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Hands-on: As the Lab in a Lorry visits Shorefields, students Abu Baker Hassan Mohamed and Domonic Bosowski try to smash a glass using sound waves


Lab in a Lorry to tour schools


Around 6,000 students are to be visited by a state-of-the-art mobile physics laboratory as it embarks on a six-month tour of schools. During sessions in the “Lab in a


St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB www.markallengroup.com


Lorry”, students will perform inter- active experiments include using the properties of light to diagnose sick patients and using sound waves to smash wine glasses. They will also be using the lab to “scatter” light in order to understand why the sky is blue and discover the real colour of the sun.


Run by the Institute of Physics


(IOP), the Lab in a Lorry has been rolled out across the North West of England and is aimed at 11 to 14-year-olds. It is set to tour the region for six months. The launch event took place


at Shorefields Technology College in Liverpool last Friday (February 24), when students and local MP Louise Ellman took part in a number of hands-on experiments. Volunteers run the lorry and they are all practising scientists


and engineers, often provided by STEMNET, which runs a STEM ambassadors scheme. Professor Sir Peter Knight,


president of the IOP, said: “School students across the North West are in for a real treat. The experi- ence has been designed to give students a real taste of just how exciting experimental science can be.”


Schools can request a visit


from Lab in a Lorry by visiting www.labinalorry.org.uk


Send your news in to: news@sec-ed.com or call 020 7501 6771


Gove aims for performance- related pay


by Daniel White


Education secretary Michael Gove is seeking advice on how he can change teachers’ salaries so that they are linked to performance in the classroom. In a letter to the School


Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), Mr Gove has asked it to advise how pay scales might be reformed to “strengthen the link between pay and performance”. He also wants advice about any


barriers to performance-related pay that may be in the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. Furthermore, Mr Gove has asked


the STRB to advise on how the pay and conditions framework could be reformed to introduce regional and “more market facing” pay.


In the letter he writes: “My aim


is that (teachers’ pay and condi- tions) should better support my aspirations to raise the status of the profession, and help raise stand- ards of teaching in our schools to be among the very best in the world. “I want to attract even more of


the best entrants, and to develop and retain good teachers who can make the difference to pupils’ learning. I am asking the STRB to review the current provisions and provide recommendations on how to reduce the rigidity of the pay system such that it best supports the recruitment and retention of high quality teach- ers in all schools.” Mr Gove warns that any chang-


es had to remain affordable within the government’s plans for deficit reduction and the need for coherenc- es across the teachers’ pay system.


However, Russell Hobby,


general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said Mr Gove’s ideas could widen the gap in attainment – although he admitted they could also enable teachers to progress more quickly. He added: “Regionalised pub-


lic sector pay is a distraction in the education sector, which could only widen the gap in attainment between richer and poorer com- munities. But we look forward to a debate on greater flexibility within a simplified national pay framework.” The minister’s letter comes


a month after Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw said that only those who are “committed, teach well and show the desire and capac- ity to reform” should be entitled to a pay rise. The STRB has until September 28 to respond to Mr Gove.


Protest: Unions are continuing to fight pension changes


Unions await verdict in latest pensions hearing


Unions are hoping to land a “tre- mendous blow” against the gov- ernment’s pension plans after the conclusion of a recent Court of Appeal hearing. Last week (February 20


and 21), the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and NASUWT returned to court to once again challenge the government’s deci- sion to change the inflation link for public sector pensions. From April last year, public


sector pensions have been linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) instead of the Retail Price Index (RPI), which is historically a higher rate of inflation. The move, which was not con-


sulted upon, will devalue pensions by up to 15 per cent. It has meant that instead of seeing pensions increase by 4.6 per cent last April, they increased by 3.1 per cent. Late last year, public sector


unions brought a joint Judicial Review over the change, but were narrowly defeated in the High Court. However, a number of the


unions, including the NUT and NASUWT, appealed the decision and their case was heard at the Court of Appeal last week. A rul- ing is expected before Easter. Kevin Courtney, deputy gen-


eral secretary of the NUT, told SecEd that although the hearing went well he remains uncertain of what the judgement will be.


He accused the government of


putting the “economy cart before the statutory horse” and said the decision to change from RPI to CPI was rushed through just to save money. He added: “It would be a tre-


mendous blow if the government were to lose this case and a sign of the way this government is behav- ing. It is not fair for teachers to be working for so long and paying into a Teachers’ Pension Scheme and then have large amounts taken away from them – it is immoral to change it. “If we were to win the case


then we will have to see how the government reacts to the judge- ment. There is a chance that they will look at ways in which they can keep the pensions linked to CPI, but we will keep fighting,” he added. Other unions involved in the


case include Unite, UNISON, the Public and Commercial Services Union, the Fire Brigades Union, the Prison Officers Association, and the GMB. Elsewhere, an e-petition on


the RPI to CPI change on the Downing Street petitions website has garnered more than 109,000 signatures meaning that a debate will now take place in the House of Commons on the issue. To sign the petition, visit


http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/1535


New exams on track, Scottish government insists


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ISSN 1479-7704


Scottish education secretary Mike Russell has tried to reassure teach- ers, parents and pupils that new exams will be implemented on schedule amid concerns that the appeals process faces overhaul at the same time. He was responding to concerns


that pupils could miss out on vital grades because some local authori- ties were planning to delay intro- duction of the new National quali- fications so that they had more time to prepare. Mr Russell said: “I understand


2


that change can give rise to ques- tions and concerns but I would like parents, pupils and teachers to know that every local author- ity in Scotland has committed to full delivery of Curriculum for Excellence. “What’s more, final versions of


the documents for the new qualifi- cations will be published, following extensive consultation, at the end of April this year.” The timetable for dealing with


any requests from subject depart- ments for additional support in


implementing the new qualifica- tions would be finalised “shortly”, he added. National exams are due to replace


Standard Grades and Intermediates from 2013/14. However, East Renfrewshire is delaying introduc- tion of the new exams. At the same time, the Scottish


Qualifications Authority (SQA) is changing the appeals process, mak- ing it harder for pupils to appeal when their results fall short of expectations. The Educational Institute of


Scotland (EIS) said the present appeals system should be kept as a “safety net” until the new qualifica- tions are up and running. It argues that some children could miss out amid the upheaval, with a stricter appeals process making it harder to get the results they might otherwise have achieved. Larry Flanagan, incoming gen-


eral secretary of the EIS, backed the SQA rationale for change as “the appeals almost dictate course content at the moment”, but he criticised the timing.


“We’ve certainly said to them


that it’s foolish to introduce the new appeals arrangement at the same time as the new exams, because if anything is liable to go wrong that’s when it’s likely to happen.” Under the SQA overhaul, only


pupils with compelling personal reasons, such as illness, will be able to appeal. In all other cases, schools will able to request a review of an exam script but they will have to pay the cost of any unsuccessful appeal.


SecEd • March 1 2012


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