www.sec-ed.com


Schools face an £86,000 cut in building budgets


Every secondary school will lose £85,900 on average from its budget for building work, repairs and computers. The figures have been


revealed in research by the House of Commons Library which also shows that the same budget is set to fall by an average £26,300 to £6,600 for each primary school. This year, every secondary


school received £105,400 on average, but this is set to plum- met to £19,500 for next year. This is on top of the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme last year. The research into the


Devolved Formula Capital funds, which are paid to local authori- ties, is based on what funding an “average” secondary school with 900 pupils would receive. It estimates the funding next year would equate to £17 per second- ary student and £34 for each SEN student. The figures have sparked


a war of words between shad- ow education secretary Andy Burnham and the Department for Education. Mr Burnham said: “These


cuts are very short-sighted, investment in schools makes the most sense for the future and these cuts will undo all of the good work of the past decade. All


the headteachers I have spoken to are saying the same. “Michael Gove’s (education


minister) priorities are wrong he is siphoning off funds at break- neck speed for the expansion of academies and funds for free schools.” In July, following the cancel-


lation of BSF, Mr Gove promised schools would not suffer. Mr Burnham added: “With


just a fifth of their maintenance fund left, schools will struggle to complete essential repairs like leaky roofs, and keep their build- ings in good working order, stor- ing up expensive infrastructure problems down the line. This is also the money that schools use to buy computer equipment.” However, a Department for


Education spokesman said: “The reality is that on average we will be spending more on education capital over the next four years than Labour did in its first two terms. “But unlike Labour we will


be doing it efficiently and quick- ly and targeting schools most in need. Waste was endemic in Labour’s school building pro- gramme. “Local authorities spent £250


million before a single brick was laid and the scheme was £10 billion over budget.”


Warning for schools using biometrics


by Pete Henshaw


Schools which use pupils’ biometric information, such as fingerprints, will be forced to seek legally-bind- ing consent from parents under pro- posed legislation. The Protection of Freedoms Bill


was published last month and if passed by MPs will require schools to obtain consent before beginning to process biometric information. An increasing number of


schools now take pupil fingerprints for things like cashless catering, building access, library book bor- rowing, and to record attendance. It is likely that the proposals,


which could become law as soon as September, will mean that schools currently using biometrics but which have not sought parental per- mission will need to do so. Furthermore, a legal expert has


told SecEd that parental consent will need to be “fully-informed”, meaning that even schools which have asked parents may need to do so again. Paula Williamson, a legal expert


from The Information Law Practice, said: “In order for the consent to be valid it must be ‘fully-informed’. A school will need to give clear and comprehensive information to the parents and arguably the pupils in order for them to make fully- informed decisions about whether to give their consent.” This would mean explaining to


parents what biometric information will be taken – for example, fin- gerprints, palm prints, iris scans – and why. Parents should also be informed


who the information might be shared with, for example schools may need to allow companies that


Scottish inspections to be ‘more supportive’


Scottish parents have welcomed a change that will make school inspections more constructive and less adversarial. Total inspections of primaries


and secondaries will fall to 290 from 440 under a radical shake-up by HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE). Instead of inspecting every


school at least once every seven years, the organisation will target a smaller sample, making a priority of under-performing ones. The reforms, which follow a


consultation last year, will further shift the focus of inspections to how well a school evaluates and improves its own performance, rather than how well it runs. The Scottish Parent Teacher


Council said it was pleased that par- ent forums would play a bigger role in the inspection process and help share information about the results. It said: “We recognise that


inspections are to be targeted in order to drive up the quality of edu-


SecEd • March 3 2011


cation and to make a more effective inspection process. “Some parents may express


concern that, now there are fewer inspections, it will be more difficult to see how well a school is perform- ing when selecting a school for their children. “This information will still be


available through local authority and school websites as many are moving towards self-evaluation.” HMIE will also cut the notice


that primary schools have before an inspection from three weeks to two weeks. For secondary schools it will stay at three weeks. The announcement comes


against a backdrop of funding cuts, with the organisation tasked with slashing 20 per cent of its £13 million budget over the next three years. As part of that, the number of inspectors working in Scotland will be cut from 100 to 90. Bill Maxwell, senior chief


inspector of schools, said the reforms were not driven by cost-


cutting, even though HMIE has to reduce spending by 20 per cent in the next three years and shed 10 inspectors, taking the total down to 90. “These changes cement in place


a fundamental shift in the way that schools are inspected in Scotland,” he said. “We’ve been working hard to


promote inspection as a positive and constructive process, done with schools, not to them. “That doesn’t stop us delivering


difficult messages when necessary and, as independent evaluators, we will continue to do that.” Education secretary Michael


Russell added: “One of my priori- ties when I was appointed some 15 months ago was to secure a more proportionate and supportive inspec- tion process. I am therefore very pleased that, following an extensive consultation, HM Inspectorate of Education is now making a number of positive changes to the inspection process.”


Bench Walk, said: “It has not yet been decided how these new provi- sions will be enforced. One option would be for complaints to be report- ed to the Information Commissioner. If so, schools found to be in breach of these provisions face a poten- tial fine of up to £500,000. The Commissioner has recently begun using this power – for example, fin- ing a local authority £100,000 for breaches of the Data Protection Act”. The Bill also makes provision


for parents and pupils to withdraw their consent for biometric infor- mation to be used at any time and schools will be obligated to ensure that children who do not give bio- metric data are still able to access services. For example, a child on free school meals who does not give biometric information must still be afforded a protected way of receiving their meals. Ms Williamson told SecEd:


run cashless catering systems to hold data, or may be compelled to share data with the police. Schools will also need to inform


parents of how long data will be held on their records. Also, schools cannot obtain this


permission through an opt-out letter of consent, whereby parents not agreeing must actively inform the school. Letters must be opt-in. The penalties for schools breach-


ing the new requirements look set to be severe. SecEd understands that while the Bill, if passed, will not create new offences, schools failing to comply could be dealt with under the Data Protection Act. Barrister and data protection expert Robin Hopkins, of 11 Kings


“Those schools that have not got the consent of both parents – that’s at the moment what’s on the table – will have to stop processing (biometric information), go away and get consent, and then resume processing. That in itself is quite an administrative burden.” She also reminded schools that


contracts with third party compa- nies which may process biomet- ric information, such as cashless catering firms, must include clauses relating to the safe and secure han- dling of this data in order to ensure the school does not breach the Data Protection Act. The Protection of Freedoms


Bill received its first reading in Parliament last month and was due for its second reading on Tuesday (March 1). Depending on the Parliamentary process, it is set to receive Royal Assent by Easter.


Ofqual begins global exams comparison


The exams watchdog has released its first progress report as it begins work to compare England’s qualifications to the “best in the world”. Ofqual was asked by educa-


tion secretary Michael Gove in the recent White Paper to com- pare England’s exam standards against the world’s “highest per- forming countries”. Ofqual has said they will


measure subjects on the breadth and depth of the subject matter in qualifications, accessibility to the range of learners, and the suitabil- ity for progress to further study and/or employment. The watchdog has now invited


22 countries and a number of international awarding organisa- tions to co-operate with the study. They will be asked to con-


tribute materials in four subjects – chemistry, English (where this is the national language or main language of tuition), history and mathematics. Ofqual’s team is already dis-


cussing a proposed visit to the UK by education experts from South Korea. Other countries being studied include Finland, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. The first study will compare


A levels with a range of qualifica- tions taken in different countries to prepare students for university education. It will compare exam papers, mark schemes and speci- fications. These have been trans- lated and are now under review by a panel of subject and assessment experts. The study will also judge the purpose of the qualifications and the subject criteria. A final report is due later this year. Dennis Opposs, Ofqual’s


director of standards, said: “We are also preparing to expand this work to cover other qualifications and age groups, with a specialist team now set up to lead this work. It is pleasing to see the interest in this study growing in our partner countries.”


NEWS In brief Book funding


A 50 per cent cut has been announced in the funding for reading charity Booktrust. The charity started in 1992 and has received government funding to provide free books to students in England. It is funded separately in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The government had u-turned on its initial plans to cut funding after a public outcry. It has now agreed to invest £13.5 million over two years. Education secretary Michael Gove said: “I am extremely confident that Booktrust will use their wealth of experience and expertise to deliver a book- gifting scheme that is sustainable in the longer term.” Visit: www.booktrust.org.uk


Big questions


The NASUWT has launched its Big Question 2011 Survey which examines some of the key issues affecting teachers and schools today. All members of the NASUWT have been invited to take part. The survey has a number of sections including teachers’ pay and pensions, pupil behaviour, bureaucracy and workload, teaching quality, school governance and job satisfaction. It is intended that the survey results will inform the national debate in the year ahead. Visit: www.nasuwt.org. uk/BigQuestion


EBacc deadline


There is under a week left to submit your views to the cross-party Education Select Committee’s inquiry into the English Bacclaureate (EBacc). The measure has been included in the school league tables and ranks the number of children achieving A* to Cs in English, maths, science, a language, and geography or history. The Select Committee is inviting written submissions addressing the purpose and benefits of the EBacc, its value as a measure of performance, the choice of subjects, and its implications for pupils, schools and employers. The deadline for submissions is March 8. Email subsmissions to educom@parliament.uk marked “EBacc inquiry”.


Road safety


Secondary school teachers are being urged to get involved in Road Safety Week 2011 which runs from November 21 to 27 and is run by road charity Brake. The theme of the week this year is “Too young to die” and complements Brake’s ongoing campaign to educate young drivers. There are resources for schools online and ideas include pupils devising their own road safety campaigns. Visit www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk and www.brake.org.uk/2young2die


Free help


A “one-stop” online tool to help anyone proposing to open a free school has been launched by Partnerships for Schools. The website gives details on possible locations in neighbourhoods and details what existing education provision is available. Prospective free schools can access local information such as pupil attainment, the percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals, Ofsted ratings, and information about surplus places for every school in England. Visit: http://fsk. partnershipsforschools.org.uk


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