NEWS FOCUS
www.sec-ed.com
SecEd: On Your Side
Balls’ cost-cutting plans
Delivering Diplomas
publishes first edition
spark fierce reaction
LAST WEEK saw the launch
Pete
Last week, SecEd reported on
of SecEd’s eagerly-awaited
the proposals by schools chief
Henshaw
Ed Balls to slash £2 billion from
new sister title, Delivering
the education budget should
S
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ID
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Diplomas, which is a free Editor,
The ONL
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Y weekly voice for secondary
d
education Issue 224 • September 24 2009 Price £1.00
Labour win the next election.
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www
IInssiide
h
.sec-ed.com
tthiiss iissssue
High Reliability a
t
magazine offering practical
is a stu
SecEd
Mr Balls said he would look at
Schools explained dent worth
?
Heads’ anger as fu
nding per pupil ran
ges from £3,728 to
£7,603
by Chris Parr
advice and support to all those
streamlining leadership teams,
Headteachers have this week bl La ost ced al authority funding
the “H staig gh g
er re inli ga b di il sit cy r eo pr ag na cn iei ss ”a (t i Pi no t en h r s e puw pa ily Ds Sch Go o 2ls 0 a 0r 9e /10).
a fr ue n dth edo ,s e a nt dh a ht a c va e nnot afford called for an overhaul of Tth op e s 10y
f sa teil mur . e, such as air traffic The call has been sparked after a 1. City of London: £7,603*
control towers or nuclear Freedom of Information request by 2. Tower Hamlets: £6,523
power stations. We hea Dr a f vr io dm Laws, the Liberal Democrat 3. Hackney: £6,409
involved in the delivery of the new 14 to 19 Diplomas.
cutting “bureaucrats” in schools,
a research p er do uj ce ac tt i ot nh a st p olo ko esk ms an, revealed that a 4. Camden: £6,373
a st mth ae n yle as ss 2o ,n 0s 0 0s c sh cho oo ols l sc ca on uld face a deficit this 5. Lambeth: £6,075
l ye ea ar rn bf er co am us s eu tc hh e o gorg va -nisations ernment’s Dedicated Scho 6. Islington: £6,043
P oa lsg Ge r1 a5 nt (DSG) fails to cater for their needs. 7. Southwark: £5,961
and would create more federated
In England, the national aver- 8. Kensi
a ngton/Chelsea:ge funding £5,956per-pupil across
local au 9.th o H’mersmith/Fulham:rities is £4,218 a y e £5,831ar.
However, this varies fro 10.m Lewisham:£3,728 £5,751
p *City of London only has one school
It has been an incredibly exciting launch and the early
er pupil in Leicestershire to £7,603
in the City of London.
Hanham High School in Bristol Top 10 excluding London
schools with over-arching
falls under the jurisdiction of South 1. Manchester: £4,731
Gloucestershire
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£4,658m of the fu
nding table, with
£3,78 3.1 a Birmingham:llocated p £4,605
Y eo ru pn ug p ic l.arers can often Head Peggy Farr 4.in g Slough:ton a £4,582
s dt mru itg -gle at school because of ted that her school runs with a 5. Bristol: £4,520
feedback from the Diplomas sector has been phenomenal –
their obligations and duties at deficit almost every year. 6. Liverpool: £4,484
leadership teams.
home. We look at what h Se hlp e told SecEd: “There is a 7. Salford: £4,462
is available ff eo er l iy no gu on fg i nc ja ur se tir cs e that children in s 8. Reading: £4,428
a on md e th coe uir n t tie ea sc ah re er s worth so much more than th 9. Knowsley: £4,414
P oa seg e ins o8 t ha en rsd . I9 ’ve no problem with schools in challeng
- 10. Blackburn/Darwen: £4,405ing areas
getting more funding, but
SecEddigital
when you look at the league table of Bottom 10
per-p Hu ep il sf au in dd : in “g T, hth ee r de i s ffe ee rm ens c t eo s b e in
I feel strongly that this new title will become an invaluable
Below are some of the many
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s Northumberland: of teachers are ancies. pT reh se s ap ne yr -p ou f p thil e a b £3,850m uto tou nn st ti hn at the row over schools that maintain
reading SecEddigital, a vwwwirtual .sec-ed.com n gei e Sg n hh e eb ra o t tou e lr m di n ug o s re : l “o m Tc ha o el n oa e nu y. lt ” yh o or ti ht eie rs w c aa y = Shropshire:n budget surpluses. £3,850I can think of to find this m
oney 8.
tool for Diploma practitioners.
letters and emails we have
edition of SecEd, w bh ei c h
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s. frD oe mv on ti hs e The Audit Commission claimed w i East ll be Riding:by staf f £3,851 cuts, and so I have
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emailing editor@sec i- n
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d news and features are ta tr ey r mof s ”th se i nA cs es 1oc 9i 9at 7io .n of School and of £2 billion la
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re staffing cuts.”
Mick Brookes, general secretary Flu resource
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The magazine, which I am editing alongside
fa to
SecEd, is
received on the topic in the past ir
e ir n H vf e oo s wr tm er vu el s ea o r, u
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week. You can read the full
billio
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hie od o lo sv ue rr p” l ufr so e
m st ha a es lap anre te sav tri eo daition of its teachers’ u s to
y se aa vr’ es b mu od ng ee yt .. For morer eosno uthrcies, sTtohery Big Picture, to focus and other reactio
n, seeo pna tghe 3 h.istory of flu pandemics,
the origins of swine flu, vaccines,
JOIN THE
and scientific research. It comes
at the same time as Teachers TV
aired a series of programmes on
aimed at secondary and further education practitioners, as
story from last week’s edition by
L
swine flu. Visit: www.wellcome.
EADERS
ac.uk/flu and www.teachers.tv/
series/swineflu
JOIN BETWEE
sN 1 pSEPTEMeBERn AND 3d1 DECiEMnB
g cuts
4
ER


M
2009
O
A
N
ND
T
GE
H
T
S’ MEM
11 to 19 guidance
BERSHIP FREE
The latest 11 to 19 curriculum
support document has been
members of the National Union of welcome Mr Balls
’ commitment to
published offering schools
Reports by Chris Parr Teachers striking last year. main
taining the number of teachers guidance on how to select and
well as employers, and it has one goal – to provide you
The minister also *pTelremdsg aendd cotno ditionand teaching assistants
.s appl
Hyo: wFoer mveorre, insfohrem atqioune vsistitownewd wth.aes cl.ofrogc.uusk on their own p
riorities for
downloading the digital edition
Education chief Ed Balls has been make savings in
his department,
value of “executive headteachers”, curriculum develo
pment. The
UK news n Independent thinking n
Moral support
warned of the “potentially disastrous and to cut the nu
mber of bureau-
who take charge over two or more Qualifications and
Curriculum
n Managing ICT consequences” of his prnop NQT diarosed cuts crats advising
schools on matters
y n Leadership page
schools as part of the federating Development Age
ncy published
in education spending. such as the curricu
lum.
procesns. At the chalkfaceFrom Implementa
tion to
On Sunday (September 20), Mr However, Dr Jo
hn Dunford,
She said: “The enormous growth Development on Tue
sday
Balls became the first government general secretary o
f the Association
in consultant or executive headteach- (September 22). I
t looks in
particular at how schools “should y
h minister to outline how their de
part- of School and College Leaders, ers, roaming the country being paid
01-frontpage.indd 1 ment will save money if Labour said it was “manifestly false” to six-figure salaries to offer advice on be making the curriculum a
with practical support, advice and guidance to help you
(Issue 224, September 24) from
wins the next election. claim that the num
ber of heads and
school improvement, has yet to be central and integr
al part of its
hotograp strategy for improvement”. Visit: P He claimed that £2 billion senior leaders could be cut with
out
demonstrated as having any educa-l http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/
Hil could be cut from the education dam
aging teaching quality. tional value. These and other exam- 22/9/09 11:24:52
He said: “There are good rea-budget by creating more federated ples of inefficient and inappropriate
Steve : state schools with over-arching sons why some comprehensiv
e
use of funding must be tackled.” NCSL is changing
otos leadership teams, and by kee
ping schools federate, but it would be Her comments on this issue
The National College for Ph pay rises low when the next three- disastrous if this policy is pursued came after last week’s Trades Union
year pay deal comes into effect in by the governmen
t as a means of
Congress annual conference, when School Leadershi
p (NCSL) has
2011. saving money on s
chool leadership
a motion was passed calling for a become the Natio
nal College
make your Diploma delivery successful and innovative.
www.sec-ed.co.uk
The minister stressed that there positions. It is, in any
case, a false
“review of the financial account- for Leadership of
Schools and
What do you thin
k? were no plans to reduce the number assumption. Children’s Services. The name
“Federations can promote effi- ability mechanisms fo
r all schools”,
of “frontline staff” or increase class and for clear criteria regarding any change reflects the
extension of
sizes. However, he did concede ciency with econo
mies of scale on
additional payments to heads (see its remit to includ
e responsibility
ecEd looks at a number On this page and page 1 this week, S that, in addition to streamlining procurement, information technol- below for the full report). for providing training and
of stories that have hit the news surrounding sch
ool budgets,
leadership teams, schools would be ogy and sharing r
esources, but not Ms Keates also claimed that sav- support for directors of children’s
leadership salaries, and the overall financing of scho
ols. Here we
expected to reduce the number of on leadership.” services. Steve Mun
by, chief
summarise some of the responses we have received fro
m readers. He added: “Governing bodies of ings could be made with individual
“bureaucrats” they employ. school budgets, saying that millions executive, said: “Ou
r extended
Speaking to the BBC about federated schools sho
uld not – and,
of pounds are being “stockpiled in remit builds on th
e success of
Just like SecEd, Delivering Diplomas is a free magazine
Reaction to plans to slash education spending (see righ
t):
federated schools, Mr Balls said: in practice, do not
– reduce the size
school balances rather than spent our continued wo
rk to support
“A major thrust of the story was in reducing the num
ber of senior
“Under the headteacher there’s dep- of leadership team
s because they
on pupils”. leaders in schools
.” Visit: www.
leaders. It would appear that the number of senior leader
s have grown
uties, there’s assistant headteachers, recognise that a s
uccessful transi- However, Dr Dunford respond- nationalcollege.org.uk
over the last 15 years but this is in direct response to the
government’s
and what we can do is pool leader- tion into a federate
d institution can
e if there is effective ed: “While a small number
of
Dear sir,
many initiatives. If the number of senior leaders are going
to be reduced,
ship together and that can free up only take plac Society snaps
who is going to make the judgements for SEFs, who will
lead specialist
resource as well.” leadership.”
school balances are excessive, the
schools initiatives, who will work on collaborations to
facilitate the
On pay rises, Mr Balls promised Chris Keates, gen
eral secretary vast majority are because schools A national photography
implement VLEs, and Diploma, who will develop extended services, or to be “tough”, sparking concerns of the NASUWT, also warned that are saving for particular project
s or
competition is calling for 16
who will seek out the funds through writing bids? It is a
ridiculous and
that the 2011 pay deal could see cuts in education sp
ending would be are wisely keeping a reserve against to 19-year-olds to give their
available digitally as well as in hard copy. You can sign up
ill-thought-out proposal. Purely a sound bite for party poli
tical reasons.”
teachers offered less than the 2.45 a false economy,
with “potentially the rainy day that we know will viewpoint of British society. The
Paul Ainsworth, deputy head, Belvoir High School, Leice
stershire
per cent annual rise that led to disastrous consequ
ences”, but did come in 2011.” Learning and Skills Improvement
Service is asking youngsters to
These comments beggar
“Frankly, I think heads and senior leadership teams will b
e disappointed take a photograph that addresses
and insulted by the secretary of state’s comments. I’v
e been on a
bureaucrat hunt round my school this morning – but have
n’t found any
TUC motion
sparks
the competition’s title question:
The Real Picture: Strong
yet. Is he suggesting the crazy number of hours senior
leaders work Communities or Broken Society?
is unnecessary or simply misplaced?” Jacques Szemali
kowski, head, The most striking images will
Hampstead School, London
online today (www.deliveringdiplomas.com). belief. For Mr Balls to talk
“How will they square ‘over-arching leadership teams
of federated ‘bonus culture’ d
ebate
be shortlisted and exhibited at
Portcullis House in London on
March 9, 2010. Visit: www.
schools’ with low pay rises if they intend to recruit the b
est? And how
we don’t know who is being paid post16citizenship.
org
and when did the workforce reform agenda which they
championed
At the same time as education chief challenging situati
ons, while retain-
for what. There’s this whole area
become ‘excessive bureaucrats’? Ben Greene, deputy he
ad, Newstead
Ed Balls set out his proposed educa- ing the headship
of their current
of work called ‘school support and
Wood School for Girls, Bromley tion spending cuts, a row was erupt- school. The upper limit on the statutory advice’, and it is generally accepted A
uthor shortlist
ing over executive headteachers that struggling schools benefit from Acclaimed author, N
eil Gaiman
Reaction to the row over the so-called “bonus culture”
(see right):
and the increasing “bonus culture” national pay scale
for school lead-
help that comes from people out- joins five other w
riters who
“For me, one large comprehensive with 1,500 students
and over 150
in school pay deals. ers is currently £
102,734 (outside
side. have been shortlis
ted for the
staff is more than enough people to get to know and influe
nce. Ours is a
At the Trades Union Congress London), but since 20
08, education
“So we get these wonderful Booktrust Teenage P
rize 2009.
In my role as editor of SecEd, I am well accustomed to
of “reducing bureaucrats” in
‘people industry’, and I regard personal relationships as k
ey. I could not
annual conference in Liverpool last salary scales hav
e allowed extra
consultant heads, but they need to The awards, whic
h celebrate
envisage being head of a school that I would only occas
ionally visit.”
week, the Association of Teachers payments to head
s who run more
decide what their job is. If they the best contempo
rary writing
Mike Griffiths, head, Northampton School for Boys, Nort
hampton
and Lecturers (ATL) tabled a motion than one school.The ATL claims there is evi- are in charge of a school, then they for teenagers will se
e Gaiman’s
Hill
calling for a “review of the finan- should be paid as a headteacher, and latest work, The Gr
aveyard Book,
“There are so-called super heads, whose salaries exce
ed the agreed
cial accountability mechanisms for dence that some le
aders are receiv-
every school must have a head – but compete for a £2,
500 cheque
national pay-scales. There is also too much at the governo
rs’ discretion,
all schools”, and for clear criteria ing bonuses as we
ll.
However, Dr John Dunford, only one.”
and trophy at a ceremony to be
so that you can have similarly located schools, of simi
lar sizes, with
regarding any additional payments ATL’s motion, which was held in London on N
ovember 18.
similar issues to address where the heads’ salary ranges va
ry enormously
to headteachers. general secretary o
f the Association
passed, included an amendment by Visit: www.bookh
eads.org.uk
but remain within the guidelines.” Peggy Farrington, h
ead, Hanham
General secretary, Dr Mary of School and Coll
ege Leaders,
the NASUWT calling for a statu-
being awestruck by the innovative and ground-breaking
schools is rich coming from the
High School, Bristol Bousted, said they did not object told SecEd he though
t the motion
tory duty to be placed on all schools Academy award
to heads being paid a fair wage, was misleading,
and refuted the
to publish annual details of the pay
Reaction to criticism of schools’ budget surpluses (see f
ront page):
but warned that if a bonus culture claims that heads
were being paid
and rewards of headteachers and The Folkestone A
cademy
“The idea that schools hoard money comes from politic
ians who still
manifested itself in schools, there bonuses.He said: “It is completely wrong other school leaders. in Kent has won £5
,000 in
don’t trust us to run our own budgets. If a school ‘ca
rries forward’
would be a range of new highly The trend for heads oversee- recognition of its he
althy eating
very same government which
spending, it can only be for a good reason, based
on planning
paid leadership jobs which would to confuse additio
nal payments for
ing multiple schools is set to con- campaign. The aw
ard is part of
and approved by governors.” Ray Tarleton, head, Sou
th Dartmoor
have little to do with children’s heads, which are m
odest and reflect
tinue with the introduction of the the School Food T
rust’s Million
Community College, Devon education. major additional re
sponsibilities,
Accredited School Groups, pro- Meals campaign, w
hich aims to
She said: “We do not want with the ridiculously
high bonuses
posed in the recent White Paper. get a million mor
e pupils eating
work that goes on in our schools, and Diplomas have
Steve “A school that is ‘hoarding’ may have made legitim
ate strategic
schools to go any further down the paid in the City.
These are not
These groups place increased school meals by 2
010. Every
decisions to develop the school in the interests of students
. A school that
road towards becoming businesses. bonuses, they are
additional sal-
importance on headteachers’ man- month, it will giv
e £5,000 to
is in deficit may simply be badly managed.” Melvyn Ro
ffe, principal,
And we do not want a generation of ary for extra respo
nsibility – often
agement experience, and their track a school that has s
uccessfully
has spent the last several years
Wymondham College, Norfolk school leaders who think the bot- earned through helpi
ng to support
record in improving school per- promoted healthy
eating among
tom line has a pound sign instead other schools in
challenging cir-
formance. its pupils. The com
petition is
“Many schools look to build a surplus over time to eithe
r fund capital
of being about public service. We cumstances.”However, Martin Johnson, ATL But Mr Johnson added: “When open to all schools t
hat have
projects or to iron out changes in pupil numbers which can
have a short-
do not support the growth in execu- we create a system that encourages signed up to the cam
paign.
term devastating effect on continuity, quality and breadth
of provision.”
tive heads, consultant heads, super deputy general sec
retary, said there
heads to be more like businessmen, Visit: www.schoo
lfoodtrust.org.
Paul Scutt, head, Bishop Fox’s Community School, Somer
set
heads, and super duper heads.” were “insufficient
checks and bal-
proved no different – I have once again been left amazed by
Executive heads advise and ances in place on head
teachers”. then we are encouraging improper u
k/millionmeals
financial conduct.”
Email your views to the editor: pete.henshaw@markalle
ngroup.com He continued: “The trouble is,
assist other schools, frequently in
encouraging schools to appoint Photo:

SecEd • September 24 2009
22/9/09 11:22:19
the phenomenal work that has been put in by consortia to more support staff, in order that
02-03 news.indd 3
make them work.
teachers could concentrate on False economy? Schools secretary Ed Balls has received some strong criticism after SecEd
Every case study in
children’s learning. Or perhaps reported on his plans (inset) to cut the education budget should Labour win the election

he meant the many bureaucrats
the new magazine is
D
Delive
rin
i
g
plo
ma
in the department and its various Dear sir, federated system could work. This Dear sir,
designed to show you
s
quangos? Cuts! Aarggh! I think teachers will has never been tried before and this A federated school is still going to
how consortia have
School senior leaders are feel undervalued if they do not system seems to have been borne be paying the people in charge of
The UK’s only ma
gazine dedicated
to the 14 to 19 D
iploma
approached specific
drivers of school improvement. receive a “proper” pay rise. out of expediency rather than its component parts a reasonable
www.deliveringdiplo
mas.com
issues relating to
They are not drains on resources. As for cutting admin staff rational thought. salary – more than a deputy. So the
Diplomas
In secondary schools, talk of – who is going to do those admin Senior managers actually actual savings are very limited.
delivery, or indeed has
in action
“federation” as a means of jobs? Yup! Teachers. Wasn’t there manage their schools, which they Getting rid of support staff
approached the overall
20 practical
reducing costs is dubious, since in a list of all the things that teachers do with a real sense of allegiance. and getting teachers to do it is
challenge of delivery,
case studies most of the examples I have seen are not supposed to do: displays, Increasingly, headteachers have retrograde and poor value for
and we have compiled
the more usual result is an increase photocopying, counting money, been drawn from their desks into money. Support staff are generally
Key advice
them from all points
in the numbers of senior staff. collating reports, etc. I suspect the land of the bureaucrats and better (and cheaper) at their
to help We much appreciate the that’s what the so-called “extra” into the black hole of consortia. specialist jobs than teachers would
of view – employers,
you deliver increase in education funding, admin staff are there for. At the same time the numbers of be. That is what workforce reform
students, secondary and especially with capital projects low-cost non-teaching staff have was all about.
From the publishers
of
further education.
Volume 1 No 1
Autumn 2009
SecEd
over the last 12 years, but to now Rachel Pattisson increased rapidly. It seems that our This is smoke and mirrors to try
The ONLY weekly voice for secondary education
The magazine is tied
01- diplomas.indd 1 talk of major cuts in revenue Ex-teacher, Northumberland stop-go economy is about to slam to persuade people that the books
18/9/09 15:12:12
budgets will inevitably harm the our schools from fourth gear into can be balanced without taking
to the established and
quality of what we can deliver. Dear sir, reverse. tough decisions. No coincidence
popular series of Delivering Diplomas conferences, which
Volunteering such a major While one must accept that that on the same day the Lib Dems
will continue under the umbrella of Delivering Diplomas. cut from a major spending education cannot be immune or Paul Carruthers were talking about “savage” cuts.
The next event is taking place today (Thursday, October 1)
department? A more cynical person divorced from the realities of an Ex-deputy headteacher, Unattractive rhetoric, but I
at the Aston Conference Centre in Birmingham, with the
than me might infer it has more ailing economy, I cannot see how a Hertfordshire fear more honest than pretending
to do with pre-empting a possible it won’t hurt to cut education. It
Fifth National Delivering Diplomas Conference, themed on
move to the Treasury rather than a will. So political parties should be
Sustaining Delivery, taking place on March 18, 2010.
concern for improving education.
We have also launched the first ever National Delivering
Slings and arrows
very careful and very honest about
what is cut and look at how real
Diplomas Awards, which aim to reward the very best
Mike Griffiths priorities for children can continue
Diploma deliverers, including individual awards for
Headteacher, Northampton Dear sir, of their persistence and their to be delivered.
School for Boys, Northampton All those deputies and heads constant presence, reclaiming
teachers/lecturers, students, exam officers, employers,
whom Mr Balls reckons he can corridors and classrooms Melvyn Roffe
and an overall consortia award. The entry deadline for Dear sir, spread more thinly are the people Whatever else they are, they Principal, Wymondham College,
nominations is January 31 next year and the awards
What I think to this is probably not who absorb the pressure (or try are not bureaucrats. Norfolk
take place on March 26, 2010. Both the awards and the
printable! We have slightly more to) from non-stop government This is the government that
conferences are sponsored by the Qualifications and
non-teaching/admin staff than, say, target-setting, standard-raising wined and dined big business and Dear sir,
five years ago, but this is mainly to and loony initiatives. banks, basking in the reflected This is a further blow to our future
Curriculum Development Agency.
cope with the increased workloads Without all those senior glory and glitz of their megabuck generation’s education. With the
The next edition of Delivering Diplomas publishes on for schools and the changes that managers, who will collect, successes. It’s the administration current economic crisis, we need
March 11, 2010, and you will find more case studies on the
have come about with the work/life process and transmit the data that wrung its hands and stood to be planning for our country’s
website in the meantime.
balance (laughable!) reforms, i.e. that drives us? Who will see to by helplessly while the economy future. Without a good, solid and
the 24 (or however many it is now) performance management and melted down. a stable education system we are
See our report in the news section of this edition of
tasks that teachers aren’t supposed all the other micro-management And now one of its most playing with fire. Yes, education
SecEd for more on the launch, and see next week’s edition
to do. However, I’m all for Mr Balls demanded by Westminster? Who influential ministers has does cost taxpayers money. Yes,
of SecEd for a full report on today’s conference and more cutting some of the staff he employs will protect the teachers and let the cheek to insult senior money is not always spent in the
reaction to the launch of the magazine.
– it might do us all a favour. them get on with the job? professionals by denigrating correct way. But as teachers, we are
As I said in my editorial in the first edition of Delivering
Having demanded this what they contribute; parading always trying to do the right thing.
Helen Nurton constant stream of facts and his cleverness in clawing back Changes to the curriculum
Diplomas, there are, as always, many carpers and cynics
Assistant headteacher, Guildford figures, it seems that government £2 billion and playing the tough do need to be made, but not by
voicing criticisms of Diplomas, but the qualifications
County School, Guildford no longer needs the people who guy by promising to squeeze or cost-cutting. Ed Balls and his
are here to stay and are vital to the future success of our
always provided this information freeze the pay of the workforce. colleagues are stabbing education
workforce.
Dear sir, – dubbed “bureaucrats” by the What a great motivator. and my fellow educators in the
Furthermore, if these cynics were to scratch ever so
We were encouraged to increase secretary of state. Despite the slings and arrows back and are not thinking of the
non-teaching staff to manage That casual redesignation of constantly directed at them by “bigger picture”.
slightly beneath the surface, they would find that, yes, there
workforce reform and now we will vital school leaders into a group government, teachers get on with As teachers, we want the
are challenges and issues to overcome, as some of our have to let them go. Federation that can be thinned or done without the daily business of acting as role students to achieve. We want
case studies have shown, but incredibly exciting things are
does not always work. Sometimes is not just tactless, it is foolish. models, and damned good ones, to inspire and generate lifelong
happening and, as always, it is the teachers and lecturers,
the federated school dips with their Which are the schools in for our young people.Compassion, learners. We work together to
and now the employers, of this nation that are driving this
own progress if the leadership is difficult settings that have cracked professionalism, responsibility promote that learning is cool.
spread too thinly supporting others. the problems of disruption, and sound common sense are the We have an extremely tough but
change and helping to make education history. SecEd
I have no problems with indiscipline and poor behaviour? qualities that characterise their highly enjoyable role to play in
the pay deal. There are cuts Invariably those where heads work. It’s a shame a better example society. We are worth our money.
• Pete Henshaw is the editor of SecEd and Delivering
everywhere and teachers have done and deputies tirelessly pace the is not set by those at the top. Education isn’t cheap and nor
Diplomas. Email editor@sec-ed.co.uk and visit www.sec-
very well in the last few years. corridors, maintaining a highly should our children’s future be.
visible profile, setting the tone, Dr Bernard Trafford
ed.co.uk and www.deliveringdiplomas.com. You can follow
Joan McVittie intervening swiftly when trouble Headteacher, Royal Grammar Mike Tidd
SecEd on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SecEd_Education
Principal, Woodside High occurs and, as a direct result School, Newcastle Head of geography, Gillingham
School, London School, Dorset
6 SecEd • October 1 2009
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