S
N
S
I
D
E
J
O
B
S

I
ecEd
The ONLY weekly voice for secondary education Issue 217 • June 18 2009 Price £1.00
www.sec-ed.com
I
I
ns
s
i
i
de

t
t
hi
i
s
s


i
i
s
s
s
s
ue
Sign up to
SecEd digital
for free
With the launch of
SecEddigital, thousands of
teachers are now reading
the newspaper electronically
every Thursday. You can sign
up by sending us your email
address. It is completely free
and we will not pass on your
details to third parties. Just
email editor@sec-ed.co.uk
Celebrating VQ Day
Vocational Qualifications Day
takes place on June 24. Our
two-page special focuses on
Apprenticeships and looks at
Year 7 SATs proposal
what else will be happening
this year on VQ Day
Pages 18 and 19
sparks fierce criticism
It came three days after Mr of moderation which inevitably tests are becoming increasingly dis- merit in removing some of the
by Chris Parr
Waters had also claimed that the accompanies internal marking.” credited, why don’t we move to problems from year 6, and may
tests are better suited to year 7. Leo Gilbert, vice principal at the one simple unified system of test- make the transition to secondary
Human rights
Secondary schools were this week He was addressing the National Harris Academy in south London, ing at the beginning of secondary school smoother, the administra-
facing up to the possibility that they College for School Leadership’s labelled the idea “terrible” and school?” tion and marking of the tests would
will be asked to administer key stage annual conference in Birmingham “poorly conceived”. Simon Viccars, head at Leon produce considerable additional
An innovative new board
2 SATs in year 7 if the Conservatives last Thursday (June 11). He told SecEd: “This doesn’t School and Sports College in Milton workload for secondary schools.
game is inspiring human
win the next election. Speaking to SecEd after his solve any problems at all, in fact it Keynes, agreed that the proposals Christine Blower, general sec-
rights education in Scottish The plans have been mooted by speech to around 1,800 school lead- creates barriers. Secondary schools could save on duplicate testing on retary of the National Union of
classrooms. Sam Phipps
the Tory shadow education minis- ers, Mr Waters said: “In moving will have no assessment informa- year 7 arrival, and might also allow Teachers, said: “A manageable
explains more
ter, Michael Gove, and the idea has SATs to year 7, we would reduce tion on the students until part-way secondary schools “to be responsi- workload for teachers has to remain
Page 7
also been backed by Mick Waters, the hot-housing of children through through year 7, and whatever form ble for their own baseline agenda a priority and there must be no
the former head of curriculum at year 6 and the narrowing of the cur- the new tests take, they will end up for conversion measurement”. new additional tasks in the form of
the Qualifications and Curriculum riculum, which we know currently being taught towards by primary However, Ms Keates said the unnecessary assessment and testing.
Authority and now president of the happens. schools in order that they are seen idea that transferring SATs to year 7 “Any proposals which intend
Curriculum Foundation. “Also, we would see what chil- in their local communities as the would avoid duplication of assess- to continue high-stakes tests and
Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew dren can genuinely achieve, and schools that prepare their pupils ment was “disingenuous”. league tables but just move the
Marr Show on Sunday (June 14), gain better evidence of the impact most effectively for secondary She added: “How secondary responsibility on to secondary
Mr Gove argued that scrapping the of their learning at primary school education. schools currently assess pupils on school teachers would be flawed
primary tests would free up time for by assessing them sometime after “Even worse, secondary schools entry varies widely. The system and totally unacceptable.”
more wide-ranging lessons in year they have left.” might start trying to find ways of used is determined by the indi- Schools minister, Vernon Coaker,
Mentoring success
6, and that the new year 7 exams However, there was fierce criti- lowering the attainment of their vidual school and is usually carried said: “If Mr Gove is proposing to
should be marked internally by sec- cism this week from some quar- new students in these tests, in order out routinely as part of individual push the tests back to year 7 and not
We hear from a school ondary teachers. ters. Chris Keates, general secre- to boost value-added.” subject lessons. SATs would simply publish the results for each primary
mentor in Solihull, who
He said: “Our principal aim is tary of the NASUWT union, said One of the arguments given by become an extra formalised layer of school, this will be a huge step
has helped to develop a
to ensure that we have a system of that if the idea was implemented, Mr Gove was preventing secondary testing which schools would have backwards for school accountability
successful and vital mentoring
testing which allows us to accu- secondary school teachers would schools from having to re-assess no choice but to implement.” and will deny parents information
rately measure how well individual face “an imposed system of testing, pupils on their arrival. Elsewhere, Dr John Dunford, we know they find valuable.”
system for her students
children are doing, and also to accu- the increased workload of marking He said: “If the very best sec- general secretary of the Association
Page 12
rately measure how well schools the tests, and the time-consuming, ondary schools are running their of School and College Leaders, • See page 3: Schools chief says key
are doing.” bureaucratic burden of a system own tests and the primary school said that although the idea had stage 2 SATs are here to stay.
UK news
n
Psycho babble
n
Moral support
n
Notes and jottings
n
Managing ICT
n
CPD page
n
NQT diary
n
At the chalkface
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24