation. Having no experience of leadership of any organisation and the challenges it brings, he did not understand that careful implementation of policy is a prerequisite for success. Gove’s legacy is of weak and ineffective policy support. The National College for Teaching and Leadership is, ironically, lacking clear direction and leadership. Its flagship School Direct programme is, as was predicted by many, failing to achieve consistent quality control of training programmes, which are devised by thousands of school providers. An emerging crisis in teacher supply is happening at the same time as a primary pupil places crisis. Existing primary schools can only build over their playground, convert the music room into a classroom, divide the school hall, once. In the end, they run out of space. Any Secretary of State for Education has two key responsibilities – and these are to ensure that there are enough school places for pupils and that there is an adequate teacher supply. My prediction is that Gove will be judged to have failed on both these counts – and in this, his legacy to his successor, Nicky Morgan, is especially toxic. The final Gove legacy was the sheer weight of policy implementation, the results of which are only starting to really bite now that he’s gone. A new primary and secondary national curriculum (although its claim to nationhood can be disputed as academies and free schools are liberated from its strictures); the abandonment of levels in primary education; new GCSEs in the core subjects; the decoupling of AS from A-levels; new A-levels in the core subjects; new vocational qualifications; PRP; new Ofsted inspection framework – the list goes on and makes Gove’s protestations of trust in the profession and autonomy for school and college leaders look like what they actually are – protestations devoid of any meaning and any reality.
22 ELM | OCTOBER 2014
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Tracking
Uniquely numbered labels Highly durable and suitable for many types of surface Use as part of an asset tracking system A range of tamper evident, void and barcode tracking labels to choose from
Ideal for managing the asset tracking needs of the organisation Robust barcode scanners and hand-held computers to update asset data remotely Easy to use software interface, install and scan Conforms to the government’s control of asset guidelines
or contact
www.selectamark.co.uk +44 (0)1689 860757 SelectaDNA is a registered trademark of:
Selectamarkplc Advanced Asset Protection
Selectamark Security Systems plc, 1 Locks Court, 429 Crofton Road, Locksbottom, Kent, BR6 8NL. UK. DA0106/2
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