News

The inspectorate is planning to score schools on a new five-point grading scale across 11 different areas when it launches its report cards later this year (TES). However, the Daily Mail readers were told that Teaching Unions described the proposals as a ‘Nando’s spice chart’.

In March, I reported that you could take part in the 'alternative consultation' on the proposed, new Ofsted framework via a link. The Times Educational Supplement (TES) informed us that; 'The Alternative Big Consultation was launched by former inspectors Professor Colin Richards and Frank Norris in February, to coincide with Ofsted’s own consultation on report cards'. Analysis of this survey data clearly indicated that respondents did not think that the proposed framework would work. A majority of the respondents were most concerned:

> 'How inspectors could come to a judgement on all 11 aspects of a school’s work within a two-day inspection?'.

> That Inspection toolkits for inspectors were vague. 'There was a concern that a “lack of specific detail” could lead to inspectors “interpreting them differently”'.

>  '66% of respondents were concerned about the type and nature of the contextual information that Ofsted says it will use in inspections, and whether it will be applied in a consistent manner'.

Also, almost complete condemnation (92%) of the 'exemplary grade' with (90%) rejecting the five-point grading scale, with nearly two-thirds judging it “unfit for purpose”.

Ofsted has agreed that their proposals do need streamlining.

The last word and so conclusion of these survey findings must go to Colin Richards. “There is a major crisis in the offing should the government and Ofsted force its proposals on an unwilling, disaffected teaching profession. The quality of education is being put at risk, as is the sector’s patience and resilience".

There is a Curriculum and Assessment Review underway which seems to ignore the Early Years altogether, nevermind Keystage 1 and 2. Not convinced? Read the recently released interim report.

In July 2024 the 'terms of reference' for this review stated that: 

'The Review will work backwards through young people's educational journey, commencing with detailed consideration of the ceilings to achievement currently built into Key Stages 4 and 5, and then working backwards through the earlier Key Stages to ensure that learning is effectively sequenced and that barriers to achievement are also removed in Key Stages 3, 2 and 1'. 

This 'top, down approach' has always been the failure of successive goverments to acknowledge the key importance of primary education. The NAPE's enduring policy is that primary education is NOT a preparation for secondary education.  

Indeed, the membership of the review panel appears to lack primary and early years practitioners, so this speaks volumes about the agenda for this particular review.  Judge for yourself.

A critique of how the National Curriculum* has or has not changed over the years is examined in this recent article. It does make for a most interesting read.

The first statutory National Curriculum in England was introduced by the 1988 Education Reform Act, with teaching of some elements beginning in September 1989. 

 Alternative Big Consultation (ABC) to gather responses to Ofsted’s current consultation

The Alternative Big Consultation will ask the same questions as Ofsted's but will ask whether Ofsted's proposals are fit for purpose.

You may be disappointed or suprised that Ofsted has presented just one model of inspection and with a tight deadline, it feels that it is a ‘take it or leave it’ strategy. This survey will allow respondents to consider alternatives which will be made available in a final report.

This survey wishes to see a more collaborative and less confrontational approach being proposed to redress the balance of power/control which currently rests far too heavily with Ofsted.

Please respond to this survey, especially those from the Early Years sector who we were unable to fully include in a previous survey. Please tell your friends and colleagues about it. It only takes a few minutes to complete, unlike the Ofsted one. A link to it is here: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LQ7KG25

 In addition, we encourage everyone to engage with Ofsted’s survey.

 The closing date for our survey is 4th April 2025. We hope to publish the findings in early May 2025.

I reported last term that teachers were alarmed on how many children were 'not ready' for school. However, Wendy Scott, NAPE's Early Years consultant reminded me that 'was it not the case that schools were not ready?'

Kathryn Peckham wrote a most interesting article in the Guardian 'Children are starting school unable to sit up or hold a pencil – and I know the culprit'. Well worth a read, as she argues that 'screens are replacing physical activity'.

 Meanwhile, the press have picked up on a research report on just this topic.

Teachers report that growing numbers of children are not “ready for school” according to the latest report by Kindred2 

The Institute of Health Visiting in their news article said:

To understand “school readiness” for children starting Reception last autumn, the early years charitable foundation Kindred2 commissioned Savanta to conduct focus groups and survey over 1,000 teachers and 1,000 parents of Reception children:

• More than three-quarters of teachers say they are spending more time supporting children who are not school ready.

• 1 in 4 children are starting school not toilet trained.

• 30% of children can’t communicate their needs to tell teachers if they are hungry or scared or need to go to the toilet. More than a third couldn’t dress themselves.

• A quarter don’t have basic language skills.

So what will schools in the future have to do to address these issues so children are more ready to learn?

Wendy Scott, NAPE's Early Years consultant and National Council member alerted us to this most important report. I hope the government take careful note of its conclusions.  The OECD (or Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is a forum and knowledge hub for data, analysis and best practices in public policy) says that, 'part of the problem is that vulnerable children are missing out on vital Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)... Unlike interventions aimed at addressing inequalities later in life, ECEC is a cost-effective way to close achievement gaps before they widen. Targeted, evidence-based early years policies can reduce the need for expensive remedial education and social services in the future'. Read on!

The Schools Bill mentioned in the NAPE last news item before Christmas has drawn some criticism, particularly in the way that the government wishes to kerb back the freedoms that academies have enjoyed.

The Schools Bill is in two parts.  One part seemed not only timely but was sorely needed. 'The bill offered a timely response with plans to introduce local authority registers to identify and keep track of children not in school, while parents seeking to educate their child at home will face greater scrutiny under the new legislation'  This is in the wake of, 'Sara Sharif trial, during which her father and stepmother were convicted of murdering the 10-year-old four months after she was taken out of school to be educated at home' (The Guardian).

However, the Schools Bill itself has drawn some criticism. For instance, 'The bill seeks to force all schools including academies to follow the national curriculum' (Schools Week). What has drawn even fiercer condemenation is that under the new bill, which has its second reading in Parliament tomorrow, the statutory pay and conditions framework will be extended to include teachers in academies (The TES).

So it is a question of 'watch this space' as the battle between the interested parties take place. The Conservatives have described the Bill as 'Educational Vandalism'.

The DfE Bill was published yesterday with 15 key policies. 'The following policy summary notes provide information on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill as it is introduced in Parliament on Tuesday 17th December'.  Please refer to the Schools Week article for more details.

The key policies are:

1. Three branded uniform items maximum

2. Flexi-schooled pupils will need to be on council registers

3. Beefed up school attendance orders

4. Special school parents need council permission for home education

5. New legal definition of full-time education

6. Ofsted gets power to seize illegal schools evidence

7. Teacher misconduct agency scope expanded

8. QTS and national curriculum requirement for academies

9. New non-compliance directions for academy trusts

10. No automatic academy orders

11. Councils can open new schools (but the Secretary of State will decide)

12. National pay rules extended to Academies (but not their Chief EDucation Officers)

13. Legal duty to co-operate on admissions…(at a local level)

14. … councils get power to direct academy admissions

15. And councils can object to academies’ capacity, too

The impact of the pandemic and parents working at home is making Ofsted sit up and take notice when it comes to school attendance.

Sir Martyn Oliver provided an annual report that painted a gloomy figure of pupils being effectively being educated on a part-time basis, in schools. Fridays appears to be a popular day for pupils being absent. 'Flexi-schooling - where parents home-educate their children for part of the week - is “on the rise” across England, he said' (Independent online). The report went on to cite the latest DfE figures on school abscences. 'Around 158,000 children missed at least half of their classes in the autumn and spring terms of the last academic year' (BBC News).

The report said that a “hybrid form of education”, where children learn through a mix of online and in-person lessons, was “increasingly used” for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send), or those with behaviour or health needs. Around 34,000 children are thought to be educated according to part-time timetables and 92,000 are estimated to be home-educated (BBC News).

Sir Oliver stated that; 'I will be wanting to discuss with ministers about the rules and the controls around flexi-schooling…'  Schools Week found that data is sparse on the prevalence of flexi-schooling. But the “Flexischooling Families UK” Facebook group suggests there are at least 280 primary schools offering it.

In January 2025, Ofsted will publish its proposals ready for consultation on how schools will be inspected in the future. The Guardian reported that there had already been 'a presentation by Ofsted to education leaders outlining the proposals, first reported by the Financial Times. Ofsted highlighted that the top grade, “exemplary”, would be in purple, followed by “strong practice” in green, “secure” in lime, “attention needed” in yellow and the lowest rating, “causing concern”, in red'.  This will be confirmed next year in the proposals. The Schools Week publication found that 'the 10 judgment areas will be curriculum, teaching, achievement, leadership, behaviour and values, attendance, preparation for next steps, opportunities to thrive, inclusion and belonging and safeguarding'. That is quite a list. The Times Educational Supplement also found that; 'Ofsted could inspect teaching as separate category in new inspections'.

All these probable Ofsted proposals in January will no doubt fuel a lot of discussion amongst us.

Although this article is a month old it comes as no suprise, (despite all the flooding some communities have had) that mud for children is fun! This Guardian newspaper article follows the success of 

a school in introducing mud on the curriculum, thanks to OPAL. 

For more information about Opal in providing mentor-based support for outdoor play, please view NAPE's video about Opal on YouTube by copying and pasting this link 

 https://youtu.be/Z8BS0usm4Sc

At last! Ofsted now recognises the challenges schools face after the pandemic as a result of conducting research with 20 primary schools.  Interesting article in the Guardian.

As children start reception this term, for some, their first experience of schools, some children arrive in buggies wearing nappies. The BBC reports that according to some educational leaders the explanation is 'Children who spent their early years in lockdowns are starting school with "poor social and developmental skills" caused by screen time and isolation'. This is a report co-authored by Prof Clegg and produced by the Centre for Young Lives and Child of the North think tank. 

As a governor, this has come up in our meetings this term. Has this happened at your school ? or you know a school where this is an issue? What has your school (or a school that you know) tackled this?

Please email the office for your comments:  napenationaloffice@gmail.com

UPDATE  8/10/2024

FEEDBACK

One of the Early Years organisations, when asked about, 'school readiness' responded by saying that schools need to be ready for this issue.

What do you think?   Please email the office for your comments:  napenationaloffice@gmail.com

In July, Colin Richards and Frank Norris produced the results of an independent survey they undertook, asking respondents to review the inspectorate’s current and past performance. The survey was called 'The Alternative Big Listen'. The conclusion was that, OFSTED IS NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE ONE- OR TWO-WORD JUDGMENTS SHOULD NOT BE USED A MORATORIUM ON ROUTINE INSPECTIONS IS NEEDED.

Meanwhile, headline news in the Guardian on Sunday 22nd September, quoted the sister of Ruth Perry, the headteacher who killed herself, said that the inspectorate required a, 'complete reset'. 

'Education unions are to warn that Ofsted cannot be trusted to reform itself, as headteachers ­continue to report that school inspections are leaving their staff feeling distressed. Professor Julia Waters, sister of the Reading headteacher Ruth Perry, who killed herself last year after an inspection downgraded her school from outstanding to inadequate, will call on the government to make deeper reforms of the inspectorate at the Labour party conference on Sunday'...Waters, along with all four teaching unions, said the inspector still operated with a culture of “fear and terror”.

Welcome back to a new school year!

With a change of government comes a change in the way Ofsted reports school standards, under the headings of quality of education, behaviour, personal development and leadership.

The Guardian states that, 'Single-word Ofsted judgments for state schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to be replaced by report cards aimed at improving standards and helping parents to better understand schools’ strengths and weaknesses'.

These report cards will be in place from September 2025. 

What is interesting is that Ofsted, '...will no longer directly intervene in schools which under the current system receive two or more consecutive “requires improvement” judgments. They will now get more support from a high-performing school instead'.

The new Labour government promises to widen the curriculum by putting a greater focus on the Arts and accessibility to all pupils. Read on

The new Education Secretary has been appointed today. Bridget Phillipson states her vision that she and the DfE will need to fulfill. More details in the School's Week article.

'Education secretary says she has 'greatest job in government', but warns of 'scale of the challenge ahead'

• giving all of our children the best start in their early years
• delivering breakfast clubs and excellent maths teaching in every primary school
• expanding speech and language support
• more teachers, stronger training for staff and leaders alike,
• a comprehensive review of curriculum and assessment,
• a reformed Ofsted alongside regional improvement teams in the Department,
• professional careers advisors and compulsory work experience,
• a new skills landscape and reforms to the existing Levy,
• and improving mental health support for all of our children.

Wonders will never cease!

The Sutton Trust has produced a most useful webinar on the education policies pledged by the main political parties before the general election tomorrow.

BBC Live Poll Results from the 26th June- Click Here

Sir Kevan Collins will be appointed as Labour’s school standards adviser if Labour got into power. So what are Labour's priorities?

Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson stated that; 'our first step of recruiting 6,500 (teachers?) is just the beginning of our plan for schools that will enable children to seize all the opportunities the future holds'.

In the Conservative Education Manifesto 2024 The Conservatives have pledged to protect “day-to-day schools spending in real-terms per pupil” and legislate to ban mobile phones from classrooms if they win the election.

The Reform party manifesto makes interesting reading.

The Liberal Democatic party manifesto provides some new ways forward. 'The party’s manifesto also commits to reform Ofsted, curriculum and assessment, and the expansion of extra-curricular activities and extension of free school meals and the pupil premium'.

The Green party has pledged in its manifesto to include; 'plans to spend almost £14 billion more on education, scrap “formal testing” in secondary schools, abolish Ofsted and put all academies under council “control”.

The Guardian Newspaper provides a useful roundup of all the education, health and social care manifestos

Responding to a new survey from the National Literacy Trust, fewer than three in 10 pupils enjoy writing, Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“The current curriculum and assessment system is part of the problem when it comes to children’s enjoyment of writing".

NAHT  LINK HERE

NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST  LINK HERE

The SATS effect - Latest research. The key finds are listed here but please click on the link below for additional information.

 SATs dominate year 6, impacting what and how teachers teach

•  Learning how to do well in SATs – working fast, answering test-style questions – becomes as important as the test content

•  Schools focus on maths and English to the detriment of the wider curriculum

•  Children lose their enthusiasm for learning and grow increasingly anxious

•  Teachers do additional teaching (interventions) before and after school and in holidays

• The significant pressure on teachers forces them to ‘teach to the test’

•  Teachers are obliged to prioritise pupils on the cusp of reaching or exceeding expected standards, at the expense of those who are expected to fail

•  Schools in poorer areas are under more pressure and therefore have to do more preparation for SATs

•  The pressure has not reduced over time; SATs continue to distort priorities in schools meaning children and teachers continue to suffer the negative effects

Research LINK

More than a Score LINK

The Alternative Big Listen Survey - Ofsted does not consider changes to improve the Inspection process

The Alternative Big Listen has been established by Prof Colin Richards and Frank Norris MBE. They have been joined by a host of leading figures in education who believe the current Big Listen implemented by Ofsted does not consider changes that many believe are essential to improve the inspection process for schools and other education settings. The Alternative Big Listen provides the opportunity for everyone to comment fully and openly. Unlike Ofsted's Big Listen this survey focuses on school and Post 16 inspections. The survey is open until 12 June and a report of the findings will be made freely available a month or two later. The Alternative Big Listen has been well received by those in the profession with over 5k hits to the website in the first 7 days. If you would like to submit a response just click here to take part in the survey.

The Guardian reported this week two disturbing news items. Firstly, that there was a, 'A desperate teacher recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools across the country are struggling to put a qualified teacher at the front of every class, unions say'. So Teaching Assistants are routinely being used to cover teachers.

Another TA, working in a primary school in the north-west, said: “When we were doing training, we were aware there would be occasional times – if a teacher goes home poorly – we might have to step in. But not to this extent. It all comes down to money. If schools were given a proper budget, there would be adequate support.”

Secondly, it is so bad, according to the Guardian, that Headteachers have had to make a personal, painful choice to make. 'School leaders in England said they could not afford to employ caretakers, and were having to change lightbulbs and clear playgrounds of dead rats themselves'.

This is a MEd Research Survey on Artificial Intelligence. The study investigates how AI is currently used in the UK education system and whether it has potential benefits for use in non-student facing tasks such as planning, preparation, assessment and admin. The questionnaire forms one phase of the research, evaluating the current use of AI in education settings across England.

Would you like to find out more on how you can help? Then please click the link. https://cambridge.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Kwwy9urnxrEGxw 

For Safer Internet Day 2024 'Votes for Schools' completed an analysis of a question whether '...older generations equipped to teach young people about the online world? 1,500 schools debated and voted on the question with 45,000 children voting. The results and some of the children's comments together with the analysis of their responses are here (pdf) with the headline results.

The Guardian hilighted the plea by Opal Play for all primary schools to have a, 'play plan'. The organisation argued tthe plan should be part of an Ofsted inspection. 'The argument that children are suffering from a loss of time and space to play is also the subject of an inquiry by the committee that scrutinises the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities'.

A recent BBC documentary on Finnish Education brings into sharp relief the contrasts of a Finnish primary classroom and our own. Well worth a watch.

This is part of three episodes about the state our education system is in. BBC Website page here.

Darren McGarvey: The State We're In - BBC (YouTube video in a Finnish School)

'Travelling to Finland, Darren encounters a school system where equity takes priority above all else and asks whether the UK can ever close its attainment gap when society remains so unequal'. 

'Special needs responsibilities were heaped on councils as funding shrank', is the headline in the Guardian this week. Teachers and parents know this and this factual article probes the difficulties that schools and families face in securing the specified support and provision for children who have been identified with SEND.

Editorial 

Why is my handwriting so bad?  - I was listening to BBC 4's 'Point of View' the other day by Tom Shakespeare. He was talking about the importance of teaching handwriting and his personal struggle with it. Sir Thomas Shakespeare is (as of 2021) Professor of Disability Research in the medical faculty at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. This witty account of his own problem with handwriting and the way the keyboard seems to eroded our handwriting skills makes excellent listening. If you want to take away some arguments about why the skills of teaching handwriting at primary schools is so important, listen on! 

Why is my handwriting so bad?  - BBC Point of View  (You may need to sign-in to the BBC website).

BBC Released On: 09 Feb 2024

Tom Shakespeare reflects on the 'endangered skill of handwriting.' 'The most ambitious thing I author,' writes Tom, 'is the shopping list on my fridge. And several times a week I scrawl with my index finger when something is delivered'. His handwriting, he says, has gone to pot. He knows he's not alone. So he resolves to put that right and get more practice.

The Education select committee this week published its inquiry report into Ofsted.   School Zone carried out some research on teacher's thoughts about the Committee's suggestions for changes to Ofsted and they received over 1200 responses overnight.

The headline findings were:

• Teachers were unconvinced by Ofsted’s announced changes following Ruth Perry’s death a year ago.

• They do not want more in-depth inspections, especially primary teachers.

• Less frequent inspections of Good and Outstanding schools are to be welcomed – probably because it would mean an overall decrease.

• Extending the notice period would improve the fairness of inspections, though impact on workload is less clear.

• Staff need better opportunities to contribute their views to Ofsted as part of the inspection process.

• Lack of relevant expertise among inspectors is an issue for most schools, especially (as the Committee notes) for primary.

• Reports are not very good at identifying areas that need to be addressed and are even worse at supporting schools in addressing them. 

• The current single-word grade very clearly needs to be replaced.

There were some notable differences between primary and secondary schools, but on the whole it's clear that schools are not happy with the current regime.

Philip Collie
Schoolzone

Click here for the School Zone's report on teacher responses

Click here for the inquiry report- The Education select committee report on its inquiry into Ofsted work with schools

In the article in the Times Educational Supplement it warns of the, 'slow erosion of EYFS and why it matters for all schools' A most interesting articles I urge you to read.

Parents fear government accountancy rules are severely impacting the chances of getting a care programme for SEND children. Although this has come to light with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) councils, this is a widespread deficit problem, may I suggest, of the government's making.

The Guardian hi-lighted in this recent article that:

'Most councils in England have overspent their budgets on special education needs and disabilities (SEND) since 2015, when the government extended the age range of young people who qualify for Send support without providing councils with the necessary funding. These deficits have fed into councils’ overall education budgets – known as the dedicated schools grant (DSG).'

The government response is that: 

“We are working with councils who are affected by deficits from the dedicated schools grant to ensure they can move to a more sustainable position in the future. “Councils are ultimately responsible for their own finances, but we remain ready to talk to any concerned about its financial position."

“We recognise councils are facing challenges and that is why we have announced a £64bn funding package* to ensure they can continue making a difference, alongside our combined efforts to level up.”

*Michael Gove, the communities secretary, will announce the £64bn support package on Monday, less than a fortnight after he was warned that an unprecedented number of councils are likely to declare themselves bankrupt.

Ofsted school inspections to restart on 22 January after mental health training. The new year starts with the announcement by the new by Sir Martyn Oliver, the new head of Ofsted, that there will be a two week pause in inspections. The Guardian says that we must not 'squander this opportunity' to question the existing Ofsted structure. 'Instead, the highly symbolic switch to a more supportive and less adversarial model of school inspection ought to form part of a broader transition in public services. Schools Week noted that,  'Inspections were paused before Christmas. Ofsted and the Department for Education have until February 7 to tell the coroner what actions they will take over her concerns about school inspections'.

 Tim, the former schools commissioner for London, where he led the highly-regarded London Challenge, and chief education officer for Birmingham and Oxfordshire, died yesterday after a short illness.

The education sector paid tribute to “education giant” Sir Tim Brighouse. Harry Brighouse, speaking on behalf of Tim’s family, said: “He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather and a towering figure in the word of education. Susan Brown, Oxford city council leader, tweeted: “Tim’s contributions to education in our country were immense but all those who knew him will miss him for his wit and kindness. Tim Brighouse (when he was chief education officer for Birmingham)  “became renowned for kindnesses , sending more than 5,000 handwritten letters of congratulations to teachers, and even turning up with champagne to one school after a tough Ofsted inspection. When asked what prompted this, he said: “Blummin’ hell…that’s about being human!

Source: School Week

Tim was NAPE's President and gave most generously of his time to NAPE. You can see and hear him in action at NAPE's 2023 Summit here. 

Where does Ofsted go from here? The BBC poses five questions that need to be answered after the coroner's report of the Ruth Perry inquestion and the teaching Unions ask for an immediate pause to inspections. We know that Sir Martyn Oliver will be taking over from Amanda Spielman on January 1st 2024 as Chief Inspector of Ofsted. So the pressure on Sir Oliver to ring those changes will start in the new year.

'Ofsted seen as toxic and schools should self-evaluate', says inquiry. The Beyond Ofsted inquiry, chaired by former Schools Minister Lord Knight and funded by the National Education Union, called for a "transformational" alteration to school inspections. Read more.

The report can be accessed here.

Take part in a PhD Survey on Artificial Intelligence (AI) education in primary schools .

There has been a request by a PhD student from the Netherlands who wishes to gauge 'attitudes, preparedness and concerns of teachers' regarding AI in the United Kingdom. Details below.

Dear Teachers,

We invite you to participate in a crucial study on the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI) education in primary schools across the UK. This research is being conducted by Malini Nair, a journalist and doctoral student.

Your insights will contribute significantly to understanding attitudes, preparedness and concerns of teachers towards this initiative. The findings will not only form a part of a doctoral thesis but also guide UK policy writers in designing an appropriate strategy, policy, and curriculum for young children.

The survey, should take approximately 10–11 minutes of your time. All responses will be kept strictly confidential.

In addition to the survey, we are also conducting in-depth interviews spanning 30–45 minutes for qualitative data collection. If you are interested, please fill-out your full name, email address, or phone number in the survey so we can contact you. This is a unique opportunity to share your thoughts and experiences, influencing the future of AI education in the UK.

Here is the link to the survey https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ZTVQK8H

Thank you in advance for your valuable contribution to this important research.

 Best regards,

Malini Nair Journalist and Doctoral Student

A LESSON IN KINDNESS:

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INSPIRED BY THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE RELEASED TODAY

BBC's animation of Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare - This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare is in nine short video animations. 

Is the DfE acting like ‘Big Brother’ in monitoring school staff emails and education speakers’ posts? Of course, we all know it is a phrase taken from George Orwell’s famous book ‘1984’.  In the book he describes a fictious, totalitarian state which wields total power with ‘every citizen under constant surveillance’.  The Guardian, within the space of the last two weeks, has reported that:

‘…the Department for Education is monitoring the social media activity of some of the country’s leading education experts. Now evidence has emerged that the monitoring is much more widespread, covering even the lowest paid members of staff’.

This is a disturbing trend which in a democratic society, should not be ignored. Or are we? The difference between the two is this:

‘Democracy is a form of government in which all the citizens have an equal say in matters concerning their lives. On the other hand, totalitarianism is a political system wherein a single person bestowed with all powers recognizes no limit to his powers’ (Differencebetween.com).

Is that where the DfE is heading?

It has been announced that there is a National Professional Qualification for SENCOs - a leadership level qualification, primarily for SENCOs, school leaders or aspiring SENCOs (to be available from Autumn 2024). It will have major implications of training for SENCOs in the future.

Read on by following this link 

Opportunity for pupils to investigate their classroom air quality!

We’re delighted to introduce you to the SAMHE project and invite UK schools to register. Schools receive a FREE indoor air quality monitor linked to an interactive Web App where teachers and pupils can view the data in a range of formats and use it in curriculum-linked activities and experiments. SAMHE (pronounced ‘Sammy’!) stands for Schools’ Air quality Monitoring for Health and Education. It is an DfE supported research project which brings together scientists, pupils and teachers to help us understand indoor air quality in UK schools. Teachers and pupils helped develop SAMHE to ensure it meets schools’ needs and is fun and engaging for pupils. Teachers say that it’s “powerful to see the live feed”, has "provided our science group with a wealth of data to interrogate and analyse" and the “range of options allows us to use this system across the STEM subjects”

Primary Teacher Solutions. This timely book offers a raw critique of the current educational issues and debates, alongside ‘teacher hacks’ to provide teachers, trainee teachers and educators with a plethora of stimulating material to ignite curiosity, maintain passion and culture creativity in the classroom. Robert Morgan, one of the authors,  is editor of Primary First on NAPE National's Executive committee.Click here for more details.

The Guardian reported that at a recent panel on arts education, the shadow arts minister, Barbara Keeley, condemned the government for, 'stifling children's creativity and damaging the talent pipeline' . Barbara stated that this was a 'result of tightened budgets, teacher shortages and the decreasing importance of arts and culture subjects through school accountability measures'.

What primary schools should be saying to all political parties is, have you really thought this through? Where does creativity get kindled? That spark may start at home but it is primary schools that have famously fired children's imagination. But of course, that has been severely curtailed by short-term, political ambitions under the headline of 'standards'. So Barbara, we in the primary sector would be really grateful if you shifted your focus on what primary schools can do, despite everything.

Lola Okolosie has written a well-written, thought-provoking article in the Guardian about updating our curriculum and indeed our attitudes. The last paragraph says it all. 

For educators in England, the lesson is clear. It is not enough to simply give our pupils knowledge of this history. There is work, too, in helping them draw the links between the past and how it has shaped the world we know. In doing so, we might be able to accept the truth: that it is a shared history with which all of us must reckon.

NAPE has always been opposed to this form of assessment of children. The latest controversey over the 2023 Reading SATS underlines how unfair and deeply hurtful it is to children and parents. The latest Times Educational article in analysing this 'test' makes grim reading.

Do you want to read more about 'high stakes testing?'  There is a free downloadable pdf called; 'Beyond the exam factory: alternatives to high stakes testing' on our publications page. This pdf came from the 'More than a Score' organisation, deeply opposed to SATS.

Wildflowers seeds are being sent to every primary school, sufficient for all classes, in honour of the Coronation, according to the Gov.UK webpage.

Edd Moore, our sustainability and environment national council officer, said that; 'More than 200,000 packets of wildflower seeds are to be sent to primary schools across the UK to mark the King's Coronation. Planting the seeds will be an opportunity for children to engage with the natural world and learn more about the importance of biodiversity, as well as being a way for them to celebrate a historic national moment. If planted together around 40 rugby pitch sized wildflower meadows would be created. The packets of seeds include native annual wildflower species, like cornflower, corn poppy and corn chamomile. The wildflowers will provide food for a wide range of insects including bees, butterflies and other pollinators in school grounds across England. Seeds will be distributed to schools in the coming weeks. The Eden Project has made accompanying resources available https://lnkd.in/ePNn8Zd4

SCHOOL FUNDING AND PUPIL PREMIUM 2023 research

The Sutton Trust have recently commissioned the NfER to conduct research* on the impact of the cost of living crisis on School spending. The research survey of 1,428 teachers drew a dismal picture of school cuts on what the Sutton Trust describes as 'essential staff and activities'. 63% of senior staff confirmed that the number of teaching assistants was being reduced. 41% were using the School Premium budget to plug gaps in the budget. Significantly 71% of the senior staff stated that they had difficulties in recruiting teachers.

There have been rumblings about how Ofsted conducts itself for many years and it is the death of a headteacher* which has ignited school's anger against Ofsted. Ofsted inspections have now become a national issue.  NASUWT has approved the motion that Ofsted should be abolished and NEU members have delivered a 'Replace Ofsted' petition to the Department for Education.

The NASUWT motion stated that it, '... acknowledged that the, "perceived demands of Ofsted are the major contributor to the excessive workload and bureaucracy that blights the lives of teachers".

Even the 'National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has indicated it could take legal action against Ofsted following its failure to pause inspections after Ms Perry's death'.

Ofsted insists that it, and I quote, 'provides independent, up to date evaluations on the quality of education, safeguarding, and leadership which parents greatly rely on to give them confidence in choosing the right school for their child.' 

But we all know that one grade descriptor** based on the judgement of a team of inspectors 'parachuted-in' for a brief period of time have absolutely no chance of capturing all that a school does well but may need help in other areas in developing (which Ofsted does not do). That one grade can spell disaster for a school. Last week, school leader Dr Martin Hanbury quit his role as an Ofsted inspector, telling the BBC he felt his role could cause “more harm than good”. He described the one-word grading system as “totally unfit for purpose”.

Ofsted, the clock is ticking.

*Ruth Perry, who took her own life ahead of a report downgrading her school from "outstanding" to "inadequate".

** Ofsted grade descriptors for overall effectiveness · Outstanding (1): · Good (2): · Requires Improvement (3): · Unsatisfactory (4)