NEWS


Ofsted: All inspections to be no-notice by September


by Pete Henshaw


All school inspections will be carried out without any notice under new plans announced by Ofsted’s chief inspector. Sir Michael Wilshaw wants no-


notice inspections for all regular school inspections from September this year. However, one teaching union


has rejected the idea as “intoler- able”. Currently, no-notice visits can


take place only when concerns are raised about a school and also for some satisfactory schools that “do not show enough capacity to improve”. However, in a statement on


Tuesday (January 10), Sir Michael said: “Ofsted has been moving towards a position of unannounced school inspection over a period of years. I believe the time is now right for us to take that final step and make sure that for every school we visit inspectors are seeing schools as they really are in the corridors,


One in four hearings end in teaching ban


One-in-four teachers whose conduct and competence were considered by a disciplinary panel in Wales over the past decade have been struck off. The new figures show the


General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW), which regulates and promotes professional stand- ards, has held 109 disciplinary hearings since its inception in 2000.


The hearings handed out 27 prohibition orders – which ban people from teaching indefi- nitely – and 22 fixed-term sus- pensions. Offences heard by the council include excessive swear- ing, bullying of staff, harassment of colleagues, and convictions for drink-driving. Only four teachers have been


punished by the council for pro- fessional incompetency. Dr Philip Dixon, director


of Association of Teachers and Lecturers Cymru, said the statis- tics show that the vast majority of teachers are responsible and dedicated professionals. “A General Teaching Council provides an invaluable service to


teachers, parents and pupils in ensuring that those whose con- duct brings the profession into disrepute are dealt with appropri- ately,” he said. “In England, where the GTCE


is about to be abolished, teachers are seriously concerned that their fate will depend on the whim of the secretary of state, without any chance to explain their actions to their peers.” The Welsh government is


currently overseeing a consulta- tion into extending the GTCW’s scope. Hayden Llewellyn, the


deputy chief executive of the GTCW, said the disciplinary process protects and reassures pupils, parents and the pub- lic that high standards will be maintained. “Less than one per cent of


the total number of registered teachers in Wales have been referred to the GTCW since the disciplinary process was set up a decade ago,” he said. This shows that the vast majority of teachers do adhere to high standards of professional conduct.”


The factors linked to GCSE success


Four in 10 young people with “low” levels of attainment at GCSE believe they did not receive the support they needed at school. A report released by the Prince’s


Trust also shows that nearly two thirds of lower performing students believe they would have achieved more academically if they had received more help. The report defines “low” and


“good” levels of qualifications using the five A* to C GCSE benchmark and is based on a YouGov poll of 2,136 young people aged between 16 and 25. The report references certain types of additional support that


Late surge in university applications


There has been a late surge in applications for university courses starting in 2012, although numbers are still down on the same time last year. Figures from the admissions


body UCAS show that applications in the UK are down by more than 23,000 in comparison to this time last year, and that many students are opting out of higher education. From September 2012/13 uni-


versities are able to charge up to £9,000 a year tuition fees follow- ing the government’s controversial decision to raise the current limit. The deadline for applications for students wanting to attend universi- ty in the next academic year passes on Sunday (January 15). Data from mid-December


shows that the number of applica- tions from British students has fall- en by 7.6 per cent in the past year to


4


223,680 – a reduction of 23,228 on last year. Social studies has


seen a sharp decline in numbers with 16,003 less applica- tions for these courses compared to last year, and creative arts and design has also seen a large reduction in numbers with more than 15,000 fewer people applying for the subject. Chief executive of UCAS, Mary


applications flow has speeded up, as these statistics show. “It remains too


Surge: UCAS chief Mary Curnock Cook


Curnock Cook, said the “late surge” is because students are putting more thought into their applications. She added: “Evidence of a


late surge as the January 15 dead- line approaches is now emerg- ing. Applicants are taking longer to research their choices but the


early to make predic- tions about the final year-on-year figures but we will be able to get a clearer picture after the deadline has passed.” However, shadow


minister for higher education, Shabana


Mahmood, said: “These latest fig- ures show that the Tory-led govern- ment’s decision to treble tuition fees has led many students to delay their university applications. “It is unfair that many who have


the ability to go to university are being put off applying because of the high levels of debt that they will face.”


students felt could have helped, including extra-curricular activities and one-to-one tuition which could motivate students and help them to build up more confidence in their own abilities. Other findings show that 47


per cent of those with fewer than five GCSEs graded A* to C said they always or often felt down or depressed – compared to 30 per cent of those achieving the bench- mark. The qualifications young people


achieve also affect them into adult- hood, it found. The report said 39 per cent of young people with fewer than five GCSEs at A* to C believe


they lack confidence because of their performance at school. In fact, more than a third of the


respondents with “lower” qualifica- tions believe they are not able to achieve what they want in life – compared to 20 per cent of those with more than five GCSEs graded A* to C. Elsewhere, the report said a


quarter of young people claim they did not get the same amount of sleep most nights while growing up and less than half of those with “poorer” grades had a set bedtime. It also said that a third of the lower performing students did not have regular meal times.


Martina Milburn, chief execu-


tive of the Prince’s Trust, said: “Our report illustrates how life has hit a low point for those not in edu- cation, employment or training. It also shows how unemployed young people are less confident about the future than they were this time last year. “This report suggests that


growing up without structure and direction can impact on a young person’s future prospects. It is clear that, without the right support, directionless teenagers can become lost young adults – unconfident, under-qualified and unemployed.”


Graduate teachers are staying in the profession


Around eight in 10 graduate teachers are likely to remain in the profession, according to the latest trends. Statistics from the Training


and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) show that 79 per cent graduates who start in teach- ing are still in the profession three and a half years later. The TDA released data this


week looking at the retention of staff and comparing the num- bers with those from a range of different sectors. According to statistics, 43


per cent of scientists and 36 per cent of accountants switch


profession in the first three and a half years in the role – common reasons including a lack of career progression and autonomy. However, the research found


that teachers are twice as likely to be in management positions within three and a half years compared to many of their fellow graduates. Within this time in teaching, 19


per cent are likely to have man- agement responsibilities, yet in accountancy this figure is as low as nine per cent and falls to only six per cent of fraduates in the legal profession. During those three and a half years, teachers can also see their


salary rise by nearly 40 per cent on average. The average starting salary for teachers is £22,800, in comparison to between £17,720 and 23,335 in other sectors. Stephen Hillier, chief execu-


tive of the TDA, said: “Unlike many of their peers at the same point, teachers have autonomy, recognition and clear opportuni- ties for further progression. “Teaching is a very different


profession today than it was in years gone by. Bright graduates who go straight into the classroom are quickly climbing the ranks and gaining increasing levels of responsibility.”


classrooms and staffroom. With our new Parent View online question- naire we can now make this change and have confidence that we can still consider the views of parents during inspections.” He added: “Ofsted already has


considerable experience in under- taking unannounced inspections and we know it works. With this further change, parents and all those interested in what is happening in our schools can have absolute con- fidence in Ofsted’s findings.” Details of the changes are to be


included in a wider consultation on the future of inspection that is expected to be published in the coming weeks. When Ofsted began school


inspections in 1992 they were car- ried out with a year’s notice. This was slowly reduced down to six to eight weeks and then to around two days. The Ofsted statement added:


“As part of the changes introduced in 2009, Ofsted consulted exten- sively on no-notice inspections and also piloted unannounced visits.


“We found a great deal of sup-


port for the move. At that time, however, we could not overcome the important issue of being able to get parents’ views as part of the process. “With the introduction of our


new Parent View online question- naire last year, parents can now share their opinions of their child’s school at any time, making a move to no-notice inspections possible.” However, Philip Parkin, gen-


eral secretary of the teaching union Voice, rejected the idea.


He said: “Ofsted inspections are


stressful at the best of times, but it would be intolerable to work under the constant and relentless stress of anticipating an inspection at any moment.” He continued: “If that is the way


inspections are to go, it shows a distrust of, and disrespect for, the teaching profession and signals that the inspection regime has become too overbearing and needs to be reviewed and restructured to make it much more supportive and advi- sory.”


SecEd • January 12 2012


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