Education Journal No 147

7/30/2019 Education Journal No 147

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2 EDUCATION JOURNAL 23 November 2012 ISSUE 147

No more dangerous dogs

As we repor in his issue, yes erday he Governmen announced a he Associaton o Collegescon erence ha rom nex Sep ember i would allow ur her educaton colleges o compe e wi hschools in a ractng 14 o 16-year-olds. Yes erday was also he day ha he Natonal Audi Office

published a repor , M anaging he Expansion o he Academies Programme, which was highly critcal o he way he Depar men or Educaton had managed ha expansion.

The NAO acknowledged he success o he Governmen in moving so many schools in o he academyold. Ye Amyas Morse, head o he Natonal Audi Office, concluded ha " he Depar men or Educaton

was no sufficien ly prepared or he nancial implicatons o such a rapid expansion, or or he challenge o overseeing and moni oring such a large number o new academies. In o her words, he Governmen hadno ully worked ou he implicatons o i s policy. Could we be abou o see a repea o ha wi h hechanges o ur her educaton?

The Governmen is wisely beginning o row back on ano her o i s policies, he creaton o he FE Guild.There is widespread suppor or he policy, bu increduli y ha he Guild could be ready o assume i s ullrole by nex Augus . Minis ers are now alking abou i being es ablished by hen, which is a very differen

hing. Even good policies need o be properly execu ed.Some in FE welcomed he opening up o heir colleges o 14-16 year-olds wi h en husiasm. In our news

repor on his we quo e Mike Hopkins, Principal o Middlesbrough College, as saying: This is he mosimpor an s ruc ural change in FE in my career ... I s a massive s ep orward. O her, more cautous, FEleaders are wondering how hey will provide services or children in he more adul environmen o a largecollege ha is also being encouraged by Governmen o do more higher educaton.

Colleges also need o consider he effec on heir repu aton.

According o he Wol Repor , hey are mos likely o be recruitnglearners rom he hird quartle in he abili y range bu heir examresul s a 16, including GSCE A*-C grades, will be published alongwi h hose o schools covering he whole abili y range. Thisin ormaton will have o be care ully managed i hey are no o belef looking like low achieving inst utons.

And wha o schools? This is no going o be help ul o he newUniversi y Technology Colleges, which ca er or he 14+ age group.They work wi h ur her and higher educaton inst utons, bu i is

difficul o see why a college leader would now wan o pu effor in o working wi h a UTC when he or shecan jus open heir own doors o he same group.

For mos secondary schools i is jus ano her ac or hey will have o deal wi h in an increasinglydisconnec ed sys em. I will hi heir unding a a tme when mos are acing alling school rolls. I isprobable ha relatvely ew 14 year-olds will swi ch rom school o college nex Sep ember, or ew paren swill wan o volun eer heir children o be guinea pigs. However, i signican numbers s ar o move across

hereafer hen ha will have a negatve impac on schools. Educaton is no , and should no be, abou heconvenience o inst utons bu regard does have o be had or he in eres s o hose who will remain inschools.

Wha he NAO repor on he academies programme shows (and Building Schools or he Fu ure showedabou he las governmen ) is ha wha seems like a good idea a he tme a policy wonk convinces apolitcian o do some hing can be derailed i he de ail is no hough hrough. Elsewhere in his issue we

repor on Edward Timpson announcing an ex ension o he 20 pilo programmes estng changes in policyor hose wi h special educatonal needs. This approach is a wise one. Any minis er who hinks i is a goodidea o rush he in roducton o new policies should remember he Dangerous Dogs Ac . Minis ers pu ha

hrough in a day, hen spen he res o heir careers regre ng heir has e.

C O M M E N T

This is he mos impor an s ruc ural change in FE in my

career ... I s a massives ep orward.


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Leading businesswoman o speak a op con erence

Aleading businesswoman and ounder o wo childrens charites will be speaking a one o heUKs mos prestgious educaton con erences in he New Year. Camila Ba manghelidjh will be joining several eminen speakers who will be passing on heir weal h o experience a he Nor ho England Educaton Con erence being held in Sheffield in January.

Camila is he ounder o wo childrens charites The Place 2 Beand Kids Company, where she curren ly works wi h some o hemos raumatsed young people living in London. She rained as apsycho herapis , engaged in 20 years o psychoanalysis and hasbecome an advoca e or vulnerable children. In 2009 she was namedBusiness Woman o he Year or he Dods and Sco sh WidowsPublic Li e Awards. Camila has also been awarded SocialEn repreneur o he Year by Erns and Young, and Cou s and heMos Admired Chie Executve by Third Sec or Magazine. She won

he li etme achievemen award rom he Cen re o Social Justce.Inspiring learners will be he ocus o he con erence and Camila

joins a number o hough -provoking speakers ha have alreadybeen conrmed, including Pro essor he Lord Rober Wins on,Pro essor Isaac Prillel ensky and Head o O s ed Sir Michael Wilshaw.The con erence, now in i s 109 h year, brings oge her he Universi yo Sheffield School o Educaton working in par nership wi h SheffieldHallam Universi y.

Delega e ees have been kep a he same ra e as or he lascon erence and are being snapped up as , wi h delega es beingregis ered rom as ar as he Middle Eas ! The con erence will akeplace a Sheffield Hallam Universi y rom 16 o 18 January 2013. Fur her de ails abou he con erence and

regis raton in ormaton can be ound by visitng h ps://regis raton.livegroup.co.uk/neec2013/.

Asbes os repor : serious risk o heal h

I has emerged ha a new repor in o he asbes os risk a Cwmcarn High School in Caerphilly haswarned o he serious po ental risk o bo h children and s aff alike. The repor , conduc ed by SantaAsbes os Managemen , ound ha asbes os in he roo void may have been blown around hebuilding by he schools own in ernal heatng sys em. Workmen had de ec ed airborne bres which were

en tmes over accep able levels. The survey in o Cwmcarn revealed ha i posed a serious risk oheal h and recommended ha he school should be demolished, as sugges ed in a previous inspecton.

The ndings sugges ha he risks may have been increased by: Ceiling tles being dis urbed by draugh s; Repairs o he elec rical circui ; Pupils scraping chairs and ables in classrooms could even have caused damage o asbes os boards.

The Company concluded in i s Repor ha : We are o he opinion ha i is no easible o contnueoperatng he School in he curren conditon based on he risks imposed on occupan s. The Repor alsoconcluded ha i would no be possible or practcal o re urbish he building by removing all he asbes osgiven o her upgrades and sa e y improvemen s which would be needed.

The Council and he Welsh Governmen are stll considering he Repor and i s implicatons and ye omake a long- erm decision abou he u ure o he School and i s pupils. Meanwhile, he pupils schoolingcontnues o proceed on a emporary basis in par o Coleg Gwen s Ebbw Vale Campus, where hearrangemen s are described as proceeding sats ac orily.


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ISSUE 147 23 November 2012 EDUCATION JOURNAL 5

The Pole m icis t

The Polemicist is a new occasional magazine.

To register to receive each copy, or to submit an idea for publication, please email:

[email protected]

Vol 1 No 3 explains: "How the BBC might help prevent child abuse"

Prospec s In erchange launched a Skills Show

P rospec s, he leading educaton, employmen and raining group, used he occasion o SkillsLondon 2012 a ExCeL oday o launch i s new Prospec s In erchange. This is a new ne work hawill connec blue-chip FTSE 100 companies, educaton organisatons, governmen depar men s andagencies and o hers rom he learning and skills sec ors. I replaces FEdS, a subscripton ne work

acquired by Prospec s ha had originally been es ablished wi hin he nance indus ry.Prospec s In erchange is ree o join, and gives represen atves o business and educaton a orum o

discuss issues around learning, skills and employabili y. Prospec s In erchange members include he BBC,BP, BT, Ci y and Guilds, IBM, Lloyds TSB, Microsof, OCR, Rolls Royce, UCAS and Unilever. Speaking a heeven , Ray Auvray, Executve Chairman o Prospec s said: We believe i is crucial or business andeducaton o work closely oge her. Every school and college wan s heir learners o go on o success ul,

ullling careers bu in order or his o happen, our educaton providers and inst utons need ounders and wha employers are looking or in po ental new recrui s. Business has much o offereducaton. Young people can be inspired where here is he chance o mee and in erac wi h companiesand engaging wi h educaton presen s a grea developmen oppor uni y or employees. Prospec sIn erchange offers a collaboratve orum, bringing business, governmen and educaton oge her, creatng anew voice or employers o inuence policy and stmula e hinking on critcal educaton and skills issues.

Michael Larbalester, Edi or o he Prospec s In erchange newsle er, said: Our newsle er will ocus oneducaton and en erprise, updatng Prospec s In erchange members wi h he la es news, research andpolicy developmen s. I will provide an oppor uni y or members o showcase heir innovatons and bespractce. The newsle er will complemen Prospec s In erchange even s and provide a regular link ormembers.

For de ails on becoming a member o Prospec s In erchange please con ac Coral Rayeld on 020 83151260 or email coral.rayeld@prospec s.co.uk


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O qual repor s on NatonalAssessmen arrangemen s

On Wednesday O qual published i s repor on he Natonal Assessmenarrangemen s or 2011/12. I presen s he ndings o O quals reviewactvites. Overall, he repor s a es, we ound ha he S andards and

Testng Agency (STA) success ully implemen ed a number o changes o NatonalAssessmen arrangemen s during 2011/12. As a new executve agency o heDepar men or Educaton (D E) i in roduced and effectvely managed hePhonics Screening Check and made sure ha schools received resul s o all KeyS age 2 es s on tme.

Among i s ndings he repor urged he D E o make all relevan in ormatonabou s a u ory estng arrangemen s o schools early in he academic year. I alsorecommended ha he purpose and key principles o ex ernal moderaton shouldbe consis en rom Early Years Foundaton S age Prole o Key S age 2.

A Key S age 2, he repor said ha he D E should make an early decision onwhe her and/or how he ou comes o he new English Grammar, Punc uaton andSpelling es will con ribu e o he calculaton o accoun abili y measures or Englishin 2013.

FE building

BusinessSecre ary VinceCable used he

AoC con erence in

Birmingham oannounce a ur her 412m or capi al projec s

or 56 ur her educatoncolleges. TheGovernmen iscon ributng

110m and hecolleges

hemselves arecon ributng

302m. The unding is he

hird phase o heEnhanced Renewal Gran (ERG3) which hascon ribu ed 330 million since May 2010, supportngover 1 billion o spending incollege buildingsacross England.

Vince Cablesaid: "Addressinggaps in skills is animpor an par o our indus rial s ra egy. This

initatve isano her exampleo how Governmen isworking in long-

erm par nershipwi h indus ry ogive hem morecondence oinves , hire and grow."

Special educatonal needs rial ex ended

Trials o help children and young adul s wi h special educatonal needs are

being ex ended by ano her 18 mon hs. Edward Timpson, he Parliamen aryUnder Secre ary a he Depar men or Educaton responsible or children

and amilies, made he announcemen earlier his week.There are 20 areas where a series o re orms are being es ed be ore hey

become law. Paren s o young people aged be ween one and 24 years have beenestng he re orms. Their children have conditons as varied as autsm, chronic

medical conditons like lung disease and learning disabilites.The re orms include a single assessmen process and an in egra ed educaton,

heal h and care plan. This brings oge her all he suppor needed in a single place.Paren s also have he opton o a personalbudge .

Mr Timpson said: We wan he besor children and young people who have

special educatonal needs or who aredisabled. The Minis er claimed ha here orms would pu children and paren s a

he hear o policy, and would make sureha educaton, heal h and social care

services work oge her in heir in eres s.Our re orms will help children ge suppor swifly, make progress in school and hengo on o live independen ly la er in li e.

Mr Timpson me paren s, councillors and pro essionals involved in he Bromleyand Bexley rial a he Phoenix Cen re, which has a hydro pool, as well as medicalrooms and a gym. In providing so many acilites in one locaton i providesin egra ed services or paren s o children wi h special educatonal needs.

We wan he bes or children and young people who have special

educatonal needs or who are disabled.


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F E A T U R E

Apprentceships are or everyone

Sarah Key alks o Jaine Bol on, Chie Operatng Officer o he Natonal ApprentceshipService, a he Skills Show near Birmingham.

Beginning on a positve no e, Jaine Bol on described he Skills Show UK as being Impressive romday 1 wi h i s main aim being o show young people vocatonal oppor unites. However in herview no enough is done o his end, saying he balance is more owards a career ha you can gehrough higher educaton and an academic rou e. Jaine re erred o he higher apprentceships which

have been developed over he las year and lead o level 4, 5 and 6 qualicatons. Theseapprentceships, or example hose offered a he Rolls Royce academy, offer a job, raining, progression,a salary and he oppor uni y o gain workplace skills. They offer a clear work based progressiona ractng hose who previously only saw hemselves as having one opton o go o universi y, such asone young man who had been offered a place o s udy a Ox ord Universi y, bu had ins ead chosen opursue a higher apprentceship.

NAS here ore promo e he message ha apprentceships are or everyone, al hough according o Jaine here is more o be done o promo e he or everyone message. In order o do his we need o sell heconcep and produc o vocatonal educaton. In o her words how o ge i and wha i is. There is acons an need o renew he message and contnually promo e i much in he same way as is done orhigher educaton in schools. Jaine no ed ha eachers and curriculum leaders do have some experience o vocatonal educaton, as hey require experience wi hin a school be ore hey will be accep ed on o a

eacher raining course. However, eachers need o be more com or able alking abou vocatonaleducaton and ge ng employers in o schools o do his.

When asked whe her she hough higher universi y ees would make more people considerapprentceships, Jaine hoped hey would bu a he same tme hoped ha his would be or he righreasons. She hopes young people will hink earlier abou heir optons, wi h apprentceships beingconsidered a he same poin as universi y ra her han as a las resor .

Some apprentces have been paid below he minimum wage o 2.65 an hour. Jaine made i clear hahe NAS are making every effor o resolve his. They s ress ha an apprentceship is no volun eering or

work experience and encourage employers o hink abou wha a air pay ra e would be or heirapprentce. Fur her effor s o eradica e unaccep ably poor practce are being made o ensure young peopleunders and heir righ s. Jaine made he in erestng poin ha apprentces who have been paid below heminimum wage end o work in sec ors in which here is poor practce anyway, so is no necessarily due o

he ac ha someone is an apprentce bu a reecton o he sec or hey work in. She added ha NAS willbe working wi h hese sec ors o ry and resolve he si uaton.

WorldSkills UKA key ea ure a he Skills Show is he WorldSkills UK Compettons or young people and adul s in ur hereducaton and apprentceships o showcase heir skills. When asked wha he main ou comes o hecompettons would be Jaine explained hese raise he es eem and respec given o vocatonal educatonand highligh s he ac ha he employers involved are investng all heir energy and values in o his.

Secondly, hey raise s andards or he individual as colleges will hink abou wha hey can do o helpheir compet ors improve he nex tme, or o main ain s andards i heir en ry is a winner. Also hose

exhibi ors who have come o he skills show bu have no en ered a compet or will be urged o en er a

compet or he ollowing year. Wi h he compettons being held or he rs tme ever under one roo ,whereas previously compet ors were used o showcasing heir skills in small halls, hey are now competngin ron o housands people, leading o increased pressure and consequen ly serving o raise s andards.


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Hoping o orge all our u uresChris Wa erman a he CBI con erence in London

The CBI Annual con erence ook place on Monday a heGrosvenor House Ho el on Park Lane. Cameron, Cable,Milliband (Ed) and Boris Johnson processed across he mains age in urn, bringing heir mixed messages o over a housandcap ains o indus ry. Wi h incredible prescience, he CBI hadensured ha he audience has almos cer ainly been addressedby bo h he curren and u ure Prime Minis er.

There was a s eady ow o coffee and business cards as hedelega es ne worked in he spaces be ween sessions and admired

he con erence arts as he cap ured he avour o he con erencewi h a rolling exhibiton o carica ures and car oons. The sessionha , perhaps, surprised he delega es was a 75-minu e deba e on

educaton. The con ex was se by he CBI repor Firs S eps: A new approach o our schools , a major repor ha has o ally re-cas heCBI's approach o educaton in schools and indeed be ore school.

John Cridland, CBI direc or-general, speaking exclusively oEducaton Journal , s ressed he impor ance he a ached odeveloping he approach o educaton ou lined in he repor . "Ihave made his my priori y or he coming year and I am no going

o give up on i . Wha is now very obvious is he impor ance o educaton rom he earlies age. Working

wi h paren s and communites is crucial. The CBI needs o work closely wi h educaton o break down hesilo men ali y. We need a cul ure change and ha can only be achieved by people rom indus ry andeducaton alking o one ano her and es ablishing a common view abou wha educaton." The repor i sel signals a recogniton by CBI o he impor ance o educaton in he early years and he impor ance o

paren al engagemen in he educaton o children. Highquali y childcare ha is affordable is idented as key, wi h acontnuing ocus on effectve suppor rom paren s andcommunites once children s ar school. The repor also callson business o s ep up o he mark.

The educaton deba e panel included Alison PeacockHead eacher o Wroxham Primary School (surely ano her rs

or he CBI), SIr Michael Wilshaw, HMCI, Ken McMeikan, Chie Executve o Greggs, and Sir Charles Duns one, Chairman o Carphone Warehouse. Wha hey said was perhaps lessimpor an han he ac ha hey were saying i a all: herewere he wo cul ures on he pla orm, ully-engaged. The ullrepor , while no exac ly con rontng he governmen , isswimming agains he Govian tde, a sunami in en on

sweeping our schools back hal a cen ury. The CBI repor recommends he removal o he curren ly over-specied natonal curriculum rom primary schools and a move in secondary o a ocus on an 18+ examsys em comprising bo h academic and vocatonal A-levels.

No a bad place or a new dialogue o begin wi h eachers and heir leaders..

Chris Wa erman

C O N F E R E N C E S

The con ex was se by heCBI repor Firs S eps: A newapproach o our schools , a

major repor ha haso ally re-cas he CBI's

approach o educaton inschools and indeed be ore

school.


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Educaton! Celebraton? Surely no ?Chris Wa erman a he Inst u e o Educaton in London

Las Sa urday over 1,000 s uden s, eachers and academerat packed he Inst u e o Educaton in

London or a en-hour estval o educaton. Wi h more han a dozen parallel sessions, rom aplenary wi h Michael Gove o an innovaton space, a creatve space and a hinking space, i seemedmore like a pop estval han an educaton even .

People go here early o make sure hey could ge in o hear he Secre ary o S a e in conversaton wi hDavid Aaronovi ch. In fy minu es Mr Gove was gen ly roas ed, o he deligh o he audience. Well-prepared as ever, Mr Gove brandished a copy o acommunis mani es o as he was asked o dene wha aneduca ed person looked like. Sportng his new Raybans,i was perhaps ou o kindness ha he audienceweren asked o vo e whe her he looked educa ed. Hisanswers were a odds wi h he sentmen s in his InPraise o Tes s speech o an academies con erenceearlier in he week and his body language, as he wis edand urned in his chair, was also in marked con ras . I he had seen he leae s dis ribu ed abou him on hisway in o he even , he mus have been prepared or heaudience o s orm he s age. In he even , he hecklingwas more gen le han he ge s a he Despa ch Box.

Once he main politcal boil had been lanced, hedelega es go down o he serious business o celebratng educaton in i s many orms. Poe ry writng,dance and making children happy leavened he more usual die o discipline, procuremen and building

learning power. Hundreds o educatonis s ebbed and owed rom plenary sessions on grea eaching osessions on making vocatonal educaton a ractve o hemiddle class, rom Ghouls per orming live o Musical Fu ures.An incredibly broad bu balanced curriculum all in one day!

Afer eigh hours o non-s op optons, here were stll plen yo delega es lef a he end o hear Michael Rosen and An honyHorowi z ry o answer he queston How can we s op killing

he love o reading?The pos -Festval drinks were held in he ap ly named CrushHall. I only he Secre ary o S a e had s ayed all day. Traditonshave o s ar somewhere: he Inst u e o Educaton has s ar eda very rich raditon. Can wai or 2013!

People go here early o makesure hey could ge in o hear

he Secre ary o S a e in

conversaton wi h David Aaronovi ch. In fy minu es Mr Gove was gen ly roas ed, o he

deligh o he audience.

Once he main politcal boil had been lanced, he

delega es go down o heserious business o

celebratng educaton ini s many orms.


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The Governmen launched a series o initatves a he 17 h annual con erence o heAssociaton o Colleges a he ICC in Birmingham, aiming o improve raining and increase

competton. Ian Nash and Sue Jones repor .

College-based raining mus no be given shor measures

O s ed inspec ors are urging college leaders o look closely a eacher raining s andards andper ormance in main ained schools in order o see wha hey can learn abou heir ownapproach o he developmen o eacher pro essionalism. The suggeston rom Ma hew Coffey,O s ed head o inspectons or he Learning and Skills sec or, a he annual con erence in Birmingham o

he Associaton o Colleges his week, runs coun er o a cen ral recommendaton in he repor o herecen inquiry in o pro essionalism in FE. The Lingeld review called or colleges o align hemselves wi hhigher educaton ra her han schools.

The schools approach ensures broad raining in pedagogy,whereas Lingeld op s or he minimalis HE eacher rainingmodel, which leaves i up o he inst utons o decide howmuch eacher raining, i any, is needed.

A series o governmen announcemen s his week appearo suppor he ormer approach, wi h new policies unveiled o

allow colleges unlimi ed optons o recrui learners rom age14 and exhor atons rom he Depar men or Educaton orcolleges o be sponsors o new Academies o be crea ed in hecoming year rom a leas 400 ailing primary schools.

In urging colleges o look o school-based eacher raining,Coffey argued ha he approach was ougher. The TeachingAgency offers a real challenge o eacher educaton in schoolsbecause i i s inspec ed and no up o scra ch, i is no longer

unded and he school s ops delivering i . We don have hisin FE and ye we know ha unding drives behaviour, he said.I expec ed Lingeld o align pro essionalism wi h schools ra her han HE. We all desire he same ou comeand should look o pro essionalism in main ained schools and see wha we can learn.

Joy Mercer, AoC direc or o educaton policy, said here was a more desirable middle way, reectng hebread h o provision a all educatonal levels in FE and giving colleges he discreton over raining ha heyneeded. Reectng he concerns o many delega es a he con erence ha he minimalis Lingeld modelmigh be used as an excuse o cu governmen spending on pro essional developmen she said such

raining mus carry he same ent lemen s as i does or schools. School eachers who rain in service areent led o money or raining, coaching and men oring. We need equali y in how we approach raining incolleges and schools, she said.

The suggeston rom Ma hew Coffey, O s ed head o inspectons or he Learning and Skills sec or, a he annual con erence in

Birmingham o he Associaton o Colleges his week, runs coun er o

a cen ral recommendaton in he repor o he recen inquiry in o pro essionalism in FE. The Lingeld review called or colleges o align

hemselves wi h higher educaton ra her han schools.

The Teaching Agency offersa real challenge o eacher

educaton in schoolsbecause i i s inspec ed and

no up o scra ch, i is nolonger unded and he

school s ops delivering i .We don have his in FE and ye we know ha unding

drives behaviour.

Associaton o Colleges annual con erence


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Minis er is urged no o make decisions abouFE Guild prior o consul atons

Serious doub s have been raised abou jus how much reedom minis ers will gran colleges ando her learning providers under he la es proposals o crea e an FE Guild o se pro essional

eaching s andards and codes o behaviour and develop qualicatons. Ma hew Hancock, he newFE and Skills minis er, made i clear o journalis s, afer speaking a he Associaton o Colleges annualcon erence in Birmingham his week, ha he would decide he scope o such reedoms. We will becare ully designatng wha governmen does and wha he sec or does bes , he said. I we ge hesequestons righ hen we will have a soluton ha will las .

However, Martn Doel, chie executve o he AoC, said hasince minis ers had called or wide consul atons hrough apar nership led by AoC and he Associaton or Employmenand Learning Providers, he ou come o ha should no be pre-emp ed. You can have a consul aton and have a xed view

o wha he ou come o he consul aton will be.I would be or he sec or o decide afer gaining evidencerom all key organisatons, including unions, pro essional

associatons and employer groups in FE, adul learning,employmen and he volun ary sec or. I he consul atoncomes back saying he sec or doesn wan a guild or animprovemen agency, hen we will have o conclude ha ha s

he case.Few con erence delega es doub ed he need or such an

organisaton bu here was considerable concern over whawas seen as a rushed agenda by he Governmen which wan s he guild up and running by nex Augus .We have go an ex remely aggressive tme able o work owards bu I hink i s achievable, said Doel. Ialso appears ha he AoC had gained some ex ra tme since, as he Depar men or Business, Innovatonand Skills accep ed, he word ully has been dele ed rom he phrase ully operatve by Augus 1 in heremi le er rom BIS. While he AoC and o her organisatons accep ed ha he guild could be doing somework by Augus 2013, Doel said: You canno ake over and remodel he world by 1 Augus ; here has o besome prioritsaton and he pace and approach has o be pragmatc.

Funding or unctonal skills o double in effor

o ackle scandal o illi eracy

Funding or adul English and ma hs unctonal skills, and or English and ma hs wi hin an Appren-tceship, will be doubled, Ma hew Hancock, Minis er or FE and skills, announced his week a heAssociaton o Colleges con erence in Birmingham.He said: Here in hese islands, we inven ed he English language ha now domina es he globe. I is he

global language: o rade, o cul ure, o diplomacy, and o he ar s. And our his ory is li ered wi h many o he advances in ma hematcs oo. Ye oo many o our young people canno read or wri e, or add up prop-

erly, he said. This is a scandal and i mus change.Carol Taylor, direc or o research a NIACE, said: In our natonal Inquiries in o adul numeracy and adul

li eracy, we called or a recogniton ha all adul s need o be able o read and wri e o a unctonal level,and o be numera e, in order ha hey can play a ull par in heir amily, in work and in socie y as a whole.This announcemen by he Minis er or Skills acknowledges he overwhelming impor ance o he unctonalskills o English and ma hs, by enabling providers o increase he provision hey pu on or learners.

Few con erence delega esdoub ed he need or suchan organisaton bu here

was considerable concernover wha was seen as arushed agenda by heGovernmen which wan s

he guild up and runningby nex Augus .


12/16


The Skills Show

Sarah Key reportng rom he Skills Show a he NEC near Birmingham

This year he NEC near Birmingham hos ed he Skills Show, he UKs larges skills and careers even .For he rs tme ever he show was held under one roo , a ractng housands o visi ors who wereable o wi ness vocatonal educaton in acton. Wi h 200 companies, educa ors and learning

providers exhibitng a he show, visi ors were able o learn abou career and learning oppor unites heymay no have previously been aware o , including Higher apprentceships which allow he individual oachieve a degree and in some cases a mas ers degree. As well as accessing advice and guidance rom hemany exhibi ors, here was also a designa ed careers advice zone.

In ormatve Spo ligh alks were on offer ea uring 100 employers, raining providers and individualspassing on heir experience and advice. One such speaker was Alan Bird, Executve Che a The Ivyres auran , who spoke wi h passion abou he value o apprentceships saying I have no doub ha myapprentceship go me where I am oday.

Dispersed around he NEC were a range o Have a Go even s; rom ashion design o TV presentng,bricklaying o pho ography, visi ors were able o ry heir hand a a career hey may already have had inmind or hose which hey had no previously considered. Skills Pa ron or The Skills Show and Dragons DenTV, Theo Paphits no ed ha hese even s will be an insigh ul and en er aining way or people o discovera whole weal h o skills. He added ha i someone has a skill, hey have a ool or li e ha can rans orm

heir or une and orm he basis or heir very own en erprise. I is hoped ha i an individual nds a skillhey enjoy hrough he have a go actvites, hey will be inspired o ake his ur her wi h educaton or an

apprentceship.The skills compettons were an effectve way or individuals

o bo h enhance heir skills and showcase hese o inspireo hers. Wi h he increased pressure o he Skills Show beingheld under one roo and competng in ron o housands o people, compared o small crowds in previous years, JaineBol on, Chie Operatng Office o he Natonal ApprentceshipService, argued ha he skills s andard would be increased.Compet ors will be urged o per orm o he very bes o heirpo ental and raining providers will be inspired o doevery hing hey can o compe e again nex year or or he rstme i hey have no done so in 2012.

For hose who per orm exceptonally well in hesecompettons, here is he oppor uni y o represen Team UK

in he in ernatonals which are o be held in Leipzig in July2013. Prior o his, he members o Team UK undergo arigorous raining programme; due o he high level o skillsinvolved his is recognised by employers and can ofen lead oa promoton.

The common aim or all even s a he Skills Show is opromo e and provide advice on developing skills, apprentceships and vocatonal educaton as a whole. I ishoped ha visi ors will be inspired o ake par in vocatonal educaton and ha i s s anding will be raised,in line wi h he phrase seeing is believing. The hope is ha apprentceships will be seen as a viableal ernatve o higher educaton ra her han as an opton purely or hose who canno go o universi y.

Dispersed around he NEC

were a range o Have a Go even s; rom ashion design

o TV presentng,bricklaying o pho ography,

visi ors were able o ry heir hand a a career hey may already have had in

mind or hose which hey had no previously

considered.


13/16


Problems acing new eachersPro essor Ken Reid, Welsh Edi or.

Arevealing pic ure o he new problems acing rainee and neweachers emerged his week. Firs , a new Repor rom righ -wing researchers a he privatsed Buckingham Universi yound ha only one in hree eachers s ays in eaching or very long.

O he 38,000 eachers who rained in 2010/2011 were stll ineaching pos s by he ollowing January. Presumably, he majori y o hese had been unable o nd employmen .

An unequal pic ure o he qualicatons o new eachers also

emerged. Whils rising number o rainees now had good 2.1 degrees,hose raining in he ar s had much higher en ry qualicatons hanhose who were s udying science subjec s. Nearly 61% o hose

employed wen in o he s a e sec or, 5% in o he independen rou e,whils around 5% s ar ed working in o her occupatons apar rom

eaching. People raining o be science, ma hs or ICT eachers were mos likely o drop ou , possiblebecause hese gradua es ound i mos easy o gain al ernatve jobs wi h ofen higher salaries.

Second, ano her new Repor , produced by he NAHT, ound ha he serious consequences o cyberbullying may be orcing some eachers ou o he pro ession, especially young eachers. Some o heinciden s o cyber bullying were ofen very serious, pro rac ed and o ally malicious. For example, one

eacher was accused o malpractce owards a child wi h whom he had never me or had any con ac . Yehe remained suspended afer he message on Twi er was brough o he a enton o his school.

Paren s o blameLaura Higgins, o he Pro essionals Online Sa e y Helpline, claimed ha paren s who ailed o supervise

heir childrens actvites on he in erne were ofen o blame. In he s udy, led by Pro essor Andy Phippeno Plymou h Universi y, some o he commen s analysed in he s udy were ound o be hrea ening,menacing, indecen , offensive or obscene. Some ex s amoun ed o no hing less han bullying. Because o

he na ure o some o he ex s, some eachers, especially young eachers, el unable or unwilling o revealhem o colleagues, heir head eachers or wi h o her officials wi hin heir schools or local au hori y

educaton depar men s. Some were ex remely reluc an o ever go o he police, ofen because hey eared

he in ormaton could be misunders ood or mishandled.Third, eachers and ur her educaton and higher lec urers have increasingly o cope wi h being able odistnguish be ween pupils own work, ofen projec -based or essays, and hose purchased rom specialiscon rac agencies. A new s udy by Pro essor Rober Clarke rom Birmingham Ci y Universi y said ha

eachers and lec urers have o cope wi h endemic orms o plagiarism, which he ermed con raccheatng. S uden s and paren s were ypically paying 70 or a shor piece o work or minor essay, buconsiderably more or a projec -based assignmen or disser aton. These were ofen s ored elec ronicallyand could be produced rom any par o he coun ry so de ecton was especially difficul . However, morerms were en ering his eld and i was becoming a mos pro able business. A presen , such practce isno illegal al hough obviously, rowned upon. Some schools and s uden s now ace well-dressed men

outng ou side school, college or universites guaran eeing hem a quick produc , ailor-made or heir ownuse wi h guaran eed condentali y. There ore, or some s uden s i is an easy way ou . For some eachersand lec urers i may be a nigh mare. I also poses exceptonal risks or bo h exam boards and ex ernalexaminers, especially as increasing numbers o s uden s are now prepared o ake he risk.

Things have cer ainly changed since my tme in eaching!

Pro essor Ken Reid

O P I N I O N


14/16

Lessons rom curren affairs are as valuable ashose rom his ory

Pro essor John Howson

The Academies Progamme was he rs key projec o he coalitongovernmen . So keen was he Secre ary o S a e o develop hewidespread creaton o academies ha he legislaton passedhrough parliamen be ore he summer recess o 2010. Recen ly, he

Natonal Audi Office has published a repor in o he managemen o he expansion o he academies programme afer he 2010 Ac .

h p://www.nao.org.uk/publicatons/1213/academies_expansion.aspxIn many ways he 2010 legislaton was like he amous Circular 10/65

o Harold Wilsons Labour governmen ha a emp ed o replace aselectve secondary schools sys em wi h one ounded upon

comprehensive principles. Like circular 10/65, he 2010 Ac , al hough ihas he grea er orce o legislaton, was more permissive ra her hanmanda ory. In his respec i did no require all schools o conver , and

he map on page 15 o he NAO Repor clearly show he s arkgeographical differences across he coun ry ha have resul ed.

The NAO has estma ed ha he additonal cos o he programme hasbeen in he order o 1 billion during he wo nancial years be ween April 2010 and March 2012. This isgrea er even han commen a ors such as Pe er Downes had been estmatng, and begs he queston abou

he value or money o he programme? Schools were old ha convertng o become academies wouldree hem rom local au hori y con rol, and he rhe oric conveyed he vision o schools operatng as

separa e enttes.I is, here ore, in erestng o see ha he NAO no ed some ension be ween he expec atons o

reduced bureaucracy and he subsequen experiences, wi h 47% o conver er academies eeling less reerom bureaucracy han hey expec ed be ore conversion: o course, his migh have been he resul o

wholly unjustable expec atons on he par o some school leadership eams. One o he cleardiseconomies o scale rom he programme has been increased cos s or accoun ancy and nance s aff,wi h 71% o responden s o he NAO survey reportng increases in cos s in his area. Insurance was ano herarea where many schools aced increased cos s ha resul ed rom needing o ake ou policies ha havemay have been more expensive ha cover bough rom a local au hori y.

These were eminen ly oreseeable resul s arising rom he divestng schools rom local au hori y con rol,and should have been bo h oreseen and preven ed, even i hey are ou weighed by savings on grounds

main enance, wa er, ca ering services, and ra es in some schools. Some academies also seem o haves ruggled wi h compliance requiremen s in he early days, wi h 20% o he 435 academy rus s wi haudi ed 2010/11 accoun s having ailed o submi hese by he 31s December deadline: i is no clear whai any sanctons were imposed on such schools, and i is o be hoped ha hey did no include amongs

hem 10% o academy principals who had salaries above he maximum poin on he appropria e leadershippay scale or heir school; and especially no rom amongs he six leaders o mult-academy rus s who in2010/11 earned over 200,000.

As he coaliton moves in o he second hal o he parliamen , here is a risk ha as wi h Labours 1960sdrive or non-selectve secondary educaton he academy conversion programme will s all awaitng heou come o he nex general electon. Such a legacy o a par ly comple ed vision will no be help ul o hecoheren and efficien governance o schooling in England, a ac he Secre ary o S a e as a an o his orywould do well o consider. Bu 10/65 and all ha may no ye be his ory o him ra her mere curren affairs.

Pro essor John Howson runs a company called Da a orEducaton.in o. His collecton o columns rom 2011-12 can be ound as an e-book on Amazon under he t le: Please Miss. Do pigs have wings?



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Research Diges EDUCATIONJOURNAL

EDUCATIONJOURNAL

This is a lis o papers in academic journalspublished recen ly. A er he i le o he journal

he in orma ion given is he publisher, he volume

and issue number, he heore ical da e o publica ion (which is no always he ac ual da e),

he number o issues per year or volume, he ISSN;he curren personal subscrip ion ra e, he prin

and elec ronic ins i u ional subscrip ion ra e andhe elec ronic only ins i u ional subscrip ion ra e.

I only one igure is given hen ha indica es asingle ra e or all ypes o subscriber.

Dis ance Educa ionRou ledge | 33/3 | November 2012 | 3 | 1475-0198 | 312 | 273Edi orial: Connec ionism. Som NaiduProcras ina ion in a dis ance universi y se ing.Ka rin B. Klingsieck, S efan Fries, Claudia Horz, and Manfred Hofer Are con ex ual and designed s uden -s udenin erac ion rea men s equally e ec ive in dis anceeduca ion? Eugene Borokhovski, Rana Tamim,Rober M. Bernard, Philip C. Abrami, and AnnaSokolovskayaFac ors rela ed o rural school adminis ra orssa is ac ion wi h dis ance educa ion. Ma hew J.Irvin, Wallace H. Hannum, Claire de la Varre,Thomas W. Farmer, and Julie KeaneEvalua ing social connec edness online: he designand developmen o he Social Percep ions inLearning Con ex s Ins rumen . Pa ricia J. Slag er vonTryon and M. J. BishopTu ors in luence on dis ance language s uden slearning mo iva ion: voices rom learners and

u ors. Junhong Xiao

An analysis o high impac scholarship andpublica ion rends in blended learning. Lisa R.Halverson, Charles R. Graham, Kris ian J. Spring,and Jeffrey S. DrysdaleRepor - Use o synchronous online ools in priva eEnglish language eaching in Russia. Olga Kozar Re lec ion - Re lec ion on he new dynamics o dis ance educa ion: an in erview wi h Sir JohnDaniel. Colin La chem

Theory and Research in Educa ion

Sage | 10/3 | November 2012 | 3 | 1477-8785 |48 | 326Gender equali y and girls educa ion: Inves iga ing

rameworks, disjunc ures and meanings o quali yeduca ion. Sheila Aikman and Ni ya RaoPower, knowledge and poli ics: Exploring he

con es ed errain o girl- ocussed in erven ions ahe na ional launch o he Uni ed Na ions Girls

Educa ion Ini ia ive in The Gambia. Caroline ManionPover y, educa ion, gender and he Milleniumdevelopmen Goals: Re lec ions on boundaries andin ersec ionali y. Elaine Un erhal er Gender-based violence: Young womensexperiences in he slums and s ree s o hree sub-Saharan A rican ci ies. Georgina Yaa Oduro,Sharlene Swar z and Madeleine Arno

Educa ional S udiesRou ledge | 38/5 | December 2012 | 5 | 0305-5698 | 162 | 1126 | 1014Resis an o he message: are pupils unrecep ive o

eachers an i-bullying ini ia ives and i so why?Michael J. Boul on and Richard Boul onExploring he educa ional aspira ions-expec a ionsgap in eigh grade s uden s: implica ions oreduca ional in erven ions and school re orm. ChrisMichael Kirk, Rhonda K. Lewis, Angekla Sco ,Denise Wren, Corinne Nilsen and Del ha Q. ColvinEmo ional in elligence and academic a ainmen o Bri ish secondary school children: a cross-sec ionalsurvey. Carmen L. Vidal Rodeiro, Joanne L. Emery and John F. Bell Teaching domain speci ic skills be ore peerassessmen skills is superior o eaching hemsimul aneously. M.J. van Zunder , K. D. Knigs,D.M.A. Sluijsmans and J.J.G van Merrinboer The planning illusion: does ac ive planning o alearning rou e suppor learning as well as learners

hink i does? Wilco J. Bones roo and Ton de JongPor raying in elligence: childrens drawings o in elligen men and women in Finnish and RussianKarelia. Hannu R y, Ka ri Komulainen, Tuuli Paajanen, Mia Markkanen, Nina Skorokhodova and Vadim Kolesnikov Brie Repor - Should we be encouraging pupils oask more ques ions? Andrew Whi aker Inves iga ion on he in luence o he brand image o higher educa ional ins i u ions on sa is ac ion andcus omer li e ime value. Cheng-Cai Wang, Chin-Tsu

Chen and Chun-Fu Chen


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JOURNAL

EDUCATION

Editor Demitri Coryton FRSA

Associate Editor Chris Waterman FRSA

Parliamentary Editor Tracy Coryton

Reference Editor Arabella Hargreaves

Research Editor Michael Marshall

Wales Editor Professor Ken Reid

Writers Julia Coryton, Laura Coryton,Professor John Howson, SueJones, Sarah Key, Ian Nash,

Alex Reid and Professor ColinRichards.

Education Journal No.147 (2012)

The Education Publishing Company Ltd. 2012.

Published byThe Education Publishing Company Ltd., Crediton, Devon.

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Education Journal No 147