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www.sec-ed.com
SecEd: On Your Side
Are you safe?
GCSE row sparks
Safeguarded safe?
I can sleep soundly at last.
fierce reaction
I’ve passed the Safer
Guest
Recruitment Test. no risk
editorial
now of my signing up
by Ray
unsuitable characters for jobs
The annual circus that surrounds
Tarleton
at this school. We’re safe:
the publication of the official GCSE
Safeguarded Safe.
In the last 20 years, I’ve given contracts of employment
results has begun again, with many
to hundreds of adults. an average year at the school where jumping to the defence of the
I am head sees us take on around 30 new colleagues:
profession. Chris Parr reports
teachers, teaching assistants and other key support staff.
I’ve appointed 245 of the 250 employees on our payroll.
Last Wednesday (January 13), the to defend schools, teachers and
Getting appointments right is a priority for me. So I shudder
national press, teaching unions and students, while pushing for an end
to think how many mistakes I may have made. the government engaged in what to the league table culture.
at least one member of any appointment panel in every
has become an annual battle over Mick Brookes, general secretary
school now has to have the Safer Recruitment certificate.
the publication of GcSE results. of the national association of
Passing involves a five-hour tutorial and an online multiple-
In what is becoming an Head Teachers, said the tables
increasingly predictable exchange were a “crude synopsis of school
choice assessment. But it took me longer than this.
of views, the government praised performance”.
My first mistake was to try to skip the manual: typical schools’ continuing improvements, He added: “They add no
male. Well, I’m proud of my interview processes and if I
unions called for an end to the information about the work and
can’t spot a “bad ‘un” by now, I might as well stop asking
“demeaning and humiliating” effort of the school, demean and
process of league tables, and humiliate students and their schools
in interview if they’re still firm candidates.
the press opted to focus on the in the most deprived communities,
“Just watch,” I boasted to my designated child protection
negatives. and give parents a false and polarised
officer. “I’ll have my assessment completed in no time.” Teachers picking up a copy of view of school performance which
GCSEs: The statistics
She smiled pityingly. I logged on, took the test without
the Daily Telegraph were greeted causes unnecessary anxiety.”
More than 50 per cent of pupils in the maintained sector got five or
doing the homework – and failed miserably.
with the front-page headline Half chris Keates, general secretary
more A* to C GCSEs including English and maths, up 2.5 per cent on
of pupils fail to gain decent GCSEs, of the naSUWT, said: “Despite the
Fortunately repeats are allowed. It took me 16 attempts
despite the fact that the number comments of those whose agenda is
last year.
and I still got one question wrong. But I’ll never again
of children getting five a* to to find any reason to denigrate state
The number of National Challenge schools, where fewer than 30
knock retakes. It may not be the best way to learn, but it’s
cs including maths and English education, it is absolutely clear that per cent of pupils reach the above benchmark, has fallen to 247
the only way to pass.
jumped 2.5 per cent to just over 50 state education is delivering for all
compared to 439 last year.
You see, I lied. I’m not really safe at all. although I
per cent when compared to 2008. pupils.”
London schools are the top performers out of the English regions,
The Daily Mail described christine Blower, general
eventually worked out their correct answers, the ones you
how “almost 900,000 children secretary of the national Union of
with 54 per cent of pupils achieving five A* to C grades including
have to give, they were not my answers and they never will are languishing in secondary Teachers, said that imposing the
English and maths.
be.
schools where a majority of pupils five a* to c target on schools ran Girls continue to outperform boys, with 54.4 per cent of girls
For this test seems to have been compiled by zealots on
effectively go backwards”, while the risk of branding thousands of
achieving five or more grades A* to C including English and maths
a new anti-paedophile drug who believe every school is on
The Mirror opted for the eye- students failures.
compared to 47.1 per cent of boys.
catching headline Badly performing She added: “Pupils who may do
a path to destruction. Think I’m exaggerating?
schools face shut threat, choosing very well but not hit that particular
Well take the question about a newly appointed teacher to focus on the 247 schools target are automatically deemed “The days of unskilled jobs are gap between rich and poor continues
who violently ejects a pupil from his class. The Dr Watson
where fewer than 30 per cent of comparative failures, and as such long gone. In our tough economic to get worse.”
in me naïvely imagined that this must indicate a potentially
students gained five a* to c grades their undoubted achievements are climate and with the rapidly However, a government
including English and maths. The belittled. Young people are not changing job market it is even statement said: “Schools with the
violent streak in the member of staff.
Independent’s headline flagged up automatic failures if they fall short more important that young people highest deprivation levels have seen
Sherlock Holmes, however, explained that it wasn’t the
that One in 10 schools fail to meet of achieving grade c. They may leave education with the desire and a 27 percentage point improvement
guy’s fault at all. Silly me. Turns out the school was to minimum GCSE standard. have done wonders to achieve a ability to continue acquiring skills between 1999 and 2009, compared
blame for having such rubbish induction procedures. If he’d
This is despite the fact that grade D but that achievement is throughout their lives.” to schools with lowest deprivation
been briefed properly, he’d never have dreamed of laying a
around 400 of the schools placed on written off.” at Westminster, Tory shadow levels which have seen an 11
the national challenge scheme two However, Dr Mary Bousted, education minister, Michael Gove, percentage point improvement over
finger on that kid.
years ago, meaning they received general secretary of the association claimed that the gap between the the same period.”
Or take this scenario. In interview you ask (as I must
extra funds in order to boost of Teachers and Lecturers, said that richest 10 per cent and poorest 10 Vernon coaker, the schools
now start to do) the candidate’s opinion of the school’s
performance or face being forced too many youngsters were being per cent of pupils achieving five minister, added: “The average
child protection policies. She says that they seem a bit
to close or federate, are now above “failed” by the education system. “good” GcSEs including English school performance in 1997 is now
excessive but she’ll still abide by them. I cheer. at last
the 30 per cent a* to c including She said: “Too many still and maths had risen by a fifth in roughly where we put the absolute
English and maths threshold. Some leave school or college lacking the last year. bottom benchmark expected – the
some common sense. “Give her the job,” I shout.
200 of these schools achieved the the qualifications and skills they He said: “There are far too many entire system has shifted up a level
Wrong answer – she should have been out the door benchmark last year. need to go onto further education, schools that are not making the and we are determined to keep it
before you could say “child protection”. Seems her attitude
The teaching unions were quick training or employment. required levels of progress and the moving.” SecEd
could undermine the safeguarding work going on.
now every school proclaims the standard safeguarding
mantra in its job adverts – a national mission statement of
IN rESpONSE…
mush.
The manual tells me that we’re forced to do this so that
Dear sir, school returning to school in Without sponsorship, no visa. contact points put in place.
potential abusers will be deterred from making applications
January, must carry with them With sponsorship, responsibility The sad thing is that while
On a recent Saturday morning, a Letter of consent from their – schools must report the great schools with fee-paying
to schools. Drawings of garlic cloves would have as much
I had the pleasure of taking my parents. unexplained absence of such a parents are closing this possible
effect. It’s like hospitals having to remind us in the small
eight-month-old grandson for a The letter must tell the UK student, should they disappear mid- loophole in a process in which
print that their function is to make us healthy, or banks walk in the pram. border force personnel at airports course. we have never heard of any
advertising that their priority is to keep our money secure.
How the old anxieties came that yes, the parent knows that their But even with this system of disappearances ever occurring,
actually, scrub that last example.
back: if you set off from between child is a pupil at such and such active supervision, there is that there are no doubt terrible things
parked vehicles to cross a road, a school, is travelling to it, will moment at the airport, a blink if happening to other children who
My issue with this approach is that it starts from a
the child is absolutely at risk of be met by Person X (telephone you like, when a student arrives really are being trafficked across
position of mistrust, spreads doubt, and labels everyone a
being run over before you even number...) and transported to in the country but is not yet in Europe.
potential threat. There was more tolerance during the Salem
get off the pavement. school with the parent’s knowledge school. Logically, this is where and if that’s what you wanted
Witch Trials.
But as I chatted away to him, and blessing. the disappearance could happen, to do, how easy would it be
So if you’re interviewed for a job in the future,
as you do, I realised a whole new The background to this where the traffickers could move to forge one of these consent
danger: if we were stopped, how stipulation is worthy: the duty of in, where a child, for a very short letters?
remember that one of the panel will be Safeguarded Safe
would anyone know who I was? care to young people quite possibly while, might not be safe. and in such a wary world,
and X-raying into your deepest thoughts. But if you want to How would I prove this was alone in transit, therefore arriving So we do understand. and last how long can it be before anyone
know the answer to the child protection policy question so
my grandchild? What evidence alone in Britain. Once they are year, in the week when most schools visibly beyond child-bearing
you can get it right in interview, I can’t help you. That’s the
could I give that I was not a child through immigration, what then? were breaking up, the BSa alerted years and pushing a pram will
one I got wrong every time.
trafficker, molester, or abductor? How does anyone know where member schools to remind parents need to have in her pocket, along
SecEd
If this sounds paranoid, they will go or have gone? that children should return with with her photo ID, the written
consider this. My outing with The Points-Based System the letter declaring that the parent consent of the child’s parents to
• This editorial has been written by Ray Tarleton,
the pram was shortly after the of Immigration now means that knows where the child is going, and be out with the child at all?
headteacher at South Dartmoor Community College in
Boarding Schools’ association international students (i.e. from knows who will collect him.
Devon. The editor of SecEd and Delivering Diplomas is
(BSa) discovered that any pupils beyond the EEa) must be sponsored Schools moved immediately Hilary Moriarty
from beyond the European by their receiving institutions to alert parents. Emails of sample National director
Pete Henshaw. Email him on editor@sec-ed.co.uk or visit
Economic area (EEa) attending – colleges of further education, letters to all. names and details Boarding Schools’ Association
www.sec-ed.com or www.deliveringdiplomas.com a British independent boarding universities, independent schools. of house staff and taxi firms and (writing in a personal capacity)
6 SecEd • January 21 2010
06-NEWSFOCUS.indd 6 18/1/10 10:30:59
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