www.sec-ed.com


A to A* as important as D to C, report says


by Daniel White


Schools are too heavily incentivised to focus on students on the C/D borderline and should be judged on improvements across the spectrum of grades, a report has said. Room at the Top: Inclusive


Education for High Performance, a report by Professor Deborah Eyre, education director for Nord Anglia Education, was published by the Policy Exchange think-tank this week. It analysed GCSE results, look-


ing at high performing students and pupils on the C/D borderline. The report said that current “cliff


edge” performance measures based on the number of pupils scoring above a D at GCSE “create distort- ing incentives to focus on the D/C borderline”. It recommends: “A measure


based on points scored (perhaps capped, in a core of subjects) would be preferable as a lead indicator, so that moving a child from an A to an A* is valued equally to moving him or her from a D to a C. This would replace the current five A* to C measure as the ‘leading’ measure, although this data would still be published.” The report recommends that


floor targets should be abolished and praises the focus of some schools in


both the state and independent sec- tors on “celebrating” pupils’ uni- versity destinations and real-world achievements, not just exam scores. The report states: “Recently we


in the UK have been preoccupied with floor level targets; Level 4 at age 11, A to Cs at GCSE and reduc- ing the number of NEETs. We have created a system that requires that most pupils reach mediocrity and which asks schools to arrange their structures with this as the primary expectation.” James Groves, head of educa-


tion at the Policy Exchange, said: “Schools need a focus on high achievement. If we are to produce enough skilled adults who will be


Union chief labels EBacc ‘extremely worrying’


The president of a leadership union has labelled the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) league table measure as “extremely worrying”. John Fairhurst, president of the


Association of School and College Leaders, said the EBacc would “marginalise” a number of other subjects in the curriculum. Education minister Michael


Gove’s retrospective introduction of the EBacc measure has angered many headteachers, and has sparked the launch of Better Bac – a grass- roots campaign calling for a more rounded approach to the measure. The EBacc is awarded to stu-


dents gaining five A* to C GCSE grades English, maths, sciences, a language and geography or history. ASCL is supporting the Better


Bac campaign and when Mr Gove arrived at the union’s annual confer- ence in Manchester last month, he was greeted by members wearing badges proudly stating “I failed the English Bac” (pictured). Speaking to SecEd after the


event, Mr Fairhurst, whose presi- dential address focused on the importance of teaching skills and not just an academic curriculum, reiterated that the new league table measure was “extremely worrying”. Mr Fairhurst, headteacher of


Shenfield High School in Essex, and a SecEd editorial board member, told us: “The government said we should be taking control and then they go an do the exact opposite.”


He continued: “It is going to


marginalise a number of subjects that are equally valued. There is no support for a subject like citizenship at the top of the new regime – but in my school citizenship is a runaway success, it contributes to the ethos of the school.” Indeed, in his presidential


address to the conference, Mr Fairhurst said: “The new surprise measure announced, retrospectively and without consultation, predict- ably upset all of us. Even those who accept the need for an urgent counterbalance in the league tables for those over-weighted vocational courses. “The immediate impact on year


9 options up and down the land has been more than an upset. My school has invested a lot of time and effort in recasting our curriculum to suit


the full range of our intake. There was no way in which we would seek to distort our successful model for league table reasons. But I know of a lot of others, under pressure from Ofsted or predatory competi- tors, who have felt the need to do exactly that.” Mr Fairhurst told SecEd that


his school would not be playing the EBacc “game” at the moment, but conceded that if the measure became the “central pole of the league tables” he would have to “respond”. Mr Fairhurst is also worried


about the public misconceptions around the EBacc, with many see- ing it as a qualification rather than a league table measure, and many believing that it is being demanded by universities or that it is necessary to study A levels.


able to compete in a vastly tough- er global economy, then we cannot afford to waste any potential at all. “Just being able to master basic


skills is no longer enough. We need a workforce that can take on anyone in the world and beat them.” Elsewhere, the report says more


children can achieve high perform- ance if you let them believe it is possible. The report added: “Individuals


must develop a love of the subject and a desire to learn more. Yet our current approach to labelling chil- dren – including choosing gifted cohorts – does not encourage this. “It suggests to them that they have a predetermined, finite ceiling


to their level of achievement. An elite few think they can be ‘stars’, but many conclude, at a relatively early age, that high attainment is not within their grasp. They see them- selves as powerless. This limits the percentage of pupils who will go on to achieve high performance. “We need an approach which


will recognise and nurture signs of high performance wherever, and whenever, they might occur. There are many more pupils capable of high performance than we currently recognise.” The report is available in


the education section of the Policy Exchange website. Visit www.policyexchange.org.uk


Review recommends urgent overhaul of Welsh education system


The education system in Wales is at risk of entering a “downward spiral” without urgent action, an Assembly government-commis- sioned review has concluded. Too many Welsh schools


were found to be “coasting” and standards of literacy and numer- acy are too low while some local authorities were found to “lack the capacity” to improve the per- formance of their schools. Education minister Leighton


Andrews said the study, from a group he commissioned, had some “hard messages” and believes everyone with an interest in improving education in Wales should read it. Its hard-hitting conclusion that


“if urgent steps are not taken, then we could well enter a downward spiral in terms of performance,” comes after Welsh 15-year-olds were found to be slipping down the international Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) league table. The review into educational


structure in Wales has rec- ommended an overhaul of the system. It concluded that local authorities were generally too small in Wales to offer consist- ently high quality support and improvement services. Instead the group believes a more effec- tive way of delivering educational


services would be if local councils were grouped into four regions pooling their resources. It found there were examples


of high achievement and inspiring leadership, but a “relentless focus on improvement” was lacking in many areas. And it criticised “insufficient clarity of account- ability for performance” as well as bemoaning a lack of “clarity of mission” about education at a national level. “This report is another wake-


up call and we should all give it open-minded consideration,” said Mr Andrews. The report recommends that


the Assembly’s education depart- ment is reorganised by September to ensure clarity of function and accountability. The National Association of


Head Teachers Cymru welcomed recommendations to streamline the education system and release more funding to the frontline. In a statement to National


Assembly members, Mr Andrews said the findings would be a mat- ter for the next Assembly govern- ment after the election in May. The full report entitled,


The Structure of Education Services in Wales, can be found on the Welsh Assembly government’s website. Visit www.wales.gov.uk/publications


Campaign gets pupils to Think German


A giant post-it note labelled the City of London School “die Schule”, another translated London Bridge station as “der Bahnhof” and one more named the Oxo Tower “das Einkaufszentrum” this week. It was all part of the Goethe-


Institut’s Think German campaign, where giant post-it notes translat- ed the names of iconic landmarks along London’s South Bank into German in the hope of encouraging young people to consider the ben- efits of learning it at GCSE. Only one in 10 Brits currently


speak a foreign language, yet 72 per cent of the UK’s international trade is with non-English speaking coun- tries. Out of this 72 per cent, the UK


SecEd • April 14 2011


deals with over 630 German com- panies alone, including Deutsche Bank, Siemens and Volkswagen. With one in six German nation-


als in England living in London, and a 50 per cent decrease in the number of pupils taking GCSE German since 2001, the Think German cam- paign comes at a time when GCSE choices are being made. Uwe Rau, from the Goethe-


Institut, said: “Knowing a language can enhance all aspects of a person’s life, and a knowledge of German is a gateway into the business world as well as academia. So we urge parents whose children are thinking about GCSEs to choose a language.” Visit www.goethe.de/london


NEWS In brief Changing Faces


Charity Changing Faces has launched The Face Equality Teaching Resources aimed at improving students’ attitudes and behaviours towards people who have disfigurements. It is estimated that around 86,000 young people have what can be described as a significant facial disfigurement. These children are vulnerable to staring, comments, questions, ostracism and bullying which, without appropriate intervention, may impact upon their wellbeing and achievement. The government-funded resource pack provides teaching materials for drama, English and art and has been created with the input of Changing Faces’ Young People’s Council, a group of young of people who have disfigurements. Visit: www. changingfaces.org.uk/Education/ Face-Equality-Resources


Journey to Pakistan


A set of free resources has been unveiled in conjunction with Offscreen’s 2010 Journey to Pakistan. The scheme was an effort by Offscreen to learn about perceptions and reality in Pakistan. A team of 18 to 21-year-olds spent two weeks in October exploring “Pakistan beyond the headlines”. Their views can be explored through online videos, photos and blogs. The resources include lesson plans, videos and teacher guidance. Offscreen organises education visits between the Islamic world and the UK. Visit: www.offscreenexpedition.com/ for-teachers


Travel advice


A website offering travel advice to young people has been launched by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The resource, Know Before You Go, comes as new research reveals that almost half of 11 to 18-year-olds are considering taking a gap year abroad after leaving school or college. The FCO provided assistance in 18,646 consular cases last year and regularly deals with young British nationals who run into problems abroad as a result of being unprepared. The key stage 5 resource fits into the PSHE curriculum and uses podcasts and blogs. Visit: www.fco.gov. uk/schools


Gilbert stands down


Christine Gilbert, chief inspector of Ofsted, is to stand down at the end of June, a month earlier than expected. Ms Gilbert said it had been an “enormous privilege” to be chief inspector, a role she has held since 2007. She said: “I am proud to have led the organisation through merger and fundamental changes in inspection and regulation, while at the same time lifting inspection satisfaction to upwards of 90 per cent across all settings.” Miriam Rosen, a former executive director of Ofsted, is to act as interim chief executive.


Edge appointment


College principal Jan Hodge has been appointed as the next chief executive officer of vocational education foundation Edge. She will take over from interim CEO Peter Mitchell in July. Ms Hodges has been principal and chief executive of South Essex College of Further and Higher Education since 2002.


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