So the Cabinet reshuffle is done and dusted and the news is that there will be no change at the top of the DfE. Gove stays, meaning that this year is likely to be another rollercoaster of change, challenges and reform.
So what can North East schools expect in 2012/ 13?
While we were all trying to enjoy the dying minutes of the summer holidays a raft of changes came into force on 1 September.
Most significantly for those due a visit from Ofsted will be the changes to the inspection framework. From now on there will be no such thing as ‘satisfactory’. ‘Satisfactory’ is now ‘requires improvement’ and ‘notice to improve’ changes to ‘serious weaknesses’. To be ‘outstanding’ then teaching must be judged to be ‘outstanding’ and no teaching in the school can be judged to be less than ‘good’.
The new performance management regulations that apply to "teachers in all maintained schools and unattached teachers employed by a local authority" are now in force (these do not apply in academies, free schools and other independent schools, or to support staff); as are the new standards for teachers that replace the previous standards for qualified teacher status (QTS) and the core professional standards and the new regulations and guidance for newly qualified teacher (NQT) induction.
The issue of teacher qualifications and standards was a hot topic of discussion over the summer with Gove’s announcement that academies will be allowed to permanently employ teachers who have not gained QTS. From November 2012, the funding agreements for all new academies will state that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified, without the requirement for them to have formal QTS. Existing academies can request that their funding agreements be changed in the same way. Special educational needs (SEN) coordinators and designated teachers for looked after children will still be required to have QTS. All teachers in special academies will also require QTS.
From 1 September, schools were no longer required to produce prospectuses, but maintained schools, academies, and free schools will now be required to publish the following key information online:
Pupil premium allocation, use and impact on attainment – there will be a dedicated session on this subject at the SCHOOLS NorthEast Summit 2012
- Curriculum provision, content and approach, by year and by subject
- Admission arrangements
- The school’s policy in relation to behaviour, charging, and special educational needs (SEN) and disability provision
- Links to Ofsted reports and to the Department for Education's (DfE) achievement and attainment performance data
Throughout this summer’s controversy regarding GSCE’s, Secretary of State Michael Gove made it clear that he did not think the qualification was ‘fit for purpose’. Plans for a major overhaul of exams at 16 are expected later this term but from September 2012, for pupils starting two-year GCSE courses, all external exams will have to be done at the end of the course.
The autumn will also bring further news as to changes to the national curriculum with details of the secondary national curriculum, which reportedly will be “stripped down… with ‘extreme freedom’ for teachers”, and a full consultation on the draft primary curriculum.
Changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) have already been introduced and will be implemented from 1 September. The new framework aims to simplify learning and development requirements and reduce bureaucracy for professionals.
In mid-December, the performance tables will be published and will include a number of new measures and statistics – a full breakdown of what will be included is available here: School and college performance tables: statement of intent – 2012, DfE (Adobe pdf file)
Later in the autumn, the evaluation of the 20 local pathfinders piloting the Government’s new approach to the assessment and provision for SEND will be published to inform the legislative changes to be included in the Children’s and Families Bill expected to be introduced in early 2013.
Undoubtedly the number of academies in the region will continue to rise both as a result of those schools that choose to convert and those who are instructed to convert by the DfE. Following this summer’s exams, schools that have not met floor targets will be nervously awaiting ‘the call’.
Academy Chains will also become an increasing feature of the North East education landscape both those locally-grown and national chains expanding into the region.
So far, the number of primary schools that have converted in the region is still relatively small and it will be interesting to see whether 2012/ 13 is the year that the number of Primary academies in the North East begins to snowball.
2012/ 13 will see new collaborative groupings amongst our schools and innovative relationships emerging – trusts, federations and partnerships working cross phase, cross sector and across local authority boundaries.
With the first free schools now open in the region, more applications will come forward over the next year and those that are already in development will continue to try to recruit students. Examples of more schools coming together to create free schools to meet specific local needs are also likely to emerge.
Having now had a little time to get established, Teaching Schools will have a greater influence and role within the school system in 2012/ 13 and will take on new responsibilities and areas of training, CPD and school to school support.
If the current pace of change is maintained, the key message for North East schools must be: expect the unexpected!
SCHOOLS NorthEast will be reporting on, offering support and facilitating collaborative approaches to these issues and all the others that will arise in the coming year. Get involved to stay ahead of the game and join us at the SCHOOLS NorthEast Summit 2012 on 19 October to get the heads up on what’s coming next…
