UC Online, Issue 3

8/12/2019 UC Online, Issue 3

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THREE

Sally Hunt is

general secretary

of the University

and College Union.

She was re-elected

in March 2012

with 74% of the

votes cast. You can

read more abouther proposals

for change here

www.ucu.org.uk/

changeproposals

Unions have been pivotal in every fight for social justice: decent pay,

dignified retirement, a safe workplace and equality of opportunity are

what we stand for and what we have always stood for.

That is as true in our universities and colleges as anywhere. Last year,

the UCU took on 7,000 cases for individual members treated badly at

work and our fine record of winning redress for them, including financial

settlements, shows that we are a powerful and effective advocate for

staff.

In the past year alone, the UCU has used its collective power to try to

defend members pension rights, protect jobs and oppose cuts to our

sector and its staff.

Many historians consider the period from the 1950s to the 1970s to be

the golden age of trade unionism and say that our best years are behind

us. However, the need for trade unions is stronger now than it has been

for a generation. We have a real opportunity, but can we take it?

The challenge is to be as relevant in todays world as we were 30, 40 or

even 100 years ago. Because, despite our successes, past and present,

union membership overall remains too low and support within the

general population for our values is weak.As much as it hurts to say, in the eyes of many of those we need to

recruit, we can be seen as old-fashioned, and sometimes self-serving

and self-interested. We can say this is unfair and we can blame

politicians and the press as much as we like, but the truth is that unions,

including the UCU, need to be better at engaging with society as it is,

not as we would like it to be or as it may have been 40 years ago.

So how do we go about achieving this? The recent ballot of UCU

members on change delivered a clear mandate to the forthcoming UCU

Congress to transform our relationship with members and to give them

a greater say in how the union is run. I hope we take that opportunity.

THE GENERAL SECRETARY

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The changes I am proposing for the UCU are modest sounding but

important and, if the recent ballot is anything to go by, extremely

popular with members.

First, I propose to reduce the size of our National Executive Committee.

Our NEC is currently bigger than that of Unison, which has 10 times

as many members. What we need is to create a more effective,

representative body comparable in size to those of other unions.

The money saved more than 600,000 over my term of office will

be used to provide direct support for members and their representatives

at the coalface. This change was supported by 88.6% of members in the

recent ballot.

Second, I propose to give members a vote on any employer offer that the

majority of our negotiators believe to be final, before the union takesbig decisions about whether to accept, reject and take action. This can

be done quickly and cheaply using modern technology, and it puts our

members in the driving seat. This change was supported by 85.1% of

members in the recent ballot.

Third, I propose that we elect our lay national negotiators not from the

annual conference floor but from the members themselves using one-

member, one-vote. This change was supported by 82.1% of members in

the recent ballot.

I have heard it argued that these measures will weaken democracy

in the UCU but I, and those who voted, believe they will strengthen it.

Consulting members before we take action is what gives us legitimacy

in our struggles. Letting members decide who represents them at the

negotiating table makes us more accountable, not less. Investing in our

local activists, rather than in internal bureaucracy, will deliver a union

that is closer to its members.

Reform of the UCU is not about turning us towards the political Left or

Right. It is about turning us towards our members. That means using our

resources for the things members want us to fight on. It means choosing

our battles rather than fighting total war, as some have argued. And it

means using our brilliant staff to concentrate on supporting members,

running campaigns and building a credible alternative to the cuts,

rather than writing paper after paper for internal committees.

People will join unions if they see us standing up for them,they will stay with us if they see us listening to them and

they will become active if they think their voice counts..

Tofindoutmoreabout

thechangesincluding

yourbranchsresulti

ntheballotgoto

www.ucu.org

.uk/changeproposa

ls

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Heading

THREE

Breadth and depth:what is a university?

James Ladyman

is a Professor of

Philosophy at

the Universityof Bristol. His

expertise spans

from Philosophy

of science to

philosophy of

physics and

metaphysics

Universities as centres for teaching and research

in a broad range of disciplines have always existed

alongside more specialised institutions such

as colleges of law and the performing arts, and

institutes of one kind and another.

Without demeaning the latter it is important that we recognise the special

value of the former that inheres in their breadth. UCUs recent important

report about the reduction in courses in core subjects available over the

last few years should focus our minds on the need to articulate and defend

the conception of universities as broad-based centres of education and

scholarship. That the elimination of many single honours courses to which

the union has drawn attention has happened in advance of the present

governments disgraceful drive to commercialise higher education does

not augur well for the immediate future. There is a great danger that

universities will base decisions about what subjects they offer on the short-

term popularity of courses and so undermine our medium and long-term

national interest. Academic capacity is easily undermined but takes years

to develop, so disinvestment cannot easily be reversed especially when the

HIGHER EDUCATIONALAMY

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capacity in question is signicantly reduced at the national level.

To abet and reverse the current trend for universities to close courses

perceived to be insufciently important we must challenge the crass

instrumentalism that characterises contemporary debate about education

in general and higher education in particular. Instrumentalism need not

be crass because a proper appreciation of what universities contribute

to society need not be based on lofty ideals of education for its own sake.

On the contrary, even if all we care about it is the economy and equipping

students with the skills and wherewithal to take their place in it, we ought

still to recognise the importance of exposing them as whole to a good

portion of the full range of the traditional university curriculum. Our

national competitiveness in the global economy is not going to be based on

natural resources or cheap labour markets, so it can only be based on the

education of our population.

We cannot predict what exactly the future will require of us, but we do

know that education in traditional academic disciplines teaches people

how to think and how to learn making them adaptable and providing us

with a national insurance policy against future contingencies. Already,

European universities are seeking to capitalise on our disinvestment in

higher education and the uncertainties about our commitment to it by

offering English language degree programmes to recruit UK and foreign

students that would otherwise study in our universities. We spend a

smaller proportion of our GDP than any developed nation on higher

education; now is not the time to further undermine our universities by

reducing the range of degree programmes they offer, while other countries

are increasing their investment across the board.

Students who attend a university that offers a wide

range of subjects enjoy important benefits that donot derive from their own curricula.

Perhaps most important among these is that they are exposed to the rest

of culture by mixing with other students who are studying very different

things. In terms of the vulgar but ubiquitous contemporary idiom, part of

the student experience is conversing about the meaning of life, politics,

art, literature, history, science and religion with a range of people each

of whom brings their own disciplinary knowledge and sensibility to the

discussion. To deny future generations of students that experience unlessthey happen to be at one of the handful of elite institutions that remain

universities in the full sense of the word will be to impoverish them and

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thereby further to atomise and diminish our culture as a whole.

The internet is reducing our exposure to ideas and values that are not

already our own as search engines lter content based on our habits

and interests, and as on-line communities enable people with highly

idiosyncratic cultural identities to ensure they only mix with others like

themselves. Universities are an indispensable counter-balance to this

trend but only to the extent that they continue to offer a wide range of

courses. It is important to note that it is not only the arts and humanities

that are under threat but subjects such as biology and chemistry; while

universities rush to offer the latest new subjects such as nanotechnology

or bio-engineering they must ensure that the foundations of science in the

basic core disciplines are secure.

There is no list of subjects that must be represented in a university for it tocount as one. However, as the number and range of disciplines is reduced

the intellectual culture and context of those that remain is impoverished.

Eliminate enough of them and nothing worthy of the name university

remains. There have always been institutions such as Imperial College

that have specialised and not hosted a full range of subjects. However, they

have hitherto been exceptions to the general rule and exist in cities where

other universities ll the gaps they leave.

As nancial pressures on universities grow and as their leadersincreasingly think in terms of the bottom line and commercial and market

values, we face the prospect of whole regions in which fundamental

academic subjects cannot be studied. This is a dire threat to our economy

and our intellectual culture, and we must recognise that the former

depends on the latter as a whole and not just on those subjects that are

presently in vogue.

^UCcontributors welcome the chance to discuss their work. Responses to thisarticle should be sent to [email protected]

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First they came forthe libraries . . .

Ian Nash

is a partner in

Nash & Jones

Partnership ofjournalists and

media consultants

and formerly

Assistant Editor of

the TESwhere he

created FE Focus

If you really wanted to promote lifelong learning

throughout a community, would you start by axing

half your local authoritys librarians?

Richmond upon Thames council may not be alone in deciding to do this,

but the chop-logic of its combined post-16 education policies still has the

population fuming.

Coincidentally, the 25m saved is exactly what they need to allow ve

schools to open sixth forms in a borough with one of the more successful

FE colleges, an adult education college and no surplus demand for such

places. Furthermore, librarians in the borough have until now been

playing a particularly strong role in supporting schools and colleges in

both formal and informal adult learning.

The local authority says it has no choice because schools could get their

way, in any case, by quitting and joining the free-for-all dash for academy

and free school status, even though the sixth forms will be too small to

be viable from the outset. So we can see the monumental mess looming,

not only for FE colleges but the eventual erosion of A-level choice for

sixth-formers hoping for university. Or can we? Off the record, council

ofcials admit that a head start in this race would allow schools to raid

neighbouring borough catchment areas. And, if the schools take students

from the colleges, so what?

Move east across the capital to Newham and you have an even more

bizarre arrangement whereby a group of exclusive private schools

including Eton is opening a state-supported sixth form, to compete with

an already exemplary sixth form college (NewVIc), FE college and ve

thriving sixth forms. When asked by the media to justify the move, the

new head Richard Cairns replied: All were doing is providing a choice.

But this is simply not true or necessary, Eddie Playfair, principal of

NewVIc, insists. In a recent letter to the Guardian, having analysed the

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demographics, he said: This project is far from being a response to genuine

local need. In fact it risks dissipating scarce funding and segregating

young people. It may suit its advocates to ignore the facts and promote

themselves as sponsors of social mobility, but their track record so far is

the precise opposite.

All this arises from the Coalition Government granting new freedoms.

Ministers claim to be tackling disadvantage by freeing institutions to

follow the market, but that is not how increasingly beleaguered further

education staff and managers I have spoken to see it. They watch with

alarm as the likes of former Express Journalist Toby Young and the head

teacher Katherine Birbalsingh darling of the 2010 Tory party conference

where she chose to rubbish her comprehensive school both plan new

academically elitist schools where there will be no skills teaching under the

age of 16.

So what is the solution?

To an increasing extent there is an attitude of If you cant beat them, join

them. And so we see Barneld college pushing to become the rst FE

college for prot and pleasure, Birmingham Metropolitan and Stockport

are talking about going mutual, and all colleges are talking to one another

about shared services agreements. Then there is the Gazelle group ofcolleges out to promote entrepreneurship grazing in the wide open spaces

of the savannah that is FE as Dan Taubman, senior national education

ofcial for the UCU described it to me. Also, we have Ofsted chief Michael

Wilshire positively encouraging colleges to reach out forget the depleted

resources and sponsor academies.

But havent we been here before? Many will recall with horror the

enterprising zeal of the 1990s an earlier age of austerity and cuts

described as efciency savings that went rotten. Then, I was FE Editoron the TES and remember Further Education Funding Council Chief

Executive, William Stubbs, berating me for failing to report on the genius

of entrepreneurial colleges, which he named: Halton, Bilston, Clarendon,

Stoke-on-Trent etc. Ministerial condence that nothing could or would go

wrong in any of these establishments was equally unwavering.

But when the press did report on them it was for entirely different reasons

either they were reckoned to have failed spectacularly, as with Derby

Wilmorton and Bilston, or were victims of malpractice and inadequategovernance and leadership. Whistleblowers from within Natfhe were

invariably the medias sources of intelligence, while ministers continued in

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a state of denial. Inquiries by luminaries, such as Shattock on Wilmorton

and Nolan on ethics ensued, resulting in the red tape and constraints

which the government is now dismantling.

Bilston is probably the closest to an example of what is emerging now,

with the college spanning all sorts of mini colleges, often based on good

intentions located in and often run by local communities Big Society-style.

In the end, however, it was one of a group of rogue colleges accused of

defrauding the government of millions by misusing educational funds, a

claim that is contested by some to this day.

With new structures, new governance and new

partnerships being promoted, following BISs

tearing up of the model instruments and articlesof governance, who is to say history will not repeat

itself?

Already, we have seen how easily funding freedoms around

Apprenticeships have been exploited, as reported recently on the BBC

Panorama show The Great Apprenticeship Scandal, which found

upwards of 250m wasted last year.

Having followed this throughout very closely, I reckon none of this wouldhave been exposed or at least not until much worse damage had been

done were it not for the dogged persistence of Nick Linford, Managing

Editor of the new brash player in the education mediaFE Week. His

accusations and claims of misuse, waste of funds and short 12-week

training programmes masquerading as Apprenticeships were repeatedly

rejected at press conferences by Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the

National Apprenticeship Service, who stood down last month. He insisted

NAS was monitoring and assuring quality. But evidence mounted and

Opposition MPs, notably Gordon Marsden, railed against them until the

FE and Skills Minister John Hayes took action.

But that was not before he announced a record 440,000 learners starting

an apprenticeship in 2010-11 a gure that surely must be radically

revised downwards in the light of the evidence. Can training schemes

such as those at Morrisons supermarket, which has enrolled 40 per cent

of its workforce on an apprenticeship with the private training provider

Elmeld Training, really be deemed full Apprenticeships? What does this

do to the brand image? And is it ethical that Mr Gerard Syddall, Elmelds

director, should take a 3m dividend from a budget that came wholly from

the SFA?

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And it was not until the eve of the Panorama programme that Hayes

announced that from now on all apprenticeships must be at least 12

months duration nine months after the Skills Funding Agency had

promised a crackdown on fraud and misuse of public money in the FE and

skills sector, while admitting it was likely to get worse under governments

new sub-contracting arrangements. The extent of the concern was

revealed in communications, leaked toFE Weekbetween Geoff Russell,

chief executive of the SFA, and Hayes. 11m had been lost to fraud or

misuse in 2010-11 of which only 3m was accounted for. Police were

involved in nine investigations, said the letter which revealed that the

agency was pursuing 88 new allegations - a record high.

The real irony is that were the same rules and regulations that grew

under Shattock, Nolan and the rest still in place, cowboy operations,

exploitation, dead weight funding and excessive dividends from

Apprenticeship schemes would be subject to ethical inquiries and in some

cases deemed corrupt. What started under Labour as Train to Gain, where

employers were rewarded for staff skills training they should have paid for

themselves, continued under the Coalition in the guise of Apprenticeships.

Someone has to intervene and make sense of the disparate conicting

strands of education training policy before it is too late. This is a view

emerging from the Parliamentary Skills Group, which I addressed at a

recent seminar where concerns were expressed over the lack of joined

up government. This is exemplied locally by Richmond upon Thamess

policies on cuts and nationally by a lack of synergy or coherence between

DFE and BIS to the point where, to quote one speaker at the seminar,

policies may cut against each other with unintended and damaging

consequences.

This seems to be increasingly the state of affairs between schools and FE

where, if we are not careful, we will have an ultimately destructive free

for all with the notion of Winner take all which will not include the most

disadvantaged.


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ONLINE PAGE 11

Heading

THREE

Todays student:customer, investor,

learner?Rachel Williams

is an education

and social affairs

writer, who writes

regularly for the

Guardian.

A press release landed in my inbox this week with a

typically ambiguous headline.

STUDENTS 1 0 UNIVERSITIES it read. Sounds a bit antagonistic,

I thought, clicking on open. It turned out to refer to a piece of research

conducted by a graduate recruitment service, which had found that 46%of the 596 students it had quizzed felt their university was overrated. The

poll, the agency opined, served as a timely reminder to universities that

failing to deliver on the promise is all too easy at the point when the new

funding regime is making competition for students a key consideration.

Im constantly struck, when writing about higher education, by how

entirely alien the university experience feels compared to when I was there

in the late 1990s. Over the last year Ive increasingly felt that that disparity

is about to get even starker, and, of all the differences, this, perhaps, is themost fundamental: the sense of the student not just as a learner, but as a

customer, not just a young person on the next stage of their education, but

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCEALAMY

ALAMY

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an investor, surveying the market, deciding how much theyre willing to

stake, and naturally expecting a decent return.

That return, of course, is not intellectual agility for its own sake, but

employability. When KMPG surveyed 1,000 students, school leavers and

parents recently, 68% said that the most important thing about going to

university was getting a qualication that led to a well-paid job. Just 12%

went for the apparently embarrassingly anachronistic ideal of getting a

rounded education.

The gulf with my own experience is hardly surprising: I started university

in the last year before tuition fees were introduced. But as a wannabe

journalist, thinking and writing about them quickly became part of my

life, and has remained so ever since; melodically-challenged chants of

education is a right, not a privilege feel like the recurring soundtrack tomy reporting career.

Those early stories feel rather quaint these days. RIP Higher Education

October 98 reads the banner pictured hanging from a college window

alongside my account of the protest billed by the student paper as

Oxfords last stand against fees in May that year. (It was a really damn

noisy march, was the curiously underwhelming conclusion of the student

union president on this supposedly momentous occasion).

In the rst week of the autumn term, when the 1,000 fees (imagine, just1,000!) came into force and in the same issue a feature about mobile

phones boldly declared everyone knows someone whos got one the

story was the possibility of freshers planning to withhold payment of their

fees in protest.

By spring four rebels were still standing firm,

bringing the university an unexpected reputation

for radicalism, but by Easter the student bodys

enthusiasm for their cause had all but fizzled out.

By now editor of the paper, I wrote an editorial commenting on all ill-

attended picket that warned, with all the sparkling insight of a sleep-

deprived 20-year-old: The tuition fee issue does need to be kept alive,

because even if it seems acceptable to some people now, it will escalate.

Thirteen years later, with most would-be students now facing a bill of

9,000 a year, I am still asking the same questions about what fees willmean for who gets a university education, and how they go about it.

Whenever Ive spoken to prospective students in the last year, the same

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theme has recurred: a hope the course they choose turns out to be worth

the money.

Higher fees wont necessarily put them off theyre smart enough to

understand that its not an upfront cost but they are at great pains to

make sure that when theyre paying back that gargantuan loan, theyre

doing it as quickly as possible, and in a job it was worth taking on such

debt for.

Recently I was trying to nd out if school leavers from disadvantaged

backgrounds were taking into account what kind of nancial help

discounts on fees or cash bursaries different universities offered as they

made their applications. In fact, it turned out that at that stage they were

much more focused on choosing a degree that would pay dividends. If the

course is good it should lead to me getting a really good job, so the moneyIm taking out now shouldnt be an issue, was a typical comment. They

might consider variables like nancial support further down the line, they

conceded, but even then the message was clear: employability is all.

Of course students should have high expectations of university; of

course they should be well-taught and feel their teachers are interested

in their progress; and of course having a degree should improve their

career chances. None of this means I dont have the greatest respect for

institutions striving to make sure their students get what they pay for.

But educating someone is not the same as helping

them get a job.

How will university life change if the relationship between student and

academic morphs into one between client and employee, and learners

assess the curriculum with one eye on how relevant it will be when they

go job-hunting? Will more of those who arent getting the grades they

think they deserve be inclined to complain its because theyre not being

taught properly? What about arts and humanities, already battered by the

removal of funding for teaching?

The subjects that held up best in applications for the rst year under the

new fees regime were those tending to lead to lucrative careers: medicine,

maths, sciences, engineering, law.

Are the subjects traditionally most closely associated with learning for

learnings sake doomed to become the become the preserve of mainlymiddle class students at elite institutions?

I believe students will suffer under this pressure too. Its a terrible

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responsibility, at the age of 17 or 18, to decide what you want from your

degree studies, to pick exactly the right course, and do everything perfectly

when you get there. Presumably if youre paying 27 grand for a university

education, youre far less likely than previous generations to squander

your time on booze and soft drugs before getting kicked out half-way

through and thats no bad thing in my book. Just because education is a

right, not a privilege, doesnt mean you should be blas about it.

But there are plenty of other reasons why university doesnt work out

for some students on the rst go: the wrong course, the wrong halls, the

wrong people, not to mention all the practical and emotional challenges of

your rst experience of independent living and studying. It hardly seems

the fairest time to expect them not to make mistakes. And I cant imagine

turning up in freshers week, gritting your teeth and thinking it had better

be worth it, is much fun.

How cruel too that this era of suffocating compulsion to make your degree

pay should coincide with some of the worst ever prospects for getting

a job in the nal quarter of 2011 one in every ve new graduates was

unemployed and the increasing necessity of doing unpaid work before

you are even considered worthy of being rewarded for your efforts.

When I was at university the dreaded internshipwas barely heard of, something reserved only

for the most chillingly ambitious of would-be

management consultants.

Journalism has long been a career where work experience is key. But in

my era that meant a fortnight on a local paper in any town or city where

you had relatives, in the holidays, not three months subsisting on travel

expenses alone in the heart of London, if youre lucky enough to be able to

live there rent-free.

I read a suggestion recently that any graduates looking for work should be

using Twitter to sell themselves, and felt a real pang of sympathy.

One minute were warning them not to jeopardise their future prospects by

posting ill-advised party pics on Facebook, the next were expecting them

to be masters of social media manipulation.

Naturally the pressure is on careers services too to beef up their offerings

and with them their institutions performance in the employability leaguetables. While 82% of the KMPG survey respondents were happy with the

teaching they were getting, only 48% were satised with the careers advice

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PAGE 15THREEONLINE

on offer. More and more are services offering specialised training in key

job-bagging skills like networking. But it is still academics wholl be in the

spotlight if particular options cant deliver the real-world returns students

expect, especially when, under the governments proposals to make

universities more accountable to students than ever before, universities

have to put employment and salaries data for all undergraduate courses on

their websites.

Im sure the writer of the STUDENTS 1 0 UNIVERSITIES headline

was only being playful, looking for a teaser that would catch the readers

eye. But to me it brought home perhaps the most toxic effect of the

marketisation of higher education: the pitting of students and teachers

against one another. I cant believe that creates the kind of nurturing

environment in which young minds ourish.


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After IfL, what nextfor professionaldevelopment?

Barry Lovejoy

is UCUs National

Head of Further

Education

The decision taken by an independent panel to end

compulsory membership of the much malignedInstitute for Learning (IfL) was a comprehensive

victory for the University and College Union (UCU)

members who orchestrated and maintained a

boycott of the organisation.

The boycott, coupled with UCUs threat of legal action if IfL or the

employers attempted to persecute anybody withholding payment, forced

the government to announce an independent review into professionalismin further education in England.

FURTHER EDUCATION

Youcanreadmoreabo

uttheIFLissue

andtheindependentreview

here

www.ucu.org.uk/ifl

fee

IMAGEPHILIPWOLMUTH

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The deep felt anger at the imposition of a mandatory fee for IfL

membership reected the growing frustration towards an organisation

that had lost its way and was largely irrelevant to lecturers just wanting

to do a good job. It was also a conduit to express opposition to ever-

increasing workloads and demands.

Criticisms of IfL have been a consistent feature of UCU annual congress

motions since 2008 and that attempt to impose a fee for the privilege of

enduring such a mediocre set-up was the straw that nally broke camels

back.

The successful boycott was an example of UCU responding to a grassroots

issue. The member-led campaign successfully utilised the unions

resources at a national level including lobbying, press work, petitions,

industrial action, legal challenges, negotiations and ongoing consultationand involvement of members.

So how did it go so wrong?

How did IfL go from being a professional body that most people in the

sector had been asking for over many years to one which managed to unite

lecturers and their employers in calling for its abolition?

UCU had warned in 2010 that the majority of staff saw little value in

its services, with a survey showing 84% saying they would not pay any

sort of fee on principle. Yet the opposition to the fee seemed to take IfL

completely by surprise.

Others in the sector were less shocked that compelling staff, already

suffering pay cuts and increases in pension contributions, to pay to join a

body few had much condence in was not going to be a popular move. The

fact IfL could not see this was an indication for many of just how out of

touch it was with staff concerns and problems.However, there are other reasons too. Performing the role of regulator

and acting as a voice for the profession was always going to be difcult

to achieve. Being the body which could nd its members guilty of

professional misconduct, and potentially deprive them of their livelihood,

sat uncomfortably with it also being their advocate.

IfL didnt stand up to ministers when it was announced that the

government wouldnt nancially support IfL anymore. During the

period of moving to being self-nancing, IfL largely refused to criticisegovernment initiatives, at a time when the sector and its staff needed all

the support they could get.

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The tone used in IfLs communications was always to look on the bright

side and support the government and its policies. They didnt ever reect

the anger and pain its members and the members of UCU and other

unions were experiencing in terms of harsher management, especially

around lesson observations and losses in jobs and provision.

Part of the reason for these failures was its governance processes which

left real decision making to a small leadership group, often ignoring what

its own Advisory Council suggested. In the end IfL made the fatal mistake

of believing its own propaganda that everyone in the sector loved and

wanted it.

As we move on from the IfL debacle it is important

to note that throughout the campaign UCU hasalways been acutely aware of the need to avoid

throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The issue around professionalism in the sector was not put to bed in the

panels report, which was merely an interim report dealing with the IfL

issue.

UCU, like others involved in FE, want the best teachers in our colleges

delivering high-quality education with appropriate qualications and

access to further training and personal development. We are looking

forward to contributing to the wider review of professionalism of further

education, where we will continue to make these points.

While the review leans (not surprisingly from this government) towards

the need for less regulation, UCU does not support a deregulated sector.

Employers in the sector both colleges and private and voluntary

institutions have been found wanting in providing consistent and high

quality support and resources for professional development.If not through government regulations, then it is vital that clear

obligations are placed on employers through funding requirements and

the Learning and Skills Improvement Service must be given adequate

funds to meet those challenges.

Our next job will be to take this forward in the next stage of the review and

to ensure that employers meet their CPD obligations.

UCcontributors welcome the chance to discuss their work. Responses to this

article should be sent to [email protected]

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ONLINE PAGE 19THREE

Mary Senior

is the UCU Scotland

Lead Ofcial and

Tony Axonis

Policy Ofcer

University Governance:will Scotlandlead the way?

UCU Scotland is campaigning for the full

implementation of the recommendations froma report on governance which will increase

involvement of staff and students. It also urged

MSPs to support reform of management in Scottish

universities prior to an evidence session in the

Scottish Parliament on the report.

The Review of Higher Education Governance was instigated by Michael

Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education partly in response to UCU

concerns over crisiss in university governance and management that has

led to a series of disputes across Scotland. The ve man panel, including

Terry Brotherstone, a former UCU Scotland President, as the STUC

nominee, was given the remit to produce a report on governance reform.

UCU Scotland welcomed the report, which was published in February via

a statement to the Scottish Parliament during which the Cabinet Secretary

whilst welcoming it, stated that the proposals would now be subject to

consultation with the sector.

f The recommendations are intended to increase the democracy and

transparency of governance and university management and in

particular calls for:

fProtection of academic freedom and institutional autonomy

fThe appointment of two nominees of both students and staff unions to

the governing body and committees

fGreater transparency in appointments and remuneration of seniormanagement

fElection for chairs of governing bodies

HIGHER EDUCATION

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fA broadening of the experience of governing body members and greater

transparency in appointment procedures

fAn evidence base on higher education in Scotland is built up to inform

further reform

Press coverage has tended to focus on the opinions of interested partiesresponding to particular proposals that are easier to criticise in isolation

than when considered as part of a well-made, historically literate

argument.

Principals have questioned the need for change given Scotlands relative

success in league tables. They have given particular weight to the

dissenting letter submitted to the Cabinet Secretary separately from the

Report by panel-member Alan Simpson, chair of court at the University of

Stirling who dissents from the view that chairs should be elected or unions

included in governance procedures.

However, Scotlands ancient universities (and Dundee) already have a

system of electing Rectors, usually designated the chair of the governing

body. This is an important part of the distinctiveness of Scotlands higher

education tradition examined along with other important historical

factors in the Reports introduction. The idea is simply that a Scottish

solution to the problems of university governance in the rapidly changing

world of higher education should include an enhanced role for the Rector

(or otherwise designated elected chair) who will be able to claim authority

from the university community as a whole and ensure that all relevant

internal and external interests are given due attention in the institutional

decision-making process.

Further most governing bodies have reserved places for support-staff

unions as well as the informal inclusion of academic staff unions through

the senate or academic board. Hence neither of these proposals are alien

to Scottish institutions.

UCU is joining with NUS to push for greater democracy and transparency

in the governing bodies including decisions on Principals pay and gained

support from the Minister at UCU Scotland congress.


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ONLINE PAGE 21

Heading

THREE

Jan Murray is a

freelance writer and

regular contributor

to The Guardian.

Rhian Jones washer apprentice and

is now a successful

writer in her own

right.

This time last year, I felt like Id reached a career

crossroads. After a decade as a freelance education

journalist, which had definitely been more feast

than famine, I had this nagging feeling that Ineeded a new challenge.

Expanding my business was the obvious answer; despite employing a part-

time administrative assistant, and paying contractors to do transcription

and research, I was still putting in far too many late nights and early

mornings. And I was regularly turning down work something no

freelancer ever wants to do.

Hire an intern, friends told me. A bright, enthusiastic graduate, intenton a career in journalism, who would take on some of my workload for a

few months in exchange for a Travelcard, free sarnies and a few tips of the

trade.

But it wasnt an idea that sat comfortably with me. A trainee journalist

needs to be an accurate writer, have good research skills and plenty of

initiative and determination things that are not necessarily learned in a

lecture theatre. And taking on a graduate intern without making a decent

stab of training them up on the job just seemed exploitative to me.

So I decided to hire an apprentice. While they were helping me out with

transcription and story research, I could give them hands on experience in

Jan Murray (right) with Rhian Jones

THE APPRENTICE

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how to think and write like a journalist.

The rst challenge was nding an appropriate course. Much to my

surprise, I found there was no apprenticeship curriculum or framework

for journalism a trade in which employers traditionally grew their own

staff, on the job, using apprenticeships and other kinds of traineeships.

And while it conrmed something I already suspected about journalism

(that it has largely become a graduate or even postgraduate entry

occupation), I was even more shocked to learn that in a time of heavy

government investment in apprenticeships (around 3bn last year

alone), there were no rm plans to introduce a vocational route into the

profession.

Like many freelance journalists, I have a portfolio-style career, which includes writing for national

newspapers, copywriting, training and even

organising events and conferences.

Harlow College, which had already trained the rst MPs apprentice,

suggested my apprentice could follow the Business Administration

framework which includes optional modules on audio transcription,

analysing and reporting data and designing and producing business

documents and it proved to be a perfect t. Being able to draw on the

colleges expertise in teaching journalism (Harlow has an impressive list

of alumni that includes Piers Morgan, Jeremy Clarkson and the Guardian

editor Alan Rusbridger) was an added bonus.

Following a national search, over 20 candidates were shortlisted for 30

hour a week role (including a day at college) at a rate of 6.08 an hour.

And after a gruelling two-day assessment, which included tests in writing,

spelling and current affairs, as well as a formal interview, the job went to22-year-old Rhian Jones.

Having left school at 17, and spent four years working in shops, bars and

call centres, she had everything I was looking for drive, determination

and good interpersonal skills which (despite completing a year of a

degree in English and media), Im convinced she didnt learn in a seminar

room.

I spent four years teaching English in secondary schools and now lecture

in journalism at a number of universities. But I quickly realised thatclassroom based teaching is a very different proposition to training

someone on the job, in a real work situation. And it didnt take me long to

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decide which method is more satisfying.

In a classroom environment, motivating even the most enthusiastic

journalism students to nd compelling stories and fascinating people to

interview can be tough. Encouraging them to respond to feedback, and use

it to improve their work, can also be a challenge hardly surprising, given

the fact it is only likely to be read by a handful of university lecturers.

Give a student a real task, where they can see the results of their efforts

in a newspaper, magazine or even in a leaet or brochure and you see

interest, enthusiasm and a determination to improve. Few things are

more motivating than knowing that if your work isnt up to scratch you

will have to do a rewrite or worse still your lovingly crafted article may

not be published at all. These are tough lessons to learn and are not for the

faint-hearted, but neither is journalism.This is not to say classroom-based teaching doesnt have value, or that

universities dont give students opportunities to get hands-on experience.

But it is patchy: only a handful of universities facilitate really top-notch

student journalism. And higher education institutions offering students

access to high-quality work-based learning are still the exception rather

than the norm.

Sadly, this is symptomatic of wider failings in theeducation system.

Young people are being educated in an increasingly narrow system that

teaches them how to jump through hoops to pass exams. While I believe

there is a place for learning for learnings sake, this must be balanced with

helping young people acquire knowledge and skills that will prove useful

in the workplace.

Id love to see some of the big newspapers publishing houses being boldenough to grow their own talent rather than cherry-picking the top

graduates as they do now. Training an apprentice is time consuming,

but the benets of one-to-one to tuition, in a real work environment, are

invaluable.

After six months with me (and three months earlier than planned) my

apprentice is leaving me to take up a position as editorial assistant/junior

reporter on the trade industry magazineMusic Week proof, if ever it

was needed, that what do you can do is far more important than what youknow.

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Youre hired . . .by Rhian Jones

Before starting my journalism apprenticeship, its fair to say Id had a

few stabs at education. After leaving school I tried my hand at a BTECMusic Practice course, home A levels, an Access to HE Diploma and

university. But instead of helping me grow, each stint left me feeling like

I knew nothing about what I was good at.

After spending six months being mentored while learning on-the-

job, I feel like I nally know my strengths. As well as developing my

journalistic skills, Ive gained so much on a personal level from the

whole experience. Ive learnt that my past failures in education havent

been because Im stupid, not good enough or a failure. They didnt workfor me because I wasnt learning the right thing or wasnt been taught in

the way I learn best.

After my rst year at university, Id sat in a few lecture halls, submitted a

couple of assignments and had more spare time than I knew what to do

with. Yet the year felt like a constant struggle.

Within a few weeks of starting my apprenticeship, I was running around

an exhibition hall at a conference, hunting for stories, interviewing and

writing case studies for a copywriting project, calling people for quotes

(including the heads secretary at a top public school, who didnt sound

pleased to hear from me), as well as managing one hundred and fty

freedom of information requests (amongst many, many other things).

Over the past six months, Ive rarely had time to think and yet its been

the easiest learning process of my life, because Im learning the way I

learn best.

The apprenticeship qualication has given me a good grounding of

transferable knowledge which I know will help me in my working life.

The individual attention I got from the one-to-one feedback really made

me feel valued, and as a result, my condence and self belief has grown.

The biggest incentive to produce my best work was the idea that it could

be printed in national newspapers, so getting a byline held far more

weight than submitting an essay to be graded objectively by one person,

with little regard for my writing skills or creativity.

But before stumbling upon vocational qualications, I had an idealisticview of academic education. I couldnt wait to be regarded as clever

with my BA Hons certicate proudly framed. When I tried it and

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discovered that it wasnt for me, I felt completely lost. Thankfully I

was saved by my dream apprenticeship, but those once in a lifetime

opportunities are few and far between.

So what about those young people who dont ever get a chance to nd out

their strengths? The one thing Ive taken from my extensive experienceof education is that one size does not t all. Sometimes youve got to try

out a few things before nding what works for you.


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ONLINE PAGE 26THREE

Redemption througheducation:the case forlearning in prison

Graeme

Maudsley

is a Prison

Educator andmember of UCUs

National Executive

Committee

Prison education is facing challenging times.

As well as the ongoing controversy surrounding A4e (the beleaguered

welfare-to work company who despite being investigated for fraud are stillthe preferred bidder for 30m prison education contracts in London and

the East in England) the very nature of what we do is being re-dened.

Colleges and other providers have been

instructed by the governments offender

learning agency OLASS to make offenders

more employable if they want to keep hold

of their contracts.

On the face of it this seems like a reasonable

call. Employability is important but it is not

the be all and end all. An effective balance is

required that also fulls well the social and

personal developmental needs of offenders

and prepares them to reintegrate into

society.

Whilst the new skills agenda attempts to address this, the overridingemphasis on employability may reveal limited opportunities for success.

In times of economic hardship and with youth unemployment gures

alone spiralling to one million, we must question the validity of a

strategy that places so much emphasis on a single strand and a funding

methodology that encourages colleges and private providers to crank up

the churn in the pursuit of turning a coin.

Statistics reveal that prison is the preserve of the young, often uneducated

offender and to be successful in their rehabilitation we must seekto educate in the round. Perhaps the greatest impact on effective

resettlement is not just how employable an offender is as they go through

PRISON EDUCATION

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the gate. We must not forget they will compete in a saturated job market

with the hindrance of a criminal record, and this will de-motivate. For

many it will break them despite often the best of intentions at the time of

release. For these people it is the depth of knowledge and understanding of

the situation, being equipped with the tools to react to the knockbacks, the

difculties and the hardships that will likely confront them upon release.

This will dene above all else, the chances of that individual resisting a

return to offending.

Some prisoners will of course gain employment on release and this

for them will be the key to their rehabilitation but for the many who do

not it is the understanding, recognition and indeed enlightenment that

comes from a full and rounded education delivered with the compassion,

experience and professionalism of experienced educators that will deliver

results. We must strive to redress the balance accordingly.

Compounding the difculties we face is the ever tumultuous and cyclical

round of re-tender after re-tender. The creep of privatised companies

entering and showing interest in offender learning is worrying and again

represents a threat to the quality of education on offer. With low wages

touted and prevalence for ripping up professional terms and conditions,

awarding contracts to these providers is short-sighted and in the case of

A4e, embarrassing to the sector.

There are pockets of excellence in offender

learning and these pockets reflect areas wherein

internal stability has been maintained despite this

cyclical process.

These are the establishments where staff are embedded and settled, they

are often nancially secure, undertaking the job for the love of it, for the

difference they make, rather than the contractual rewards. They know how

to teach and they know how to address offending behaviour and despite

consistent change enforced upon them they manage to resist enough to

maintain the core of what they do.

Management are left with the task of picking up their good work,

re-badging it and making it t the present model. These people are

professional, seasoned educators and we need more of their ilk; we need

more to be trained in their sphere of inuence. New blood is entering the

profession and whilst this is welcome it is likely staff turnover will increase

dramatically with new entrants having little understanding of what

really works. Frequently they are given inferior contracts to mainstream

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colleagues and less effective mentoring as their seasoned predecessors

retire. They will be more inclined to unquestioningly tow the party line and

true success will decline as a result.

To establish what works we must be looking to these pockets of historical

excellence before they become too diluted by emerging excellence as

dened under more recent measures of success. If you look you will nd an

effective and complete education is the common theme.

For much of offender learning however it is true to say that improvement

is required and it is no wonder that OFSTED have noted room for

improvement in many establishments around the country when every

three to ve years we are again torn from our roots and thrown headlong

into the instability and uncertainty of changes in funding methodology,

strategic direction and often employer.Having been through this process a number of times I can tell you that in

year one following a change in employer little changes, management are

focussed on laying the strategic path and contending with the operational

difculties offender learning presents. In year two we feel the impact on

the ground and the tendency is to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Existing systems, policies and quality procedures that are nely tuned to

meet the requirements of OLASS in that specic environment, are binned

by the ream and replaced with similar non-OLASS friendly documents.In year three we start to get to grips with the revised documentation and

start to make it work. At this point we are re-tendered and the process

repeats. It is unsurprising this approach is of limited success.

Stability is the key; offender learning is best placed rmly in the hands

of the public sector. It must be funded well and the constant cycle of re-

tendering must stop. The best teachers should be sought to work within its

connes and we should be charged with providing prisoners with a well-

rounded and balanced education. Until we reach common consensus that

this is the way to maximise a reduction in re-offending, we will continue on

the treadmill.

I am pleased our general secretary has repeatedly stated her belief that

we do need the very best teachers in OLASS and we must seek a strategy

to ensure terms and conditions are conducive to this. Only through

retaining and attracting the calibre of staff capable of turning around the

most disaffected in our society, will we realise true success.


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ONLINE PAGE 29

Heading

THREE

Freedom to choose?

Stephen Courtis UCUs senior

research ofcer

The total number of full-time undergraduate

courses offered by UK universities and colleges has

fallen by more than a quarter since 2006 as funding

cuts and increases in tuition fees hit higher

education.And analysis of a sample of single-subject degree courses showed a 14%

cut since 2006, although the number rose slightly in 2012

Sir Richard Roberts, chief scientic ofcer at the New England Biolabs

and Nobel Laureate for Medicine or Physiology, said in a report published

in February by UCU, Choice cuts How choice has declined in higher

education: The decisions currently being undertaken by many universities

and encouraged by the British government seem completely contrary

to the idea of providing a broad and balanced education for university

students.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Advisor helps a student complete his UCAS form

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For instance, I notice that some universities have been closing chemistry

departments where one of the key subject areas for understanding biology

is taught. This just makes no sense. Others close humanities departments

presumably because they are not viewed as protable. In my mind such

decisions need much greater thought than appears to be undertaken at

present. Chemistry and the humanities need to be taught if students are to

develop critical thinking skills and to acquire a broad knowledge about the

world we live in.

Research by University and College Union based on data provided by

UCAS shows that between 2006 and 2012, the total number courses

offered in the UK fell from 70,052 to 51,116, a reduction of 27%.

Since institutions may withdraw offered courses during the applications

cycle because, for example, insufcient students apply for them, UCASalso produces data on the number of courses available at the end of the

applications cycle. This is called the nal or published number of courses,

and showed a fall of 29% in the UK, from 50,077 to 35,687 courses,

between 2006 and 2012.

The reduction of total courses on offer during the applications cycle was

greatest in England, with a drop of 31%, followed by Northern Ireland

(24%), Wales (11%) and Scotland (3%).

Is there a link between the reduction in courses and

the public spending and tuition fee regime in the

different parts of the UK?

While tuition fees for full-time undergraduates from the UK at HEIs

in England will be up to 9,000 a year in 2012-13, Northern Ireland-

domiciled students studying in Northern Ireland will only have to pay

3,465, Welsh-domiciled undergraduates studying throughout the UK

will only have to pay 3,465, and Scottish-domiciled undergraduates

studying in Scotland will not have to pay any fees. So England, the country

with the highest rates of tuition fees, is facing the biggest reduction in the

number of undergraduate courses, and the country with the most benign

fee regime Scotland has much the lowest level of course cutting.

In addition, public spending cuts are the most severe in England, where

funding reductions are being implemented at the same time as public

spending on teaching in higher education is being replaced by full-time

undergraduate tuition fees of up to 9,000 a year.

Nevertheless, within the regions England there is a wide range in the

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extent of course cutting. Nearly half (47%) of undergraduate courses are

being cut in the South West, but only 1% of courses are being cut in the

East Midlands.

Philip Schoeld, professor of the history of legal and political thought,

and director of the Bentham Project at University College London

(UCL), told UCU: limiting the number of courses will diminish the

student experience by curtailing their choice of subjects. It will adversely

affect new and innovative research by taking away the opportunities for

researchers to present their latest ndings and discussing their latest

theories to a receptive and inquisitive audience of students. It will close

off sources of knowledge. To sum up, it will make UK universities a much

less attractive proposition for both home and international students, who

value the depth and diversity of our research and teaching.

UCUs analysis of single-subject or principal degree courses showed that

in 2006, UK higher education institutions and further education colleges

provided 7,002 principal subject degree courses, across 141 subjects from

Pre-Clinical Medicine, to Others in Education. This number fell to 6,182

courses in 2010, a reduction of 11.7%, then to 5,968 in 2011, before rising

slightly to 6,024 in 2012. In all, between 2006 and 2012, there was a 14.0%

reduction in provision of these single subject degree courses.

While single subject STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering andMathematics) degree courses fell by 14.6%, there were slightly lower

reductions in social sciences (12.8%) and arts & humanities (14.0%).

Although student numbers continued to rise through this period, the

prospect and implementation of public spending cuts from the nancial

crisis of 2008 onwards, will have had a signicant impact on single subject

course provision, as HEIs and Further Education Colleges providing

higher education have sought to reduce costs.

Although the reductions in principal subject courses in England wassimilar to the overall picture in the UK, there was a decline of almost one

quarter in the number of principal subjects provided in Wales between

2006 and 2012, with the falls slightly sharper in social sciences (25%) and

arts and humanities (25%) than in STEM (22%).

The fall in principal subjects provided in Scotland,

of 8% overall between 2006 and 2012, was around

half the rate of decrease in England, and more thanthree times less than in Wales.

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While STEM and social science subjects were reduced by 9% each in

Scotland, arts and humanities subjects only fell by 2%.

Northern Ireland, like Scotland, showed only a relatively small decline in

the provision of principal subjects. This may be linked to the small number

of HE institutions in Northern Ireland, and a sense that, because of the

greater separation of the province from the rest of the UK, its HEIs have an

obligation to maintain a breadth in provision for home students.

To look in more detail at the change in courses, UCU selected a sample

of principal subjects in STEM, social sciences, and arts and humanities,

and analysed their provision on a regional basis in England. In the

UCU sample, some STEM courses were cut between 2006 and 2012,

particularly in biology, physical geographical sciences and computer

science. In social sciences, there was some reduction in provision between2006 and 2012 in some subjects in England, particularly in human and

social geography, and sociology.

And in arts and humanities subjects there

was a reduction in the number of institutions

providing some single subject courses in England,

particularly French studies, German studies, and

history by topic.

Some of these subjects were not provided in some English regions,

particularly the Eastern region (since 2010: no Latin studies, Classical

Greek studies, French studies, German studies, or Chinese studies); North

East (in 2012: no Latin studies, Classical Greek studies, French studies,

German studies, or History by topic); South West (in 2012: no Latin

studies, Classical Greek studies, Chinese studies, or History by area).

Donald Braben, honorary professor in life sciences at University CollegeLondon, expressed his concerns about the negative impact these changes

are having on higher education: I fear that we are going backwards.

Universities exist to challenge what we think we know and offer well-

argued and coherent alternatives. They are unique in these respects.

However, if we limit their scope and oblige them to concentrate on short-

term practical problems their advice might be indistinguishable from

that provided by many other sources. Meanwhile, the big problems would

continue unresolved.

All major developments in the last century were unpredicted. Take the

internet: were the universities being urged to offer lessons on the internet

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in the 70s and 80s? Industrial opinion notoriously changes with their

balance sheets. If we gear institutions solely to what we perceive students

and employers want then that is precisely what we will get. Stagnation

will follow. But who was asking for the internet, for example, in the 70s or

80s?

And James Ladyman, professor of philosophy and head of the department

of philosophy at the University of Bristol, told UCU: I am really concerned

that under the new funding environment universities will look at

concentrating their resources on courses which they believe will deliver

the highest nancial return. The loss of the block grant has taken away an

important measure of nancial security that allowed institutions to plan

for the future.

Provision shouldnt be decided on the basis of short-term popularitycontests but when you introduce a market that is what happens.

Institutions need to be able to offer a wide breadth of courses, especially

with more students likely to study closer to home in the future. It is

very easy to undermine capacity quickly but takes years to rebuild these

knowledge bases. The intellectual culture of a university is massively

enhanced by having students studying a range of disciplines living and

studying together.


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ONLINE PAGE 34

Heading

THREE

Andrew Mourant

is a freelance

journalist and

author and regular

contributor to The

Guardian

Unannounced

observationsThe fight against unannounced lesson observations

in FE colleges could be UCUs next big battle

following its trial of strength with the Institute for

Learning (IfL) over membership fees. Discontent is

smouldering around the country among lecturers

who feel harassed and undermined when managers

walk in at the drop of a hat.

Although united and well-organised branches seem to have won

concessions in London and Manchester, overall the picture is

deteriorating. For UCU, this isnt a blanket protest about lecturers being

assessed and graded, but the way its done. We recognise some teachers

arent very good or may get burnt out, says national FE ofcer Dan

Taubman. But wed argue that best practice with lesson observation is tohave support that can help people improve.

Although UCU hasnt collected gures, Taubman believes that the

FURTHER EDUCATION

ALAMY

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unwelcome drop-in by management is becoming ever more commonplace,

ramped up because of increasingly high stakes over poor quality the

possibility of a bad Ofsted report and funding being withdrawn from poor

courses.

Weve had instances of colleges trying to link (observation) grades with

student attendance, says Taubman. Thats bonkers there are lots of

reasons why students dont always turn up, especially adults who lead

untidy lives. The issue isnt going to go away I think it will get worse.

Principals may claim this is an essential part of upholding standards but

UCU members believe that often the practice is intended to be punitive

rather than helping professional development. It ratchets up the stress

level and is used by rogue managers to harass staff, said the branch ofcer

of one London college (Jenny Sutton, CONEL)Weve had members whove been seen every day for a week. Teachers feel

constantly on the back foot. Its like were going to catch you out we

know youre lazy and cut corners, and were going to prove it.

There the dispute was over quality monitoring, curriculum managers

making regular sudden visits known as walk-throughs to all classes

observation by stealth, when managers come in not ostensibly to observe,

but saycheck if students are there on time.

The notorious walks-through have antagonised many a staffroom and

are just one aspect of unannounced observation, now said to be among

the most common reasons FE lecturers are quitting their job. Lecturers

at one central London college (City of Westminster) say the whole

process has been abused. Anyone receiving successive Grade 4s for poor

classroom performance found management turning this into a question of

competence which then raised the spectre of possible dismissal.

A grade 4 in our college covers things such as attendance and punctuality

of students, but that isnt the responsibility of teachers, said one UCU

negotiator. You can have a teacher whos loved by the students but

because attendance isnt good you get a grade 4.

Andrew Harden, the UCU ofcer whos advised FE members at local level,

believes unannounced observation could become the unions next cause

celebre having squared up to IfL. In London albeit that rm action has

wrung concessions from management it remains, he says a huge issue.

But whereas IfL is one entity, there over 300 colleges, each run differently.So, plenty more battles to ght. As an industry benchmark, Harden

is calling for at least three weeks warning for lecturers before theyre

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observed though three weeks isnt worth what it was, because so much

more has to be crammed into that time.

We also argue it should be agreed for a named lesson, Harden says.

Where we dont achieve that, we should be looking at the smallest possible

window. But in some cases that can be a week. Thats ridiculous when an

Ofsted inspection is over three days.

Observations take numerous forms, none regarded with affection. One

college in the north west (Carlisle) has endured departmental observation

by line managers; whole college observations by managers and advanced

teaching practitioners; themed walk-throughs; mock Ofsteds conducted

by consultants; Ofsted itself; drop-ins by line managers; and extra

observations for staff who had previously fallen short.

Then theres the growth of peer observations, a result of targets set bymanagement as distinct from peer observations organised by tutors as

a supportive exercise. Some staff have been observed three times in a

week, said one branch ofcer (Paul Rivers). We had a colleague told that

she had to get used to it; while another said that students were unsettled

and upset by the level of observations. This never seems to be considered

by management.

Lecturers from a college in Hampshire (Farnborough) report that the

principal considers it her right to walk into any classroom at any time.Her gripe is that dont have any form of lesson plan, said the branch

secretary (Keith Cable). Were told that for every lesson, a plan, course le

and scheme of work must be available for inspection. A handwritten plan

needs maybe 10-15 minutes extra time for just one lesson thats adding

3-4 hours work per week.

The principal thinks we should use plans from previous years. But its not

possible for, say A Level business studies new materials are produced

each year; case studies need to be topical.

Oddly enough, the main complaints came from diligent and conscientious

teachers whod often get a grade A on a lesson observation anyway. But

UCU members are probably more likely to be chosen for a random check

than non-members, and some notably poor teachers escape scot free

while others are observed over and over again if problems are identied

regardless of their track record of effective teaching.

Insult was added to injury at one west country college (Swindon NewCollege) where management referred to unannounced observations

as mystery shopping. Staff protested both against the name and the

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practice; only to nd it re-badged as the learning walk.

But, says local UCU ofcials, it amounts to the same thing; though

management have since spoken of limiting unannounced observations

to a two-week window. Moreover, students can also be disconcerted

when managers drop in out of the blue, a source of considerable stress or

anxiety especially for those with learning disabilities and/or depression.

Learning takes place in students minds the policy of unannounced

observations is not based on any recognised theory of learning, the

lecturer said. Subjectivity makes the process prone to abuse. It can be

subtly turned into a tool to intimidate staff.

And yet the colleges own training-related literature states that every

teacher needs.. .the time and tools to think about their own individual part

in the educational enterprise. Thats left staff wondering why the collegedoesnt practice what it preaches, and, rather than spend money on its

observation regime, invest in professional development.

Unannounced observations can add pressures to deploy good teaching

techniques on occasions we would not normally consider appropriate

were being led to deny our intuitive professional judgement, the lecturer

added. UCU has long identied that theres a temptation for people to

devote time and effort into faking an outstanding or good lesson.

Last autumn, one lecturer at another college in the north west (The

Manchester College) was driven to institute a grievance over unannounced

observation. He said it was being used as harassment and a cause of

such stress that this would be considered detrimental to health by any

reasonable person.

He was awarded a Grade 4 (unsatisfactory). As a direct resultmy

performance in teaching suffered, he said. I felt undermined and this

led to periods of depression. Having a policy in which any lesson may

be observed at any time is stressful to an intolerable degree like being

permanently under an Ofsted inspection regime.

The good news is that vigorous action by branch members can change

minds. At Westminster and Kingsway, after a battle lasting several years,

management offered a deal whereby for two years out of three, one lesson

only, chosen in advance, will be observed though in the third year, as

part of the colleges review week/internal inspection, lecturers may be

observed at any time during a three and half day window. UCU memberssee this as a signicant improvement.

At Hackney College, local UCU staff and management also joined forces

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to avoid future conict. Its resulted in a system where one year therell

be a formal graded observation; the next, peer observation, ungraded. In

each case theres ve days notice ; and two lessons identied for possible

observation.

Vice principal Lois Fowler conceded that theres always an issue with

stress and how useful feedback is. With unannounced observations

there can be severe potential consequences for a member of staff if it

doesnt go well, she said. As a teacher I can understand why people feel

apprehensive.

Thanks to UCUs intervention several disputes in London have receded or

been resolved. But for every outpost of enlightenment, there appear to be

many more colleges far too many where management remains bent on

operating in the dark ages.

^UC contributors welcome the chance to discuss their work.Responses to this article should be sent to [email protected]

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ONLINE PAGE 39

Heading

THREE

Susan Matthews

is an activist in

the Defend The

Right to Protest

campaign. Her

son Ale Meadows

was injured

and nearly died

during a student

demonstration in2010 as a result of a

blow from a baton.

Justice for Alfie

Weve h

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UC Online, Issue 3