Tag: Department for Education

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 4 July 2010.

The Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, has authorised the expansion of Teach First into secondary schools across the whole country and a new Teach First Primary programme so that children of all ages can benefit from the expertise of our best graduates.

The £4 million grant to Teach First – a highly successful charity which recruits top graduates from the best universities to work in our most challenging schools – will benefit tens of thousands of children by enabling the charity to double the number of top graduates recruited to the most challenging schools and by expanding the charity’s activities across the whole country.

The expansion will also enable Teach First to carry out research on how to attract more top maths and science graduates going into teaching. They will also pioneer innovative approaches to developing the leadership skills of undergraduates, in partnership with business, as a way to attract more badly-needed science and stem graduates to join Teach First.

Teach First plans to expand its Teach On programme to accelerate the progression of its fast growing community of teachers to become senior leaders and head teachers within challenging schools. These alumni – known as ambassadors – will work to bring about systemic change in the life chances of pupils by taking key leadership roles in challenging schools, helping turn around failing schools or starting new ones.

The Secretary of State Michael Gove said:

It is unacceptable that just 45 pupils out of 80,000 on free school meals made it into Oxbridge last year. Opportunity has to become more equal, and we are absolutely committed to spending more on the education of the poorest children.

The countries which give their children the best education in the world are those which value their teachers most highly and where the profession attracts the brightest graduates. Our priority is to deliver robust standards and high quality teaching to all, whatever their background. To do this we must attract highly talented people into education, because the quality of teachers has a greater influence on children’s achievement than any other aspect of their education.

Teach First has already been successful in attracting some of this country’s most impressive graduates into teaching. Supporting the charity to go further by recruiting even more high quality teachers, and expanding to other areas will help thousands more children across the country.

Brett Wigdortz, Teach First founder and Chief Executive said:

Over the last 8 years Teach First has worked with many partners – including schools, universities and businesses – to place more great teachers in the most challenging schools and increase their impact.

We are very excited that this new support from the government will enable us to extend our reach to every region of England over time, and to begin placing our highly-motivated and qualified teachers for the first time in those primary schools who need them most in areas of highest deprivation.

In time this investment will allow us to place teachers in 1 in 3 of the most challenging secondary schools and support those teachers towards leadership positions where they can make the most possible difference to the lives of children from poorer backgrounds.

Since launching in 2002, Teach First has placed increasing numbers of participants in schools each year – 560 entered the programme in June 2010, more than double the 265 in 2005 – and has developed an ambassador community of over 1,200, working to change educational, and life, outcomes for hundreds of thousands of children today.

Before Teach First, in 2002, only 4 graduates from Oxford University chose a career teaching in a challenging school; in the 2009 to 2010 academic year, 8% of finalists applied to teach in a challenging school through Teach First.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 24 June 2010.

The government today announced further moves to free up colleges and schools and remove bureaucracy from the education system.

School and college leaders welcomed the decisions made by Schools Minister Nick Gibb, who said:

• schools and colleges would be allowed to choose how many, and which, diploma lines of learning they offered
• the development of the extended diploma would be stopped
• routine Ofsted inspections of sixth-form colleges rated outstanding would end – meaning 40% of colleges would be exempt
• sixth-form colleges would no longer be forced to do surveys of learner views
• plans to introduce in-year adjustments to 16 to 19 budgets would be dropped, giving greater certainty to institutions.

On diplomas, Nick Gibb said:

We want schools and colleges to have greater choice over the qualifications they offer – they know what’s best for their students.

We want students to be able to sit the qualification that is right for them, whether diplomas, the International Baccalaureate, A levels and GCSEs, or iGCSEs, not to be told by government what they can and cannot take.

That is why we are removing the unnecessary bureaucracy and cost associated with the requirement that every school offers access to every diploma line, and why we are stopping development of the extended diploma.

That does not mean young people presently studying for a diploma, or who plan to start one in the future, should think again, and I want to reassure them. We want to see how diplomas work, and learn from them to improve the quality of vocational education in this country.

It is not the role of government to make sweeping assumptions from the centre about what is best for them, and to introduce unnecessary bureaucracy.

He added:

The diploma entitlement forces schools and colleges to offer all lines of learning, and so adds extra layers of complexity and red tape to the whole process, with a great deal of work required on curriculum planning and timetabling.

Ending it will free schools and colleges to offer the lines of learning they want and that they know will meet the needs of their students. It will allow them to specialise in certain lines if they wish, and it will make it is easier for some centres to provide diplomas.

We are stopping the development of the extended diploma because it would be an unnecessary burden on schools and colleges, with no clear benefit for young people, who already have the flexibility to take additional qualifications alongside their diploma.

On freedoms granted to sixth-form colleges, Nick Gibb said:

We will work to ensure that those sixth-form colleges rated outstanding will no longer be subject to routine Ofsted inspections as long as their performance does not drop, putting them in line with the proposals already announced on outstanding further education colleges and schools.

We will also bring an end to the prescription on sixth-form colleges to do surveys of learner views – it will now be at the discretion of individual colleges as to whether they undertake them.

I will also simplify the 16 to 19 allocations process to schools and colleges, by working with the Young People’s Learning Agency, local authorities and sixth-form colleges to strip away bureaucracy.

As an immediate step, that will include asking the YPLA not to implement ‘in-year’ funding adjustments in the sector, which will make a real difference to colleges in the reduction of bureaucracy – and in providing greater certainty.

These measures are only part of a longer running programme of red-tape reduction. As such, I hope I continually hear from the Sixth-form Colleges Forum, and its members, as to exactly where we can make improvements in the future.

David Igoe, chief executive of the Sixth-form Colleges Forum (SFCF), said:

The SFCF welcomes today’s announcements and in particular the early indications of the government’s commitment to simplification and reducing bureaucracy.

These proposals are the first step in freeing up colleges, enabling principals and teaching staff to focus on their core purpose of teaching and learning. We look forward to working with the government in identifying further areas where burdens can be removed.

Dr John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said:

Removing the entitlement to all 14 diploma lines is a sensible, welcome decision. ASCL strongly supports diplomas but believes their complex structure can be simplified and this is a move in the right direction.

It remains the case that schools and colleges will need to continue to work together in order to offer a good range of courses for 14- to 19-year-olds.

However, heads and principals will be relieved that there is no longer a requirement to offer every diploma at 3 levels in every area.

Martin Doel, chief executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC), said:

AoC is pleased to see that the government is committed to supporting diplomas as part of a rich mix of qualifications providing choice for young people. Colleges have invested significant time and resources in the development of their diploma offer and 98% of colleges are planning to offer diplomas from this September. Colleges have the breadth of experience to offer whole diplomas and AoC believes that colleges could become local diploma hubs serving the needs of their educational communities.

We welcome the freedom from Ofsted inspections for outstanding colleges and, indeed, the general freedoms from constraint that will allow colleges to flourish.

The government has already indicated an end to Ofsted inspections for outstanding schools, along with those in general further education settings. Earlier this month it announced that maintained schools could now choose whether or not their students take the iGCSE, and said development of the academic diplomas, due to be introduced in September 2011, would stop immediately, saving around £1.77 million instantly, with further savings in future years.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 18 June 2010.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has today outlined the process for allowing teachers, charities and parents to set up new schools – free schools – in response to parental demand. Free schools are independent state schools run by teachers not bureaucrats or politicians and accountable to parents.

The government has already set out plans to give teachers the option to take on greater professional freedoms. Today’s announcement will see the government harnessing the passion and innovation of teachers even further by allowing them to set up schools for the first time.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has today:

• set out the process for how groups can start new schools and published a proposal form for groups to fill out
• stated the government’s commitment to making it easier to secure sites for new schools. This will include allowing a wider range of sites, including residential and commercial property, to be used as schools without the need for ‘change of use’ consent. There will also be an extension of powers to protect existing schools’ sites, to make sure they are kept available for use by new schools where there is demand
• reallocated £50 million of funding from the Harnessing Technology Grant to create a Standards and Diversity Fund. This will provide capital funding for free schools up to 31 March 2011. Funding for free schools will be a top priority for the Department for Education in the forthcoming Spending Review.
• written to the New Schools Network to establish a formal relationship and to offer a £500,000 of initial funding to help make sure groups across the country get the support they need to start forming schools. The New Schools Network will act as the first point of contact for all groups who wish to start schools and will provide them with information as they go through the process and prepare their proposals.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said:

The most important element of a great education is the quality of teaching and free schools will enable excellent teachers to create new schools and improve standards for all children. This government believes that passionate teachers who want to make a real difference to education should have the opportunity. That’s why I am today inviting groups to complete a proposal form and enter a process to set up new free schools.

Hundreds of groups, from teachers themselves to charities such as the Sutton Trust, have expressed an interest in starting great new schools. Just like the successful charter schools in the US, supported across the political spectrum, these schools will have the freedom to innovate and respond directly to parents’ needs. The new free schools will also be incentivised to concentrate on the poorest children by the introduction of this government’s pupil premium which will see schools receiving extra funds for educating children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In this country, too often the poorest children are left with the worst education while richer families can buy their way to quality education via private schools or expensive houses. By allowing new schools we will give all children access to the kind of education only the rich can afford – small schools with small class sizes, great teaching and strong discipline.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 17 June 2010.

Michael Gove today addressed headteachers at the National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services’ Annual Leadership Conference in Birmingham.

The Secretary of State for Education’s first keynote speech to the conference saw him stress the need for greater freedoms for headteachers and schools, the importance of learning from overseas, improved teaching, more intelligent accountability and a curriculum and qualifications system that compares with the best overseas.

Academy freedoms

Regarding greater freedoms Michael Gove said:

One of the first things we have done is to give professionals more scope to drive improvement by inviting all schools to consider applying for academy freedoms.

But we will now also provide you with the kind of autonomy that has served schools in America, Canada, Sweden and Finland so well and allow all schools the freedom to develop their own curriculum and fully control their own budget and staffing.

The Education Secretary stated that over 1,772 schools have enquired about academy freedoms; 870 of these schools are rated ‘outstanding’ including 405 secondary schools and more than 400 outstanding primaries.

He went on:

That’s 70% of the outstanding secondary schools in the country and a significant cohort of outstanding primaries.

Any school which acquires academy freedoms will continue to be governed by admissions rules which guarantee fair access to all, safeguards the inclusive character of comprehensive schools, ensures all schools take their fair share of pupils in need and prevents any school discriminating in any way against those pupils with special educational needs.

Improving teaching

The Education Secretary stressed the importance of attracting highly qualified teachers to the teaching profession:

The generation of teachers currently in our schools is the best ever, but given the pace of international improvement we must always be striving to do better.

That is why we will expand organisations such as Teach First, Teaching Leaders and Future Leaders which have done so much to attract more highly talented people into education.

That is why we will write off the student loan payments of science and mathematics graduates who go into teaching.

That is why we will reform teacher recruitment to ensure there is a relentless focus on tempting the best into this, most rewarding, of careers.

And that is why we will reform teacher training to shift trainee teachers out of college and into the classroom.

Discipline and behaviour

The Education Secretary said that he will reform rules on discipline and behaviour to protect teachers from abuse, false allegation and from disruption and violence. He continued:

That means getting parents to accept their responsibilities, giving teachers the discretion they need to get on with the job and sending a clear and consistent message at all times that adult authority has to be respected.

Professional development

Teachers will be given more control over their careers with a culture of more teachers acquiring a postgraduate qualification like a master’s or doctorate and potential school leaders will acquiring management qualifications. The Secretary of State saw the National College as key in this.

Intelligent accountability

The Education Secretary called for external assessment that shows what works, clearer information about teaching techniques that get results and evaluations of interventions that have run their course.

Ofsted’s resources will also be directed to schools which are faltering or coasting and inspectors will spend more time on classroom observation and assessing teaching and learning.

Curriculum and qualifications

The Education Secretary stated:

I want to ensure our national curriculum is a properly international curriculum – that it reflects the best collective wisdom we have about how children learn, what they should know and how quickly they can grow in knowledge.

He stressed the need for a curriculum with a ‘simple core’ which is informed by best international practice which will be a measure for schools and will also allow parents to ask meaningful and informed questions about progress.

In addition to curriculum reform, the Education Secretary said that tests that 11-year-olds sit in this country should be comparable with those 11-year-olds sit in Singapore, Taiwan or Toronto. He went on:

That is why I want Ofqual to work not just to guarantee exam standards over time, but to guarantee exam standards match the best in the world.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 14 June 2010.

Dear Sir

Contrary to your report (Cameron and Gove ‘failing to back headteachers over poor staff’, 5 June 2010) we are scrapping the General Teaching Council for England (GTC) precisely because it is not delivering what heads want. We do need to have an effective way of dealing with incompetence and misconduct and will be setting out which of GTC’s functions should be transferred to other bodies. In addition to the £400,000 grant mentioned, the taxpayer subsidises GTC membership by almost £16 million a year.

Yours faithfully

Lord Hill of Oareford
Schools Minister

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 10 June 2010.

Responding to the statistics, Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

Today’s figures show that an increasing number of parents are unhappy with the school choices open to them.

The level of dissatisfaction underlines why it is so important we change the schools system so providers like teacher groups and charities can open new state schools wherever parents want them; and give outstanding schools the freedoms they need to help improve those in more challenging circumstances.

By putting education in the hands of parents and professionals, rather than bureaucrats, we can raise standards in all our schools, particularly in the poorest areas where problems are most acute.

Admission appeals statistics for maintained primary and secondary schools in England in academic year 2008 to 2009 can be downloaded.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 9 June 2010.

Regarding stories concerning free school meals, a Department for Education spokesperson said:

As the Education Secretary made clear in his letter to Ed Balls dated 7 June 2010, we are not stopping free school meals. All pupils who are already eligible will continue to receive them. We are, however, ending the expansion of eligibility this year. This decision was made because the cost of extending eligibility was significantly higher than anticipated by the previous government. Money saved this year will be invested in projects to boost the attainment of children from disadvantaged families.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 June 2010.

The government has today lifted the restrictions that stopped state schools offering iGCSE qualifications in key subjects. It has also announced its intention to include iGCSE results in school performance tables as soon as possible.

The announcement means that state-funded schools will be free to teach from September a wide range of these respected and valued qualifications, putting them on a level playing field with independent schools who have offered them for some time.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has also announced that development of the new diplomas in science, humanities and languages, due to be introduced from September 2011, will cease immediately. This means instant savings of around £1.77 million, plus further savings in future years.

Along with today’s significant qualifications announcements, ministers also confirmed that they will not proceed with the last government’s proposed new primary curriculum, which was based on a review led by Sir Jim Rose. The new curriculum was due to be taught in schools from September 2011.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 7 June 2010.

The government has today lifted restrictions that stopped state schools offering iGCSE qualifications in key subjects. It has also announced its intention to include iGCSE results in school performance tables as soon as possible.

The announcement means that from September, state-funded schools will be free to teach a wide range of these respected and valued qualifications, putting them on a level playing field with independent schools who have offered them for some time.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has also announced that development of the new diplomas in science, humanities and languages, due to be introduced from September 2011, will cease immediately. This means instant savings of around £1.77 million, plus further savings in future years.

The Minister said it was not the role of government to force the development of new diplomas in humanities, sciences and languages. Stopping the phase 4 diplomas will help refocus efforts on tried and tested, rigorous qualifications in these subject areas, which employers and higher education are asking for.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:

After years of political control over our exams system, schools must be given greater freedom to offer the qualifications employers and universities demand, and that properly prepare pupils for life, work and further study.

For too long, children in state-maintained schools have been unfairly denied the right to study for qualifications like the iGCSE, which has only served to widen the already vast divide between state and independent schools in this country.

By removing the red tape, state school pupils will have the opportunity to leave school with the same set of qualifications as their peers from the top private schools – allowing them to better compete for university places and for the best jobs.

It’s not for government to decide which qualifications pupils should take, or to force the development of new qualifications, which is why we are stopping development of the state-led academic diploma in humanities, sciences and languages from today. Instead, we will devote our efforts to making sure our existing qualifications are rigorous, challenging and properly prepare our young people for life, work and study.

Up until now, only independent schools were able to offer iGCSEs in English, mathematics, science and ICT, which are widely respected and recognised by universities and employers. A number of the high-performing state schools have expressed an interest in offering these exams, but were prevented from doing so – even where accredited by Ofqual – by restrictions the previous Government had in place.

By removing the red tape around iGCSEs and today approving them for use and funding in state-maintained schools, ministers have given a clear signal that headteachers should be given greater power to choose the qualifications that best meet the needs of their students.

Along with today’s significant qualifications announcements, ministers also confirmed that they will not proceed with the last government’s proposed new primary curriculum, which was based on a review led by Sir Jim Rose. The new curriculum was due to be taught in schools from September 2011, but the relevant clause in the Children, Schools and Families Bill did not successfully pass through the last Parliament.

Nick Gibb said:

A move away from teaching traditional subjects like history and geography could have led to an unacceptable erosion of standards in our primary schools.

Instead, teachers need a curriculum which helps them ensure that every child has a firm grasp of the basics and a good grounding in general knowledge, free from unnecessary prescription and bureaucracy.

It is vital that we return our curriculum to its intended purpose – a minimum national entitlement organised around subject disciplines.

Ministers have always made clear their intentions to make changes to the national curriculum, to ensure a relentless focus on the basics and to give teachers more flexibility than the proposed primary curriculum offered. They will shortly announce their next steps.

In the meantime, the Department for Education has advised schools that the existing primary curriculum will continue to be in force in the academic year 2011 to 2012 and primary schools should plan on that basis.

The press release issued by the Department for Education on 2 June 2010.

Commenting on the decision, Michael Gove said:

This government trusts the professionals. That’s why we want to give teachers greater freedoms and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. Since I have been shadowing education and more recently held the brief in government there has been one organisation of whose purpose and benefit to teachers I am deeply sceptical – the General Teaching Council for England.

I believe this organisation does little to raise teaching standards or professionalism. Instead it simply acts as a further layer of bureaucracy while taking money away from teachers.

I want there to be stronger and clearer arrangements in relation to teacher misconduct and I am not convinced the GTCE is the right organisation to take these forward. I intend to seek authority from Parliament to abolish the General Teaching Council for England.