Tag: Department for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 15 August 2012.

In the next fortnight there will be many more opportunities to applaud the talent, ambition and achievement of our young people.

Thousands of them will find that they have surpassed their own expectations and that years of hard work has paid off. They will secure the A level results they dreamt of and a university place or apprenticeship will be theirs.

This week of all weeks, they deserve to savour that success. Our society has not always valued academic achievement as it should. In the past, access to excellence was rationed with a majority of young people banished from the education system in their teens. University was assumed to be a minority pursuit. Influential voices still argue that having half our children go on to higher education is a mistake; that university expansion has gone too far; that more students must settle for less. But these critics never say whose children should be denied the chance to shine. And they certainly never assume it should be their own.

It is one of the great joys of my job that so many young people refuse to be held back by the enemies of promise. In more and more schools excellence is becoming a universal expectation, academic study a driving purpose. Whether it is Burlington Danes Academy, West London, Perry Beeches Academy, Birmingham, the marvellous Woolwich Polytechnic School for Boys or the inspirational Paddington Academy, comprehensive schools with disadvantaged intakes are producing amazing academic results. Students from communities that were written off a generation ago are now making it to Russell Group universities in their hundreds.

Some of these schools are criticised for their remorseless emphasis on academic excellence – and especially their success in traditional subjects such as English, maths, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography and modern and ancient languages. The line of attack is as familiar to me as the annual debate about whether standards are rising. These schools are Gradgrindian; they are exam factories.

What the critics ignore, of course, is that academic rigour is liberating, not limiting. Students with good passes, especially in traditional subjects, have more opportunities in life.

Mercifully, a new generation of heads and teachers have fought back and given a new generation of state school students the chance to compete for glittering prizes. Thanks to great heads such as Sir Dan Moynihan, Dame Sue John, David Hampson, Rachel de Souza, Mike Griffiths, Alice Hudson and many others, whose schools outperform the rest, the argument for uncompromising emphasis on academic excellence has been won.

Which is why tomorrow, and next week when the GCSE results come out, attention should be directed to the secrets of these heads’ success, and their students’ amazing achievements.

Our young people are as capable of academic excellence as anyone. They need to be. Because the world is getting more competitive and they are up against billions of others in the race for jobs and university places. That is why we must make sure that our exam system, the training ground on which they prepare for the adult world, can match the world’s best.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 14 August 2012.

Our classrooms are now staffed by high-achieving maths graduates according to the latest figures released from the Teaching Agency (TA). Data reveals that almost 1 in 5 maths graduates are becoming teachers. In addition, for the first time, over half of new maths trainee teachers have upper second-class degrees, or better.

The data, from the Higher Education Statistical Unit, shows that 18.5% of maths graduates surveyed 3-and-a-half years after graduating chose to go into teaching. TA’s own data also shows that the proportion of maths graduates entering training with a 2:1 degree or better has risen from 44% to 51% in just 3 years.

Together, these figures confirm that teaching is an increasingly popular choice for the most able graduates, reflecting the good employment prospects which teaching currently enjoys. Teachers are also twice as likely to attain management positions early in their careers when compared to many of their fellow graduates.

Lin Hinnigan, chief executive of the Teaching Agency, commented:

The fact that we are attracting more, high-quality maths specialists into the classroom is excellent news and will help to raise attainment in maths in our schools. There are a few places remaining to start teacher training in maths this September, with tax-free bursaries of up to £20,000 available. People interested in teaching should apply to train now and take advantage of great employment prospects, career progression opportunities and a competitive starting salary.

Michelle Gora, a maths graduate who worked as a financial analyst for two years in the City before switching into teaching a year-and-a-half ago, said:

As a maths graduate, a career in the city seemed the logical choice but I soon realised it wasn’t for me. I want a career with long term prospects that I will still enjoy in years to come. Since making the switch, I haven’t looked back. I’m starting at a new school in September, with a healthy salary, and have a personal goal of making it to head of department as soon as possible!

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 9 August 2012.

Dear Sir

Your article on Monday regarding the sale of school sports fields omitted key facts.

Out of the 21 playing fields which you report have been sold since May 2010, 14 belonged to schools that had closed and 4 were sites that became surplus from school mergers. Of the other 3, one was surplus land to existing playing fields that was turned into sports facilities (with proceeds invested in the school sports changing facilities); one was leased to a company to turn an under-used playing field with poor drainage into all-weather playing surfaces, a full-sized football and hockey pitch and a 6-court indoor tennis facility; and a further sports field was due to be leased to an athletics club to improve sporting provision for the club and the school.

We are absolutely clear that we will only agree to the sale of school playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of schools and their neighbouring schools can continue to be met. Sale proceeds must be used to improve sports or education facilities and any new sports facilities must be sustainable for at least 10 years. All sites disposed of under this government have either been because the school has closed, the sites became surplus from schools merging or the proceeds were needed to modernise sports provision. It was disingenuous to suggest otherwise.

This contrasts with the previous government which sold off 212 playing fields between 1999 and 2009.

We want competitive sport to be at the centre of a truly rounded education that all schools offer. This is why we are implementing plans for a new PE curriculum to provide stronger structures.

Yours faithfully

Tim Loughton MP Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 8 August 2012.

The Department for Education has issued the following statement on the removal of the duty on schools to report whether they met the two-hour-a-week school sports target.

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

This was not a target – it was an unenforceable aspiration. No more than two in five pupils took part in competitive sport when we told schools they no longer had to inform us of how much sport pupils were doing.

We believe in freeing schools from unnecessary paperwork and form-filling. It used to take up far too much of teachers’ time which could have been better used in the classroom or at the running track.

The Secretary of State made clear in his letter to Baroness Campbell in October 2010 that he would expect every school to want to maintain as a minimum the current levels of PE and sport each week for every pupil.

Private schools never had to provide information on levels of participation. But that has not got in the way of encouraging sport in those schools – as the number of pupils from independent schools in Team GB shows.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 August 2012.

The Department for Education has responded to a Freedom of Information request on the disposal of school playing fields.

The department has received 22 applications since May 2010 for the disposal of school playing fields. Approval has been given for 21 applications and one is under consideration.

Of the 21 playing fields we approved for disposal 14 were schools that had closed, 4 were sites that became surplus when existing schools amalgamated. Of the other three:

• One was surplus marginal grassland on the school site. Proceeds of the sale were invested in the school library development and sports changing facilities
• One was leased to a company to redevelop and improve a playing field (for the school’s use) that was subject to poor drainage and under used. Funding introduced all-weather playing surfaces comprising of four 5-a-side pitches, two 7-a-side pitches, a full sized football and hockey pitch and a 6-court indoor tennis facility. The school also profited from private hire of facilities outside school hours
• One was due to be leased to an athletics club to improve sporting provision for the club and the school, although in this case the project did not go ahead

We will only agree to the sale of school playing fields if the sports and curriculum needs of schools and their neighbouring schools can continue to be met. Sale proceeds must be used to improve sports or education facilities and any new sports facilities must be sustainable for at least 10 years.

The number of approvals in previous years is as follows:

1999: 42

2000: 31

2001: 21

2002: 24

2003: 16

2004: 13

2005: 11

2006: 8

2007: 19

2008: 11

2009: 16

Since May 2010: 21

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 1 August 2012.

Dear Sir,

I was disappointed to read your article on Monday about the Diaspora Free School application and the accusation that the Department of Education has been racist and sexist in its decision not to approve the school. You returned to this story again on Wednesday and this time reported that the Department for Education has been accused of ‘snubbing poorer pupils’.

Every one of the hundreds of free school applications that we have received since 2010 has been assessed by officials who are committed to exercising impartial judgement. They run a competitive process where every application is properly tested before coming to ministers. I will approve only those applications that officials assess to have the best chance of delivering the excellent education that every child deserves. Inevitably some groups are disappointed, but we must strive to ensure we are guaranteeing the best possible approach to each child’s education and to tax payers’ money.

Half of the first free schools to be opened and two thirds of those opening in September are in communities with higher than average levels of deprivation. Of the most recent applications; over a third of the mainstream schools to gain approval have proposed sites in the 30% most deprived areas of the country. The Marine Academy in Plymouth and the Longsight Community Primary in Manchester are just two of these and have been designed to support some of our poorest families. In the circumstances, the assertion that the Department is sexist, racist, lacks expertise or ‘snubs poorer pupils’ seems to me not to reflect the professionalism of my colleagues or the quality of so many bids.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 27 July 2012.

The Department for Education has today made some minor changes to the model funding agreement to be used by schools in their conversion to academy status.

From today, head teachers in mainstream and alternative provision academies will be given greater freedom over the teachers they employ – giving them the same advantages as independent schools, free schools, studio schools and university technical colleges.

A Department for Education spokesman said:

Independent schools and free schools can already hire brilliant people who have not got qualified teacher status (QTS). We are extending this flexibility to all academies so more schools can hire great linguists, computer scientists, engineers and other specialists who have not worked in state schools before. We expect the vast majority of teachers will continue to have QTS. This additional flexibility will help schools improve faster. No existing teacher contract is affected by this minor change.

The funding agreements for all new academies – which are essentially contracts between the Secretary of State and the organisation which establishes and runs the school (‘the academy trust’) – will now state that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified – without the automatic requirement for them to have qualified teacher status.

Existing academies can request for their funding agreements to be changed to include this new freedom if they wish.

No existing contracts for any teacher in any academy will be affected by this change.

This policy will free up academies to employ professionals – like scientists, engineers, musicians, university professors, and experienced teachers and heads from overseas and the independent sector – who may be extremely well-qualified and are excellent teachers, but do not have QTS status.

As with the independent sector and free schools, the vast majority of teachers employed will continue to have QTS, as it will remain the highly-respected professional status for teachers – and one that all teachers training in the state sector must continue to meet.

This new freedom for academies will allow them to bring in professionals who will offer a wealth of knowledge and new skills for our state schools.

Ensuring the highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school. Head teachers know this, which is why we trust them to employ staff that they believe to be well-qualified for the job.

All schools will continue to be held accountable for the quality of teaching through Ofsted inspection and the publication of school performance data.

As with free schools, because of their unique and specialist role, SEN Coordinators and designated teachers for looked-after children will still be required to have QTS. All teachers in special academies will also still need this qualification.

The successful independent school sector already takes the opportunity to employ teaching staff who do not hold QTS, as do a number of the first 24 free schools:

Independent schools

Brighton College

Brighton college has risen from 147th among independent schools to 18th and is the only school in England to have improved its ranking every single year for 6 years. It was awarded the Sunday Times Independent School of the year.

Richard Cairns, Head master of Brighton College, said:

I strongly believe that teachers are born not made and I will actively seek out teachers from all walks of life who have the potential to inspire children.

At Brighton College, this year’s Sunday Times Independent School of the Year, we have 39 teachers without formal teaching qualifications, including me!

Some have come straight from university: our History and politics department has three recent graduates, all with Firsts from Oxford or Cambridge and all excellent teachers. Others have come from other careers: an investment analyst, a lawyer, a management consultant, a nuclear physicist and someone from the BBC.

Once teachers are in the school, they have a reduced teaching timetable to allow them to spend time observing other good teachers and are actively mentored. By the end of the year, they are, in our view, better trained than any PGCE student.

Sevenoaks School

Katy Ricks, Head teacher of top independent school Sevenoaks, said:

The key aim for heads in recruiting staff is quite simply to find the best possible person to do the job. While of course qualifications and experience will play a part in the selection process, in the end, I am seeking ability, enthusiasm and potential.

As an untrained teacher myself, my own experience and those of my colleagues around me demonstrates clearly that good classroom practice, of course essential to being an outstanding teacher, can be learned on the job as long as there is a supportive framework within the school.

Studio schools

The Barnfield Federation

The Barnfield Federation is a highly successful education group made up of Barnfield College, Barnfield South and West Academies, the country’s first studio school and Barnfield Moorlands Free School. The studio school and free school have numerous staff without QTS including drama, English and Maths teachers all with degrees.

Sir Peter Birkett, Chief Executive of the Barnfield Federation, said:

The removal of QTS has proven very helpful to us, we are now attracting a broader range and an increased number of applications from people who would have otherwise been denied the opportunity to teach. The removal of barriers that allow us to employ the right people is absolutely critical to our success and therefore welcomed.

Free Schools

Langley Free School appointed a professional actor as a drama teacher, and a professional singer for music. In an interview with The Independent, the head teacher, Jane Sculpher, speaking during the school holidays, said:

Our drama teacher is off playing Cinderella in pantomime. The singing teacher will be away singing in Rome. They’re working at what they do. They’re not qualified teachers but they’ve been taught to degree level and are very, very able teachers.

Batley Grammar School’s head of Geography is an Oxbridge graduate and taught at independent schools before joining Batley.

West London Free School has appointed the former Head of Classics at a renowned independent school, as their classics teacher. They have also appointed an artist with several degrees as an art teacher, as they felt her skills and experience would be a huge benefit to the pupils at the school.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 23 July 2012.

Nearly 2,000 new summer schools will open their classroom doors today to help some of the most disadvantaged pupils in England in the step up from primary to secondary school. Around 65,000 children are expected to benefit.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg today launched one of the first summer schools in London, to see how they are supporting those pupils most at risk from falling behind.

Many pupils find the move to a bigger school and a more challenging curriculum daunting which can lead to a dip in their performance. Pupils who fall behind at this stage often never catch up.

Students eligible for free school meals regularly underperform compared to their peers. At the end of primary education, just under 58% of disadvantaged pupils achieve the expected level of attainment, compared with almost 78% of other pupils. These attainment gaps often widen as pupils progress through school.

The new summer school programme was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg in September 2011, secondary schools will provide extra support to disadvantaged pupils making the transition from primary school to help improve their educational attainment.

The extra ‘brain training’ will include catch-up classes such as literacy and numeracy boosters, sessions to familiarise them with secondary school life, plus arts, music or sporting activity. The curriculum for the two weeks will be designed by individual schools to give maximum flexibility so that courses are tailored to pupils’ needs.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:

This is £50 million-worth of extra brain training giving tens of thousands of disadvantaged pupils a flying start at secondary school.

It’s 2 weeks in the summer holidays where pupils can catch up on learning and get to grips with life in secondary school – in short, get in the starting blocks ready for the off in September.

Those who struggle to make the transition are often among the poorest in society, but two weeks of activities can really help to bridge the gap.

It’s good news for mums and dads too – no parent wants their child to be left out and fall behind. But not everyone has the luxury of taking long periods off work during the summer break.

Summer schools will ensure pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds can start secondary school on an equal footing with their peers, setting them up to succeed.

Headteachers have designed their summer schools to suit pupils’ needs. Activities being organised as part of the summer school programme include:

• Extra brain training: additional intensive support in English and mathematics, both as catch up and preparation for the secondary curriculum
• Get to know you: meeting teachers, having a tour of the school or learning more about their new curriculum, to help pupils familiarise themselves with their new environment
• Motivation: wider enrichment activities such as arts, music and sports activities, trips to theatres and museums, visits to local higher education institutions and employers

Children’s Minister Sarah Teather said:

Many pupils, often those from poorer families, suffer a dip when they join secondary school. These brilliant summer schools give those children that need it a head start and the extra help they need so that they are well prepared to succeed at this crucial stage of their education career.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 20 July 2012.

A pioneering scheme to get young people who are NEET (not in education, employment or training) back on their feet kicks off today with charities and businesses given the go-ahead to prove they can turn young people’s lives around in exchange for cash. Funding worth up to £126 million is being made available to organisations across England, who will be paid by results to get 16- and 17-year-olds back into education or training.

The programme, part of the deputy prime minister’s youth contract, is the first to use payment by results to help get NEETs re-engaged. Organisations involved have had to compete for contracts by showing they are able to get young people back on track. In return for proving they are experts in the field, they will be given freedom to tailor and provide support for disadvantaged young people in the way they know best.

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:

Young people who have fallen through the net need tailored support to get back on track. We can’t treat them like round pegs being forced into square holes – if you’re young and have got to the point where you feel on the scrapheap, you need extra help to succeed in life.

Disengaged young people often have complex problems that act as a barrier to getting them learning again, which the government alone can’t deal with. But very often local charities and businesses know what’s going to help them.

That’s why we’re unlocking funding for these organisations to be as creative and innovative as they can, to do whatever it takes, to get the young people who need it most back on their feet. In exchange for this freedom, all we ask is that they get results. It’s a win-win for government, young people and the organisations involved.

Minister for Employment, Chris Grayling, said:

We think payment by results is the best way to ensure that we deliver the best possible support for young people.

It means the providers have to find the very best ways to help them if they’re to be financially successful, so it’s a win-win for everyone.

So far the youth contract has made an encouraging start, with more young people than expected finding jobs eligible for the wage subsidy.

Children’s Minister, Tim Loughton, said:

Today’s announcement is a significant step in offering up to 55,000 struggling 16- and 17-year-olds real practical support to make the most of staying in education sustainably or getting into jobs and training.

The youth contract programme is bringing together real experts with experience and a track record of supporting young people to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Organisations will receive an initial payment for taking young people on, but will only receive subsequent payments when they show progress, such as getting young people to engage with training programmes or undertake apprenticeships. The contracts on offer are worth up to £2,200 for every young person helped, with the full amount payable only if a young person is still in full-time education, training or work with training six months after re-engaging.

Today, the government is announcing the names of the charities and businesses, with expertise in supporting young people, who have successfully bid to participate. The organisations were required to demonstrate a proven track record in getting young people into education, apprenticeships, training or work with training. Local authorities will work with successful providers to target those young people in their area who will benefit most, fitting this programme with other provision on offer locally.

Providers are required to tailor their support to suit individuals’ needs. Participants will get a wide range of support and take part in projects, for example:

• Being supported to apply for education and training courses and jobs, such as through practice interviews and application-writing
• Participation in projects focusing on a range of activities, such as skills training and improving literacy and numeracy.
• Intensive mentoring and personal support on areas such as personal finance, health and wellbeing.
• In the north east, provider Pertemps People Development Group will provide a one-stop shop for integrated youth services with varying levels of support to help young people. This will include, for example, wake-up calls to help young people develop a routine, and bite-sized English and maths courses.
• In Yorkshire, provider Prospects will offer highly personalised programmes to help young people build their motivation and confidence, including intensive mentoring and personal support, for example through using a Heroes to Inspire scheme in which ex-service personnel deliver motivational sessions.

The programme, to take place over the next 3 years, will focus on at least 55,000 16- to 17-year-old NEETs with no GCSEs at A* to C, who are at the highest risk of long-term disengagement. It is intended to improve their experience and qualifications, to give them a better chance of finding work and so reduce the proportion who become unemployed in adult life.

Evidence shows that unemployment early in life can leave a permanent scar on earning potential, with the effects on careers still evident decades later. By the age of 42, someone who had frequent periods of unemployment in their teens is likely to earn 12 to 15% less than their peers.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 18 July 2012.

Ofsted will no longer be required to produce an annual assessment of each local authority’s children’s services, following the repeal of section 138 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

The local authority assessments, which were drawn from relevant findings from Ofsted’s inspection and regulation of education, care and skills, and published performance data, were abolished as part of wider changes to local authority accountability arrangements across Government. The repeal of section 138 will remove an unnecessary bureaucratic burden from both local authorities and Ofsted.

Across local authorities there has been a concern that the children’s services assessment is a bureaucratic exercise that adds little understanding of children’s services in an area over and above the individual inspections that underlie it. It is seen to make little, if any, contribution to driving service improvement. Ending the annual children’s services assessment generates a cost saving to Ofsted of approximately £1.6 million per year.

Following an eight-week targeted consultation exercise, the draft Legislative Reform (Annual Review of Local Authorities) Order was laid before Parliament on 10 May 2012. After scrutiny by the relevant Parliamentary committees, and a short debate in the House of Lords, the Legislative Reform Order was approved and has been signed by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, Tim Loughton, who originally announced the Government’s intention to repeal the relevant legislation in December 2010. The repeal takes effect immediately and, as a result, Ofsted will not be undertaking a children’s services assessment process this year.

Further Information

The annual children’s services assessment provided, for each top tier local authority in England, a summary of the outcomes of the inspections of services and settings carried out by Ofsted during the year and an analysis of the performance data related to each authority. Ratings are awarded on a four-point scale:

1. performs poorly
2. performs adequately
3. performs well
4. performs excellently.

The 2011 the ratings were:

• performing poorly – 15 local authorities
• performing adequately – 33 local authorities
• performing well – 76 local authorities
• performs excellently – 28 local authorities

Ending the annual children’s services assessment will have no impact on Ofsted’s other inspection activity. Ofsted has already put in place a new, universal, child focussed inspection regime for local authority services for the protection of children. A new inspection regime for local authority fostering, adoption and looked after children’s services will be introduced early in 2013, and a new, multi-inspectorate child protection inspection framework (developed in partnership with the Care Quality Commission, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons), which fully implements the inspection recommendations from Professor Eileen Munro’s Review of Child Protection in England, will follow in mid-2013. Ofsted launched consultation exercises on their proposals in these areas on 11 July.