Michael Gove is now in charge of education for the Westminster government. What changes are parents likely to see in the way schools are run?
Tim is an educationalist with more than 20 years of teaching experience.
In spite of what was said during the election campaign, there was actually a lot of common ground between the parties as far as primary education was concerned. All proposed some form of pupil premium, where more money would be allocated to help disadvantaged pupils. The Conservatives and Labour promised to give more power to parents and the Conservatives and Lib-Dems had pledged to relax curriculum controls.
Q: So what happens now?
A: The coalition government has made clear schools in England will be reformed along the following lines:
- new providers will enter the state school system in response to parental demand
- that all schools will have more freedom over the curriculum;
- and, all schools will be held properly accountable.
In addition, the Lib-Dems have secured funding ‘from outside the education budget’ to ensure that schools with large numbers of disadvantaged pupils will receive the help they need.
Q: What impact is that likely to have on our children, and what changes are we likely to see?
A: Some head teachers are already welcoming the prospect of a coalition government – to the extent that they expect it to mean less interference from Westminster. But what about parents? Ellen posted before the election on the difficulty of deciding who to vote for as well as linking to some excellent resources for children. But although the new government is now in place, the concerned parent will probably have just as many questions as before.
Q: What are the ‘Free’ schools and how will they change the way our children are taught?
A: This was one of the most significant Tory proposals, together with the plan to allow all schools – even primaries – to achieve ‘Academy’ status. Basically it means the a group of parents or a charity will get powers to set up schools themselves, along the lines of US Charter and Swedish Free schools. Critics say this will only be a realistic option for wealthy, interested parents, which is where the policy dovetails neatly both with plans to give extra money to schools with higher than average numbers of disadvantaged pupils and with pledges to relax the bureaucratic control of schools by government. In theory the policy should mean parents of pupils in such schools have greater control of both what and how their children are taught.
Q: When will the ‘Pupil Premium’ reach schools?
A: The Lib-Dems had put a figure (£2.5bn) on this proposal and promised that the sum would not come out of the existing education budget, but from ‘savings’ elsewhere. This seems to have become a firm commitment of the new government, but of course nothing is certain until the new Chancellor – George Osborne – presents his first budget in a little over one month’s time.
Q:Will SATs now be abolished in England?
A: Although the Lib-Dems pledged to ‘scale back’ tests at Key Stage Two, the Conservatives seem committed to retaining them as well as making them more rigorous. Both parties, however, have promised to give schools more freedom about what they teach and Michael Gove has made it plain that he sees the priority for the first years of primary schooling as learning to read. ‘Unless children have learned to read, they can't read to learn,’ he has said.
Q: What is going to happen to Ofsted?
Earlier this year Gove promised that under the Tories the "best" state schools in England would escape visits from inspectors unless their results dropped or there were complaints from parents. The Lib-Dems had proposed creating a new School Standards Authority independent of government. What seems clear is that some form of school inspection is certain to continue, but in a more streamlined fashion. As Gove has said, “Ofsted should not judge schools on 18 categories but only on the four that really count – the quality of teaching; the quality of leadership; behaviour and safety; and academic standards”
Useful resources
The education policies of each of the three main parties at a glance (BBC)
Profile of new Education Secretary Michael Gove (Guardian)
Michael Gove speaking before the election about education policy (Guardian)
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editor
14 May, 2010
@Ellen - to be honest I think we need to take on board in a wider sense that our readers may be in Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland and that each post we do should bear this in mind. Thank you for flagging this up.
14 May, 2010
I'm deeply uneasy about Gove's plans for education, particularly the talk of the 'standards' children will have to achieve - it seems very much a one size fits all approach to education and I've never agreed with that. I'm also not convinced that more privately-funded schools/academies are a good thing.
14 May, 2010
@Ian: thanks for the endorsement, Ian. I can understand why the prospect of Academy status polarises teachers: it's only slightly less radical than the 'Free' school idea and now seems to be embracing the primary sector. Exciting times!
@Ellen @ Linda - as you both rightly point out, education is a devolved issue and, as such, isn't directly affected by the new coalition government's Education Secretary at Westminster. Policy in Scotland and Wales is determined regionally, and I will happily examine any new proposals or changes arising from a change of administration as they occur. At present, though, control of the regional assemblies remains the same as before the UK general election, as do both regions education policies.
@Rosie: a lot of parents I speak to feel exactly as you do Rosie, and it's understandable to want to 'leave it to the experts'. The problems this policy seeks to address have arisen, historically, when: (a) parents at particular schools have shown little or no interest in their children's education (it happens!) and (b) when schools have been under excessive LEA (Local Education Authority) control. The devil is in the detail, of course, but research consistently proves that the single biggest factor in educational achievement is parental involvement.
@Liz: I think until the details become clear you're right to be sceptical Liz, and many teachers I've spoken to are worried about yet another 'big idea' for education, having endured them almost annually for the last decade and a half! Gove is a self-confessed traditionalist, and some of his ideas - particularly on school uniform and discipline - do seem a bit reactionary but in other ways he's very much a moderniser, seeking to learn from best practice elsewhere and the latest cognitive research. We'll have to wait and see!
mum
14 May, 2010
Hi Tim, That's really clear thanks. Now I understand. Maybe you could turn your mighty spotlight on the situation in Scotland which is a devolved issue and run by the Holyrood government.
14 May, 2010
Tim this is so helpful, thanks. Having worked within special needs in a school in a very much disadvantaged area, I truly hope they will improve funding. I've worked with 15 year olds who my then 7 year old could read better than. It was heart breaking to see bright kids fall by the wayside because this large school could only do so much.
I also think the idea of OFSTED only going to schools where there is a huge drop in standards or complaints from parents makes sense. OFSTED is extremely stressful for staff and can be equally stressful for children (As I'm sure you know). So much time is spent in preparation and as always it's generally time that can be better used. (IMHO)
I'll be watching your posts with interest Tim.
mum
14 May, 2010
This is interesting Tim and I think it would be useful to see how this compares with the situation in other parts of the country, as Ellen highlights. I wonder what we could learn from the way other areas do things. For example, I wish we could scrap SATS in England. I'm interested to read about 'Free' schools and the fact that parents would have more control over what and how children in these schools are taught. As a parent and not a teacher, this is not my area of expertise. I would prefer decisions on teaching in schools to be left with teachers and others who have the necessary professional training, which I don't.
admin
17 May, 2010
Very interesting post Tim and covers a many of the issues that were on my mind during election time. These are exciting times indeed and I will wait with interest to see how our new government manages these proposed changes.
Leigh
Ready for Ten Team