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Call for more cash to help struggling schools

by Chris Parr

Schools in challenging

circumstances need more money from government in order to improve, according to two headteachers who have successfully turned around “struggling” London schools. Sir William Atkinson, headteach-

er at the Phoenix Academy, and Sally Coates, head at Burlington Dames Academy, told delegates at a seminar focusing on challenging schools that there were no secrets to turning schools around, but that funding levels needed to reflect the student make-up in order to bring about change. Speaking at the Training and

Development Agency for Schools’ event last month, Sir William said: “All of us who work, or have worked, in challenging schools recognise how important the job is, and we know that the quality of teachers is the most important thing. Where teachers feel under pressure, it can be difficult for them to inspire self-belief in their students. “We can – and do – transform

life chances, and we know how to do it. It’s no secret; we don’t have to discover it. What we’ve lacked, however, despite the genuine con- cerns of politicians, is the resource levels from government to make these changes.” When Sir William took over Phoenix School in 1995, it was

V is for volunteers

A programme designed to embed a culture of community action across secondary schools in England is set to be delivered by V, the National Young Volunteers’ Service. As part of the government’s Youth Community Action programme, V will involve 14 to 16-year-olds in activities designed to help develop their skills and experience, while also benefiting their community. A team of V advisors will work with schools to audit existing initiatives and explore ways to develop new student-led programmes. Visit: www.vinspired.com

Holocaust CPD

one of the eight “most challeng- ing schools in England”. Located in one of the most deprived areas of the country, the school now achieves around the national aver- age at GCSE, and almost tops the table under CVA (contextual value added) measurements.

Schools face huge fines for breaching data protection act

Schools could face a fine of up to £500,000 if they are found to be in breach of the Data Protection Act.

Last week, the maximum pen-

alty for putting sensitive personal information at risk was increased from £5,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in order to crack down on organi- sations that fail to comply with data laws. Schools could be at particular

risk from the rise, as many use new technologies such as biomet- rics and electronic filing systems, but are unable to afford the high level of protection needed. Susan Hall, partner and lead

ICT lawyer at Cobbetts law firm, said schools needed to ensure that any personal data held about stu- dents, parents and staff was prop- erly encrypted to prevent leaks. She told SecEd: “There have

been numerous incidents where schools have had memory sticks or laptops with data about stu- dents contained on them stolen or misplaced. When this happens, they are told to tighten their secu- rity practices, and with the new fine in place, schools would be well advised to ensure that their security is tight.” In December, the ICO found

Waseley Hills High School and Sixth Form Centre in Birmingham

in breach of the Data Protection Act after the theft of personal data of more than 1,000 pupils and staff. Ms Hall continued: “Schools

could hold all sorts of informa- tion that would be classified as ‘sensitive data’ by the ICO. If a teacher is the subject of an internal investigation, then this information may be sensitive. Also, information about students who are known to be using drugs, and other pastoral or disciplinary information, is likely to be highly sensitive.” Many schools also hold stu-

dents’ biometric data in order to facilitate cashless catering sys- tems – information that could also be classed as sensitive. Ms Hall concluded: “If schools

fail to act on advice given when they are found to be putting data at risk, then they could find them- selves on a slippery slope towards a very large fine. “Schools need to look at all

the systems they have that hold information, and ask what the data is, why it is needed, and whether it could be exploited and used for purposes other than those for which it is intended. Systems need to be put in place to stop the data from being misused.” For information and advice,

visit www.ico.gov.uk

Meeting the challenge: Sir William Atkinson and Sally Coates (centre) have turned around ‘challenging’ schools

Ms Coates echoed Sir William’s

call for greater investment based on the deprivation level of a school’s intake. She took over Burlington Dames

in April 2008 after the school had received an “unsatisfactory” report from Ofsted. In its latest interim

inspection, the school was rated “good in all categories”. She told the seminar: “I found

demoralised students and staff, a high turnaround of teachers – 40 left in my first term – and disengaged parents. Nobody in the school knew their management lines.”

She continued: “I feel pas-

sionately that schools like Burlington need more money, because they need to do so much more outreach work, and pro- vide more resources. Our stu- dents don’t have those resources at home.”

The Holocaust Educational Trust will hold two teacher CPD courses entitled Lessons from Auschwitz this summer term. They are open to secondary teachers of any subject, and offer a unique perspective on the history of the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance. It includes a visit to Auschwitz- Birkenau. The courses take place in June – one in the south of England, the other based in Manchester. The course costs £49. Visit: www.lfaproject.org.uk

Scottish teachers flock south Challenge yourself

More than 1,000 Scottish teachers have left to work in England in the last four years because jobs are scarce north of the border. The figures, from the General

Teaching Council for England (GTCE), were reported by the Herald, and have led to renewed accusations that the Scottish gov- ernment is failing to keep its prom- ise to maintain teacher numbers. About two thirds of new teach-

ers failed to find full-time work in Scotland nearly a year after qual- ifying, according to a report by the General Teaching Council for Scotland last year. This has led to accusations of futile training and wasted taxpayers’ money. Last year, a record 248 Scots suc-

cessfully registered with the GTCE, up by a quarter on the year before. It costs around £85 million to

train teachers in Scotland each year. Ronnie Smith, general secretary

of the EIS teaching union, said: “It is troubling that so many Scottish-trained teachers are now looking outside our borders to find employment. “It is Scotland’s education sys-

tem and its pupils who have the most to lose through this increasing migration of some of our brightest young teaching talents.” Mr Smith said it would be hard-

er to reduce class sizes with so many teachers migrating south, and he urged the government and local authorities to tackle the problem. Des McNulty, the Scottish

Labour Party’s education spokes- man, also said Scottish education was “losing out” because the SNP had mismanaged its policies. Conservative education spokes-

woman, Liz Smith, added: “These figures show there is a clear mis- match between the numbers being trained and the number of vacan-

cies. It is a scandal that it has been allowed to happen.” However, a spokesman for edu-

cation secretary Michael Russell said the recruitment situation was better in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK. “The rate of teachers claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance in Scotland is 5.6 per thousand, com- pared to 8.8 in England, 10 in Wales, and 12 in Northern Ireland, and the number in Scotland has more than halved from 720 last August to 295 in February,” he said. Thousands of extra teachers have

been trained in recent years as part of government moves to cut class sizes, first by the Labour/Liberal Democrat coalition and, since 2007, by the SNP. But local authorities have

brought down teacher numbers to save money, forcing qualified staff to seek other careers or wait for supply work.

Poorer areas suffer greater absence

Secondary pupils from poorer areas in Northern Ireland are missing more school days than their richer peers, new figures reveal. Statistics published by the

North’s Department of Education show that absence from secondary school tends to be a greater problem in more disadvantaged areas. In the 2008/09 academic year,

seven per cent of all half days in secondary schools were missed due to absence, comprising 5.1 per cent authorised and 2.5 per cent unau- thorised absence. The most com- mon reason is illness. The figures further indicate that generally, absence levels increase

SecEd • April 15 2010

in line with the percentage of pupils enrolled who are eligible for free school meals (FSM). Free lunches are usually pro-

vided to children whose parents receive benefits or whose family income is less than £15,000. FSM entitlement is the simplest

and most common measure of social disadvantage in Northern Ireland schools and there is an established statistical link with exam performance. The latest statistics show that

in post-primary schools where less than 10 per cent of pupils enrolled are eligible for FSM, the average overall absence level was 4.9 per

cent of the total half days. This compares with 12.2 per cent of the total half days for schools with more than 50 per cent of students on FSM. At 7.8 per cent and 7.5 per cent

of total half days respectively, aver- age overall absence was similar for males and females. While the predominant cause

of absence for both genders was illness, females missed a greater proportion of the total half days for this reason than males. The proportion of total half days

missed due to suspension from school was more than three times higher for males than for females.

Teachers TV has launched an interactive tool which places teachers in a number of potentially tricky behaviour- management situations. Featuring three viewpoints, including the hoodie with the mobile phone and the disruptive boy who will not sit still, the Behavioural Challenge asks users what they would do if faced with these scenarios, before scoring users on the effectiveness of their responses and giving suggestions. Visit: www.teachers. tv/behaviourchallenge

Access for all

A free video explaining the Home Access programme has been made available by Texthelp, a company that develops software for people with reading and writing difficulties. The Home Access programme aims to ensure that all pupils in state-maintained education in England have the opportunity to access computers and the internet for educational at home, and is hoping to supply 270,000 laptop computers to students who qualify for free schools meals. Visit: www. texthelp.com/homeaccess

Give and Let Live

giveandletlive@education.co.uk

NEWS

In brief

Northern promise

A new award is aiming to reward outstanding performance by schools and colleges in the north of England. The Best Practice Award for Education, launched by North of England Excellence and sponsored by Manchester Metropolitan University, will recognise organisations judged to be the best in terms of planning and customer satisfaction. The closing date for applications is Friday, May 28. Visit: www. northofenglandexcellence.co.uk

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