NEWS


Gove: false accusations could lead to prosecution


by Daniel White


Students who make false accusations against school staff were warned this week that they could face prosecution. During a widely reported speech


last week, education chief Michael Gove announced a tighter focus on truancy in schools in light of the summer’s riots. However, Mr Gove also used


the address, which took place at Durand Academy in south London, to pledge once again that anonym- ity for teachers who are accused would be introduced. Mr Gove acknowledged that


false accusations can often ruin a teacher’s reputation and empha- sised that only one per cent of accu- sations made in 2009/10 resulted in dismissal or resignation. He said: “These allegations


often lead to the suspension of the teacher concerned, the blackening of (their) name, a blight on (their) career progression and, for con- scientious public servants, a deep sense of trauma and hurt.


“That is why we are legislat-


ing to give teachers the protec- tion of anonymity when allegations are made. It’s why we have made clear to heads that they should not suspend teachers just because a child has made a wild allegation. Leadership teams should back their staff all the way. “We are also making clear to


heads that false allegations are themselves a disciplinary offence and could lead to criminal sanc- tions.” Mr Gove also pledged to work


with the police to ensure that any investigations take place “without delay”. He said this would prevent


“clouds of suspicion” from hanging over teachers. Mr Gove’s comments come


after plans to allow anonymity for teachers facing accusations were included in the Education Bill ear- lier this year. The Bill is currently passing through Parliament. Brian Lightman, general secre-


tary of the Association of School and College Leaders, told SecEd that while it was not realistic for students to be prosecuted in the courts automatically, he welcomed the move for anonymity as an “important” step. He added: “We need to be very careful with how we deal with


EBacc arguments continue to rage


Critics of the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) have continued to clash with the government, with both sides claiming new research into the measure justifies their positions. Research by the Centre for


Analysis of Youth Transitions has shown a 26 per cent rise in students studying history at GCSE, a 28 per cent rise in those taking geography, while the numbers taking languages are up 22 per cent. A poll was sent to 1,500 schools


in June and July with 692 respond- ing. It enquired about students who started GCSEs in 2010 and also those who started their courses this month. The EBacc was introduced ret-


rospectively into the league tables in January and is awarded to any- one gaining A* to C GCSE grades in English, maths, a language, sci- ence, and geography or history.


The survey showed that half of


those starting GCSEs this month could achieve the EBacc. This com- pares to a third of the students who started courses in 2010 and the fig- ure drops to 22 per cent for students who began in 2009 and got their results this summer. Education secretary Michael


Gove claimed students are now studying subjects which the “best colleges and top employers value”. He said: “Subjects such as phys-


ics, chemistry, history, geography, French and German give students the opportunity to succeed in every field. The numbers studying a prop- er range of rigorous subjects has been in decline. Now, thanks to our EBacc, that has changed.” Opponents of the EBacc said


the survey backs up their fears that the measure will narrow curriculum choice, forcing pupils and schools


to prioritise EBacc subjects, and leading to provision for other sub- jects being hugely reduced. Christine Blower, general sec-


retary of the National Union of Teachers, said Mr Gove was the “master of spin”. She said: “It is almost comical


to claim that ‘just 22 per cent of GCSE-stage pupils were entered for the EBacc’ in 2010 when it didn’t even exist at the time. “A year does not make a trend.


The government is keen to take credit for the take up in triple sci- ence, but the upward trend was there already and extends across five years. Physics entry increased by more than 16 per cent last year alone, before the EBacc could reasonably be expected to have had an effect.” She added: “The EBacc is a


blunt instrument that takes a nar- row view of education. Talking


down the value of arts subjects for instance neglects the huge contribu- tion made to the UK economy by theatre, design and music. Many of these courses are being side- lined or eliminated altogether by some schools because of fears that any deviation from the EBacc will be critical to their future. Stifling creativity is the enemy of a good, rounded education.” Dr Mary Bousted, general secre-


tary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, added: “We are unsurprised at the EBacc’s impact on pupils’ subject choices. As long as the English education system is straight-jacketed by a divide between academic and vocational learning, with league tables focus- ing on a narrow range of academic subjects, any additional perform- ance measure will restrict and manipulate pupils’ choices.”


Safeguarding report highlights best practice


The “rigorous” monitoring of stu- dent absence and a comprehensive programme of staff training are among the keys to effective safe- guarding, inspectors have reported. Ofsted has also said there is


“no reason” why safeguarding good practice cannot feature in every school – currently, 77 per cent of secondary schools are rated as “good” or “outstanding” in this area. In its report, Safeguarding in


Schools: Best practice, the inspec- torate looked at the outcome of inspections between September 2009 and July 2010 to evaluate fea- tures of “outstanding” safeguarding. Aspects cited as crucial include


how well students are taught to stay safe and how well the school meets the needs of students with medical


conditions. In schools where safe- guarding is effective, Ofsted says that school managers promote safe practice in classrooms and around the school, and ensure that staff attend a “comprehensive range of training”. The report said: “Training in


safeguarding is given a high prior- ity in effective schools. Expertise is extended effectively and inter- nal capacity is built up. Managers ensure that staff regularly undertake a comprehensive range of training to promote safe practice in class- rooms, around the school, and off- site.” According to the report, “out-


standing” schools also far exceed the minimum requirement to ensure refresher training every three years and in actual fact many provide


annual training with regular updates in staff meetings. Also, training records are kept for every mem- ber of staff, volunteers and student teachers. Elsewhere, the report said that


“outstanding” features included high quality leadership which makes safeguarding a priority. It also emphasised the importance of having accessible child protec- tion arrangements for students and families. The report adds: “Senior manag-


ers give clear direction and harness the energy and commitment of their staff. They establish comprehensive and coherent policies and proce- dures which make clear the school’s high expectations.” The inspectorate also said schools should monitor any school


absences “rigorously” and quoted examples of schools which monitor students’ whereabouts at all times, with unexplained or unauthorised absences followed up “speedily”. A statement in the report said:


“Such close attention to the issue of attendance contributes strongly to the creation of an environment in which pupils’ safety is paramount.” General secretary of the


Association of School and College Leaders, Brian Lightman, said: “We are pleased that Ofsted recognises that almost all schools now take a careful and responsible approach to their safeguarding arrangements. This reflects the fact that young people’s safety is of the greatest importance to school leaders.” To download the full report, visit


www.ofsted.gov.uk Survey reveals increasing teacher disenchantment


Teachers are becoming increasingly disenchanted with their jobs, blaming school budgets, red tape, and intimidation by pupils, it has been found. A study of 1,000 teachers by


TLTP Education revealed that almost two thirds have been ver- bally abused by a pupil, while one in five have been physically attacked. Furthermore, 43 per cent of the


teachers were worried about pupils making negative comments about them on social networking sites,


4


while 18 per cent said they had experiencing abuse online. Elsewhere, the study found that


58 per cent of teachers are more concerned about their job prospects today than they were a year ago – with the main reason being falling school budgets. In addition, more than half of teachers say they would not recommend their career to fam- ily or friends. Darryl Mydat, managing direc-


tor of TLTP, a recruitment com- pany, said that the profession was in a “state of some unease”.


He added: “Uncertainty cre-


ated by budget cuts and increased workload is being compounded by threats on a number of fronts from within the classroom environment.” Also published this week were


the latest findings from the General Teaching Council for England’s (GTCE)Annual Digest of Statistics. Among the headlines was


the imbalance between male and female teachers in schools. The fig- ures show that while 75 per cent of teachers are female, women are under-represented in senior leader-


ship roles. At secondary level this means that only eight per cent of women are in senior roles com- pared to 14 per cent of men. The findings also show that, on


average, the profession is becoming younger, as the number of older teachers falls. The proportion of teachers aged 50 to 59 has fallen by eight per cent since 2006, while the number of teachers aged under 25 has risen by 1.4 per cent. There are a total of 578,755 registered teach- ers, which is an increase of two per cent on last year.


Syeda, 16, scoops Young Apprentice of the Year award


Working with primary school children and playing board games with the elderly has helped a talented student to scoop the 2011 Young Apprentice of the Year title. Syeda Afsana Islam, 16 (pic-


tured), jumped at the chance to do a two-year Young Apprenticeship in health and social care while she was a pupil at Birches Head High School in Stoke-on-Trent. She started the Young


Apprenticeship programme in year 10 and completed it at the end of year 11. As well as keeping up to date with her school work she did her health and social train- ing with learning provider Health Care Careers and Skills Academy in Stoke-on-Trent and completed placements at a doctors’ surgery, day care centre for the elderly, and a local primary school. Thanks to Syeda’s hard work


and achievements, she was named as the West Midlands Young Apprentice of the Year. This led to her being shortlisted for the 2011 National Apprenticeship Awards and she was declared the national winner at a glittering awards cer-


emony held in London over the summer. Syeda left Birches Head High


School in June after taking BTEC and GCSE qualifications. She is now taking A levels in biol- ogy, chemistry, mathematics and psychology at Newcastle-under- Lyme College and hopes to study medicine at university. She told SecEd: “I have always


wanted to be a doctor and doing the young apprenticeship has made me even more determined. “If any other young people


are thinking of doing a Young Apprenticeship I’d say go for it. Learning from text books isn’t the same as going out and apply- ing your knowledge and skills at first hand. I knew I was capable of doing a Young Apprenticeship but I didn’t think I would take it this far and win a national award.” This year’s National


Apprenticeship Awards were presented by entrepreneur Claire Young, the runner-up in the 2008 series of The Apprentice. For a full list of the finalists


and more information, visit www. apprenticeships.org.uk/awards/


students who make false accusa- tions, we don’t want to unneces- sarily criminalise students and we must make students aware of the consequences and that they will be excluded from the school.” Elsewhere in his speech, Mr


Gove said that more scrutiny would be placed on schools when it comes to attendance, including during school inspections. He confirmed his plans to reduce


the threshold for being persistently absent from 20 to 15 per cent of school lessons missed and added that he intends to go further. This could be as low as 10 per cent, after Mr Gove spoke about the one mil-


lion children who miss 10 per cent of lessons or more. He said, too, that Ofsted will be targeting schools with poor disciplinary records and poor attendance when they trial no notice inspections this term. On physical restraint, Mr Gove


said that it is wrong for schools to have a “no-touch” policy prevent- ing teachers restraining pupils and that sometimes it is right for physi- cal force to be used. However, he added that he will not be proceeding with plans to force schools to record details every time teachers have to physically restrain children.” Read the speech at www.edu cation.gov.uk/inthenews/speeches


SecEd • September 8 2011


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