The coalition
All change for education
On Thursday May 6 there was a ‘seismic shift’ in the way we do politics in this country. The coalition that emerged could bring fresh impetus to the pupil attainment agenda as well as greater freedom for teachers over curriculum and discipline. It could also mean a lot less money in school budgets and less control for local authorities. Steve Mynard looks at the benefits and disadvantages for education of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats working together
B
efore we get swept away in a tide of change let’s take a quick look at the last 13 years and what New Labour achieved. I will dispense with statistics and relate two anecdotes. I spoke to a
pilot Family Centre a few years ago. Located in one of the top 10 most deprived areas in the country this setting had seen staggering improvement among its birth to five children and was confident that children would enter full-time education with an eagerness and ability to learn rather than the stigma of their estate. Another school, a
“The initiatives of the last 13 years
have cost more money than the country can afford and teachers have been
overwhelmed with continual change and endless assessment”
primary this time, which I have known for about six years, had been struggling to teach children in outdated buildings and a field full of mobile classrooms. This school now has a brand new building, the old part has been completely refurbished and they have a Family Centre too. It looks great and feels great to work in. The children love it.
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That is what New Labour achieved. But, and it is a very big but, the initiatives of the last 13 years have cost more money than the country can afford and teachers have been overwhelmed with continual change and endless assessment. We now have a new government and I will return to my theme: what
changes are likely to be made to education and how will these affect your school?
The coalition agreement As word seeped out from the coalition discussions, it became possible to see where Conservative and Liberal Democrat policy could and would work together and where it might not. During the election campaign, the Conservatives were pushing their policy of allowing a greater range of providers to set up schools. The key policy for the Liberal Democrats was the pupil premium. Both have got their way. The coalition agreement reads as follows: “We agree to promote the reform of schools in order to ensure: n That new providers can enter the state school system in response to parental demand.
n That all schools have greater freedom over curriculum and that all schools are held properly accountable.”
Emerging policy Michael Gove, our new education minister, wants to move fast to give more schools the freedoms that he says comes from being an academy
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