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EBacc ‘not the answer’ for languages


The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is not the solution to reversing the declining number of students opting to study a lan- guage, it has been claimed. A report published this week


by the Education and Employers Taskforce (EET) looks at the importance that languages can have on future economic growth in the UK and how employers can help to promote the impor- tance of the subject. The study estimates the


impact on the UK economy of our relative under-investment in language education as being £7.3 billion in lost trade. However, it contends that


while the EBacc will encour- age some schools to put greater emphasis on learning foreign languages, it cannot be seen as the solution. During the last 16 years the


number of students taking French and German GCSE has more than halved. The previous government abolished the requirement for stu- dents to study a modern language at key stage 4 in 2004. The report said: “Over the last


decade, a range of initiatives have addressed the problem, and argu- ably have succeeded in stemming the decline, but not reversing it. “The inclusion of languages


in the EBacc may encourage schools to place greater focus on languages, but there are broader issues with the Baccalaureate and it cannot seen as the solution. The decline in language take-up at A level began, after all, while languages were compulsory for all young people at GCSE level.” The report calls for employers


to work closely with schools to demonstrate the practical use of languages in the workplace. It states that boys in particular often see languages as being irrelevant to their futures and that a “major barrier” to uptake at 14 and 16 is the information gap between stu- dents’ perceptions and the reality in the labour market. An EET statement said: “This


is a key reason why employers can do so much good by working with teachers to bring learning to life and demonstrate its value in the workplace. Employers of all sizes and sectors need to work with state schools to promote lan- guage. Only half of young people receive advice on careers directly from employers while they are at school or college.” Brian Lightman, general sec-


retary the Association of School and College Leaders, said the report sets out a “compelling case for young people to learn languag- es and describes convincingly the benefits to employers”.


Academic brands policies ‘lunatic’


by Daniel White


The coalition is pursuing a “lunatic and harmful” education agenda, a leading academic has said. Professor Bernard Barker,


emeritus professor of educational leadership and management at the University of Leicester, also said that education secretary Michael Gove’s overhaul of policy means that he will be “long gone” as education minister before we know the full impact of his reforms, including the controversial English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Prof Barker, a former headteach-


er, is known for a similar attack on the previous Labour adminis- tration. In his March 2010 book The Pendulum Swings, he accused Labour of having a “self-defeating pursuit of test results”. His ideas have now been includ-


ed in an article due to be published in the Journal of Educational Administration and History in the


coming weeks alongside further comment from educationalists, including himself. In his contri- bution, he turns his attention to the coalition’s education policy- making. In it he says the coalition has


replaced Labour’s targets with “floor standards” using “arbitrary criteria plucked from the air”. Speaking toSecEd, he explained:


“The current reforms will impact on the definition of success and achievement, not progress towards targets over time. By rubbishing New Labour measures, Michael Gove has introduced a year zero, so it will be years before we’ll know whether schools improved on his measures; by which time he’ll be long gone. “The government is increas-


ing child poverty and disadvan- tage dramatically; how can their words about improving standards and social mobility be taken seri- ously in that context? It is lunacy and harmful. They’ve damned


“Is it mad or not to talk about


every school achieving above aver- age results by 2015? The cuts are harmful, the attack on teachers’ pensions and salaries are harmful, the attack on the poor is harmful, the inflammatory rhetoric is harm- ful, and the two-faced rhetoric (cuts and big society) is harmful. How do schools, teachers and children thrive in these conditions?” Elsewhere, Prof Barker said the


government’s insistence on numeri- cal targets “trivialises education and devalues qualifications”. He added: “When everyone


Attack: Professor Barker


all the improvements under New Labour, when at least there were funds, support and agencies with ideas; so what are the Tory improvements that will produce miracles?


secures the EBacc you can be sure that some other criteria will be introduced to differentiate and select students. This has happened over and over, from five A to Cs, to five A* to Cs, to five A* to C including English and maths, and now the EBacc. I also believe that talking about everyone achiev- ing As and above average results belongs to Alice in Wonderland, not educational improvement.”


Personal finance should become ‘core module’ of PSHE education


Financial education should become a key part of the curriculum in PSHE and maths, a report has rec- ommended. The report, from the All-


Parliamentary Group on Financial Education for Young People, has highlighted the significant barriers that schools can face when teaching personal finance education. It says that 55 per cent of teach-


ers have never taught about per- sonal finance and that provision in schools in England is ad hoc. Financial Education and the


Curriculum says that financial numeracy should be taught in maths while the more subjective aspects of finance education should be tackled in PSHE lessons. It adds that lessons must educate


students to prepare for situations that they will likely face in later life. It also says personal finance should become a core module of PSHE. The report states: “Personal


finance education outcomes need to be assessed to be given curriculum time. A dual mathematics GCSE would offer an excellent opportu- nity to assess progress in the math- ematical components of financial capability at key stage 4. “However, a single (maths)


GCSE need not be a barrier to the development of aspects of person- al finance in mathematics. PSHE


education is currently inconsistent and needs to be revised into clear strands with essential expected out- comes. One of these strands should be personal finance.” Elsewhere, the report says that


teachers need to receive training and support to improve the stand- ards of PSHE education and gain an interest in teaching the subject. Although teachers should lead


on the teaching of the subject, the report says there is an important role for volunteers from companies within the financial sector and other external experts to help support teaching in schools. The report also says schools should employ a personal finance


education champion, preferably from the senior leadership team, to promote the teaching of the subject. It explains: “The champion will ensure that a cross-curricular link is made between mathematics and PSHE education, and that there is time for inter-departmental discus- sion within schools. The champion also needs to be responsible for advising other subject teachers who may want to include personal finance contexts in their teaching.” Chairman of the report, Andrew


Percy MP, said: “Young people today grow up in an increasingly complex financial world requiring them to make difficult decisions for the future, often without the neces-


sary level of financial literacy. “Credit cards, phone contracts,


and tuition fees all require young people to start making choices at a young age. These decisions only become more complex with age and as such the country has a duty to equip our young people prop- erly through education to make informed financial decisions.” The report follows the e-peti-


tion calling for personal finance to be taught in schools which reached 100,000 signatures recently lead- ing to a House of Commons debate on the issue, while a consultation by the Department for Education on its review of PSHE closed late last year. The results are due soon.


Gove urged to listen to the profession on curriculum


Teachers have warned education secretary Michael Gove that his cur- riculum review must fully involve the profession and not solely be based on evidence from abroad. Before Christmas, Mr Gove


in a written ministerial statement announced that his plans to imple- ment new curricula for English, maths, science and PE in 2013 had been scrapped after recommenda- tions from the expert panel that is leading the curriculum review. Instead, new curricula for all


SecEd • January 5 2012


subjects will now come into effect in 2014. Mr Gove said this would allow “a more radical reform of both curriculum and qualifications”. Mr Gove said the overhaul of


the curriculum must also be consid- ered in parallel with “far-reaching reform” to the examinations system. The statement drew a number


of comparisons with education sys- tems abroad, saying that systems in Poland, Canada and South East Asia all have higher expectations of pupils in the core subjects.


The expect panel has also con-


cluded that England narrows stu- dents’ curriculum options too early. The statement added: “The interna- tional evidence shows that all suc- cessful jurisdictions expect pupils to study a broad curriculum to 16, built around a core of academic subjects.” Elsewhere, the expert panel has


also recommended that we should “look again” at the key stage struc- ture of the curriculum, arguing it can lead to a “lack of pace and


ambition at key points in pupils’ education”. However, Mr Gove has been


warned by the profession not to rely solely on international com- parisons. Dr Mary Bousted, gen- eral secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “The national curriculum is such an important part of our education system that it is wholly sensible to consider change carefully and fully involve the teaching profession in its redevelopment. Carefully cho-


sen ‘evidence’ from abroad will not be the only answer.” Brian Lightman, general secre-


tary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added: “There are advantages to using interna- tional comparison data and it is right to view the curriculum in an international context, but this must be put into perspective. We know the danger of putting too much stock in cherry-picked international statistics that do not factor in cul- tural context.”


NEWS In brief Stretch yourself


Aspiring school or subject leaders with expertise in STEM are being sought for a two-term secondment with National Grid. The teacher will be able to work alongside leaders in one of the UK’s biggest engineering companies. The placement is part of leadership charity HTI’s Stretch programme, which organises secondments to the business world for senior teachers aimed at sharing and exploring transferable skills, knowledge and understanding. A bursary is available to pay for cover costs during the placement. Email: e.khiari@hti.org.uk


Be Creative


There is still time to enter Film Education’s UK-wide Be Creative competition, aimed at stimulating and recognising creative talent. The challenge aims to teach students more about the television and film industries, including the importance of choosing official, rather than pirate content. To enter, students – aged 11 to 19 – must respond to a creative brief by producing an original poster, radio or filmed advertisement. The winners will get an iPad and their school will get a £5,000 prize. Students can work alone or in groups of up to four. Resources are available online and the entry deadline is January 20. Visit: www.filmeducation. org/becreative


Language support


Schools can apply to host a foreign language assistant for the 2012/13 academic year. The British Council-run scheme places native speakers of a range of languages in schools to help support language education. The speakers are usually aged 20 to 30 and are either studying English in their home country or are training to be teachers of English in their home country. They will work 12 hours a week although 18-hour weeks can be negotiated. The Chinese language assistants will be qualified teachers. Applications are open from January 16 to February 28. Visit: http:// schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org/ funding/language-assistants


Studio go-ahead


The government has given the green light for 12 new studio schools to open across the UK in September. Studio schools are designed for 14 to 19-year- olds of all abilities and six are already open. The schools cater for around 300 students and provide an alternative education, including a range of academic and vocational qualifications as well as paid work placements linked directly to employment opportunities in the local area. Visit: http://studioschoolstrust.org/


Lessons for charity


Teachers can raise money for charity by selling their best lesson plans. Teachable is asking teachers to upload their lessons so that colleagues across the world can download them for a small fee. Each time a lesson plan is sold, 50 per cent of the fee will go to the author. However, if they choose to donate the fee to a charity of their choice then Teachable will double the contribution. All lesson plans are approved by education specialists before going live on the website. Visit: www.teachable.net


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