www.sec-ed.com

Teachers look for SATs boycott backing

Primary teachers called for the support of their secondary col- leagues this week as hundreds of schools across England prepared to boycott key stage 2 SATs. Members of the National

Association of Head Teachers, and school leader members from the National Union of Teachers, voted to boycott administration of the tests last month. According to a BBC survey

of 113 local authorities, 15 per cent of primary schools were definitely intending to boycott, while 45 per cent said they would not. The situation was unclear in the remaining 40 per cent. Secondary schools were

freed from compulsory tests at key stage 3 in 2008, and England remains the only coun- try in the UK that continues to enforce them at key stage 2. Kevin Courtney, deputy gen-

eral secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said it was important that secondary schools got behind those opting to boycott. He told SecEd: “Secondary

schools are well aware of the inaccuracies of the key stage 2 tests, and many already re-test pupils when they enter the first year of secondary school. “We have asked all our sec-

ondary school members to sup- port our educational campaign against SATs and asked for them to sign our petition on our website, and email their MPs, voicing their concerns about a system which is both unfair and inaccurate.” One headteacher from a sec-

ondary in the North East, who asked to remain anonymous, told us he had “nothing but sym- pathy” for those boycotting. “In our context, the tests

are not a bad measure to see how kids are doing. But we’re a selective school, and we’re not in danger of being banged over the head by government if we don’t hit its targets. “In the maintained sector,

however, they have become a stick with which to beat schools. They’re used to measure schools, not to check children’s progress. As a result, they become a source of pressure for the children in those pressured schools.”

Boarding schools face uncertainty

by Chris Parr

The UK’s boarding schools are under threat from European legislation, harassing parents, and an over-zealous inspection regime, according to the headteacher of Eton College. Tony Little, addressing the

Boarding Schools Association’s Annual Conference for Heads in Torquay last Wednesday (May 4), praised the quality of education in the country’s boarding sector, but warned that there were “real threats to the all-embracing way we oper- ate”.

He said: “The European Working

Time Directive, for example, if applied heavy-handedly would not just increase costs because more staffing would be required, but far more importantly would change the nature and character of our schools.” The former Eton student,

who has been headteacher at the school since 2002, is concerned that boarding schools could find it increasingly challenging to recruit teachers if there is a “continuing drift” towards the notion that the

“I don’t believe anyone takes a

job at a boarding school with their eyes closed to the responsibilities it will entail,” she said. “It is always made very clear in

the interview, and in the job descrip- tion, that the role will involve work- ing some evenings or at weekends. For anyone who wants to work nine-to-five and then fall asleep slumped in front of the television, working in a boarding school really isn’t for them.” Elsewhere in his speech, Mr

Concern: Tony Little says boarding schools are under pressure from parents

primary focus of an individual’s employment is the wellbeing of the employee. Hilary Moriarty, national

director of the Boarding Schools Association, told SecEd that although potential candidates might be put off working in the sector because of the extra responsibil- ity entailed, there were plenty of “outstanding” candidates seeking employment in boarding schools.

Little described the pressure that some parents put on schools as “little short of harassment”, add- ing that many heads felt impelled to respond with “short-term solu- tions” such as focusing on exam grades. He continued: “Parents pay sub-

stantial sums of money for their child’s boarding education, and while many will look to the long- term benefits for a happy and devel- oping child, a number will look for immediate tangible returns on their investment.” Mr Little closed his speech with

an attack on Ofsted, England’s school inspectorate, claiming that

it had helped to create an unwanted “age of measurement”. He continued: “I have seen situ-

ations where a school fails on a particular standard, while inspec- tors freely admit that their exten- sive conversations with teachers and pupils had revealed that there was no real issue at all ... Schools will, naturally and inevitably in my view, react negatively against what they will feel is a process designed to catch them out.” Melvyn Roffe, principal at

Wymondham College in Norfolk – the largest state boarding school in England – said the inspection framework needed to be to be more intelligent and supportive of good practice, instead of simply an exer- cise in “box-ticking”. After watching Mr Little’s

address, he told us: “I feel that increasingly government is trying to tell us how to run our schools rather than seeking to safeguard the interests of children. Many of the regulations at present are actually not in the interests of children.” For more information on the

Boarding Schools Association, visit www.boarding.org.uk

Holocaust survivor shares story

When a year 9 student asked Zigi Shipper, an 80-year-old Auschwitz survivor, whether he felt any hatred towards the Nazis, he said: “No. Do not hate. If you hate, then you are the one that suffers. It was hatred that caused the Holocaust.” Mr Shipper was speaking to

students at Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy in south London on Monday (May 10) – something that he has done in schools up and down the country. The talk, organised by the

Holocaust Educational Trust, gave students the opportunity to hear how Mr Shipper, born to a com- fortable family in Lodz, Poland, was crammed onto a cattle truck with the rest of his community in 1944, and taken to an unknown destination. He later arrived at Auschwitz,

where he recalls seeing chimneys smoking. As a child, he thought these were the chimneys of bakeries. He was then transferred to the Stutthoff concentration camp where

he contracted Typhus. Shortly after- wards he was sent on a death march for 15 kilometres, knowing that just one trip up would get him shot. It was his friends, who he still sees today and refers to as his “fam- ily”, who helped him to walk and thereby saved his life. “Always, I was lucky”, he said

of his survival. “Somehow I always got out okay.” After recounting his testimony,

Mr Shipper welcomed questions from students at the school. One student asked what his worst expe- rience had been. He replied: “Starvation. The

beating stops and pain eventual- ly goes, but starvation never goes away. I was starving for five years.” Another asked whether he ever

wanted revenge on the Germans. Mr Shipper said: “No. If I want-

ed revenge, I would be as bad as them.” Speaking to SecEd after the talk,

year 10 student Ephie Oyedoh said: “There are so many bad things hap-

pening all the time in the world, like genocide and terrorism, and people like Mr Shipper give you inspiration not to take the wrong path in life.” She continued: “I was really

surprised that he remembered eve- rything. You would have thought he would want to repress it.” Franco Cuen, a year nine 9 stu-

dent, added: “Zigi’s talk made me appreciate how good my life has been. It’s amazing to see a human being who has been through that. It makes you feel so emotional.” Before Mr Shipper’s speech,

year 12 students Andrea Faith- Baptiste and Adam Laidouci conducted a private question and answer session. They asked him if he had lost

his faith in humanity. Mr Shipper replied: “No. Most people are good people – there are good and bad, but I believe in people.” When asked why he thought

it was important to teach children about the Holocaust, he replied: “It

Moving: Mr Shipper spoke to pupils about his Holocaust experiences

is very simple. We have got to teach young people what happened and to stand up for what is right because they can make a difference – they are our future.” Visit www.het.org.uk for more

information on the Holocaust Educational Trust.

NEWS

In brief

On the street

School children are being given the chance to write a storyline for Coronation Street as part of a nationwide competition to celebrate the soap’s 50th anniversary. The “Corrie’s Class of 2010”competition, supported by the Imperial Leather soap company, encourages pupils from years 9 and 10 to create a new storyline and character. The soap’s scriptwriting team and a member of the cast will judge entries, and winners will also receive a scriptwriting workshop at their school. Visit: www. imperialleather.co.uk/corrie

Vocational day

VQ Day 2010, the annual celebration of vocational learners across the UK, will be taking place on June 23. Events will be held in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, as well as in colleges, schools and businesses across the UK. There are also a number of prizes up for grabs, including the Learner of the Year award and the new Industry Insider prize, which will give the lucky winner a one-to-one session with judge and celebrity choreographer Arlene Phillips, and mentoring from an expert in their chosen subject. For more information, visit www.vqday.org

Technology website

A new educational website that analyses the use of technology in the classroom and its implications for the future has been launched by technology supplier ASUS in

association with The Guardian.

The website will provide a forum for teachers and education professionals to access cutting- edge and current technologies. Areas of the site include Classroom Innovation which looks at sustainability in schools, and The Assembly, a blog space that gives teachers the chance to express their opinions. Visit www.guardian.co.uk/classroom- innovation

Join the club

Schools express concerns about athletics facilities Green competition

More than 60 per cent of teachers believe that their schools lack the facilities to teach athletics effec- tively, placing the education lega- cy of the London 2012 Olympics at risk. The organising committee for

the London Games has been work- ing closely with government min- isters in a bid to create what it describes as “a generation inspired by and embracing the Olympic and Paralympic values”. However, a survey, carried out

by the insurance company Aviva, revealed that six out of 10 teachers are concerned about their school’s facilities, while more than half of those in PE departments want fur- ther training and better facilities to teach track and field sports. More encouragingly, around nine in 10 of those asked said they

SecEd • May 13 2010

are planning to use the Olympics to inspire their students to get more active. In an attempt to boost the stand-

ard of athletics tuition in schools, Aviva has launched an Elevating Athletics Fund, which will fund training and support for PE teachers in every school in the UK. The fund will provide free

places on athletics courses for a teacher from each school, curricu- lum resource packs for all teachers, and the chance for schools to win a £10,000 sports grant. At the launch of the fund, former

Olympic champion hurdler Sally Gunnell said: “As a parent, I know how important it is that children are engaged and inspired in order to motivate them. The Elevating Athletics Fund will provide teach- ers with the tools to make athlet-

ics sessions engaging and relevant for all children allowing them to develop essential skills such as co- ordination, team building and com- petitive spirit.”

Ed Warner, chairman of UK

Athletics, added: “With the launch of the Aviva Elevating Athletics Fund we hope to reach out to every single PE teacher in the UK to raise

standards of teaching athletics in schools.” For more information on the

fund, visit: www.aviva.co.uk/ athletics

A nationwide after-school film club scheme has inspired a number of youngsters to contact their local MP. FILMCLUB’s “Election” season encouraged students to develop their understanding of politics with viewings of democracy-themed films. A number of the youngsters involved then wrote to their MPs asking them to contribute their own favourite films about democracy. Gordon Brown suggested Ghandi, while the Lib Dem shadow chancellor Dr Vincent Cable suggested Green Zone and The Queen. Visit: www.filmclub.org

Tetra Pak UK and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have launched a competition to find ideas that can encourage people to buy goods produced from renewable sources. Your Renewable Idea, which is open to all ages, aims to raise awareness about renewability. It was launched after research commissioned by Tetra Pak revealed that, despite 82 per cent of UK adults believing their actions can make a difference to the environment, food shopping habits show that green credentials are fourth on the list of product criteria when at the supermarket. The winning idea will receive up to £25,000 towards its creation. Visit: www.renewableidea.co.uk

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