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MPs call for College of Teaching to lead CPD


by Dorothy Lepkowska


A new College of Teaching should be set up and teachers given access to better CPD to encourage high standards in the classroom, accord- ing to a report by MPs. Members of the all-party


Commons Education Select Committee warned against neglect- ing CPD for teachers, and said all teachers should have an entitlement to training that would enhance their classroom practice and support them in developing new techniques. At the same time, more opportu-


nities should be given to outstand- ing teachers to gain promotion or to achieve a specialist status within their school, particularly for those who do not wish to go down the management route.


And a National Teacher


Sabbatical Scholarship scheme would be available to outstand- ing teachers, who would under- take a period of further research or employment in a related field to improve their practice. The findings were outlined


in the committee’s report Great Teachers: Attracting, training and retaining the best, which followed months of evidence-gathering from experts and practitioners within the profession. The report said that a national


College of Teaching would have the “the capability to administer and implement such schemes, accredit CPD opportunities, and ensure equivalent standards for pro- motion across the country”. This might involve the introduction of a Chartered Teacher scheme that


would set a standard to which all teachers should aspire. The MPs found that children’s


capacity to learn varied greatly depending on the quality of the teacher, and said that great teach- ing accelerated learning, improved grades and made a difference to the learning outcomes of pupils. It recommended that the gov-


ernment should make the recruit- ment and development of the best teachers a top priority. The inquiry found that even a year’s exposure to a high-calibre teacher had a lasting impact on pupils, building confi- dence, earnings and wellbeing later in life. Graham Stuart, the committee


chairman, said: “This differen- tial effectiveness between teach- ers is profound and there is an overwhelming need to increase the


Pregnant pupils and young mums are being marginalised


a ‘suitable education’ each one reacts differently to pupil pregnancy.” Dr Kerry cites the example of


one local authority which revealed varying responses to the issue of health and safety in crowded corridors, busy playgrounds and stairwells. While some schools sent the pregnant girl to a pupil referral unit, others “readily supported them” by allowing them to leave lessons early to miss the rush. Dr Kerry added: “Even those


who were able to stay in school faced difficulties with teachers who were unaware they were pregnant, or had issues with uniform or them needing to leave the classroom to use the bathroom.” The book argues that the


More needs to be done to stop pregnant students and young mothers being marginalised and pushed out of school. The call has come from Dr


Kerry Vincent, an expert in special and inclusive education at Nottingham Trent University, in her book Schoolgirl Pregnancy, Motherhood and Education. The book presents research on


the experiences of 14 expectant and new young mothers and shows that despite a national strategy to support young mothers to complete their education, many


still found themselves disparaged and pushed to the school margins. Dr Kerry, an educational psychologist from Nottingham Trent’s School of Education, said: “Policy in England identifies pregnant school girls as a particularly vulnerable group, some of whom are already disaffected, and emphasises the importance of education as a way of improving the life chances of those who become pregnant while young. “However, even though schools have a responsibility to provide


differing experiences are a result of some schools having no formal protocol on how they should respond to a pupil pregnancy. Dr Kerry, who is a qualified


teacher, said: “To bridge the gap between policy and practice, schools need to respond in a non- judgemental way, expect that the pupil will want to continue their education in school, and be willing to accommodate changing needs. “Flexibility in relation to


attendance, uniform, movement around the school and curriculum requirements are practical ways of demonstrating support.” Schoolgirl Pregnancy,


Motherhood and Education is published by Trentham.


UK teens among the most sexually active at early age


The UK has the world’s third highest proportion of teenagers who are sexually active at an early age. Furthermore, in a league table of


40 mostly high-income countries, Britain has some of the worst levels of harmful underage drinking. Figures show that England has


the fourth highest percentage of youngsters who have been drunk at a young age. Wales came fifth and Scotland eighth. These are just some of the findings from a new series of adolescent health studies published in The Lancet medical journal last week. The series is made up of four


papers and points out that the present generation of young people aged 10 to 24 is the largest it has ever been – 1.8 billion, or a quarter of the world’s population. Nearly 90 per cent live in low-income and middle-income


countries, where they make up a far larger proportion of the population than in more affluent countries, largely because of higher fertility rates. The Lancet series calls for more


attention to be paid to the changing needs of teenagers. Worldwide they are at risk of mental and physical illness, vulnerable to unhealthy product marketing and many will die early. But the papers also point out that


the present generation of teenagers and young adults around the world face other challenges to their health and wellbeing, including “poverty, inadequate education, mass unemployment, migration, natural disasters and war”. The series adds: “How they negotiate these years will have a powerful effect on their future health and their countries’ economic and social prospects.”


Council asks secondary staff to lead primaries


A local authority’s plan to “parachute” secondary teachers into primary schools as headteachers has been criticised by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS). As many primary heads


approach retirement age and concerns rise about some councils’ ability to fill the vacancies, East Lothian said it would consider funding a course enabling secondary staff to apply for jobs as headteachers in primary schools.


SecEd • May 3 2012 Don Ledingham, director


of education at both Midlothian and East Lothian councils, said allowing secondary school teachers to apply for the posts might help ease the problem. However, the GTCS has


dismissed the proposal, insisting on “appropriate” qualifications for primary headteachers. Anthony Finn, chief executive


of the GTCS, said: “We have discussed this issue with East Lothian Council and explained


our position. While we recognise the value of teachers bringing their experience to another part of the school system, we believe that teachers working in primary schools must have appropriate qualifications.” Mr Finn admitted there could be


benefit in sharing approaches and improving understanding across sectors and said some mechanisms were already in place to enable teachers to transfer between sectors.


“However, any suggestion that,


for example, a principal teacher of physics could, without additional training, become a headteacher of a primary school responsible for the teaching, learning and welfare of young children, could be seen as undermining the specialised skills of primary teachers and headteachers. The challenge of filling primary


headteacher posts across Scotland was “not a reason to parachute teachers from secondary schools,


with little or no knowledge of the specialised teaching skills required, to become headteachers of primary schools”, he said. “We need to address these


issues professionally, rather than through expediency.” A spokesman for East Lothian


Council said: “We are aware that it is becoming more difficult to recruit headteachers in primary schools and we are looking at solutions to get applicants who are qualified to the required standard.


number of more effective teachers and, likewise, to reduce the number with whom children learn at a slow rate. “The recruitment of teach-


ers with the capacity to accelerate learning is even more important than previously understood. Raising teacher quality isn’t just a technical challenge in education, it’s critical to our future competitiveness and our ability to prepare young people for progression in education and employment.” He added: “It’s crucial that we


have an educational system which celebrates great teachers, keeps more of them in the classroom, sup- ports their development and gives them greater status and reward.” The committee also recom-


mended a new system of “tast- er sessions” which would allow


prospective entrants to the profes- sion an experience before decided whether or not to commit to a training course. The study adds: “The government needs to market teaching more effectively and con- sistently so that, like the most suc- cessful countries in education, there is more competition to enter the profession and a greater likelihood of selecting the best.” Schools minister Nick Gibb


said: “We value our teachers highly and agree with the committee that we need to ensure they continue to develop throughout their careers. That is why we are setting up a network of Teaching Schools which will lead the way in developing school-led teacher training and have launched a £2 million scholarship scheme for teachers to help them deepen their subject knowledge.”


NEWS In brief Free fall-out


The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has attacked the Department for Education (DfE) after plans for a free school sponsored by News International (NI) were uncovered. In evidence to the Leveson Inquiry, NI boss Rupert Murdoch, included email exchanges between the DfE and NI about a potential free school in east London. The project never happened. NUT chief Christine Blower said: “These emails clearly expose the lie that free schools are ‘parent-led’ schools, established in response to parental demand and local need. They reveal the extent to which the government is pursuing an ideological educational agenda that has nothing to do with meeting the needs of local families.”


Controlled role


Exams watchdog Ofqual is to review the role of controlled assessment in GCSEs because of “concerns raised by schools and teachers about the practicalities of delivering it and the advice and guidance provided to them”. The review will consider the role of controlled assessment subject- by-subject. A statement said: “We want valid assessments that support best teaching and learning. We will be seeking the views of schools, teachers and others. GCSE awarding organisations have been asked to review their guidance and a revised version of the JCQ instructions for conducting controlled assessment will be issued for September.” Findings from the review will be considered during the future development of GCSEs. Visit: www.ofqual.gov.uk


Summer school


A £200,000 pilot project to introduce American-style summer schools in the UK will be run this summer in Edmonton, north London – one of the areas affected by the riots in August 2011. The aim is to work with children in years 5 and 6 to improve their numeracy and literacy and to increase the confidence and life-skills of disadvantaged pupils. It is hoped it will help their transition into secondary school. The pilot programme will involve 160 pupils from seven schools in Edmonton and is being run by Future Foundations and the Edmonton Schools Partnership with funding from the Education Endowment Foundation.


Thinking Film


A new set of teaching resources combining specially selected film extracts and teaching materials has been launched by film producer Lord David Puttnam. They are aimed at all ages, with the secondary resources focusing on history, English and modern foreign languages. Each teaching package comprises a DVD of extracts and a CD Rom containing lesson plans and worksheets relating to the curriculum. The clips are between one and four minutes long and the resources, entitled Thinking Film, were commissioned by the Film Distributors’ Association and created by Film Education. Visit: www.filmeducation.org/ thinkingfilm


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