NEWS FOCUS SecEd: On Your Side


The runaway train of government


The DeparTmenT for education (Dfe) was forced this week to defend its decision to cut the £560 million of funding for the education maintenanceallowance (ema). The money, which is given to the poorest 16 to 19-year-


Pete


Henshaw Editor SecEd


olds in england to help them stay on into further education, was slashed and replaced with a £180 million scheme to be delivered locally via colleges. at the time, the government claimed that 88 per cent


of the money spent on the up-to-£30 a week allowance was “dead weight”. It quoted research from the national Foundation for education research to back up this assertion. however, this week the researcher Thomas Spielhofer


told the education Select Committee that his report had been misinterpreted and he was not happy with the “dead weight” claim that had been made. The Dfe in its defence said that it had based its decision over ema on more than just this one study. elsewhere this week, headlines were made when writing


in the New Statesman, thearchbishop of Canterbury, Dr rowan Williams, raised concerns about the government’s health, education and welfare policies. he wrote: “With remarkable speed, we are being


committed to radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted.at the very least, there is an understandable anxiety about what democracy means in such a context. “not many people want government by plebiscite,


certainly. But, for example, the comprehensive reworking of the educationact 1944 that is now going forward might well be regarded as a proper matter for open probing in the context of election debates. The anxiety and anger have to do with the feeling that not enough has been exposed to proper public argument.” and so to my point – speed. The government I am sure did look at more than


one study before they decided to scrap ema, but they obviously did not sit down withmr Spielhofer and discuss his research in any depth. They took a headline figure and repeated it to all who would listen. This, as Dr Williams argued in his article, has been the


problem with many of the government’s reforms. They have been rushed and sometimes forced through with the absolute minimum of consultation. In education you have had Building Schools for the


Future (BSF) slashed only for education chiefmichael Gove to be hauled before the high Court and admonished. You have had school sports ravaged only for the very public outcry to shame the Dfe into a partial u-turn on the cuts. Theacademies Bill was rushed through parliament using anti-terrorism legislation for goodness sake. and beyond education, just look at what is happening


with the nhS reforms, and the well publicised u-turn over the national forests. and when I talk about consultation, I am not just talking


about consultation with the public, but consultation with experts in the various fields too. ministers are normal people, elected by us to serve us.


They are not experts in education, health or social welfare. They have a duty to listen to people who are expert – who have worked in these fields for their entire lives and know what works, know the challenges, and the barriers to effective delivery. They absolutely do not have the right to ride roughshod over the population – the voting electorate – and bludgeon through policy after policy without even pretending to listen. But we know why they are not listening. The


government is paranoid of reaching the next election with its cuts still biting. They want to rush through as many cuts now as possible so that in four years’ time they can go to the polls with the worst behind them and presenting a better picture to the nation. It is not about a sensible strategy to reduce the deficit, it is about being re-electable.


• Pete Henshaw is publisher and editor of Seced. Email editor@sec-ed.co.uk or visit www.sec-ed.co.uk. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/SecEd_Education


VQ Day


Next week sees the fourth annual VQ Day, a national celebration of vocational qualifications and learning.


Peter Mitchell from vocational education foundation Edge explains


WITh The fourth annual VQ Day taking place next Wednesday (June 22), we are provided with an opportunity to inform 14 to 19-year- old students about the benefits of vocational training, highlighting the varied and aspirational career paths which are on offer to those who choose to follow a vocational path. as the go-to source for young


people looking for careers advice, teachers have a vital role to play in the education of their students – not just in terms of science, maths, english and other subjects, but in terms of teaching them about the choices that are available and helping them to make informed decisions about their futures. It is always so encouraging


to see schools, colleges, learning providers and employers across the country coming together on VQ Day in support of vocational education. In uniting to achieve a common goal – endorsing vocational qualifications – we are helping to ensure younger pupils can look beyond the boundaries of traditional educational routes to make informed choices for themselves. This year saw the publication of


alison Wolf’s review of vocational qualifications, which showed that there is still a way to go before we can say that all vocational education in this country is truly world class. This is a huge challenge, and makes this VQ Day more important than ever. In the wake of the report, it is


vital that we are able to showcase those who have enjoyed success through a vocational route. While


reform is necessary and valuable, demonstrating that vocational learners are thriving is equally so. VQ Day is, and always has been,


more than a day of celebration; it is a day when perceptions are challenged, a day when vocational learners across the UK can stand proud and say: “Look at what we’ve achieved.” These achievements can be seen


in businesses throughout the UK, and indeed the world. Vocational qualifications deliver the work- ready skills that employers are always in need of. as a vital part of VQ Day this year, employers will be called upon to sign up to a commitment to vocational qualifications – a commitment to working more closely with schools and colleges, and to ensuring that 14 to 19-year-olds are able to see the real-world benefits of vocational learning. as well as the increased role


that employers will be playing this year, VQ Day will be celebrating in traditional fashion on June 22. Our annual event, showcasing the best of the country’s vocational talent, is taking place at Westminster Kingsway College. We will be naming our regional VQ Learners of the Year, with the national winner being unveiled on the day. nominations from colleges


all over the country have been scrutinised, with the judges remarking that this year’s nominations have been some of the strongest to date. We are very confident that the winners will represent the very best of vocational learning in their region, having


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Vocational celebration: Students from Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College (top) and Barnfield College in Luton during last year’s VQ Day celebrations


shown dedication to their field and outshone their peers in their achievements. as well as honouring these


exceptional learners, we will be treated to two performances from musical groups from Blackpool Sixth Form College and Gable hall School in essex, and of course the event will play host to interactive zones which represent true vocational excellence from a range of different organisations. also, students from Westminster Kingsway College will be rising to the challenge of catering for the guests on the day.


VQ Day provides a wonderful


opportunity to celebrate the real- life stories of high flyers from across the vocational landscape. In celebrating them, we are able to remind parents, mps and members of the public what can be achieved with hard work and the chance to study a subject that students feel passionate about.


SecEd


• Peter Mitchell is interim CEO of Edge, the vocational education foundation.


Further information www.vqday.org.uk


Standards debate


The Welsh government says that the current professional standards for teachers do not reflect policy priorities. However, Gary Brace from the General Teaching Council for Wales argues that the profession and not civil servants should be leading any reforms


In 2005 the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) advised the Welsh government that a thorough review of teachers’ professional standards was needed. The aim would be to introduce


greater consistency, coherence, and clear progression in teaching standards for teachers at all levels to work towards. One thing was clear to us – that


such standards should be able to endure the test of time and become the bedrock of all training and professional development. now six years later, it is hard not


SecEd


to be disappointed by the proposals that have finally emerged. It is disheartening to see that these standards have not been developed with longevity in mind but have rather too strong a focus on current government priorities. There are dangers in building


standards on current political imperatives. professional standards should describe the core of good


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teaching at any time and not have to change with new governments or a new set of policy goalposts. That is why the profession should develop and own the standards. If this was the case, this


welcomed consultation would have not ignored some key issues. Qualified Teacher Status


standards have been omitted, standards that are the starting point and gateway to a profession on which all other standards should build.although there is reference to a further review of these standards in time, their absence in these standards does not provide a sound basis for planning professional progress. The consultation proposals do


not provide an adequate response to the challenge teachers in the middle of their careers face. There is no set of professional standards or associated programme of CpD for this group. rather the proposals use the standards for headteachers


and declare that the leadership skills needed throughout a career are all the same. Teaching assistants are valuable


additions in every school and the GTCW would welcome working more closely with teaching assistants in the future. however, we need to emphasise


a key point we have made before – that only suitably trained teachers should be in control of the learning process. This should mean that there is good correspondence between what is required of teachers and higher level teaching assistants. Unfortunately this clarity does not exist, as the proposed standards are worded and structured differently. The GTCW launched its Code


of Conduct for registered teachers in October last year. It is a document that sets out the core principles of professionalism for registered teachers throughout Wales. It is a thoroughly collaborative document, taking into account views from


teachers, unions and members of the public, and is widely accepted to represent the values of teachers across the country. We therefore believe that the standards should not only reference these principles, but should be built on them. Their exception is perplexing. We cannot imagine government


setting out for the medical profession the standards for doctors and nurses. These would be seen as entirely professional matters. It will be a bold but not unwise


move for government to hand over responsibility for the standards of the teaching profession to those who understand them through working at the heart of it.


SecEd


• Gary Brace is chief executive of the General Teaching Council for Wales.


Further information


For more on the consultation proposals, visit www.wales.gov.uk/ educationandskills


SecEd • June 16 2011


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