Education ii

Community schools

• Run by councils (local education authority)

• Council owns assets/land/buildings +pays staff

• Council determines admissions criteria for dealing with oversubscription

• Develops strong links with community – eg sharing facilities

• All ability – no selection

Local Education Authorities – counties+districts

• Have moved from ‘providers’ to ‘commissioners’

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

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

improvement)• Promote high standards• Ensure schools follow National Curriculum• Limited say on academies+free schools

Issues for councils

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

• Academies may resist expansion as they value ‘smallness’

• Greater risk of schools ‘doing their own thing’

• Losing out in funding? Lack of level playing field

Grammar schools

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

• Coalition allowing expansion where population growth demands it

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

Ofsted

• Created in 1992

• Chief inspector is Sir Michael Wilshaw

• Being re-named: The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (April 2007)

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

Ofsted

• School inspections focus on:

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

School inspections

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

• Schools are graded:• Outstanding (1)• Good (2)• “Requires improvement” (formerly

satisfactory)• Inadequate (4)

‘Schools causing concern’

• A failing school is one which:

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

and• Those in charge are judged unable to secure

improvements

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

Special measures

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

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

• School is regularly monitored

• If school unable to improve, can be ordered to close

Notice to improve

• Less serious than special measures

• Usually focuses on one area (eg standards)

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

National Curriculum

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

Design and Technology

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

National Curriculum

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

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

• Language GCSEs fallen dramatically – in Kent fewer then 30 per cent of pupils in 2012 took and passed GCSE language

National Curriculum – Gove’s view

• Wants to slim down the NC

• Focus on basics with more flexibility

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

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

How well are schools doing?

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

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

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

• Key Stage 3 scrapped after exam chaos 2008

How well are schools doing?

• Tables include:

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

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

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

School tables

• Absence rates – persistent and unauthorised

• Comparative data over recent years

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

• Numbers sitting exams

Admissions

• The School Admissions Code (April 2007)

• Mandatory code – replacing voluntary code

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

disadvantage any child • Prohibits use of ‘unfair over

subscription criteria

Admissions ii

• Schools must not:

• Ask parents about personal background, eg earnings, job

• Give priority to those who make school their first preference

• Give priority to children based on hobbies or interests

Admissions iii

• Under the code, schools can:

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

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

Coalition plans for admissions code (Nov 2012)

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

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

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

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

• Lotteries to determine admissions scrapped

Admissions iv

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

• Parents have right of appeal to independent panels

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

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

Governors

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

is encouraged via agreed principle

Governors ii

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

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