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Demand for all-Master’s profession


by Dorothy Lepkowska


Ministers are coming under pres- sure to boost the professional sta- tus of teachers by making working towards a Master’s degree the norm for new entrants. The Universities’ Council for


the Education of Teachers (UCET) has pre-empted education minis- ter Michael Gove’s announcement on the future of teacher training, expected in the next few weeks, by launching its own demands on the level of proficiency expected of the profession. The recommendations are at


Outdoor education faces funding crisis


Around 60 outdoor education centres are facing closure, with 12 already having shut their doors, new figures show. It means that thousands of


students may no longer be able to go on outdoor education trips, with disadvantaged students in inner city areas set to be hit par- ticularly hard. The crisis has come as local


authorities look to cut costs by closing the centres, despite the fact that more than 320,000 chil- dren use them each year. However, campaigners are


urging local authorities to give the threatened centres time to adapt. Concern has been heightened


because more than half of the threatened closures are centres run by inner city councils, many of which subsidise the costs for schools. It is also feared that many will


have to become self-financing and any fees will need to be increased “substantially” mak- ing them unaffordable to some parents, leading to less well off families losing out. The five organisations cam-


paigning against the closures are the Field Studies Council (FSC), Institute for Outdoor Learning, National Association of Field Studies Officers (NAFSO), Association of Heads of Outdoor


Education Centres, and the English Outdoor Council. Robert Lucas, chief execu-


tive of the FSC, added: “There are many examples of centres that are paying their own way. The problem here is that many councils are rushing into deci- sions without considering other options, or giving realistic dead- lines. It would be a shame if centres which have been around for decades are wiped out because they haven’t been given an extra couple of years to bal- ance their books.” NAFSO president Peter Smith


said: “Teachers and parents are being told by politicians and newspapers that there is a nation- al obesity crisis. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to close down the very centres that have been doing something about this for many years. Once they have closed they won’t be rebuilt. “It would be very sad if 2012


was remembered in many schools and communities not as a celebra- tion of the Olympics, but as the year where many young people lost their only chance to visit some of our most beautiful land- scapes. For some, this will close the door on their only opportunity to take part in new sports, try out an outdoor activity, or excel in an academic subject outside their homes and school.”


odds with some of Mr Gove’s per- sonal philosophies on the profes- sional direction of teachers. He has already indicated that staff work- ing in free schools do not need to be qualified, and is removing the requirements of teachers com- ing from abroad to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Mr Gove is expected to


announce plans for more initial teaching training to be carried out directly in schools, with some being designated as teaching schools, rather than the focus being on high- er education institutions (HEIs). UCET wants to make teach- ing an all-Master’s profession to


raise its status. It cites the academ- ic successes of countries such as Finland, where teachers must have a Master’s and where standards are among the highest in the world. It wants better CPD to allow staff to constantly build upon their knowl- edge and expertise. James Noble-Rogers, UCET


chief executive, said: “With the upcoming reforms, the government has a unique opportunity to grow a golden generation of teachers. But to really make a difference, it must recognise the importance of giving teachers the tools and the support to better their skills and further their careers. “Mr Gove’s attitude has been


complex in some ways as he has been down-playing the importance of training but what we are asking for is a more qualified teaching force. “Higher degrees, delivered in


partnership between universities and schools, have been proven to have a positive impact on class- room performance and pupil learn- ing. While it is encouraging to hear the government talking about its desire to raise the status of teach- ing, we need to see action on this and the best way to do it would be to establish teaching as a Master’s qualified profession.”


The government cut the £25 mil-


lion a year funding for the Master’s in Teaching and Learning for all new applicants last year, though it is continuing to fund those who have already started their studies. Announcing the proposals,


ministers said the removal of con- straints to teacher training would include helping teachers “to learn from one another and from proven best practice, rather than ceaselessly directing them to follow centralised government initiatives”. Mr Noble-Rogers said UCET


was concerned about the prospect of training schools, especially as a recent Ofsted report described the high quality teacher training tak- ing place in HEI-led partnerships between universities and schools – 47 per cent were rated as out- standing while only 26 per cent of school-based training programmes achieved this level. However, he said there was


scope for the creation of univer- sity training schools where train- ing was delivered in partnership between the two. A spokesman for the Department


for Education told SecEd that an announcement on the future of initial teacher training would be made at some point prior to the Parliamentary recess in July.


Amnesty looks to confront prejudice in the classroom


With the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaching, Amnesty International is urging teachers to tackle preju- diced beliefs that some pupils may voice in the classroom. Next month Amnesty is running


a teacher training day in London aimed at helping teachers to deal with pupils’ attitudes and behav- iours surrounding the attacks. The event will look at better edu-


cating students about the facts on ter- rorism and the impact of the media. Teacher training projects offic-


er at Amnesty, Megan Worthing- Davies, told SecEd that students can sometimes have a narrow view of what happened on 9/11 and in other terrorism attacks and this can lead to prejudiced beliefs. She explained: “Some teachers


find it hard to discuss things and some have a temptation to ignore it and leave the students to deal with it. It is very important to address these problems, whether that be outside the classroom or in citizen- ship and other subjects. “You can tailor subjects in citi- zenship or religious studies and con-


front certain views and ask questions as to why they have a certain belief and help them look at the facts. “It’s important for prejudices to


be explored – sometimes meeting someone they don’t think they like; meeting someone of a different faith and realising they were wrong.” The workshop event also aims to


help teachers deal and be confident discussing terrorism, justice, the role of the media, human rights, truth, religion, and torture with students. The event takes place at


Amnesty’s UK headquarters in London on July 7 and will also coincide with the sixth anniversary of the 7/7 bombings. The course costs £35 and for more information, visit www.tenyearsafternineeleven. eventbrite.com


Unions warn prime minister over pension cuts


The success of education reforms is being threatened by the cuts to teachers’ pensions, school leaders have claimed. The two largest leadership


unions this week wrote a joint letter to prime minister David Cameron claiming that the strength of con- cern and frustration among their members is “unprecedented”. Between them the Association of


School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) represent more than 43,000 school leaders.


SecEd • June 16 2011 Their letter claimed that the


“prolonged dispute” with their members would make it difficult for the coalition government’s poli- cies to succeed and could “serious- ly demotivate school leaders and alienate the profession”. The letter said: “You have a


number of radical reforms which will require the full engagement of school leaders to implement and show impact – from phonics and the pupil premium to teach- ing schools and new approaches to behaviour and the curriculum. This


engagement is at risk. For example, large numbers of schools are in the process of academy conversion. This is one of the most far-reaching changes the education service has undergone and has had to be man- aged sensitively at school level, often in the context of significant opposition from classroom unions. “School leaders have had to


reassure staff about their pay and conditions and manage a climate of great uncertainty. At a time where schools are concentrating on ensur- ing that the change of status is a


success, the last thing they need is a prolonged dispute about pen- sions which will further distract them from the priority of raising standards.” The letter also warned that


the academy movement could be derailed because a number of expe- rienced senior leaders are poised to take early retirement and inex- perienced middle leaders could be “catapulted” into senior positions. The letter comes as the


Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) and the National


Union of Teachers (NUT) were due to publish the results of their membership ballots over industrial action on the pensions cuts. Both unions have asked their


members to walkout on June 30 and the results of the ballots were due to be published on Tuesday afternoon (June 14) as SecEd went to press. The NUT and ATL membership


totals around 450,000 profession- als meaning a joint June walkout would likely see school closures across England and Wales.


Funding views


Almost half of schools believe that funding cuts will result in larger class sizes, while four in 10 are expecting to have to make redundancies. The survey from education finance providers Syscap also shows that more than half of schools say that extra-curricular activities will be cut back as budgets are squeezed. However, among the strategies to reduce costs are collective buying (58 per cent) and shared service partnerships with other schools (64 per cent).


Water Week


A cross-curricular teaching resource has been launched by Oxfam in the run up to its first ever Water Week. More than 2,000 schools have already signed up to take part in Water Week and teaching resources are available to help pupils learn about the importance of water to the lives of people in the developing world and identify factors that lead to inequalities in how people access water. Water Week launches on July 11 in England and Wales and is running this week in Scotland. Visit: www.oxfam.org.uk/ waterweek


Work experience


A not-for-profit organisation which will support schools in providing accredited work experience has been launched. The Big Academy has been created to help support young people in finding work opportunities regardless of their social or academic background. It will focus predominantly on the delivery of work experience in secondary schools and will initially roll out across Yorkshire and Birmingham. Visit: www. bigacademy.org


Speech guidance


An information booklet about the different ways children with little or no speech communicate has been published for parents and professionals. Other Ways of Speaking looks at how to support such children and where to go for further information and help. The booklet explores Augmentative and Alternative Communication, a term that describes a wide range of techniques children use to support or replace spoken communication. It has been created as part of Hello – the National Year of Communication. Visit: www. hello.org.uk/resources


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Email editor@sec-ed.co.uk or telephone the newsdesk on 020 7501 7650


NEWS In brief Language support


There is still time for schools to apply for a foreign language assistant. The deadline in England and Wales to apply for a French, German, Italian or Spanish assistant for the next academic year is July 22. The scheme is run by the British Council. There are currently more than 2,000 foreign language assistants working in UK schools. They aim to provide a first-person insight into a foreign language and culture and give valuable support to teachers and schools. Visit: http://www.britishcouncil.org/ languageassistants-uk-schools- and-authorities.htm


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