The Purpose of This Paper Is to Provide Members of the Education Select Committee With

/ SCHOOLS WHITE PAPER: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING
Initial briefing notes from the National Union of Teachers
December 2010

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide members of the Education Select Committee with the National Union of Teachers’ initial thoughts on ‘The Importance of Teaching’ Schools White Paper, prior to the appearance of the Secretary of State for Education before the Committee on 14 December.

These notes simply provide a list of issues as they arise through the document rather than provide a critique of the bigger picture that the White Paper represents. The wider implications of these proposals – and what is missing from them - are, of course, vitally important and further analysis will follow, particularly when the Bill is published early next year.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published three additional documents which require equal scrutiny and further analysis – these are ‘Schools White Paper Overarching Equality Impact Assessment’, an ‘Economic Impact Assessment’ and ‘The Case for Change’. These can be found at

Chapter 2: Teaching and leadership
Proposal / NUT comment
The Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) skills test to be moved to the start of the course. Reduced re-sit options and the tests to be made more difficult / Agree should be moved to start, but concerned about impact on range of applicants accepted to Initial Teacher Training (ITT), especially hard on dyslexics and those who get flustered by rapid on-screen test system.
ITT not funded for people with below 2:2 degree / Concern that it will reduce diversity of workforce, particularly teaching assistants who wish to be teachers
Expand Teach First / Question mark over whether this can be scaled up from current very small numbers; difficulty of securing sufficient schools to place candidates; capacity of primary schools may be an issue
A new national network of teaching schools for ITT and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and university training schools for ITT / Need more details, but capacity of teaching schools may be an issue; additional responsibility being placed on teachers without recognition has already generated casework in current Training Schools
Increase proportion of time trainees spend in the classroom / Trainees on PGCE courses already spend over 60percent of time in classroom, so misinterpretation of evidence. Will need to change regulations/statutory guidance for ITT providers
ITT to focus on reading, maths and behaviour / Very reductionalist, no room for theoretical perspective or study of child development. Evidence also shows that ITT graduates not prepared to support English as additional language (EAL) pupils or necessarily work in multicultural classrooms – no mention of these issues.
Introduce aptitude test as part of ITT interview process / Will need to see details but psychometric testing has been discredited and disproportionally impacts on black and minority ethnic (BME) people.
Financial incentives for shortage subjects for PGCE, possibility of repayment of student loans. / Incentives should be equally available to all, regardless of route/phase/subject. Experience has shown that targeted incentives do not address the fundamental causes of teacher supply problems – these are attributable to pay, conditions and status issues.
Targeted support for career changers via Teach Next / Concerns about FastTrack into Leadership programme. Need to learn lessons of the previous programme, which was very expensive but unsuccessful
Troops to Teachers programme, a sponsored PGCE course or a condensed BEd course. / Unfair financial advantage. Concerns about whether candidates would have suitable qualifications. Contradicts other reforms proposed here
Expansion of school-centred initial teacher training(SCITTs) and Graduate Teacher Programme(GTP) programmes with central application system. / Union surveys and Ofsted have identified concerns about variations in quality of these programmes
Undergraduate scholarships available if students commit to teaching for a fixed period / Could be useful, need more details
Training and Development Agency (TDA) functions will transfer to DfE / Capacity to oversee all ITT and CPD? Does this mean the TDA will be abolished?
Reduction in bureaucracy and red tape
Schools can still use flexibilities in pay to recruit and retain staff despite pay freeze, including pupil premium funding. School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB) to look at even greater flexibilities in early 2011 / Pay flexibility is part of the problem, not the solution. The national pay structure is essential in a system comprising well over 20,000 separate workplaces: it puts in place a rate for the job and safeguards equal opportunities. Any moves to break up the national pay structure will have serious implications for teachers’ pay – increased pay discretion leads to downward pressure on pay levels and prospects
Shortened and simplified competency procedures, remove duplication between performance management and capability / What duplication? Very concerned that may make support elements of processes less important. Political move to be seen to be tough on poor teachers. Needs equality proofing as black teachers are disproportionately more likely to be put through competency procedures
Review professional standards and General Teaching Council Code of Conduct / Welcome reviews. The profession will need to have an input into both. Code is in legislation but will it need to be amended if only the content of the Code changes?
New arrangements for professional misconduct and incompetence. DfE to take over from GTC (England). New judgements either ‘barred’ or ‘not barred’. / Must be arole for the profession to oversee conduct itself. Two judgement options only may be a very blunt instrument, hard to give either judgement for more complex cases. Will need legislation to transfer function from GTC (England)
Remove statutory duties and requirements, for example, co-operation with Children’s Trusts, local authority production of Children and Young People’s Plan. Remove prescription on governing bodies, for example, consultation on changes to the length of the school day, ending centralised target setting. / While some of these are very important democratic functions which need to be retained, will need to make judgements on case-by-case basis. Some of these are currently legal requirements which would need to be repealed
Make clear no format for written lesson plans required by either DfE or Ofsted. Similarly, no prescription about the use of Assessing Pupils’ Progress (APP). / Welcome. Look forward to receiving a clear statement on this.
A culture of CPD will exist
Single designation to include Advanced Skills Teachers, Excellent Teachers and Leading Teachers. / Unclear whether the individual functions of each of these three designations denoted would be retained. Indicates that Professional Standards Framework will be streamlined. Revisions to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD) will be needed
Remove three hour limit to classroom observation. / Apparent confusion between limits to performance management observation and observation for CPD purposes, e.g. peer observation
To look at rolling-out of Chartered London Teacher model nationally. / Teachers need equal access to CPD if this is to work, also additional funding which is a key part of the London scheme
Competitive National Scholarship Scheme from 2011 to support teachers’ subject knowledge. / Need details on how it would work, but should be an entitlement for all teachers not just for a few willing to jump through hoops to be awarded a scholarship
Significant increase in National Leaders of Education
Review of National Professional Qualification for Headship(NPQH), a new qualification to be offered from September2011 / Have had concerns about content of NPQH, particularly people management and NationalCollege “clones”. Need to see detail.
NationalCollege to have an enhanced role and take on training of governors and leaders of Children’s Centres / This is logical. Need to see how ‘arm’s length’ National College will be from Government.
Continued support for Future Leaders and Teaching Leaders programmes / Welcome, but very small scale at the moment. No mention of how lack of underrepresented groups in school leadership will be tackled
Double the number of National Leaders of Education and Local Leaders of Education by 2015 / Welcome use of serving head teachers to support the system, but have to be issues of capacity and workload for individuals. Also, knock-on effect on their schools when they are out doing this work
Teaching Schools to take on training and deployment of National Leaders of Education and Local Leaders of Education in addition to Middle Leaders programmes and to identify potential heads for the future / Serious concerns about capacity given duties expected in relation to ITT, CPD and middle management training: they still have to teach children too
Succession planning in areas where need is most will continue to be funded centrally / Welcome, but should continue funding nationally, rather than just in shortage “hot spots”. Rather short-sighted view
Chapter 3: Behaviour
Proposal / NUT comment
Extend power to search to include pornography, tobacco and fireworks (already alcohol, knives, and other weapons, controlled drugs and stolen property) Also introduce a more general power for anything that might cause harm / Concerns about teachers having to police students – we argued for a general power to protect against imminent harm during debate on Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill(2009).
Use of force / May welcome clarification of existing legislation – but largely happy with current guidance which already allows physical restraint and for children to be comforted – critical issue is that teachers will not face any unforeseen consequences as a result of them using such powers. That needs clear guidance and procedures
Anonymity for teachers accused / Welcome but need to see detail, and how will this relate to suspensions? These should be avoided where possible and where there is no immediate risk to children
Abolish requirement to give 24 hour notice for detentions / Should schools be advised to continue to give adequate notice to parents as a matter of good practice?
Significantly slim down guidance on bullying / Is this possible without leaving out important detailed advice? Welcome emphasis on homophobic bullying
Reform of exclusion appeals process / What happens to children who have been permanently excluded? What recourse do they have if there is no chance that they might be reinstated?Will this mean that parents and children have to resort to the courts?(if so there is very real chance that the courts could become back logged). Taken alongside the cuts in legal aid budgets you are effectively ruling any possibility of appeal out for poorer families
Chapter 4: Curriculum, assessment and qualifications
Review of National Curriculum
Proposal / NUT comment
Tighter, more rigorous model of the knowledge every child is expected to master at every key stage, but also will become a rigorous benchmark rather than prescriptive straightjacket / This is an extremely contradictory policy position. We need to see the detail, but there appears to be a strong element of prescription here. Fear any references to inclusion, equality and the global dimension may be removed. What could be lost in a core based curriculum is the focus on cultural understanding and diversity across the curriculum. The proposals take no account of the success of the relatively new Secondary Curriculum, which was thoroughly consulted on and welcomed by secondary teachers. Will current National Curriculum legislation cover these changes?. The NUT supported the opportunities created in the Secondary Curriculum for cross-curricula learning
Traditional subjects disciplines / Strong prejudice against thematic teaching despite evidence that it works. Also contradicts what is said above about prescription
Teachers will be freer to decide how subject knowledge is acquired / Pedagogy has always officially been the domain of teachers. However, the Government now intends to prescribe how teachers teach reading via phonics – another contradiction
Academies and free schools will continue to be able to disapply parts of the National Curriculum / No surprises. If good for academies and free schools, why not good for all schools?
Early focus on reading
Phonics is described as the best method for teaching reading / A very selective reading of evidence and contradictory to what has been said about freeing up teachers
Support for teaching phonics for every school, funding for training and for classroom teaching resources / Would welcome more broadly-based funding and resources to support the teaching of reading
Reading and phonics to be a particular focus of Ofsted inspections and ITT / Contradicts what is said elsewhere about the Government not meddling or dictating the agenda for Ofsted or for initial teaching training
Reading check at age 6. Result will be reported via Raise Online / Real concerns about this, especially as will be linked to accountability. This moves focus away from the diagnostic
Assessment of pupils at each transition change
Reading test at age 6, plus KeyStage2 tests, seen as assessments in primary for this / Concerns as above
New testing agency will oversee statutory tests and assessments for children up to age 14 / Why remove this function from Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) which already has the expertise and set up another body? Likely to be waste of money.
Review of KeyStage2 testing
The remit of the Review is described as seeking to retain a strong basis for accountability and information to parents and secondary schools / This implies that there will be little change from the model of testing at the end of KeyStage 2
The Government will ensure that pupils take part in international tests of literacy, maths and science / Welcome, but not explained how they will ensure this. Does it intend to require/legislate for schools to participate and, if so, how does this square with the “freedom” agenda?
Ofqual to report on standards at ages 11 and 16, comparing England with high performing nations / Dependent on previous proposal working. Offer good alternative assessment model to SATs.
Introduction of English Baccalaureate
The English Baccalaureate to encourage schools to offer a broad set of academic subjects to age 16. This will be given special recognition in performance tables / Concern this will only encourage further competition between schools and exacerbate further academic and vocational education divide as it is likely that vocational qualifications will be recorded separately in performance tables and, therefore, could be seen as ‘second best’. There is no evidence that such a measure of performance will be a‘powerful incentive’ to all schools with a diverse intake of pupils
Reform of GCSEs and A levels
White Paper states ‘we are working with Ofqual, awarding bodies & HEIs’ / No mention of consultation with teachers in schools. The development of qualifications such as A levels, should not be the main responsibility of any one body or organisation as there is a danger of ideological bias taking over qualification development.
Proposal to move to completely linear qualifications / Concerned about potential loss of modular approach which may be better suited to certain learners
Vocational education
Unhelpful assumptions made about quality of qualifications, “too many young people are following courses because they are easy for schools or colleges to deliver or because they confer advantages in the accountability system”. / No acknowledgement of a need to build on what has been successful or that courses such as BTechs and City & Guilds awards are popular with learners, pre and post-16
Commitment to increase minimum leaving age / Welcome. No mention of how NEETs will be supported by providing suitable progression routes into education, training or employment. No mention is made in the White Paper on progression routes in qualification using Foundation Learning or Entry Level qualifications
Chapter 5: New Schools System
Academies programme to be expanded
Proposal / NUT comment
Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) to be allowed to become academies / Some of society’s most vulnerable children are educated and supported in PRUs – how will private providers be monitored and made accountable for their actions and decisions in relation to these children?
Lowest performing schools, those attaining poorly and those in Ofsted’s categories and not improving will be transformed into academies. This includes primary and special schools / Shifting the goalposts on floor targets and criteria for Secretary of State to intervene. This is a way of rapidly expanding Academies programme by force where persuasion has failed. Can already be done via powers in AcademiesAct. Serious concerns about two tier system and segregation in Academies and FreeSchools
Legislation will be introduced to extend the Secretary of State’s powers to close schools subject to a notice to improve / Ratcheting up of Secretary of State’s powers, a way of increasing numbers of academies. Implies these will be run by existing sponsors and/or chains
Free Schools
Free Schools will be demand-led and their geographical distribution will depend on individuals and organisations coming forward to play a role in improving provision in their community / Emphasis on ‘improving’ provision rather than meeting need for additional places.
Government to make it easier to secure land and premises for new schools / Overrides principles of local democratic planning overseen by local authority in interests of the whole community. Concerned about lack of requirement for outdoor play space
Will legislate to strengthen controls on disposal of existing school premises to ensure they can be available for Free Schools / May be tensions here between wider needs of the local community and demands of a small group of parents
All Free Schools will be able to access financial support to secure premises – a commitment to support capital investment in ‘pioneer Free Schools’. / Building Schools for the Future (BSF) money being used for the establishment of Free Schools
StudioSchools and UniversityTechnicalColleges are new types of schools that are likely to be established as Free Schools / Concern that these technical academies will lead to ‘selection by the back door’. Students will be channelled into narrow, separate, paths at the age of 14, leading to a two-tier system with technical schools being seen as the poor cousin