With last week heralding the start of spring, there was perhaps a warmer current in the air at the ASCL conference at the weekend. Heading into the conference, relations between Head Teachers and the Government could have been described as icy.
A survey by ASCL (the union for secondary school leaders) and the TES released on Friday found that more than 60% of secondary school leaders felt that Government policies were having a detrimental effect on standards of education for young people. Morale amongst School Leaders was reportedly at an all-time low with more than half saying that they were considering leaving the profession and three-quarters of Deputy and Assistant Heads saying that they were less likely to want to go for headship than they were 12 months ago. Government’s education policies and the “barrage of unfounded criticism about standards” were idendified as the reasons for the results.
The Union also highlighted the ‘football manager syndrome’ increasingly evident in education, as the number of ASCL members who lost their jobs in the past year for reasons other than misconduct and ill-health, was 272, up from 163 in 2010, from 150 in 2008 and from 93 in 2007.
So perhaps sensing the need for a thawing of tensions, Education Secretary Michael Gove took to the podium with a more positive tone in his speech. He started by celebrating the success of a list of secondary Head Teachers credited with turning around schools in challenging circumstances (although none of them were further north than Nottingham) and went on to state that: “We have the best generation of young teachers ever in our schools. We have the best generation of heads ever in our schools. And our whole school system is good– with many outstanding features.”
Gove then gave his analysis of where the system doesn’t work and outlined his five pillars of reform:
1. Funding – to move to a transparent, simplified and more rational system with a set amount for every child, an additional sum for every poor child and special support for schools in exceptional circumstances or children with special needs..
2. Human capital –to recruit more talented people into teaching especially in maths and science, address poor behaviour and discipline in order to keep teachers in the profession, and reform teacher training and support high quality CPD.
3. Curriculum and qualifications - encourage greater creativity led by teachers, move towards fewer high quality qualifications overseen and conferred by 'institutions of academic excellence such as our best universities’, promote innovation in new areas such as computer science and ensure a higher level of cultural literacy and greater familiarity for all students from all backgrounds with ‘the best that's been thought and written globally’.
4. Accountability: move away from reliance on just one or two benchmarks to a rich and nuanced account of achievement complemented by thoughtful inspection from professionals.
5. Structures: welcome innovation and flexibility through the Academies and Free Schools programme.
In the speech, Gove also conceded that all international comparators must be viewed in context. This followed criticisms that he had a tendency to ‘cherry pick’ aspects of education in other countries with very different circumstances and cultures to England, and make unhelpful comparisons and assertions on the relative quality and success of provision.
Finally, Gove made it clear that there would be no let-up in the pace of reform. Despite the concerns of ASCL members that the speed of Government changes were hampering the ability of Head Teachers to implement school improvements, the Education Secretary warned delegates “lest anyone think we should slacken the pace of reform, let me reassure them, we have to accelerate it “.
If you were at the conference let us know your thoughts – what was the reaction of Head Teachers and what key messages did you take away from the weekend?