tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9233870220203399612024-03-14T07:58:45.026+00:00AssemblyTube Straight TalkingAn Assembly Leader's Personal View of Education TodayAssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-81604274864824511042018-07-21T16:02:00.001+01:002018-07-21T16:29:06.192+01:00Reducing Teacher Workload<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti04F1dMq9ltbuN0dkne_cvxcIsFacKTT8RG_lbDK32BFzLTLoRtDRC60SFqi3o7YOh9ELMe9I_fut3fTtOgkue6QGXfvNSDAvXFMiPQiE3RQCWQECBfFq45d72HDTVQTXATH_Prd7wSs/s1600/workload.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="171" data-original-width="373" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiti04F1dMq9ltbuN0dkne_cvxcIsFacKTT8RG_lbDK32BFzLTLoRtDRC60SFqi3o7YOh9ELMe9I_fut3fTtOgkue6QGXfvNSDAvXFMiPQiE3RQCWQECBfFq45d72HDTVQTXATH_Prd7wSs/s320/workload.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The issue as seen by the DfE and some unions.</h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">The DfE have produced a </span><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/reducing-workload-in-your-school" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">free toolkit</a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> to help teachers reduce their workload. Basically you set up a committee to arrange after school meetings to fill in forms to identify what you can stop doing. (There is a PowerPoint to show you how to do this.) Then OFSTED checks that you have held the extra meetings and kept a record of what you are doing to reduce workload. To make sure you do not fall foul of OFSTED, each teacher should keep a daily log of what they have reduced, and by how much. They then record this in the school's central log of what work is being reduced so that they can show this to OFSTED. The DfE are likely to produce league tables of which schools are reducing their workload enough, and any that does not reach the Expected Standard for reducing workload will be turned into an Academy. (If such schools are already part of a MAT, they will be rebrokered to be taken over by another MAT that has a better record of keeping records of reducing workload.)</span></div>
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How teachers see the workload issue.</h3>
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What Follows?</h3>
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When schools report that this DfE initiative has not actually reduced workload, OFSTED will produce guidance saying that they do not require schools to reduce workload and that this is in effect a myth. They will instruct all of their inspectors who have been on their in house Workload Reduction Inspection Course, to stop insisting on seeing the school's central log of workload reduction targets, and NOT to record workload reduction comments in OFSTED reports.</div>
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The DfE View</h3>
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Mr Gibb said he was proud that workload reduction was a key target for English schools and that according to PISA we were becoming world class at reducing workload records. Many more children were now in schools with outstanding workload reduction targets.</div>
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<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-59997880447352213802018-07-03T13:07:00.004+01:002018-07-04T18:41:20.216+01:00Could DfE Announce Expected Height for Students?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3mhdCbNlMsrJUSlveeMY-WdSfPNUjVYjDsCc8IcSsx1ti9TWpAkd1A1BAzaayaRAHw-EQCKo-rqhIqWbSQwD_B9yUPhyphenhyphenQ5JB2kEl7WHRBo7jKlj7FCNZCQeJQ_j7qutbfdBONICk_nCK/s1600/humanheight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="532" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz3mhdCbNlMsrJUSlveeMY-WdSfPNUjVYjDsCc8IcSsx1ti9TWpAkd1A1BAzaayaRAHw-EQCKo-rqhIqWbSQwD_B9yUPhyphenhyphenQ5JB2kEl7WHRBo7jKlj7FCNZCQeJQ_j7qutbfdBONICk_nCK/s320/humanheight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In England we have <a href="https://www.tes.com/news/sats-61-cent-pupils-reach-expected-standard-three-rs">Expected Standards</a> that students have to reach. Last year half of primary school children did not reach the expected standard! Funny sort of expectation when half the population cannot reach it. A system where half our children fail! What next for the boffins at the DfE? What will be the next expected standard? Here are our predictions. What do you think?<br />
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<b>Will This Be The New Expectation from the DfE?</b><br />
The average height for people in England is 5ft 8inches. This puts England in 18th place in international ranking tables. Mr Glibb has said this is a cause for concern in an increasingly competitive world and we must aspire to be higher in these league tables. Therefore from September 2018 there will be an Expected Standard for Height.<br />
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All students should reach the Expected Standard for Height by the end of year 11, when they will be formally measured. Any students not reaching the Expected Standard for Height will have to resit their measurement in year 12.<br />
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<b>Height Inflation</b><br />
Because average height has been increasing in England over the last few years, Mr Glibb is concerned about height inflation. To counter this, all height measurements in year 11 will be norm referenced. To avoid confusion with previous measurement systems, height will no longer be measured in feet and inches, or centimeters, but in "hts". Hts will be recorded using an alphabetical scale rather than numbers. The tallest people will be A* hts, which is equivalent to an old 6ft 2inches. Independent schools have said that they will stick with the old system of using feet and inches.<br />
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<b>Social Conditioning</b><br />
<b></b><b></b>Feminists are concerned that girls are not achieving parity with the height of boys, and put this down to social conditioning from an early age.<br />
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<b>Pupil Premium</b><br />
The Labour Party has asked for an increase in Pupil Premium funding to help shorter children reach the expected height standard. OFSTED will check whether this money is being used for height interventions in primary schools. Some schools have been stretching 8 year olds but it is not clear whether this is having a long term effect.<br />
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<b>Performance Management</b><br />
Teachers facing performance management targets on student heights have been giving students high heeled shoes to wear before their year 6 hts test. Secondary school teachers are complaining that there is not consistency of measurement across primary schools and are carrying out their own hts assessments in the first week of year 7.<br />
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<b>Targets</b><br />
Secondary Schools will have a Progress Height target to achieve and there is already talk of some MATs excluding shorter students prior to the measurement date in year 11.<br />
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<b>EEF Study & Chartered College</b><br />
<b></b>White working class boys seem to be doing poorly on the height measure and recent immigrants particularly from Somalia seem to be doing well. Those children with a Chinese background seem to be falling well below the expected standard for height, and EEF has announced a £5 million experiment to find whether eating rice is the cause of this shortness. A meta-analysis across 500 studies has shown that eating food probably has an effect on height, and the Chartered College of Teachers is going to allow its members to have access to the raw data in this study.<br />
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<b>Vocational Equivalents</b><br />
There are rumoured to be plans for those students who do not reach the Expected Standard for Height to be offered alternative assessments which will have an equivalent value to hts.<br />
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<b>DfE Statement</b><br />
Mr Glibb said "Since we introduced the Expected Standard for Height, more students are in schools which have the freedom to be world class institutions".<br />
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<b>What do YOU think? Could the DfE really get this bonkers?</b>AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-77465811526186401322017-07-21T10:26:00.001+01:002017-07-27T13:56:54.781+01:00Teaching - A Profession That Needs No Qualifications - Really?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx50Og065ojGV_p0VAnu3-37p0pJhMGzYnHnaWAC4Dr4mfrysE8K88BpXy-882IcmoVczGv3kaGY-4JIp4NSQ67m8MGC7no1MwfpIzqJgB1D_7mFWZXNi5mLestE1CnOz5YC_3FdBIh3kT/s1600/donkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx50Og065ojGV_p0VAnu3-37p0pJhMGzYnHnaWAC4Dr4mfrysE8K88BpXy-882IcmoVczGv3kaGY-4JIp4NSQ67m8MGC7no1MwfpIzqJgB1D_7mFWZXNi5mLestE1CnOz5YC_3FdBIh3kT/s1600/donkey.jpg" /></a></div>
First they said you did not need Qualified Teacher Status to be a teacher. This was because we might deprive students of brilliant scientists who want to teach but do not have QTS.<br />
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Now they are saying <a href="https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-developing-teaching-apprenticeship-open-to-non-graduates/">you don't need a degree to be a teacher</a>. This is because we want to "upskill" people who want to be teachers.<br />
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In a sector that is about giving people qualifications, the only "profession" where you won't need them, will be teaching.<br />
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I guess this is one way of plugging the gap left by all those "highly valued" QTS graduate teaching staff who decide they have had enough of being lectured to by political donkeys.<br />
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What do you think about this policy of not needing a degree to train as a teacher?AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-66250644377392152932017-07-16T12:58:00.000+01:002017-07-16T13:00:22.876+01:00Old School Teaching - The Banda Machine<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfiix_5U76P-ZX3CRvgEwvoBq86l2tbbMAKdJABfGmKMzUEoGAV_4VrrNOSFriXXf5sBTi3PgzazQaJC9FdP45I6Q8HFGn_04v1f7c0oVeR1WY7gaXFiUN53-z4BIzmLKMubIZVCg3-Gq/s1600/bandamachine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="374" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNfiix_5U76P-ZX3CRvgEwvoBq86l2tbbMAKdJABfGmKMzUEoGAV_4VrrNOSFriXXf5sBTi3PgzazQaJC9FdP45I6Q8HFGn_04v1f7c0oVeR1WY7gaXFiUN53-z4BIzmLKMubIZVCg3-Gq/s320/bandamachine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you are a new teacher you probably don't give a second thought to using the photocopier. If you were a teacher in the 1970s there were no photocopiers in schools. If you wanted to make copies of documents for students to use, then you needed a Banda Machine like the one in the photo above. This did not copy existing documents. It only copied documents that you had produced yourself.</div>
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You could not make mistakes on your master document. There was no way to erase errors, so imagine creating a complex work sheet and then adding a spelling mistake at the end. Arrggggh!</div>
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You fed the master into the machine which was filled with a stinky fluid. Then you turned the handle and copies came out, equally smelly, and damp. There was a limit on how many copies you could get. After about 30 copies they started to fade. You might get another class set out of the master but then your only option was to create another master by hand, all over again.</div>
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One of the worst things that could happen to you when feeding your master into the machine and turning the handle, was the master crunching up. If you were lucky you could un-crunch it, and have copies covered in crease marks and the writing distorted. If you were unlucky it was back to creating a new master. Not ideal when you needed copies for your class in 10 minutes! <br />
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New teachers - you don't know how lucky you are! </div>
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What are your experiences of using the Banda? Did you have any disasters? What was the most complex worksheet you managed to duplicate? What tips would you give to anyone wanting to use a Banda Machine today?</div>
<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-46328539720911945452017-07-02T13:00:00.003+01:002017-07-02T13:08:32.613+01:00Is OFSTED King of the Hokey Cokey?<a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/schools-must-plan-curriculum-and-be-able-to-show-inspectors-says-harford/">SchoolsWeek reports</a> that Sean Harford, Ofsted’s national director of education, has said Ofsted would increasingly look for evidence of “strategic decision-making” in a school’s curriculum, something that was likely to form part of a new common inspection framework in September 2019.<br />
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The King said, "jump to the left!" "If you do not jump to the left we will put you out of a job and publicly humiliate you." <br />
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So we jumped to the left.<br />
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The King then said, "you jumped to the left! Why did you not see that jumping to the left would mean you were no longer going straight ahead?" <br />
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The people always knew that going straight ahead was the best direction to take.<br />
The people would like to go straight ahead. We know it is right.<br />
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But, instead of just going straight ahead, we wanted the King to tell us to go straight ahead. So we waited for the instruction.<br />
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The King is always right, so jumping to the left cannot have been wrong.<br />
So, the King said, "continue to jump to the left, but at the same time jump to the right".<br />
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The leaders of the people told their followers to jump to the left and to the right at the same time.<br />
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Long live the King!AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-36920882645787007052017-06-08T14:06:00.002+01:002017-06-08T14:06:40.411+01:00Will You Need a Religion To Go To School?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngDyOMfFUcLAtFv1t1VUeoyOqOdRH8iqM5J4-w1aTnn_lrkOj1XGaXmD6dXwJKq5IVhKwVLD0XhjtNFmawesczfAvRgyj4_ys1kJgymDGv3hJkTvvvVlGLsrrc-2xEPszTnavGiJ4_bcv/s1600/religions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="477" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngDyOMfFUcLAtFv1t1VUeoyOqOdRH8iqM5J4-w1aTnn_lrkOj1XGaXmD6dXwJKq5IVhKwVLD0XhjtNFmawesczfAvRgyj4_ys1kJgymDGv3hJkTvvvVlGLsrrc-2xEPszTnavGiJ4_bcv/s320/religions.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The UK is a modern industrialised society, with all the benefits this brings to its population.</div>
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The rule of law, protection from harm, health care, education of the population, are all essential facets of modern living in the UK. These entitlements are granted to all citizens regardless of their beliefs. </div>
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But for how much longer?<br />
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You may think that the UK is a secular society, where you are free to have a religion but it generally does not impinge on the day to day life of the population.<br />
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But for how much longer?<br />
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The government has announced that we are going to have even more Free Schools for different faiths run by “believers”.<br />
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We have Islamist terrorists blowing up and stabbing to death, non-believers, in the name of their religion. The law of Allah comes before the law of man.<br /><br />In this report from <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/catholic-church-backs-down-on-faith-certificate-court-challenge/">Schools Week</a> Catholics are NOT going to let you into their schools unless you have a form from the local priest saying you have been a practising Catholic for at least 5 years.<br />
<br />What the hell is going on in this country?<br />
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Will you soon have to be a regular worshipper to get into a school in the UK? Are we going back to the Middle Ages?<br />
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For how much longer, are we going to put up with this madness?AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-84428245375396942302017-06-08T10:53:00.000+01:002017-06-08T11:59:51.712+01:00Do All UK Schools Teach British Values in Assembly?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You probably have a picture of what goes on in School Assembly in the UK. If you went to a UK school, or are in one now, you can think of your school's Assemblies, and probably imagine them as being typical. Many students might say that Assemblies are "boring". But the Assembly Leader is trying to get over a message to the students.<br />
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Do all UK schools teach similar things in Assembly? Should they?<br />
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We assume that school Assemblies in UK schools teach British values. <br />
Amongst these values, most UK citizens would identify tolerance and democracy as key components.<br />
If you are an Assembly leader in a UK school you probably give a lot of thought to the messages you are giving to young people. If you are a parent of a child in a UK school you assume that Assembly leaders are teaching British values.<br />
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But are all schools teaching British values in Assembly?<br />
Does it matter?<br />
Would you be happy if schools were teaching hatred of others?<br />
Here is an example. Is this typical? Is your school Assembly like this one? Are we showing British tolerance by allowing Assemblies like this?<br />
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Would you be happy for your child to be in an Assembly like this? This is happening in some schools in the UK as we can see in the video. <br />
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The school in the video is still operating and it's website is <a href="http://www.darululoom.org.uk/">here</a>. <br />
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<a href="http://www.darululoom.org.uk/tarbiyyah/">On this website</a> the school says it "<i>provides a great emphasis on Tarbiyyah (moral and spiritual training) of students. And in doing so instilling in them excellent adab and akhlaaq (manners and good character) and a strong attachment to Allaah and the Sunnah of the Prophet Sallallaah Alahi Wa sallam.</i>"<br />
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Is this the "moral and spiritual training" you thought was going on in UK School Assemblies?<br />
Should we show our British reserve and look the other way?<br />
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AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-57108086817808325202017-06-02T16:06:00.000+01:002017-06-03T21:20:15.012+01:00Student Target Grade Bullseye or Bullshit?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9u1SRFlTf8aLMvLoPJ4EtTHSWK1ammLugpF8B2GhpZBh-KgS9VZnNkrC3rlAvvpqBN35ZCGMqL8kYqVkTdsk44U9pnrTYzYCMe6ygJIM00W1rsb_nToH75JjEYlyLBctvraFiHkTweXw/s1600/targets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="413" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9u1SRFlTf8aLMvLoPJ4EtTHSWK1ammLugpF8B2GhpZBh-KgS9VZnNkrC3rlAvvpqBN35ZCGMqL8kYqVkTdsk44U9pnrTYzYCMe6ygJIM00W1rsb_nToH75JjEYlyLBctvraFiHkTweXw/s320/targets.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Each of the students in your class has a target grade. As a teacher you are expected to ensure that your students achieve these grades. Simple.<br />
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To make sure that you are doing everything possible to make this happen, your school collects data regularly on what grade each of your students is achieving. You enter this data into SIMS and SLT can look at this to see who is not achieving their targets. <br />
<br />
If any of your students is not demonstrating that they are on target, SLT will want to know what you are doing about it. They will want an action plan. They will want “interventions”. SLT will not be happy until the student is on track to achieve their target. SLT will report to governors, who are tracking what % of students are on target. If students are not on target, governors will want to know what SLT are doing about it.<br />
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As a subject teacher, you have no real idea what the target actually means. Everyone else seems to be happy with targets, so you go along with it. When it is time to submit your target data for your class of 30 students, you have a target for each student and you have to give that student’s current achievement. Do you put, “on target”, “ahead of target”, “below target”? If you put “below target” you know that you are going to be subject to an inquisition from your line manager (because they are going to get an inquisition from their line manager). You will need to say what it is about the student’s performance that is “below target”. You have no idea because you don’t know what the target means anyway.<br />
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So, you mentally rank all the students in your class in order of achievement. Most of them “must” be “on target”. After all, the target is what this child should achieve. Eric rarely comes to lessons so Eric cannot be “on target”. Eric must be “below target” and we know why. He never comes to class. Amanda does such a lot of work at home and is always polite. If anyone is “above target”, it must be Amanda. She will feel much better if we give her “above target” and she is a nice person.<br />
<br />
So we have 28 students who are “on target”, Eric is “below target”, Amanda is “above target”. Go to SIMS, and copy all the targets into the achievement column, but edit the score for Eric and Amanda.<br />
Make sure you keep a copy of this because when the next data collection happens, Amanda must remain “above target” or there will be all hell to pay about her going backwards and you will be asked to explain why she is no longer “above target”. As you have no idea what a target is anyway, this would be difficult to explain. So avoid this at all costs.<br />
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With this system you can complete your reports even before you have taught much to the students. The students are happy (except for Eric but he never comes anyway), SLT are happy, the governors are happy, parents are happy.<br />
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The only people who are not happy are those teachers who have not yet worked out this system is used by every other teacher in the country.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-80486175516657571712017-05-31T19:37:00.000+01:002017-05-31T19:42:00.254+01:00Will Sir David Carter Stop the Rot Spreading?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZz-zS_ceUdnVRheJ1k02tDsJ5mw8l4hRqBpSWYo1DhlAYC9nhnTY3Ciy6-BDDTDyDLIQvK74-J2qyPj0rRiDpjLraLSI5brEzauIGOpvxxM9y21GdaHdiBIFRMkiiMaJZ4u0-dUCIaCn2/s1600/rottingfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="717" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZz-zS_ceUdnVRheJ1k02tDsJ5mw8l4hRqBpSWYo1DhlAYC9nhnTY3Ciy6-BDDTDyDLIQvK74-J2qyPj0rRiDpjLraLSI5brEzauIGOpvxxM9y21GdaHdiBIFRMkiiMaJZ4u0-dUCIaCn2/s320/rottingfish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
It is reported <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/south-west-rsc-rebecca-clark-to-leave-for-ark-academy-chain-job/">here</a> that another Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC), Rebecca Clark, leaves the job to join an academy chain. This is the 6th RSC to leave the post since RSCs were created. Most of them have gone to work for academy chains that they were previously responsible for regulating.<br />
<br />
The situation stinks.<br />
<br />
The problem is that the Minister in charge of Academies bought his peerage and thereby his ministerial position. So he is highly unlikely to condemn others. It is a case of "follow my leader".<br />
<br />
I feel concerned for any remaining RSCs. Any decision they make will be looked at with suspicion in case they are just lining themselves up for a big pay packet somewhere.<br />
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They say "the fish rots from the head". I cannot see anyone in a position of power who is able to cut out the rot. The gangrene is spreading, and we all know what happens if you don't deal with it quickly.<br />
<br />
Sir David Carter should be making a statement on how we put a stop to this unsavoury practice, not least before he becomes a Chief without any Indians. If not Sir David Carter, who?AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-20664091561907754632017-05-30T11:23:00.002+01:002017-05-30T11:23:52.014+01:00The God of Faith Based Schools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPmBdUPltZSPS_7l0y7BURrnOxAd5IJsU42Z2aEtsplvZPHgQDaHZXhBH4RkGb-XbL9LuUkmRpEmJ8q9Y4lUCT9-7bDUMIHYVGQwARzubCxtMWLA7exwHPLKHfr_NZ7JyKajSzeOpB0AH/s1600/handofgod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyFLECbCAOwvqEdI4L5lMvgACd-sAquKqT-sz9jUFKqJYPeXORafzTiTsYSP1pVEo-6svMb_wEGIs5S3IbeBbYPQnTNEYw1OxbOgaVQtypaOHLbfaWhvxpVF0TvzSyM4eX_jGOLo1_3q1/s1600/handofgod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="347" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyFLECbCAOwvqEdI4L5lMvgACd-sAquKqT-sz9jUFKqJYPeXORafzTiTsYSP1pVEo-6svMb_wEGIs5S3IbeBbYPQnTNEYw1OxbOgaVQtypaOHLbfaWhvxpVF0TvzSyM4eX_jGOLo1_3q1/s320/handofgod.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
At a time when the government says it wants to improve relations between different communities in the UK, segregating young people on the basis of religion seems to be encouraging the opposite.<br />
<br />
The main reason for having faith based schools is to promote a view of the world that adherents believe is right, and better than the world view of other faiths. Those with a strong faith believe their God is better than your God: clearly they can't all be correct. <br />
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Constantly reinforcing the idea that other people have chosen the wrong God should not be the job of schools. Schools should be engaged in the business of encouraging students to make up their own minds on all issues, based on weighing the evidence.<br />
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Schools should not be engaged in indoctrination, which hinders community cohesion, and worse.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-72802168672143701892017-05-26T11:17:00.002+01:002017-05-26T11:17:45.672+01:00Education in a Banana Republic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-g9Lzomd4l22svuKyUCBtMz83WWBBeFwKaNu42oyJvHh6BKQtqLZ8JbUguf7l5JATA7yl-Ku3EspTznvLJOcb_z7kpPlDEzteh2g3o7nkrej3D1iqIPbCOg1Y9-3YGYNGKNG6-cC8OlcR/s1600/bananarepublic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-g9Lzomd4l22svuKyUCBtMz83WWBBeFwKaNu42oyJvHh6BKQtqLZ8JbUguf7l5JATA7yl-Ku3EspTznvLJOcb_z7kpPlDEzteh2g3o7nkrej3D1iqIPbCOg1Y9-3YGYNGKNG6-cC8OlcR/s1600/bananarepublic.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
There is a little known banana republic where <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/investigation-dfe-hid-damaging-lord-nash-academy-cost-emails/">dubious practices</a> abound. <br />
<br />
As a business man you can give large sums of money to the government, resulting in that government giving you a title or honour, and thereby enabling you to be appointed to a paid ministerial position.<br />
<br />
The position you get as a minister is overseeing the area of public life where you run your own company, which takes money from the public purse to operate. As an unelected business man you are responsible for how £billions of public money is spent. <br />
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In a modern country you would be subject to the checks and balances of openness and publicly available accounts. But in this banana republic you can instruct your civil servants to keep financial dealings secret or if forced to reveal what is going on, can obfuscate or redact documents.<br />
<br />And the name of this banana republic?<br />
<br />
The United Kingdom.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-55209713107664893152017-05-23T21:42:00.003+01:002017-05-23T21:42:21.629+01:00Is Universal Free School Breakfast Policy Half-Baked?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8flDDLLk1Udzk2mn4J66Aq2pyH72ZTf8UPAeGFCGLCSaWPxPa5sWQws1mEzgU5CNWd7IW3AwIOxzM1iWrCvzq7R5bZlkwTr3_vSVZBk95UMVFlO930JSZ43NdRFQxUhRfAWgMLKUyrZO/s1600/halfbaked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ8flDDLLk1Udzk2mn4J66Aq2pyH72ZTf8UPAeGFCGLCSaWPxPa5sWQws1mEzgU5CNWd7IW3AwIOxzM1iWrCvzq7R5bZlkwTr3_vSVZBk95UMVFlO930JSZ43NdRFQxUhRfAWgMLKUyrZO/s320/halfbaked.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
One of the unforeseen consequences of offering free breakfasts to all primary school children is that a lot more children will be arriving at school much earlier.<br />
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Without substantial supervision this is going to have negative consequences on pupil behaviour,<br />
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which will impact on learning throughout the day.<br />
<br />
I don't see employing one teaching assistant as a solution. <br />
<br />
Did any of the studies into universal breakfasts look into this potential negative effect? <br />
<br />
The policy could be saving money on food but then costing a huge amount in supervision costs.<br />
<br />
As a policy it seems a bit half-baked.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-4700522427548758142017-05-23T08:59:00.001+01:002017-05-23T08:59:15.687+01:00Is Teach First a Parasite?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ1StWIJw6AQf1905VV4SY0_jcE3AOXnYXhEuIBwJExQYNgYiAmuyNSHtWIMd5Ojkf1dDKBYUiRbJ8C6ePO7ap7TRpZivZY9wavd2S_oe-2yENue4t_L_s0qfDhfxC2IsSgb5kDebd_Sg/s1600/tapeworm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ1StWIJw6AQf1905VV4SY0_jcE3AOXnYXhEuIBwJExQYNgYiAmuyNSHtWIMd5Ojkf1dDKBYUiRbJ8C6ePO7ap7TRpZivZY9wavd2S_oe-2yENue4t_L_s0qfDhfxC2IsSgb5kDebd_Sg/s320/tapeworm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
According to <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/teach-first-criticised-for-pwc-job-deferral-partnership/">Schools Week</a>, Teach First has an arrangement to funnel new teachers into accountancy firm PwC after 2 years working in schools.<br />
<br />
This latest initiative from Teach First only confirms what many career teachers have felt for a long time. Rather than helping the education system, Teach First is a parasite.<br />
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It is a big commitment for practising teachers to train new entrants, but they do that with the assumption that it is helping a new person join the teaching profession. They do not expect their expertise to be used on a continuous conveyor belt of training young graduates to become accountants. Teachers feel that they are being sucked dry by governments, and now they can see that they have to contend with parasites on the inside too.<br />
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Of course PwC are going to welcome new employees who have had 2 years free management training at the expense of the state.<br />
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The sad part about this is that there are genuine people who want to come into teaching. They will be undermined by those who want to come in and play with poor people's children as a way of climbing the corporate business ladder.<br />
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If this approach was happening in the leafy suburbs or the private sector, there would be outrage.<br />
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If something is not done about this quickly, the parasite is going to kill the host.<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-30813332071673336722017-05-19T17:00:00.002+01:002017-05-19T17:00:22.531+01:00DfE Thinks "The Thick of It" Is a Philosophy Manual<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdupBkY1I1QbcjUfn3I7XQy-WsgW8GTp1IZx0kdTQs7FK3ssB8hAzNeVYjpNfjPec95TQiCPKH5uzmUqtFva6XO5-ShgVNg3TCdqX9Q9JXFMuIf_GAIGFGo3quZkGYDGDUTjFtdXJMOvVJ/s1600/ebacktothefuture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdupBkY1I1QbcjUfn3I7XQy-WsgW8GTp1IZx0kdTQs7FK3ssB8hAzNeVYjpNfjPec95TQiCPKH5uzmUqtFva6XO5-ShgVNg3TCdqX9Q9JXFMuIf_GAIGFGo3quZkGYDGDUTjFtdXJMOvVJ/s320/ebacktothefuture.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-believes-fewer-teachers-in-creative-subjects-will-be-needed-in-the-future/">DfE believes fewer teachers in creative subjects will be needed in the future</a>.</div>
<br />
I have a feeling that the DfE and the Brexit department are not on the same page with planning the future workforce needs of the UK.<br />
<br />
With immigration destined to reduce after Brexit, the sensible plan being expounded is to train our own young people in the skills that we are short of.<br />
<br />So to further this aim of being self-sufficient in technical skills, the DfE are increasing the number of Geography Teachers, and killing off Design and Technology Teaching (amongst other subjects).<br />
<br />
At the current rate of progress with this EBacc programme, in 5 years time we will have to import skilled Technologists, Artists, Musicians etc from outside the UK, whilst our own young people who would love to have a job in these areas, will be qualified in GCSE Geography.<br />
<br />
Brilliant!<br />
<br />
It takes real skill on behalf of the DfE to display this level of incompetence. "<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qgrd">The Thick of It</a>" is like a philosophy manual in comparison to the planning strategies of the DfE.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-20514640250323391802017-05-12T22:51:00.001+01:002017-05-12T23:01:59.899+01:00MATs - Modern Day Slavery in Action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpWo9F1Lz6TszHrh3pwY6vBoUV-iKUCGEl65sNjLhMeSkOB7Lx-VkZzmlt2SWjn9BLKvekv_VQcP8BbvcShHKuOztXUrhs7MhzNglwn6Vg2RzAjK9SoBWGu2oKumgKjmmOGIs81cYEfBb/s1600/slavery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpWo9F1Lz6TszHrh3pwY6vBoUV-iKUCGEl65sNjLhMeSkOB7Lx-VkZzmlt2SWjn9BLKvekv_VQcP8BbvcShHKuOztXUrhs7MhzNglwn6Vg2RzAjK9SoBWGu2oKumgKjmmOGIs81cYEfBb/s320/slavery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Most of us thought slavery had been abolished more than 100 years ago.<br />
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Slavery is any system in which principles of property law are applied to people, allowing individuals to own, buy and sell other individuals. A slave is unable to withdraw unilaterally from such an arrangement.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/no-way-back-how-a-mat-disbanded-a-school-governing-body-because-it">In this story</a> in the TES, Governors of Greengate Lane Academy in Sheffield wanted to hold a formal vote on leaving Reach4 – a multi-academy trust (MAT) in Sheffield and South Yorkshire - which has since been rebranded as Astrea. But before the vote could be taken, the MAT dissolved the school’s local governing body on 4 April and replaced it with a transition-management board.<br />
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Governors of Greengate Lane Academy had been told that they would be able to leave Reach4 if they wanted to, but once the paperwork was signed their fate was sealed. Not only did the Governors of Greengate Lane Academy lose all control, they lost the school's surplus of £270,000 which was pocketed by Reach4. After complaining about this appropriation of control and finances, the Governors of Greengate Lane Academy were sacked.<br />
<br />
The local community has lost all control of the school, the money that they paid into the school, and any influence on the strategic direction of the school. <br />
<br />
The students and staff of Greengate Lane Academy are little more than chattels to be traded with other MATs. They have no say. The governors have no say. The local community has no say. <br />
<br />
<b>This is modern day slavery.</b><br />
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Most surprising of all is that this is all perfectly legal. <br />
<br />
Greengate Lane Academy is a good school. It did not need to be rescued to improve it. It had a nice pot of cash reserves that someone had their eye on. <br />
<br />
<b>Your</b> school, its buildings, teachers and students, can be taken from your community. Traded as a chattel. <br />
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Beware the MATs, the modern day slave traders!<br />
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<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-1308012463063462202017-05-08T16:04:00.001+01:002017-05-08T16:11:36.810+01:00Is the Future a Sky Education Subscription?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42zJl4s10k9ILHEGBgZ9Z1ybBBqBa6uKZTVrJa3fEY392u4l1TT5YmVuSeoKFVPGr2xOIlf7YTfqKMUoUb4snNQEuLt7V_zU2FNmN06SFLc7oxwLY8afb412D2_4g5vPEG0Dt4lRm7Lyp/s1600/sky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42zJl4s10k9ILHEGBgZ9Z1ybBBqBa6uKZTVrJa3fEY392u4l1TT5YmVuSeoKFVPGr2xOIlf7YTfqKMUoUb4snNQEuLt7V_zU2FNmN06SFLc7oxwLY8afb412D2_4g5vPEG0Dt4lRm7Lyp/s320/sky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Is the school transfer market becoming like that of the football league?<br />
<br />
Will outstanding schools wanting to join a chain, start to employ their own agents to obtain the best deal?<br />
<br />
We already have rich sponsors owning MATs just like they own football clubs. <br />
Super managers like Regional Schools Commissioners are being bought up by MATs (50% of RSCs so far).<br />
Poorer performing schools are relegated so that no MAT wants to buy them.<br />
<br />
All the money in "the game" is gravitating to the top and little money is left for grass roots education.<br />
The poorer teams are left with part time professionals called teaching assistants. The richer clubs have season ticket "requests" and expensive uniforms which exclude poorer families who find it a struggle to purchase them.<br />
<br />
Rupert Murdoch changed football with Sky TV sponsorship.<br />
<br />
Michael Gove is back in Rupert's arms, so how long before English Education becomes part of "the glorious game"?<br />
<br />
Get your Sky Education Subscription now and your child can have full colour, HD learning in a Premier School.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-62114306298832160862017-05-08T15:52:00.002+01:002017-05-08T15:56:26.024+01:00Teaching's Lost Compass<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAAjdGaskdugZ5QgsfA1-pViQp9kzDbaK_4CYU8uYhheUU_1zBVfBVP7o6A9pegM6lij8NQu4kZ9bKSwi1dabkJT5PpVAbTAhQFyQTyZ2OsQ5QseL3Ls4S4_g0GVbuqwq4ru_eMgR0fgA/s1600/compass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwAAjdGaskdugZ5QgsfA1-pViQp9kzDbaK_4CYU8uYhheUU_1zBVfBVP7o6A9pegM6lij8NQu4kZ9bKSwi1dabkJT5PpVAbTAhQFyQTyZ2OsQ5QseL3Ls4S4_g0GVbuqwq4ru_eMgR0fgA/s200/compass.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We seem to be moving towards the concept that teachers have to be researchers.<br />
We all have to be researching the silver bullet.<br />
<br />
Why?<br />
<br />
The new Chartered College of Teaching seems to be majoring on the idea of giving teachers access to oodles of research papers. As if giving teachers lots of data will turn them into super teachers.<br />
<br />
Teaching is a complex business.<br />
How many lessons have you watched where all the boxes were ticked but the lesson was not good?<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way the profession has jumped on a treadmill that it cannot get off. Our only response is "go faster". Never mind the direction, "just go faster".<br />
<br />
It seems safer to just go along with current fad. Prove your management skill by making your staff go faster.<br />
<br />
We need direction, but who can provide it?<br />
<br />
I recall a science lesson where a year 7 student told me that a compass always pointed forward. <br />
<br />
The teaching profession needs a compass, but also the ability to use it properly.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-57326303520296164832017-03-31T20:39:00.000+01:002017-04-05T12:14:13.203+01:00The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, GCSE Passes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM2fbH-vOEo16j32en8I2rbnep0KC3h-4b-7z87vzqHlNYyzsR1b6sux9OUpTttpmXjYWZo8f_KjdYn0S3UPnnQWpaQHq_HPklFpIwLojY_tAOQ3XQOR6iJ9VaiU8bCTAF8BtqRKyIkjH/s1600/thegoodthebadandtheugly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzM2fbH-vOEo16j32en8I2rbnep0KC3h-4b-7z87vzqHlNYyzsR1b6sux9OUpTttpmXjYWZo8f_KjdYn0S3UPnnQWpaQHq_HPklFpIwLojY_tAOQ3XQOR6iJ9VaiU8bCTAF8BtqRKyIkjH/s320/thegoodthebadandtheugly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Are you confused about the new GCSE grading system? It has grades 1 to 9, with 9 being the highest.<br />
<br />
As reported in <a href="http://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofqual-omits-strong-grade-from-new-gcse-guidance/">Schools Week</a>.<br />
Grade 4 is a "good pass" according to Ofqual.<br />
Grade 4 is a "standard pass" according to the DfE.<br />
<br />
This must mean that "good" and "standard" mean the same thing. Call me old fashioned but I always thought "good" meant better than "standard".<br />
<br />
Are you confused?<br />
<br />
Well Ofqual has been warning that users will be confused about the new GCSE grades, so has decided to clarify things.<br />
<br />
To clarify things, Ofqual has just sent out guidance to schools saying "grade 4 is a good pass". But they also say that they have other literature which says that grade 4 is a standard pass. But they have not sent this other literature out to schools.<br />
<br />
So how do you rate Ofqual's clarification?<br />
<br />
Is it a "good clarification" or a "standard clarification"?<br />
We used to call this a "cock-up".<br />
<br />
The Secretary of State for Education has called a grade 5 GCSE, a "strong pass".<br />
<br />
Ofqual is correct in one aspect. Users will be confused about the new grades. Only an idiot could understand them.AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-19751064386101622252016-05-13T13:35:00.001+01:002017-04-01T14:30:48.129+01:00The Crankshaft Test for Primary Schools<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAlReBjLilgcH5ElfMGZvi45QDDp3Wj-K_2XNaallSK79-8Rr7kKFwbbExv9D8iKDw1T3xcFrEo7CjXunvJlnFeeLdMTR63zYk2i0tmSDWsc9tBNihakjfGH3Trdigx3ytZth1x0O9rg4/s1600/crankshaft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAlReBjLilgcH5ElfMGZvi45QDDp3Wj-K_2XNaallSK79-8Rr7kKFwbbExv9D8iKDw1T3xcFrEo7CjXunvJlnFeeLdMTR63zYk2i0tmSDWsc9tBNihakjfGH3Trdigx3ytZth1x0O9rg4/s320/crankshaft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is discussion about how many English primary schools should be classified as failing this year. Should it be an increase of 1 percent, or 1 percentage point? This is the level of argument that we have descended to.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Whether it is 1 per cent or 1 percentage point, the system
is wrong. The figures are purely arbitrary. It means that the government has
decided that however good schools become, they plan to fail a particular
number. They can pick any number they wish, and this is what they are doing.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Imagine if we did the same with driving tests. You could be
a good driver but the authorities could decide that a set percentage always
have to fail. Why would you do that? Would the population feel that was
reasonable or fair?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">To continue the analogy, the driving test could fail you if
you did not know what a crankshaft was, even though it had no bearing on your
ability to drive. Driving instructors would have to give lessons in crankshafts
and drivers would be more likely to pass the driving test if they knew about
crankshafts, than if they were good drivers.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Something is seriously wrong with this policy.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-55528298408107329432016-05-13T12:18:00.001+01:002016-05-13T12:18:12.198+01:00Are YOU The Organ Grinder's Monkey?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU7TFmevqw_RYz8oThNYR-ii_vCvwXh_D_u6lIezHv5qt2EA7qFy7lPBHi3kaq3sJ-DhupVByo6HC0bWl6zSDBsCKT-6bcMPtvofqbTFT5ZLoA7LtidaoMSsl97cwOG8eMbpGJ-2XgcpK/s1600/organgrindermonkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU7TFmevqw_RYz8oThNYR-ii_vCvwXh_D_u6lIezHv5qt2EA7qFy7lPBHi3kaq3sJ-DhupVByo6HC0bWl6zSDBsCKT-6bcMPtvofqbTFT5ZLoA7LtidaoMSsl97cwOG8eMbpGJ-2XgcpK/s1600/organgrindermonkey.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">Many Academies are having to cut costs due to budget constraints. To save money on any significant scale requires cuts to staffing. So is this an issue for all schools, or is it a particular issue for schools in a Multi Academy Trust (MAT)?</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">It is an issue where a MAT makes the decision to cut
staffing and the individual Academy Headteacher has no say in the matter.
Especially where the CEO is on a very high salary.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">It is an issue where a MAT sacks all of its support staff
and tells them they can apply for their old jobs but on a lower salary. What
does that do for morale in an individual Academy? </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">It is clear to everyone that an individual Academy
Headteacher no longer has any power. It undermines their authority, autonomy,
and their job satisfaction.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: calibri;">It is an issue where the CEO (Lord Nash) can give his own
unqualified daughter a job as a teacher in his own schools on no pay, and let
her appoint staff and write the History curriculum for the qualified teachers.
Will we be replacing all qualified teachers with freebies courtesy of the CEO's
gene pool?</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">The issue is one of power and who makes the decisions. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: calibri;">If
YOU are a Headteacher in a MAT, YOU are now the organ grinder's monkey.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-6563506731103757432016-05-12T19:44:00.000+01:002016-05-12T20:03:16.131+01:00Improve Teaching the Lord Nash Way<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL4Aw1JoGvq680Sp9WnlhhH8cSX5TVcBkfVWiU8Y8emuB7UVFS9JSA1q5snpTI4Z57mRrzAu9_DQt7ht88AUE8okLH6nYL-bVnahDA4VHGD1CFqtij9R7geXaKF9lv_foY0-pFgOVmpdz/s1600/nepotism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikL4Aw1JoGvq680Sp9WnlhhH8cSX5TVcBkfVWiU8Y8emuB7UVFS9JSA1q5snpTI4Z57mRrzAu9_DQt7ht88AUE8okLH6nYL-bVnahDA4VHGD1CFqtij9R7geXaKF9lv_foY0-pFgOVmpdz/s1600/nepotism.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
It is reported <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/12/unqualified-daughter-of-minister-teaches-in-his-academy-schools?"><span style="color: orange;">here</span></a> in the Guardian that Schools Minister Lord Nash is "employing" his own daughter Josephine, to teach in his Academies. I place the word employing in inverted commas because Josephine does this for free. She has no teaching qualifications to teach History to years 6, 7, and 11, but because she does this for nothing I guess some people might think this is OK.<br />
<br />
Well some of the parents of the children taught by Josephine don't think it is OK and they have complained to the Academy Trust. So I guess Lord Nash will have to raise it in a board meeting, talk to himself, and then decide if he is going to tell himself off. As the board mainly comprises Lord Nash and his wife, I think we can all guess what the outcome of that discussion might be. As Lord Nash does not believe in having parents on the board of governors in his Academies I think we can all see how much weight he is going to give to parents' views.<br />
<br />
Josephine is also writing the History Curriculum for the Academies in the trust and in her spare moments she appoints staff to the Academies.<br />
<br />
<b>Expectations</b><br />
If you were a hedge fund manager who gave loadsa money to the Conservative Party, you probably expected to be handed a peerage and then to be given an unelected ministerial position in government, followed by 4 state schools for free. So letting your own daughter teach History to some of the kids, and letting her appoint your staff, seems perfectly normal.<br />
<br />
Well to some of us it feels like the worst type of nepotism. Apparently it is all totally legal. Of course Lord Nash is responsible for writing the rules on Academies so no problems here.<br />
<br />
<b>OFSTED</b><br />
What would OFSTED think? Well, Lord Nash has prevented OFSTED inspecting Academy chains, so no problems here either.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Opportunities</b><br />
I started to wonder how this approach might work in other areas of work.<br />
<br />
Perhaps a Police Chief Constable could let his civilian daughter loose in a squad car, or let her arrest a few criminals on a Saturday afternoon. After all, everyone can drive a car and we have all seen drunks at the weekend.<br />
<br />
How about a hospital trust CEO getting his non-doctor son do a few operations. They are technically his trust's patients so they probably wouldn't mind being operated on. The trust CEO has mentioned many details about operations over the years at the dinner table and his son is a quick learner. Executives know that learning from mistakes is an essential part of life (and death).<br />
<br />
<b>Thank you Lord Nash</b><br />
I'm sure dear reader that you can think of many other examples. We should thank Lord Nash for bringing the skills he has learnt as a hedge fund manager, into our state education service. It will save a lot of money in teacher costs in the long run and Lord Nash obviously knows a lot about the power of money.<br />
<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-60807239455339773582016-03-30T11:05:00.000+01:002016-04-07T09:44:43.735+01:00unBritish Values<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVLNDzhUbHs8ytN1Zeps-NSKUUvTo7zvzlRfwsmUGdWvfimzJAUnVg67DNgZOS2I1BsOpFWJjpjeVT5NGKlAcI1eMWT8iWUXQOvDw3QC823_9bXZidLz-cCj3mdfQacem5WOOR9W9G92s/s1600/unbritishvaluesflag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguVLNDzhUbHs8ytN1Zeps-NSKUUvTo7zvzlRfwsmUGdWvfimzJAUnVg67DNgZOS2I1BsOpFWJjpjeVT5NGKlAcI1eMWT8iWUXQOvDw3QC823_9bXZidLz-cCj3mdfQacem5WOOR9W9G92s/s320/unbritishvaluesflag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We hear a lot about British Values. I guess the opposite of British Values would be unBritish Values.Not sure what unBritish Values are? Well here are some examples.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">unBritish Value - Non Democracy. Lord Nash bought his
peerage, runs academies with no parent governors & is Academies Minister</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">unBritish Value - Not Rule of Law. Academy chains claim non
profit making. BUT Huge CEO salaries, reserves of £2.5billion taken from British Taxpayers.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">unBritish Value - Not Liberty. Schools join MATs and the
parents & governing body lose all powers. Once in a MAT the school ceases to exist and cannot leave the MAT ever! The Secretary of State for Education can move the ex-school to any MAT of his/her choice.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">unBritish Value - Not Tolerance. Academy Chains exclude
less able students to boost results.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">unBritish Value - Not Respect. The government plans to force ALL schools to become Academies by 2020 despite 80% of primary schools not wanting to be Academies.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Perhaps you know of more unBritish Values. Let us know.</span></div>
<br />
<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-2496922866718698872016-03-29T10:15:00.000+01:002016-03-29T10:52:23.195+01:00How Forced Academisation & Sell Off Was Always Gove's PlanMichael Gove set up <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_Exchange">Policy Exchange</a> with others in 2002. In 2009 Sam Freedman was Head of the Education Unit for Policy Exchange and he produced the report <a href="http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/publications/a%20guide%20to%20school%20choice%20reforms.pdf">A Guide to School Choice Reforms</a>.<br />
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Some of the current state of Academisation can be seen being planned in the summary of this report. It was always intended that Academisation would not be reversible; that Academies would have to join together; that commercial companies would start to take control; that power would be taken away from Local Authorities.</div>
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<div>
The next steps are to give control over Academies to private companies such as Serco, as Michael Gove states in this speech to Policy Exchange in 2010. Below is the full speech followed by a link to the point in the video where he explains how companies can own schools.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KoonbbuUqKU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KoonbbuUqKU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<a href="https://youtu.be/KoonbbuUqKU?t=24m38s"><span style="color: orange;">Click here to go to the point where Mr Gove tells Serco they can have control of schools</span></a>.</div>
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All of this has been in the public domain. However, the government did not inform the public of these plans. To keep the public in the dark they had to demonise teachers to discredit any opposition. Mr Gove and Policy Exchange never wanted the public to fully understand what was being planned. The intention all along was to get the system into such a mess that the plans were irreversible. Now we have the mess, and the public don't like it. If the public eventually realise that this mess was planned, Michael Gove and his Policy Exchange cronies might get their just rewards.</div>
<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-62095513406884844472016-03-28T18:48:00.000+01:002016-03-28T18:48:11.569+01:00Nicky Morgan Inspires Teachers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Imagine you are responsible for an education service comprising 500,000 professional teachers that you want to encourage to greater heights. These people are at the chalk-face and without them your reforms are dead in the water. Unfortunately you have no experience of State Education yourself or of managing a large organisation. In fact you actively despise teachers. This is how you might do it.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Education Secretary Nicky Morgan was invited to speak at the
NASUWT's teaching conference where she told teachers that all schools will
become academies - and that teachers should be more positive to stop young
people being put off a career in teaching.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923387022020339961.post-43305161811723473782016-03-18T11:56:00.002+00:002016-03-18T11:56:59.997+00:00Newsnight Tells Nick Gibb That The DfE is a Catastrophe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">BBC NewsNight Policy Editor Chris Cook tells Schools Minister Nick Gibb, the Department of Education is a 'catastrophe'. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Nick Gibb appeared on BBC Newsnight on 17/3/2016 to explain why it is essential to force all of England's schools to become Academies. Watch here and try not to punch your computer screen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Presenter James O'Brien begins the interview with Nick Gibb as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">The last Labour government introduced Academy Status for schools that were adjudged to need it.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">The Coalition government extended Academy Status to schools that really wanted it.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Your government is now imposing it on schools that neither need it, nor want it.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Nick Gibb replied with his usual. Pick any from the following:</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Outstanding, empower, successful, liberate, reform, hard working, brilliant head teachers. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 17px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">Try not to throw up or hurt anyone nearby.</span></div>
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<br />AssemblyTubehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00247956448909548153noreply@blogger.com0