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SecEd: On Your Side
What does the year
Welcome back to an
exciting year ahead
ahead have in store?
Happy New year! and what
Pete
a year it promises to be.
IT IS often pointed out, usually by get checks though in the past, so our
within the next six months
Henshaw
opposition members of parliament,
In 2009, teachers and schools were
advice is to get registered as soon
there will be a general Editor,
that the number of words in the as possible, so you can tackle any
election, and one of the
SecEd
rules and regulations handed to
subjected to a seemingly never-
problems early.”
key battlegrounds for the
schools from central government
competing political parties will be you and your schools.
every year total more than the
ending stream of government
The scheme will be rolled out
for all teachers over the next five
number contained in the complete
“education, education, education,” said Tony Blair in
rules and regulations. Chris Parr
years.
works of Shakespeare.
1996, and since that moment, the nation’s schools have
as a result, there is a fairly
takes a look at some of the changes set to hit
One-to-one tuition
given Mps across the political spectrum the chance to score
constant stream of schemes and By September, 300,000 students
quick and sometimes cheap points over the opposition,
initiatives flowing into schools, all education in the coming 12 months who have fallen behind at key
promising that only their party’s policies will guarantee the
with their own official start dates stage 2, 3 or (in National Challenge
– plenty of which fall in 2010. Schools) 4, will be receiving one-
best provision for the UK’s youngsters.
Here, we take a look at several In addition to all teachers, any schools to get ahead of the game to-one tuition to help them catch
So prepare to be kicked around like a political football. of the more prominent dates on adult having contact with the same if they wish to avoid any possible up. By the start of the following
prepare to see opposition Mps dragging up the most
the education calendar this year, group of children on a weekly basis hold-ups. school year that number will have
obscure statistics in an attempt to prove that you work in a
and consider how they could affect will eventually have to be checked. Dai Durbridge, vetting and doubled.
wreck of an education system. and prepare for government
teachers and heads in secondary It will not be compulsory barring expert at education The Department for Children,
schools across the country. for teachers joining a school to solicitors Browne Jacobson, told Schools and Families (DCSF)
ministers to hit back, claiming that schools have never been
pass the checks until November, us: “Registration will open in July needs to recruit around 100,000
better.
Vetting and barring
meaning that teachers changing 2010, but it will only become a qualified teachers by October, and
It all promises to be highly entertaining, and – if
even though the education secretary, schools before the new term starts requirement for new entrants to the the success of the initiative will
nothing else – will put education policy at the forefront of
ed Balls, watered down the laws in September will be able to do professions and those moving jobs depend on whether it hits this target.
that will require adults working so using existing Criminal Records to register from November. Currently, just 34,000 teachers have
parliamentary debate.
with children to have criminal Bureau data. “However, the system will still registered.
as one headteacher at from a school in South west
records checks, around nine million However, from July, all teachers be fronted by the Criminal Records Graham Holley, chief executive
england told me just before Christmas: “I think it’s people in the UK will still have to will be able to register if they want Bureau, and some schools have of the Training and Development
helpful to have education as a political and national
be vetted. to, and legal experts are pushing for reported problems when trying to agency for Schools, said: “I would
priority. public statements from ministers and their
encourage teachers to sign up for
the programme, which can only
shadows about the value of education have a positive
improve their teaching skills and
impact on schools.”
understanding of how children
and quite right he is. and that impact carries to parents
learn. They will be rewarded
and students too. But it is when the debate places too much
financially and professionally, plus
emphasis on unconstructive criticism that the dangers of
there is flexibility to work when it
suits them.”
having education as an area where politicians seek to gain
advantage over each other become more apparent.
Licence to Practise
It is all too common an occurrence for good news to be
yet another hoop for teachers to
dismissed in favour of headline-grabbing negativity.
jump through, or a necessary step to
“There is a still real problem with the first years of
raise the status of the profession?
Dr John Dunford, general
secondary school. It’s a scandal that tens of thousands
secretary of the association of
of 14-year-olds only reach the expected level of a nine- School and College Leaders, says
year-old in english and maths,” said conservative shadow
the License represents a “valuable
education secretary, Michael Gove, towards the end of
step toward reprofessionalising the
teaching profession”.
2009. In December, David Laws, the Liberal Democrat’s
elsewhere, Chris Keates, general
education spokesman, said that standards in schools were
secretary of the NaSUwT, has
“shocking”, and that “this government’s failure to drive claimed that teachers “are already
up standards in all our schools will be one of its lasting
subject to rigorous performance
legacies”.
management, monitoring and
inspection, and don’t need anything
The latter comment, made in a national newspaper, came
else”.
in response to an Ofsted report that confirmed that the
It is a debate that will rumble on,
quality of learning in secondary schools had risen yet again,
but under current plans, the DCSF
and that the number of “inadequate” schools was declining.
will be consulting on regulations for
Is it any wonder that so many people outside the
the Licence to practise in the spring,
with a view to introducing it next
education system fail to recognise the amazing work
academic year. SecEd
going on in our country’s schools, sometimes in the most
challenging of circumstances?
Further information
Unfortunately, there is every possibility that the
• One-to-one tuition: www.tda.
catcalling and criticism will only increase in the coming
gov.uk/onetoone
• Licence to practise: www.dcsf.
months.
gov.uk/21stcenturyschoolssystem
There are a number of ways to win voters over, and
proposing well thought out, sensible education policies
is one of the more difficult. Condemning and dismissing
IN rESpONSE…
existing systems is far easier, and I have little doubt that
we will see this happen with increasing regularity in the
Ministers have confirmed that “The majority of schools already we are also pleased that the pernicious form of bullying, has
coming months. schools will soon be required to record incidents of bullying. government is demonstrating been recognised as a key issue.”
However, if there is one thing I have learned from
record and report all incidents However, I want to make sure that its commitment to tackling the
my many visits to schools up and down the UK during
of serious bullying. all schools have measures in place serious issues of sexual, sexist and Dr John Dunford, general
The new duty, which is to prevent and tackle bullying and transphobic bullying through the secretary, Association of School
my time at SecEd, it is that whatever the political parties
currently being consulted show they are taking it seriously. publication of this addition to Safe and College Leaders:
are bickering about, and whatever the secretary of state
on, will be enforced from Having the right information to Learn. “I fail to see how requiring
is forcing school’s to do, teachers continue to do their
September 2010. early on can be vital in dealing we will be supporting the use schools to record and report
jobs with the utmost professionalism, commitment, and
Ministers have also with problems quickly. The new of the guidance in its work with every instance of bullying can
skill.
published guidance to help duty announced today will ensure local authorities and schools.” be viewed as ‘help’ for either
schools crack down on this becomes common practice for schools or pupils.
SecEd will continue to fight your corner in the build up
sexual, sexist and transphobic all schools.” Christine Blower, general Surely the government wants
to this year’s election, and I for one will be keeping a close bullying, as part of its Safe to secretary, National Union of schools to focus their time and
eye on how each of the leading parties uses education to
Learn series of guidance. Christopher Cloke, chairman, Teachers: attention on preventing bullying
further their own cause. It will be nothing if not interesting.
To access the guidance, Anti-Bullying Alliance: “while I recognise that requiring from taking place, rather than
as the aforementioned head told me: “Let the debate
search for ‘Safe to Learn’ at “we welcome the proposed new the reporting of bullying as a duty diverting more resources to
http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk duty to record and report bullying makes sense, accompanying this another form-filling exercise. yet
begin, and let’s all join it. Because democracy is too
To take part in the incidents. duty must be the message from that will be precisely the effect of
precious to be left to the politicians.” SecEd consultation, which will run In our work to support the government that schools have the this new duty.
until March 4, visit www.dcsf. development of sound anti-bullying time and space to tackle the root The duty to record all
• Pete Henshaw is editor of Seced and Delivering Diplomas.
gov.uk/consultations policies and practice, we find causes of bullying and pupils’ incidents of bullying is another
that the most successful schools sense of injustice. stick with which to beat schools
Email him at editor@sec-ed.co.uk or visit www.sec-ed.co.uk
Vernon Coaker, schools have proper systems in place for I particularly welcome the fact and will not help reduce the level
and www.deliveringdiplomas.com
minister: recording incidents. that sexual bullying, a particularly of bullying in or outside school.”
6 SecEd • January 7 2010
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