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Free school to open with just 37 students


By Dorothy Lepkowska


The future of the most controversial free school approval to date was in doubt this week, after the local Tory MP and the County Council urged that the plan be shelved. Just two months before it is due


to open, backers of the Beccles Free School in Suffolk are being urged to postpone their plans after just 37 children applied to join this September. Controversy has surrounded


the free school since it was given approval by the Department for Education at the end of May. Since then, campaigners have


escalated their opposition to it, after it emerged that while more than 3,000 people were against it, it was approved with the support of just 21 parents. Beccles Free School is backed


by the Seckford Foundation which runs an independent school and residential care homes in Suffolk. Last week, Peter Aldous, the


Conservative MP for Waveney, said it would “appear appropriate” for the Seckford Foundation to “explore the possibility” of consolidating its plans for Beccles with another free school opening at the same time in nearby Saxmundham, which has attracted almost 100 pupils, making it a more viable proposition. Mr Aldous said: “Providing


young people in Suffolk with the best possible education, thereby raising aspiration and levels of achievement, is extremely important and it is vital that decisions that will shape young people’s lives for a generation are taken in a considered and reasoned manner.


While I appreciate that there are strongly held views on this issue, I believe that it is vital that we put the interests of young people first.” The plan is for the free schools


in Beccles and Saxmundham to be housed in school buildings left vacant under Suffolk County Council’s reorganisation, which is seeing a three-tier system of first, middle and upper schools replaced with two-tier primary and secondary model. Meanwhile, Jeremy Rowe,


headteacher of Sir John Leman High School in Beccles, said he had already received several calls from parents who had put their names down for the free school enquiring about places at his school. Leaflets and letters sent out by


the Seckford Foundation, and seen by SecEd, are encouraging families to consider Beccles Free School, even if they have already accepted places at Sir John Leman High. Mr Lowe said he hoped the


Department for Education would heed calls for the Beccles Free School to be postponed. “It would make sense to see


how the Seckford Foundation gets on with running one school, and it would give us a period of stability in Beccles, as we work towards absorbing years 7 and 8 from the closure of Beccles Middle School this September,” he said. “Otherwise, taxpayers will be


funding a school for just 37 pupils and the DfE would effectively be giving the Foundation the gift of a free school. “Parents are already voting with


their feet and abandoning the free school now they realise just how unpopular it is.”


Mr Lowe said attempts by the


Foundation to “poach” pupils at this stage were “cynical in the extreme”. “Whatever next – will they be poaching our staff?” he added. “Politicians and campaigners


of every political persuasion are against this school. We could not be any clearer that it is not wanted, nor needed, in the area.” The row over Beccles Free


School has made it the most notorious free school decision by education secretary Michael Gove to date and it has sparked threats of a judicial inquiry into the criteria used to approve it. The National Union of


Teachers has referred the matter to the Information Commissioner claiming a “veil of secrecy” surrounding the decision (Veil of secrecy over free school’s approval, SecEd 320, June 14, 2012). A DfE spokeswoman appeared


unaware that calls had been made to defer Beccles Free School until 2014. However, she told SecEd: “Now that the school has been approved and any uncertainty over its future has been lifted, we would expect numbers of pupils to steadily go up and we believe that this is happening already. “We believe that free schools


will drive up academic standards in Suffolk and give parents greater choice.” Graham Watson, director of the


Seckford Foundation, said: “The Foundation remains confident that numbers will continue to rise for places at the Beccles Free School in the coming weeks as more and more people take up the freedom of choice in their child’s future education.”


Funding for 100 more cadet units


One hundred new cadet units are to be set up in state schools in England at a cost of almost £11 million. The Ministry of Defence


(MOD) and Department for Education (DfE) announced the plan on Armed Forces Day on Saturday (June 30). The cadet units will be


established by 2015 and will be a mixture of completely new groups and partnerships with existing units. There are currently 324 cadet


groups based in schools and the funding of £10.85 million will buy equipment and help pay for staff training in the new units. Schools interested in setting up


a unit will need to show that they can provide the adult volunteers and third-party funding to maintain the unit. A joint statement from the


MOD and DfE, said: This will give thousands of children the opportunity to learn leadership skills, volunteer in their communities and build their self- confidence. “Research has found that cadets tend to have high levels of respect


for authority and high levels of self-esteem. They are likely to be committed citizens with high aspirations and a greater sense of community.” The DfE said priority will be


given to “good” and “outstanding” schools with high numbers of pupils on free school meals. The first of the new units is to


be based at the City of London Academy in north London and will launch in September with funding from the Honourable Artillery Company. Education secretary, Michael


Gove, added: “Cadet forces provide an exciting and challenging way for young people to learn teamwork, self-discipline and respect. They have made a hugely positive impact, especially in boosting standards and discipline. We know many schools with cadet forces have a partnership or collaboration arrangements with neighbouring schools to allow more young people to take part.” Interested schools can


apply before September 30 by visiting http://education.gov. uk/childrenandyoungpeople/ youngpeople/cadetforces


Tsar outlines better ITT behaviour preparation


The government’s behaviour tsar has called for more practical training for new teachers to help them better manage behaviour in the classroom. Charlie Taylor has carried out


a review of teacher training and highlighted cases where some trainees receive “little more than a single lecture” on behaviour management. It comes as a survey by the


Teaching Agency revealed that more than 41 per cent of teachers rated their initial teacher training


(ITT) in managing behaviour as “poor” or “very poor”. Mr Taylor, who is to take over


as chief executive of the Teaching Agency in September, this week published Improving Teacher Training for Behaviour, a document setting out the knowledge, skills and understanding that he believes trainees need in order to be able to manage children’s behaviour. The document will complement


the new Teachers’ Standards which all teachers will have to adhere to from September 2012 and also the


new Ofsted inspection framework for ITT providers. Mr Taylor said that the best ITT


providers “take considerable time and thought to produce programmes that mean trainees leaves with a range of practical skills”. He continued: “The greatest fear


trainee teachers have is that they won’t be able to manage behaviour. It also remains one of the main reasons why teachers leave the profession. “We must spread best practice because without strong discipline


and good behaviour children can’t learn.” Improving Teacher Training


for Behaviour aims to ensure consistency across ITT providers and outlines key skills that trainees should be given, including being able to: • Vary the tone and volume of their voice to manage behaviour.


• Stand, move, make use of the space and using eye contact.


• Use praise effectively to improve behaviour.


• Manage behaviour in a range


of different situations such as whole-class teacher, group work, the corridors and the playground.


• Take appropriate and effective action when they are confronted by more extreme behaviour.


• Plan and teach lessons that take account of SEN pupils, so they are less likely to misbehave. To read Improving Teacher


Training for Behaviour, visit www. education.gov.uk/schools/careers/ traininganddevelopment/initial/ a00210912/improving-tt-beh


Petition calls for mandatory dyslexia training


Two major dyslexia charities are calling for all new teachers to receive mandatory training about the condition. A hard-hitting video campaign


has been launched by the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) showing the impact that the condition can have on a student’s education. The BDA says that dyslexia affects around 10 per cent of all


school pupils, and a significantly higher proportion of excluded pupils. Alongside the video campaign, it is aiming to get 100,000 signatures on a government e-petition and thus spark a Parliamentary debate on the issue. The e-petition, which currently


has around 14,500 names, states: “The BDA proposes that initial teacher training course providers should be required to deliver


mandatory and consistent dyslexia awareness sessions. “All teachers should be trained


to understand dyslexia, its impact on learning and what constitutes dyslexia-friendly practice. Teachers should be aware of when to signpost learners for assessment and when to provide appropriate intervention.” Meanwhile, a study by Dyslexia


Action this week found that 89 per cent of parents of dyslexic children


think that teachers should have specialist training. The findings are contained in a report by the charity – Dyslexia Still Matters – which claims that knowledge, understanding and expertise about the condition in our schools is still “patchy”. The report calls for a compulsory


module on SENs including dyslexia as part of initial teacher training and calls for a UK dyslexia and literacy strategy to be created.


Dr Kate Saunders, CEO of the


BDA, said: “It is astonishing that in the 21st century, so many schools are unable to offer dyslexic pupils the level of support necessary.” Sign the e-petition at http://


epe t i t ions .di r e c t .gov.uk/ petitions/20674 and watch the BDA video on YouTube (search British Dyslexia campaign). For the Dyslexia Still Matters report, visit www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk


NEWS


Students to take maths and English until they bank a C


Students who do not achieve a grade C or better in GCSE English and maths will continue to study the subjects until they do. The move is part of government reforms to post-16 education unveiled as SecEd went to press. The idea was one of the


key proposals to come out of Professor Alison Wolf’s wide- ranging review of vocational education earlier this year. The Department for


Education (DfE) laid the details before the House of Commons in a written ministerial state- ment on Monday (July 2). It confirmed that the change


will come into effect from September 2013. The DfE said that the one-


fifth of young people who get a “near miss” – a D grade – each year in both English and maths GCSEs will be given extra help to retake the examinations “at the first opportunity”. A DfE statement added:


“Others will be given more intensive help over a longer period – and will possibly take other qualifications as stepping stones to the GCSE.” Students who still strug-


gle may take other maths and English qualifications and the DfE has said that the remainder “will continue studying the subjects even if they do not gain qualifications”. To pave the way for the


reform, the ministerial state- ment confirmed that institutions will be funded per-student, rather than per-qualification. Currently, 42,000 young


people reach the age of 19 hav- ing failed to get a C at English GCSE and without having had further lessons since. The figure for maths is 61,000. Elsewhere, the DfE has said


that new programmes of study will be introduced which will make work experience a “prior- ity” for post-16 courses. The DfE statement also


reasserted its pledge that stu- dents who do not take A levels will have the opportunity to take “a substantial vocational qualification” that is recognised by employers or universities. It comes after Prof Wolf


in her review said that around 350,000 16 to 19-year-olds in a typical cohort of 1.6 million were on courses which did not benefit them. Prof Wolf said: “The chang-


es recognise that maths and English are the most important vocational as well as the most important academic skills of all. These are the subjects that are critical to young people’s success in life. At the moment young people who do poorly at GCSE in these subjects gener- ally just drop them. They are the very students who most need to continue them, and to leave education with English and maths at a reasonable and recognised level. “Employers also value


high-quality work experience undertaken by students. But the current system makes it far too difficult for many institutions to build this vital aspect into their programmes.”


SecEd • July 5 2012


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