NEWS


Senior years in Scotland could be taught together


by Sam Phipps


Scottish pupils from the last three years of secondary could be taught together in a move that supporters say will improve flexibility and boost minority subjects. The idea of merging years S4 to


S6 was one of the key themes high- lighted last week by education secre- tary Michael Russell to explore how Curriculum for Excellence could function in the senior school years. Several secondaries, including


Dornoch Academy, Sutherland, Bathgate Academy in West Lothian and Balfron High in Stirling, are among those intending to teach the


senior years as one group from this August. Teachers had earlier expressed


concern that under the new curricu- lum, timetables would be limited and pupils would have to choose fewer subjects. Mr Russell, who visited


Bathgate Academy last week, said: “I hope these case studies can help schools learn from each other and provide parents with valuable infor- mation about how Curriculum for Excellence can deliver further ben- efits for their child. “Curriculum for Excellence


gives schools and their partners the ability to offer their learners an education that gives them the skills


and knowledge they need for a suc- cessful future. “It is for individual schools to


develop appropriate opportunities for their young people and the local economy, and I’d encourage parents to speak to their pupil’s school if they would like further information.” Eleanor Coner, informa-


tion officer at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: “Certainly in smaller schools I can see this working. Many pupils have been told they cannot choose the options they want to, particularly in minor- ity subjects, so if this can increase their options that’s a positive thing.” However, she admitted there were potential challenges around


teaching pupils of different ages and stages in one class. Ann Ballinger, general secretary


of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association, said it was impossible to predict if the scheme would be successful. “If merging the senior years


solves the problem of being able to offer a variety of choices, then that’s a good thing,” she said. Other ideas under scruti-


ny include a vocational year for S4 pupils who are keen to leave school, with work experience as the focus; college modules as addi- tional options; and the option to take Highers over two years rather than one.


Education Bill scrutiny gets under way


Plans to give anonymity to teachers facing allegations should be extended to non-teaching staff as well, leadership unions have said. They have also urged the gov-


ernment to rethink legislation that would allow teachers to search stu- dents of the opposite sex without a witness present. The calls came as the House of


Common’s Public Bill Committee began hearing evidence as part of its scrutiny of the government’s recent Education Bill. Russell Hobby, general secretary


of the National Association of Head Teachers, and Brian Lightman, gen- eral secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, were among the first to give evidence. The Education Bill passed the second reading stage last month and


the Public Bill Committee met for the first time last week. Among the proposals in the


Education Bill are plans to allow anonymity for teachers accused of misconduct, and discipline pow- ers that would allow teachers to search students of the opposite sex without another member of staff being present, if they believe the student could cause serious harm. Mr Hobby told the Committee:


“We welcome the introduction of anonymity for people accused of particular offences, but we would like to see protection from those allegations to be extended if possible to people who have left the school from pupils who have left the school. We would also like it to be extended to non-teaching members of staff.” Mr Hobby welcomed the search


around opposite sex searches and no- notice detentions, there will be times when such things are inappropriate. We hope that the guidance will clar- ify what the suitable situations are.” Mr Lightman echoed these con-


cerns, stressing that teachers should not search a student of the opposite sex without a witness present. He said: “I have been a head for


Anonymity: Russell Hobby


powers, but said clarification was needed. He explained: “Broadly, we welcome these provisions, particu- larly for the signal that they send. We feel that the number of circum- stances in which some of them will be used will be quite limited. “I am sure that you expect the same thing. For example, particularly


15 years. I cannot imagine a situ- ation where I would sanction any of my staff searching a member of the opposite sex without a witness present. In fact, I wouldn’t allow anyone to search a member of the opposite sex, full stop.” He also urged the coalition gov-


ernment to include anonymity for support staff facing allegations. He said this was currently a “major omission”.


Minister welcomes fall in exclusions


Wales’s education minister Leighton Andrews has welcomed new figures which show a fall in school exclusions. Figures released by the Assembly


government showed there were 185 permanent exclusions in 2009/10, which was 28 fewer than in the previous academic year. Of the total, 151 involved secondary school pupils, down from 194 in 2008/09. Boys accounted for 83 per cent of all permanent exclusions. The total number of fixed-term


exclusions has also fallen slightly to 18,278.


In a statement, Mr Andrews


described the new statistics as “encouraging”, adding: “They show the number of permanent exclusions and fixed-term exclusions continue to fall in Wales. We’ve made good progress but can’t afford to be complacent when it comes to this important issue. “We have been working


closely with partners to implement the actions contained within the Assembly government’s Behaviour and Attendance Action Plan. But more needs to be done.”


While overall numbers fell


for the sixth consecutive year, the numbers of pupils permanently excluded from primary schools doubled from 14 to 31. However Mr Andrews said little could be read from the rise because exclusions are very few in number. The highest rate of permanent


exclusions from maintained secondary schools, 1.7 exclusions per thousand pupils, was seen in Gwynedd while Wrexham, Ceredigion and Monmouthshire reported no permanent exclusions.


Being transferred to a pupil


referral unit was the most frequently-used alternative educational provision provided to those permanently excluded from school, while being transferred to a mainstream school continues to be the second most common provision. Gareth Jones, secretary for the


Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, welcomed the figures and said they confirmed “the excellent relationships which exist between the vast majority of students and teachers”.


RE call: Tory MP Martin Vickers signs Early Day Motion 1375 calling for RE to be included in the English Baccalaureate during the Celebrating RE month launch


Research shows RE has suffered since the EBacc


Within days of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) being included within the league tables, teachers of RE reported a negative impact on timetabling and staffing for the subject. The research was undertaken


by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) and saw 790 teachers respond in just 10 days. The results show that 30 per


cent reported negative changes to RE timetabling and staffing because of the EBacc. A NATRE statement said that the study showed “planned changes to RE that are detrimental in either time or entry to full course qualifica- tion in a significant minority of the schools”. A quarter of the respondents


also reported a negative impact on RE for the 2013 examination entry candidates, with schools putting pressure on students to opt for geography or history. RE is a statutory subject which


every school must teach, but it is not part of the national cur- riculum and will not be included in the government’s curriculum review. The RE community is angry


because RE has not been includ- ed within the humanities bracket of the EBacc, which measures schools on students achieving A* to C GCSE grades in English, maths, a science, a language and history or geography. The report added: “There is a


small but significant number of reported cases where RE will be curtailed in such a way that it is difficult to see how the statutory requirements are being met.”


Deborah Watson, an executive


member of NATRE, who is also head of humanities at Mulberry School for Girls in east London, told SecEd that the quick response to the survey shows the strength of feeling among RE teachers. She added: “Over a third


reported a negative impact on timetabling, staffing or both. A number of them reported that the short course or full course (are being) taken off. Despite the fact RE is a statutory requirement to be taught, the drive of the EBacc appears in headteachers’ minds to be of more importance.” The news comes as religious


organisations from across the coun- try joined forces to celebrate the launch of Celebrating RE month, which runs throughout March with events in schools and communities across England and Wales. The launch, which took


place at the House of Commons on March 1, also saw Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Lloyd speak after tabling an Early Day Motion (EDM) to Parliament calling for RE to be included within the EBacc. EDMs are a lobbying tool


to try and convince ministers to rethink policies and so far 35 MPs have backed Mr Lloyd. The EDM calls on the government to recognise “the importance and relevance of RE by including it as a core subject in the EBacc”. Mr Lloyd called on RE teach-


ers across the country to lobby their local MPs and get them to sign the EDM. For more information on


Celebrating RE month, visit www.celebratingre.org


Lecturers use peddle power to promote psychology


Two psychology lecturers will be cycling across Wales and England next week in a bid to change student perceptions about psychology. Dr Tim Jones, from the


University of Worcester, and Dr Paul Sander, from the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), will be calling in at a number of secondary schools and colleges en route to speak to pupils about the varied job opportunities in the field. They believe that too many


4


young people perceive psychol- ogy as being about “sitting on the couch”. They also want to promote the


subject to boys as it is still seen by many young people are being primarily something that girls do. The Peddling Psychology


challenge, funded to the tune of £1,600 by the British Psychological Society’s Sharing our Science grant, will see the two academics cycle from UWIC to Worcester calling at two schools per day, over five days.


They will set off on the journey on Monday (March 14). “The traditional perception is


that psychology is all solely about helping people and sitting on a couch,” said Dr Jones. “We wanted to do something innovative to show that psychology is a diverse dis- cipline and introduce students to areas in psychology that may not be covered as part of their GCSEs or A levels.” Psychology is one of the most popular choices at A level, though


currently around 75 per cent of students studying psychology at university are female. Dr Jones and Dr Sander hope that through a number of activities they can encourage more boys to take up the subject. Dr Sander said: “Alongside


this, we want to demonstrate that learning does not just take place in classrooms during class times but is much more of a lifestyle choice to open oneself up to new experiences and to benefit from them.”


At each school they will run a


number of practical activities, and create videos and podcasts along the journey, which can be used in schools as teaching aids. They have also set up a website


and a Twitter account where people can follow their progress. Dr Jones, an applied cognitive


psychologist, said: “Sessions will be themed around the environment and health. One of the aims is to demonstrate the sustainability of cycling and walking, and how it


positively impacts on the environ- ment and the individual.” The pair will stay over in youth


hostels along the route, where they intend to continue their awareness- raising campaign.


• Schools wanting to get involved in the project can contact Dr Jones at t.jones@worc.ac.uk. For more information on the Peddling Psychology challenge, follow them on Twitter @pedallingpsy or visit www.pedallingpsychology.com


SecEd • March 10 2011


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16