NEWS


Minister refuses to reveal his hand over curriculum reform


by Pete Henshaw


Education minister Michael Gove has refused to give any indication of which subjects may become non- compulsory in the on-going review of the national curriculum. Appearing before the Education


Select Committee, Mr Gove said he was “anxious” to ensure that students are encouraged to take subjects that will allow them to progress to higher education and good jobs. However, despite having


previously said that he wants to see a slimmer curriculum, he would not be drawn on the future of individual subjects.


The new-look national


curriculum is to be introduced into England’s schools from 2014 and an Expert Panel, appointed by the Department for Education and led by Tim Oates from Cambridge Assessment, published a series of recommendations in December. These included scrapping the


programmes of study for some subjects – including design and technology, ICT and citizenship – meaning they would become part of the basic curriculum alongside things like PSHE and that schools could decide on what content to teach. The panel also wants to see a greater breadth of required subjects


Child protection fears are raised


Reforms to the NHS could put vulnerable children at risk unless agencies work in a co-ordinated manner, it was claimed last week. A conference heard that there


was “deep unease” within the sector about the way some children will be protected and cared for under the new arrangements. The comments, from the


NHS Confederation, came after the Royal College of Paediatrics said there are too few doctors with a special responsibility in child protection working in the health service, and warned that child protection could become an “afterthought”. Currently, local authorities


and primary care trusts have responsibility for child protection but in future there will be four organisations with a role. However, the government has yet to announce where responsibilities will lie. The Confederation warned:


“Without overarching policy to make organisations across public services work together, clarity over who does what and how the system will work from the national to the local level, children face a fragmented and confusing


system to ensure their health needs are met and they are protected properly. “Confused and fragmented


commissioning and provision of services and a failure of organisations to work together have repeatedly been identified as root causes of major failures of child protection in the past.” The reference was to the Baby


P case which highlighted major failings in the child protection system. The child, Peter Connelly, died


aged 17 months after suffering 50 separate injuries over eight months despite having been seen by successive doctors, and being known to social services and police. Jo Webber, deputy policy


director of the NHS Confederation, said: “There is deep unease in the NHS that, in re-organising the system, we are resetting to a model that is potentially riskier and certainly more fragmented.” She added: “Outcomes for


protecting children should not vary. The safety and health of some of the most vulnerable people cannot be subject to local discretion.”


Inspiring: The seven teachers with the Oxford University students they inspired and who nominated them for the awards Seven inspirational teachers are awarded


Seven inspiring teachers have been honoured for their work in encouraging and supporting pupils to win places at Oxford University. And rather than being nominated


by fellow teachers or academics, their names were put forward for awards by the very students they inspired. The students all attended state


schools with a limited history and tradition of sending pupils to Oxford – and they are all now first year undergraduates there.


Free meals in Northern Ireland at record high


The number of Northern Ireland secondary school pupils receiving free meals is at an all-time high. Close to 23,000 children in


post-primary education are now taking lunch at no cost because of low family income. There has been a steady increase in numbers of eligible young people over the last three years, while overall enrolments have been declining. Free school meals are usually


provided to children whose parents receive benefits or whose family income is less than £16,190 a year. New Department of Education


figures show that in the secondary (non-grammar) sector – 22,724 pupils (26 per cent of the total post-primary roll) were entitled to free school meals in the 2011/12 academic year.


4 This was an increase of 305


pupils on the previous year. This is despite a fall in secondary enrolments of more than 1,500. More than half those eligible attend Catholic maintained secondary schools. While 22,724 are eligible for


free school meals, only 16,998 (75 per cent) take the meals. Teachers fear that the stigma of poverty may prevent some parents from claiming. Plans for new Welfare Reform


arrangements have fuelled fears that many families will no longer be eligible. However, the North’s education minister John O’Dowd says he is committed to ensuring that free school meals will continue to be provided to those most in need. Five of the 10 existing free


school meals eligibility criteria rely on receipt of a welfare benefit or tax credit. However, starting in October 2013 a new universal credit is being introduced on a four-year transitional basis. “Any new criteria will of


course be subject to an Equality Impact Assessment and a period of consultation,” Mr O’Dowd said. “However, it is important to note that no decisions have been taken and I believe that speculation and scaremongering at this stage is unhelpful as it has the potential to cause unnecessary concern to families.” It comes after a report by the


Children’s Society found that 700,000 UK children are living in poverty but not eligible for free school meals.


The teachers were presented


with University of Oxford Inspirational Teachers Awards by Professor Andrew Hamilton, the university’s vice chancellor, at a special ceremony in Oxford. Paying tribute to the seven


teachers, Prof Hamilton told SecEd: “There is a huge amount of hard work and dedication involved in securing a place at Oxford, and teachers play a crucial role in supporting and raising the aspirations of the most capable


students year-on-year throughout their careers. I hope this award will send the message that students and universities recognise how valuable the role of a supportive teacher can be.” This year’s winners are


• Robert Blythe, head of economics and business studies at Dallam School in Milnthorpe, Cumbria.


• Wendy Frampton, an English teacher at Glenthorne High School in Sutton, Surrey.


• Qamar Khan, a teacher of Urdu at Saltley School in Birmingham


• Ian Farrell, head of humanities and a history teacher at Wilnecote High School in Tamworth, Staffordshire.


• Carol Holmes, head of 6th form at Westhoughton Sixth Form in Bolton.


• Angela Arden, government and politics teacher at Havelock Academy in Grimsby.


• Vanwy Arif from Sandwell local authority.


Call for year-round work experience placements


Work experience for secondary school students should take place throughout the year, employers have said. A report by the UK


Commission for Employment and Skills (CES) calls for an end to the traditional two-week summer block, saying it limits the potential for effective placements. The research is based on


interviews with 100 businesses of varying sizes from Scotland, Wales and England and points to problems of businesses having to turn schools away due to the volume of demand during the traditional summer block. It says the timing of placements is “too prescriptive”. It also says that having to cram placements into the summer


block can lead to “poor quality placements or placements that do not meet the needs of the student due to poor planning”. It calls for schools to increase


the flexibility of work experience placements so that these can be run throughout the year. The report, Business and


Schools: Building the world of work together, also outlines steps for schools to make their links with employers more effective. It advocates more “employer visibility” in schools, including employers providing materials to support the curriculum, arranging site visits, and visiting schools to speak about their business. Employers should also play a


bigger role in providing schools with up-to-date careers information


and helping to raise the profile of lesser-known careers. The government wants to


repeal the requirement for schools to provide work placements in key stage 4, preferring placements to take place in further education instead. However, with schools facing a new duty to provide careers advice duties many are expected to continue work placement programmes. The report also calls upon


the government to help remove obstacles which may hamper effective partnerships, such as confusion over CRB requirements and health and safety or risk assessment fears. It is published alongside


some partnership case studies at www.ukces.org.uk


at key stage 4, including geography, history, modern foreign languages, design and technology, and the arts. However, when pressed on this


issue at the hearing last week, Mr Gove said: “If we were to inflate the number of subjects that were compulsory to the age of 16, it might well be the case that there would be pressure on curricular time. “I know that the Association of


School and College Leaders has said don’t do that because they think the pressure on curricular time is quite intense. There are others who say by extending the school day, week and year, we can cope with that additional level.


“On the whole, I am anxious


to ensure – as the English Baccalaureate shows – that more students are encouraged to take-up the sort of subjects that enable them to progress to higher education institutions, good jobs, good apprenticeships. “I want to be certain that any


change to the curriculum does not unsettle that beneficial movement towards the embrace of those additional subjects. “One of the things I do not


want to do is to state definitively that subject X is now going to be compulsory within the national curriculum at an additional age or that subject Y won’t be.”


The government has not yet


announced its position on the Expert Panel’s recommendations, but has promised a full consultation on the final plans later this year. Mr Gove added: “When


our response is published then we’ll show our thinking. It is understandable that there are certain lobbies that love their subjects that say make it compulsory to 16. But actually, there are other ways that we can encourage students to study in these subjects, not least by investing in quality teaching in those areas. “There’s always a balance to


be struck between mandating from the centre and providing other


ways of encouraging people to do things which we think are good and helpful.” Mr Gove said he is hopeful that


the new-look national curriculum would last for 10 years. Elsewhere, the secretary of


state admitted that the assessment process can often skew the way subjects are taught. He told the MPs: “The activities


of the exams boards skew the way in which often good things in the national curriculum are taught. One of the things that has given me a lot of pause for thought is the interaction between what’s in the curriculum, how it’s assessed, and how it drives behaviour.”


SecEd • May 3 2012


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