Monday, July 27, 2009
The White Paper - Your Child, Your Schools, Our Future - our summary.
The Education White Paper published on 30th June outlines the challenges and changes schools face in the 21st century and the proposed reforms to meet them.
The reforms are wide-ranging and impact on both Primary and Secondary sectors and the roles and responsibilities of teachers, leaders, parents and learners. The proposals can be segregated into four areas:
1. The curriculum
2. School Partnerships
3. Leadership
4. Responsibilities
The Curriculum
The White Paper reforms respond to new challenges to the curriculum to ensure the central role of skills and competencies in 21st century schools. Curriculum changes proposed are designed to ensure all pupils :
"Think and work in teams, be flexible, adaptable and creative."
"To develop a sense of responsibility for themselves, for their health, for their environment, for their society."
"Develop respect and understanding for those from different backgrounds and the confidence and skills to make a positive contribution to their community."
For the Primary curriculum, adoption of the Rose Review recommendations to place Essential life skills and personal development at the centre of the curriculum, alongside literacy, mathematics and ICT is planned. This more flexible curriculum will be implemented in primary schools from 2011. The National Strategies for Numeracy and Literacy will be abolished under the reforms: primary schools will still be expected to deliver a daily hour of literacy and mathematics but funding will be returned to schools to access resources from wherever they feel appropriate. The Early Years and Foundation Stage curriculum will be reviewed in 2010.
The revised secondary curriculum launched in 2009 also places skills at the core of the curriculum through the personal, learning and thinking skills requirements. From 2013 all 14 year olds will be entitled to study any of the new Diplomas and 16 year olds will be entitled to an Apprenticeship.
School Partnerships.
The White Paper formally requires schools to collaborate with other schools in their everyday practice. Schools will be expected to provide some support and provision for all children in their area, not just those on their roll. Sharing of specialist teachers, extended hours provision and community facilities will be actively encouraged.
Networks and Federations of schools will fully supported as a model of preference by the government in both the secondary and primary sector and the DCSF will "fund a leadership and partnership national programme to support schools to manage change as partnerships develop." From 2011 Primary schools will be required to consider Executive Headship or Federation before appointing a new Head teacher. The White Paper also proposes schools will have multi-agency teams organised by Children's Trusts.
Leadership.
Headteachers will be required under the White Paper proposals to use their leadership skills in a wider range of contexts with opportunities to be Consultant leaders and Executive Heads. There will be a wider role for School Improvement Partners (SIPS) which will allow opportunities for this.
Responsibilities.
Almost all roles in the school community have responsibilities formally regulated and some legally enforceable under the White Paper proposals.
Pupil Guarantees will give new entitlements for personalised support for every child. Primary schoolchildren falling behind in Key Stage Two will have an entitlement to 10 hours of one-to-one tuition, those behind in Year 7 will have an entitlement to small group or one-to-one support. All Secondary schoolchildren will have a Personal Tutor.
Parent Guarantees will also be introduced to guarantee support to every parent who needs it. The Home-School Agreement remains and parents will now be required to sign it each year with the possibility of a court-imposed parenting order for parents who do not adhere to the school's behaviour policy. Parents will also be entitled under the reforms to require schools to act to address the behaviour of children other than their own in schools, if it is not in line with the agreed school policy.
All schools will be required to "report online in "real time" to parents about progress, behaviour and attendance." Secondary Schools need to implement this in 2010, Primary Schools by 2012.
Teachers will have new responsibilities through a new Professional Development regulation for teachers which will require every teacher to apply for a Licence to Teach, renewable every five years. Teachers will also be expected to enrol for the new Masters Qualification in Teaching and Learning during their career. These regulations will begin in 2011 with newly qualified teachers and those returning to the profession.
School governors will have more of their responsibilities enshrined in law and new training packages to support their work. There will be a new requirement for Chairs of School Governing Bodies to attend specific training. The reforms will also increase flexibility in the composition of a governing body to make it easier to recruit new governors.
Government responsibility to report to parents and the general public is addressed through the introduction of School Report Cards. The White Paper proposes the introduction of a new assessment given to each school once a year based on a broader range of measures than league tables currently use. Each school will be given a single overall Grade and rating based on the criteria. The proposal is to include the latest Ofsted Inspection judgement on the Report Card but alongside the other criteria.
All reforms proposed in the White Paper will be implemented over the next four years. The DCSF have produced a series of booklets to explain the changes to different sectors of the school community. There is a booklet for teachers, governors, parents and, in a welcome innovation, for the first time a booklet has been produced to explain the education reforms specifically for children.
To download The Your Child, Your School, Our Future Education White Paper or The Guides click here.