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New Scottish curriculum
In brief
Admissions revealed
As SecEd went to press, around
half a million pupils across
England were finding out the
‘not ready for secondary’
result of the secondary school
admissions process. In 2009,
83 per cent of families were
offered a place at one of their
top three school choices, and
early indications suggested a
similar figure would be this
by Sam Phipps
write to education minister Michael ing has been cited as a reason to The Curriculum for Excellence However, Lindsay Paterson, year. The official statistics for
Russell asking him to reconsider grant more time. management board will meet to dis- professor of educational policy at all areas will be published on
the timing. “If the Curriculum for Excellence cuss when the new system should Edinburgh University and a stern March 11.
Scotland’s new education Ms Ballinger said: “Curriculum management board, which repre- be rolled out, and its decision is critic of the reforms, said calls for a
curriculum could be further delayed for Excellence is not ready in sec- sents all aspects of our education expected next month. Mr Russell is delay failed to address fundamental
if teachers signal they are not ready ondary. We need a delay.” system, advises me that delay is likely to attend discussions himself. flaws in the new system, namely
Building matters
for its planned introduction this Last week, Mr Russell told par- necessary, I will listen,” Mr Russell The SSTA and government were that it was ill-conceived and too A toolkit has been launched to
August. liament he was prepared to slow told MSPs. due to send out a joint survey this vague. help teachers make the most
The Scottish Secondary the introduction of Curriculum for “But I must make it clear that I week to get teachers’ views on what A spokesman for anoth- of the learning opportunities
Teachers’ Association (SSTA) will Excellence should teachers not be will not take such a decision lightly. they require to start the curriculum er union, the Association of created by a school building
debate an emergency motion next ready this August. The changes Its advice must be supported by on schedule. Directors of Education in or refurbishment project. The
week calling for the three to 18 have already been put back by a evidence. Ms Ballinger said: “That’s the Scotland, said: “We don’t want Our School Building Matters
overhaul to be put on hold. If a year, although some local authori- “I will not agree to delay for evidence we are going to be using a delay, but need to be confident pack is designed to support
majority of members vote for a ties have implemented parts of the delay’s sake. We need to be honest. to demand a delay. It shouldn’t be about resources for staff devel- all the government’s capital
postponement, Anne Ballinger, curriculum to varying degrees. There are some who are calling for introduced until the money’s avail- opment and moderation of new expenditure on schools,
the union’s general secretary, will A lack of materials and/or train- delay because change is difficult.” able to do it properly.” assessment approaches.” including Building Schools for
the Future. It has been written
Pupils campaign for Fairtrade Fortnight
by CABE and the Specialist
Schools and Academies Trust,
and covers all core curriculum
subjects from key stage 1 to
4. Visit: www.cabe.org.uk/
Campaigning London students education
have given supermarket chain Asda
a “bad school report” as part of
Fairtrade Fortnight, which runs
edge chairman
until Sunday (March 7). Vocational education
The youngsters, from schools foundation Edge has
across the capital, teamed up with announced the appointment
charity People and Planet to demand of Lord (Kenneth) Baker
that the chain start selling Fairtrade as its chairman. The former
cotton uniforms, claiming that Asda Conservative education
is the only major supermarket not secretary takes over from John
currently doing so. Cox CBE, one of the founding
A spokeswoman for Asda denied trustees of Edge. Lord Baker
the claims, saying that all their school said: “Enabling all young
uniforms were “fairly traded”. people to access practical and
The campaigners argue that the vocational learning, as well as
official Fairtrade label is the only academic study, is vital both for
way to guarantee that the cotton our students and for the future
producers are being treated fairly. of our economy.” Visit: www.
Fiona Ranford, Fairtrade cam- edge.co.uk
paigner at People and Planet, said:
“Research we commissioned showed
that around 70 per cent of school and
Macbeth online
college students want their uniforms A website of resources to
to be made from Fairtrade cotton. assist with teaching Macbeth
“Asda don’t sell any Fairtrade at key stage 3 has been
cotton uniforms at all, meaning launched. Globe Education,
poverty and hardship for the farm- based at Shakespeare’s Globe
ers making their school uniforms.” theatre, has also made more
The Asda spokeswoman said: than 14,000 free tickets for
“Asda has always been commit- a full-scale professional
ted to doing the right thing for our production of the Scottish
suppliers, customers and colleagues play available to secondary
and although workers in the facto- schools in London to celebrate
ries we use are not employed direct- the new resource. Visit: www.
ly by Asda, we recognise we have a playingshakespeare.org
shared responsibility to protect and
promote global worker welfare.” Trade dispute: London pupils delivered a giant report card to Asda to protest about the supermarket’s Fairtrade credentials
Literacy help
The National Literacy Trust
Report calls for an end
Liberal Democrats reveal has launched a free online
resource providing literacy
post-election intentions
news and debate. The new
website features blogs on
to permanent exclusion
literacy issues from experts
Nick Clegg, the leader of the the relationship between schools including Jonathan Douglas,
Liberal Democrats, has this week and families, claiming he would director of the National
confirmed his intention to spend an “strike a deal” with parents who did Literacy Trust. It also features
A report recommending an end eral secretary of the NASUWT She said: “Most other coun- extra £2.5 billion on reducing class not do enough to ensure their chil- a new campaigning section,
to permanent pupil exclusion has union, said the report and its recom- tries do not permanently exclude sizes and implementing a “pupil dren took education seriously. which will give teachers the
been dismissed as simplistic and mendations take “a rather simplistic children from school in the same premium” should his party come to “A small minority of parents do opportunity to take action for
unrealistic by a major teaching view of a complex problem”. way we do. Instead of helping power at the next election. not see their children’s education as literacy and reading. Visit:
union. “(The report) is premised on a these children we are punishing Mr Clegg, speaking to the part of their duties as parents. They www.literacytrust.org.uk
The report, carried out by the belief that children and young peo- and then banishing them.” Salvation Army in south London on drop their children off in the morning,
think-tank Demos, claims the ple are lost to the system when they Elsewhere in the report, the Monday (March 1), described the pick them up in the afternoon, and
current disciplinary system “is are excluded. There is no evidence think-tank calls for schools to current system as “horribly unfair”, think that’s their job done,” he said.
First aid fears
broken and exiles vulnerable chil- for this. If it does occur, then the be given extra resources to buy and said that education funding Teachers’ unions welcomed Mr More than half of PSHE
dren”, and calls for an end to the local authority would not be fulfill- specialist provision for youngsters should be weighted to ensure that Clegg’s comments. Dr Mary Bousted, teachers across the UK would
process of excluding youngsters ing its legal duty to provide full with behavioural problems. It schools with higher numbers of poor- general secretary of the Association of not feel confident teaching
permanently. time education,” she said. also says there should be more er students receive more money. Teachers and Lecturers, said: “Nick first aid, despite the fact that
The report’s authors claim “The problem is not the exclu- and better training for teachers on He said: “The pupil premium Clegg says what every teacher and the subject will be compulsory
that schools are using exclusions sion. It is about the need to ensure behavioural management. raises the funding per pupil, for the lecturer knows; that parental support in England from next year,
to avoid taking responsibility for that in every locality there is a Ms Sodha said: “Once a child poorer children, to the same levels makes a big difference to how well according to the British Red
children with SEN, and the extra range of provision, including spe- has been permanently excluded, as the money spent per pupil in children do in school and college.” Cross. The charity has designed
support that they require. cialist provision, which can support they are effectively lost from the private schools. However, Dr Bousted ques- a first aid education kit to help
Currently, more than 75 per the diverse needs of young people system. They are no longer the “Headteachers can use that tioned where the extra money teachers without any experience
cent of children who are excluded when they cannot be met in a main- responsibility of their school and money to have smaller classes, would come from. to deliver life-saving skills to
have a special educational need. stream school.” no one is accountable for their like in fee paying schools, taking “We are naturally pleased that Mr young people. The Life. Live
More than a quarter of children Sonia Sodha, author of the success or failure outside the our poorest children a huge leap Clegg is pledging to invest an extra it kit includes a CD Rom and
with autism have been excluded Demos report, maintained that system.” towards an education they would £2.5 billion in schools, although we practical first aid advice.Visit:
from school. excluding youngsters was “con- Visit www.demos.co.uk for otherwise never be able to afford.” would be concerned if the money www.redcross.org.uk/TLC.
However, Chris Keates, gen- demning them to failure”. more information. The Liberal Democrat leader comes from ill-thought-out cuts to asp?id=88946
also announced plans to improve other education budgets,” she said.
SecEd • March 4 2010 
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