A report from the Institute for Public Policy Research says that whilst successive governments have focused on the route through A Levels to degrees, little attention has been paid to vocational education even though a large number of the jobs likely to be created in the next few years will be in areas such as skilled trades that have always relied on vocational education.
The TES reported (2 May) that the NAHT is proposing ending the six week summer holiday and arranging shorter holidays throughout the year to ease the pressure on teachers. It then made the point that schools in England and Wales, along with those in Germany and Denmark, already have the shortest summer holiday break in Europe. However there is academic research which suggests that long summer holidays have a detrimental effect on children’s academic performance, with pupils in danger of forgetting some of what they have learned. The NAHT also suggested staggering school holidays in different areas in order to challenge the high cost of holidays for parents and teachers.
A report from the Royal Institute of British Architects recommended that ministers address an estimated £8.5 billion backlog of repairs to replace crumbling schools and ease overcrowding for pupils. The Coalition Government ended the Building Schools for the Future programme and replaced it by a reduced programme of spending.
As you are no doubt aware in a cabinet reshuffle in July Michael Gove was replaced as Secretary of State for Education by Nicky Morgan. He is now the Chief Whip. She was formerly the Minister for Women & Equality. The former Schools Minister Elizabeth Truss has been promoted and replaced by Sam Gyimeh. Nick Gibb returned as Minister of State and David Laws, Lord Nash and Edward Timpson remain as education ministers.
Michael Gove and Lord Nash launched Inspiring Governors on 15 May. This organisation has been established to celebrate and promote the importance of skilled and effective school governance. It aims to:
inspire more “high calibre people” to volunteer as governors inspire more employers to see the benefits of encouraging their staff to apply to become governors inspire more governing bodies to actively recruit governors on the basis of their skills
The Education & Employers Taskforce is behind this organisation, which is also supported by the NGA, the National Co-ordinators of Governor Services (NCOGS), the CBI, Business in the Community and the Federation of Small Businesses.
Following Ofsted’s investigation of 21 Birmingham schools, the Secretary of State Michael Gove announced that all schools in England would in future be expected to actively promote British values. These were defined by the Government as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs. Sir Michael Wilshaw then recommended that the Government gives serious consideration to the introduction of mandatory training for governors and the appointment of professional governors where governance was judged to be weak.
16