www.sec-ed.com


Prosecution threat for false accusers


by Daniel White


Students who make false allegations against teachers could be perma- nently excluded and even prosecut- ed, it has been confirmed this week. The Department for Education


(DfE) has unveiled new guidance on discipline which also says that schools should not automatically suspend teachers accused of using force unreasonably and that mali- cious allegations should not be included on employment records. The discipline guidance for


schools has been slimmed down from 600 pages to 50 and is now out for consultation. Education minister Michael


Flip out: Sam Parham during his free-run to Westminster


Pupils take One Step to tackle climate change


A spectacular display of free- running helped to mark the launch of a campaign that aims to collect young people’s ideas on how we can all tackle climate change. It is all part of the One Step


campaign organised by the UK Youth Climate Network and funded by children’s charity Plan UK.


They are hoping people in the


UK will participate before the UN international climate summit in South Africa in November. The idea is that students from


across the country pledge their “step” to help in the fight against climate change. These could be as simple as not leaving their tel- evisions on stand-by, or walking to school more often. The One Step campaign


hopes to cut emissions, and set up networks of young people across Europe and Africa to ena- ble them to share their experi- ences of climate change.


It is hoped they can deliver


5,900 “steps” to UK government ministers before the UN summit in Durban and hold other gov- ernments and decision-makers to account with campaigns in developed and developing coun- tries. The 5,900 figure represents one step for every mile between London and Durban. Free-runner Sam Parham, star


of the latest Harry Potter film, The Deathly Hallows, helped to mark the campaign’s launch by free-running from from Battersea Power Station to the House of Commons. His “step” is to free-run more to get around rather than relying on a car. Free-running involves jump-


ing over buildings without any equipment and the sport is thought to have originated from the Parisian suburbs. Students can add their steps


at www.mtl-cec.uk/one-step and for more information, visit www.plan-uk.org


Gove said the previous guidance “left teachers confused about their powers” and claimed that the updat- ed document would restore “author- ity” to the classroom. On pupil accusations, the guid-


ance states that “all but the tiny number of the most complex cases” should be resolved within three


months and the “vast majority” should be resolved in four weeks. A DfE statement said: “The


default position should be to assume the teacher has behaved reasonably unless a complainant can show that a teacher has behaved unreasonably.” The guidance also confirms


the removal of the requirement for schools to give 24 hours’ notice to parents of detentions and extends powers to search pupils for items that are banned on a school’s list. Elsewhere, the guidance states


that students who make false allega- tions against staff can be suspended, expelled, or even prosecuted by headteachers. Mr Gove launched the new


guidance during a visit to Pimlico Academy in London. He said: “Improving discipline


is a big priority. Teachers can’t teach effectively and pupils can’t learn if schools can’t keep order. These changes will give teachers confidence that they can remove disruptive pupils and search chil- dren where necessary.”


Christine Blower, general sec-


retary of the National Union of Teachers, welcomed the guid- ance on anonymity but said that headteachers would be unlikely to “criminalise” young people. She added: “False allegations


have blighted many teachers’ careers and lives. The cost to teachers who have been wrongly accused cannot be underestimated. There is much to welcome in the new guidance, including the focus on speedy resolu- tion and a common-sense approach. “However, criminalising chil-


dren and young people who have wrongly accused a teacher is a power that is unlikely to be used by headteachers.” Elsewhere, as has been widely


reported, Mr Gove also spoke of his support for schools to be inspected without any notice in a bid to stop the practice of misbehaving pupils being asked to stay at home for inspections. An eight-week consulta-


tion, closing on May 30, is now open on the new guidance. Visit www.education.gov.uk/consultations


NEETs fear over EBacc


The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is too narrow and the subjects will not prepare students for the work- place it has been claimed. Experts giving evidence to


an Education Select Committee inquiry into the EBacc also said that the narrow focus of the measure could make the problem of young people not in education, employ- ment or training (NEETs) worse. The Education Select


Committee is a cross-party group chaired by Conservative MP Graham Stuart that scrutinises gov- ernment policy. The hearing took place at the House of Commons late last month and focused on the impact of the EBacc on pupils and schools, and also the implications for employers. The EBacc was introduced retro-


spectively in January and is awarded to anyone gaining A* to C GCSE grades in English, maths, a language, sciences, and geography or history. Last summer, 1.4 million GCSE


qualifications were achieved in subjects not related to the EBacc, including music, visual arts and religious education.


Andrew Chubb, principal at the


Archbishop Sentamu Academy in Hull, told the committee that narrow- ing the curriculum will lead to further disengagement for pre-16-year-olds and would do nothing to improve the NEETs situation in England. He told MPs: “People do drop


out, and when people drop out before Christmas of the year in which they start a year 12 course, that figure goes into the school’s figures. On occasions, if they don’t integrate well into the college, that is seen as the school’s responsibility as well. “Whose fault it is may be open to


question. The point is that bringing in a metric that narrows and is more likely to lead to disengagement pre- 16 is only going to increase the number of NEETs post-16. “There is a very worrying sta-


tistic going around at the moment. If you take those who are NEET at 16, within 10 years one in four is in prison and one in seven is dead. It’s a very serious statistic and a very serious issue, and one that I think the EBacc is going to make far worse.” Hugh O’Neill, headteacher of St Benedict’s Catholic School in Bury


St Edmunds, agreed. He said: “In my estimation, no more than 50 per cent of the student population would be able to aspire to get the EBacc as it is. I really think it’s the ones left behind, outside the EBacc, who are going to be the NEETs of the future.” Employer David Bell, chief cor-


porate development officer at JC Bamford Excavators, told MPs that he has a number of vacancies in his organisation for which he needs apprentices. He said he does not see the EBacc helping. He added: “I would like to see


a technical or an engineering ele- ment. We need high-level people to be apprentices. We have 57 engineering vacancies. We could employ more people, but I don’t think the EBacc will help us do that. It doesn’t help a manufacturing company in terms of the qualifica- tions we are looking for to take people on. If this is what good looks like, I’m going to have fewer peo- ple doing the subjects that I want them to be doing.” The Committee is expected to


hold further hearings into the EBacc after Parliament’s Easter recess.


Strike threat over surprise inspections idea


Secondary school teachers in Northern Ireland will refuse to teach pupils if inspectors pay sur- prise visits to their classrooms. One of the North’s largest teach-


ers’ unions is backing industrial action that could cause massive dis- ruption for students. The Irish National Teachers’


Organisation (INTO), which held its annual conference in Newry last weekend, says it is outraged by controversial plans to roll out unan- nounced inspections.


SecEd • April 7 2011 Inspectors will soon be able to


turn up at schools without warning as part of a shake-up of the monitor- ing regime. The period of notice will be


scrapped in some instances to give inspectors a more accurate snap- shot of school performance. It will also prevent teachers preparing lessons and updating records in advance. The INTO has been opposed to


the plan, which was first announced by former chief inspector Stanley


Goudie last year. The union is now hardening its position. Its northern conference endorsed


calls for its 7,000 members in Northern Ireland to refrain from all teaching when any surprise inspec- tion takes place. At present, district inspec-


tors have discretionary powers to show up at schools unannounced but they cannot undertake a full inspection. While some unan- nounced inspections have taken place in the North, they only


focused on pastoral care and child protection issues. Now they would have more in


common with “focused” inspec- tions which examine a range of areas including teaching, leadership and management. When unannounced inspec-


tions were introduced in England two years ago, more schools failed checks than had done when they had been given time to prepare themselves. The union says it is unequivo-


cally opposed to unannounced vis- its on a pilot, phased, or “any other” basis, except where there are genu- ine child protection concerns. Northern secretary Frank


Bunting says schools will take a pre-emptive ballot that will legally allow industrial action to com- mence during each surprise visit. He said: “This is one further


attempt of teacher deprofessionali- sation which INTO is not prepared to tolerate. All necessary steps will be taken to affect this.”


NEWS In brief UK backs Barack


American president Barack Obama’s denouncement of the over-zealous testing of US pupils has been welcomed by a UK leadership union. Speaking last week, Mr Obama said US pupils should take fewer standardised tests and school performance should be measured in other ways. Reacting this week, Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “The UK and the US are among the very few countries to operate a punitive combination of league tables and SATs for schools. Not coincidentally, they are both struggling to keep pace with international comparisons. The international consensus is clear; you can’t bully or threaten your way to greatness.”


Sustainable alliance


The Sustainable Schools Alliance has been launched aimed at supporting all schools to put sustainability at the heart of their offer. Led by the National Children’s Bureau, SEEd (Sustainability and Environmental Education) and Think Global, the Alliance brings together organisations covering all aspects of sustainable development including climate change, to help schools expand on work already taking place. Visit: http://sustainable-schools- alliance.org.uk/


World of Science


World of Science, a new digital tool designed to make science fun, has been launched by exam board OCR. The free resource is designed for teachers to support pupils studying science from Entry Level up to A Level. World of Science players create their own interactive world and gain points by keeping their virtual characters happy through completing everyday tasks which require scientific knowledge including food and nutrition, health, energy, plants and environmental awareness. Visit: www.ocr.org.uk/worldofscience


Skype launch


Skype in the Classroom, a free directory of teachers across the world who want to share information and collaborate on school projects, has been unveiled. Teachers can use the tool to collaborate with other teachers, and find partner classes and guest speakers. Skype in the classroom is aimed at helping like-minded teachers find each other and relevant projects according to search criteria such as the age groups they teach, location and subjects of interest. The platform currently has a community of more than 3,000 teachers, across 99 countries. Visit: http://education.skype.com/


Achievement guide


A guide to help teachers’ understanding of the factors that impact achievement in the classroom has been published by two University of Chichester academics. Diversity, Equality and Achievement in Education has been published by Gianna Knowles and Dr Vini Lander. The book looks at issues that affect teachers in the classroom and examines a variety of influences affecting child development from a practical and theoretical aspect. The book has been published by Sage Publications.


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