NEWS SecEd The ONLY weekly voice for secondary education


To subscribe, call 01722 716997 Editor


Pete Henshaw 020 7501 6771 editor@sec-ed.co.uk @pwhenshaw (Twitter) Advertising/Sales Manager Abdul Hayee 020 7501 6767 abdul.hayee@markallengroup.com Advertising/Sales Executive Robbany Khan 020 7501 6759 robbany.khan@markallengroup.com Circulation Director Sally Boettcher Managing Director Matt Govett


Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen


Editorial Board SecEd is advised by an editorial advisory panel. Members include: Paul Ainsworth: vice-principal, Belvoir High School, Leicestershire. Mark Blois: partner, Browne Jacobson (education law solicitors). Peggy Farrington: headteacher, Hanham High School, South Gloucestershire. Jane Frith: Rector, The Royal High School, Edinburgh. Mike Griffiths: headteacher, Northampton School for Boys. Hilary Moriarty: national director, Boarding Schools’ Association. Neill Morton: headteacher, Portora Royal School, Enniskillen. Jo Smith: vice-principal, Long Field School, Melton Mowbray. Tina Stockman: teacher, Harlaw Academy, Aberdeen. Dr Bernard Trafford: headteacher, The Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne. Simon Viccars: headteacher, Leon School and Sports College, Milton Keynes.


UK Annual Rates: Personal: £54 Institutional:


(libraries, companies, etc) £120 European annual rates: Personal: £92 Institutional: £165


Rest of world annual rates: Personal: £113 Institutional: £209


Circulation department 01722 716997 subscriptions@markallengroup.com


MA Education Ltd is part of the Mark Allen Group


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


Teachers furious at Ofsted chief after stress slur


By Pete Henshaw


Angry teachers and headteachers have attacked the chief inspector after he said that stress is “too often” used as an excuse for poor performance in schools. Not only have teaching unions


expressed outrage at Sir Michael Wilshaw’s comments, but SecEd has received an unprecedented and angry response from our readers. Sir Michael, speaking at the


annual Brighton College Education Conference, spoke of the lessons that must be learned from the 1970s and 1980s – when he said that poor teaching and leadership often went unchallenged. He said: “We need to learn from


this and challenge those who have power invested in them to make the difference, but too often make excuses for poor performance – it’s just too hard, the children are too difficult, the families are too unsupportive, this job is far too stressful. “Let me tell you about stress.


Stress is what my father felt, who struggled to find a job in the 50s and 60s. Stress is what many of the million and a half unemployed young people today feel – unable to get a job because they’ve had a poor experience of school. “Stress is what I was under


when I started as a head in 1985, in the context of widespread industrial action – teachers walking out of class at a moment’s notice – doing lunch duty on my own every day for three years because of colleagues who worked to rule.” Sir Michael said that times have


changed for school leaders and that they are better paid, have more independence and autonomy, and more power and resources. He added: “They are now, even with the cuts, in a better position than I was 26 years ago. We need heads who know what a privileged position they are in now and who can use their new-found independence well


www.markallengroup.com


SecEd is published by MA Education Ltd St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road Herne Hill, London SE24 0PB 020 7738 5454 www.sec-ed.co.uk


©SecEd 2012. All rights reserved. No part of SecEd may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of Managing Director The publisher accepts no responsibility for any views or opinions expressed in SecEd.


MA Education Ltd is an independent publishing house which also produces education titles Headteacher Update, Fundraising for Schools, Early Years Educator & Primary Teacher Update.


ISSN 1479-7704


Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, Blackwood, NP12 2YA


– people who roll up their sleeves and get on with improving their schools, even in the most difficult circumstances. “What we don’t need are leaders


in our schools whose first recourse is to blame someone else – whether it’s Ofsted, the (local authority), the government or a whole host of other people.” His comments have infuriated


teachers and leaders. SecEd’s readers labelled the comments as “disgusting” and “an all-time low” for the chief inspector. Such is the fear within the new


Ofsted regime, SecEd has chosen to keep all comments anonymous and we have printed just a fraction of the responses here (see, right). Given the number and length


of responses we have received, we shall print more reaction in next week’s edition. Elsewhere this week, Dr Mary


Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, also expressed her anger. Recent surveys by the union


show that 40 per cent of education staff have consulted their doctor over stress while a quarter have taken sick leave. More than half are working more than 50 hours a week during term-time, while 58 per cent have considered leaving the profession. The research, which involved


1,300 primary, secondary and further education professionals, found that 73 per cent said their job has a negative impact on health and wellbeing. Dr Bousted said: “Please will


Ofsted concentrate on helping schools improve and stop criticising teachers and heads. The pressures on teaching staff and heads are enormous and growing due to the constant churn of government initiatives. And Ofsted is part of the problem with its continual changing of the inspections goalposts and ridiculous demands for lessons to be exciting at all times. “Teaching is the occupation with


the third highest amount of work- related stress according to Health and Safety Executive figures.” Meanwhile, Christine Blower,


general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: “Yet again Michael Wilshaw is choosing to attack and undermine schools rather than work together with them as partners in school improvement. Teachers coping with the minority of pupils who display persistent unruly behaviour need the support of their colleagues and leadership teams, not thinly veiled threats from a punitive inspection system.” In his speech, Sir Michael


re-emphasised his plans to change the “satisfactory” category to “requires improvement” in September – with any school remaining in this category for too long facing special measures. He said that he was determined


that “good” or higher must be seen as the “only standard of acceptable provision”, adding: “We must hold our nerve. I am determined to do so as chief inspector, and not panic at the first whiff of grapeshot, some of which has whistled past my ears over the last few days.” With the consultation on the new


inspection regime completed, Sir Michael said the new framework will be published “shortly” and that it would ask “some searching questions” about links between pay and teacher performance. He called for heads to tackle


underperformance and said that progress through good teaching will be a “key determinant” in judging the success of schools. He added that inspectors would not be using a “formulaic” approach to identifying good teaching but would look at “what works”. He said that Ofsted would


support heads who monitor the quality of teaching and have “robust” performance management. Elsewhere, he pledged that by


the time he leaves office, every inspection team will feature an “outstanding” headteacher.


Global lessons for the A level


A levels have good qualities compared with equivalent examinations, but changes may be needed to bring them in line with standards in other parts of the world, a study has found. The


international


comparability report, by Ofqual, the examinations watchdog, sought to judge the level of rigour and demand in a range of subjects offered at senior level in 13 countries in Europe, North America, East Asia and Australasia, and found A level scored high when it came to depth of study. Most countries offered a


The paper used within this publication has been sourced from Chain-of-Custody certified manufacturers, operating within international environmental standards, to ensure sustainable sourcing of the raw materials, sustainable production and to minimise our carbon footprint.


baccalaureate or diploma-style qualification which included core subjects and some subject specialism, which made for broader study. However, this system limited breadth and depth, the report found. In all, Ofqual identified 10


core issues which may be used to shape the future of the A level system in England. Among the


most contentious points is the possibility of the re-introduction of multiple-choice questions in some papers to test large amounts of content and assess specific skills, such as English language proficiency. However, Ofqual warned that this method may not suit the brightest students. The study, which examined


testing in maths, chemistry, English and history, also found that examination systems around the world made better use of technology – including photography and film – when assessing achievement. Other questions for discussion


included whether the level of mathematics study should be more demanding; if the study of maths should be reduced in chemistry, and what the purpose is of the study of history. Ofqual found that in some countries the teaching of history to A level equivalent was seen as pivotal in promoting good citizenship. It also asked whether there should be more teacher and school-


based assessment to stretch students, particularly for oral examinations, and whether more essay-style questions should make a come-back. The findings come after


ministers have already unveiled plans to benchmark UK qualifications against the world’s best education system. Dennis Opposs, director of


standards at Ofqual, said: “We found that A levels stand up well against international counterparts at subject level, though the smaller number of subjects typically studied in England clearly make it possible for A levels to be a bigger qualification than many of these counterparts, because students study them in greater depth.” The study did not show any


pattern emerging between the highest performing countries and the number of subjects studied at the age of 18, though in most the curriculum was broader than in England.


Teaching is not stressful? A profession reacts


“So Sir Michael and his family have the sole rights to stress and no-one else is facing challenges! Nonsense.”


“A lesson in how to lose the respect and trust of an entire profession in one speech.”


“The man clearly hasn’t got an idea what he is talking about.”


“I have tears in my eyes as I type this, in pure frustration that this man is allowed to hold a job of such significance and yet talk such drivel.”


“Part of me wants to completely dismiss him and his comments as he clearly hasn’t got a clue. The other part of me worries that he has so much power over our profession.”


“Unbelievable. He's clearly out of touch. No denying those stresses existed for him but the stresses now come in different ways.“


“I work 10-hour days routinely, often 12. I have never known a period of stress in the job such as we are going through at the moment – at all levels of school. It is not so much the kids, exams or pressure. It is the ongoing, vicious attacks, slurs and total lack of respect from those in power which is stressful.”


“It is what is being done to this profession and the students we work tirelessly to support which makes me wish to stop doing what I love.”


“I think Sir Michael has hit an all-time low with this, and in so doing, demonstrates how little he understands about the importance and potential of inspirational leadership.”


“I am immensely disappointed with Sir Michael's approach. In his statements, he is making the ‘rookie’ teacher's mistake of telling off the whole class for the misdemeanours of a few.”


“Google 'Ofsted + suicide' and tale after tale of teachers taking their own lives because of the pressure of Ofsted appear. I believe that by belittling the pressure that teachers face,


Sir Michael is failing in the duty of care that he has to the teaching profession. Instances of suicide among teachers are now 30 to 40 per cent above the national average.”


“All around me excellent, committed teachers talk of needing to find a way out of teaching because the stress levels are unsustainable.”


“Shifting floor targets; impossibly short timescales for improvement; critical, hostile rhetoric: our leaders need to look at themselves, their actions and their attitudes before denying the existence of stress in the teaching profession.”


“As heads we are used to putting up with all sorts of nonsense from a range of ultimately self-serving political masters. What is unforgivable to my mind is the general slur he is making about teachers. My staff could not work any harder and his implication in the national press that the profession as a whole is indolent and complaining will do nothing to help us.”


“It is deeply worrying that the man who holds a Crown appointment as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools should so often and so volubly sound off in public as if he is in fact the secretary of state’s junior minister or ‘enforcer’.”


“Put teachers in the combination of working in a school in a difficult setting and looking over their shoulders at the shifting sands of the inspection system and the vagaries of individual Ofsted inspectors: of course teachers are stressed. Uncertainty and powerlessness – a toxic mix.”


“In any other setting it might be described as bullying: nothing is ever good enough, and any positive message is drowned out by the noise of carping and disappointment.”


“Sir Michael’s remarks are absolutely disgusting and a slap in the face to teachers across the country, many of whom are buckling under enormous stress. Personally, I think he should resign.”


Anger over ‘Tesco’ wages for supply


The “Tesco” rate for supply teachers is demoralising an essential part of the education profession, according to the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA). Delegates at the union’s annual


congress in Peebles unanimously backed a motion for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers to review a deal struck by the Scottish government last year that almost halved supply pay to £79 a day before tax. Ann Ballinger, general secretary


of the SSTA, said: “Treatment of supply teachers isn’t shabby – it’s disgusting.” She said a union member had just emailed her to ask whether he was going to receive a proper salary or “the Tesco rate”. Valerie Liddell, a member from


Renfrew, said: “Morale has never been this low. There can be no group of teachers more demoralised than supply teachers. These teachers work every day to support work done in our schools – without


2


them schools would not be able to function. Supply teachers are essential to support the education system today, but they have been given a new contract that pays less than probationary teachers.” The SSTA president, Margaret


Smith, cited the “appalling erosion” of working conditions via a Scottish government pay freeze, UK pension reforms and proposals in the McCormac review of teachers’ employment in Scotland. Ms Smith said the offer of a one


per cent pay rise was “derisory and offensive”. She added: “Pay has now been frozen for two years during a period of continuing inflation not seen for 20 years and, adding insult to injury, we are now offered a one per cent increase in pay come April 2013. I am not alone in thinking this to be derisory and offensive.” McCormac’s recommendation


of “flexibility” within the working week was “effectively an end to the 35-hour week”, she said.


SecEd • May 17 2012


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16