Sep 19 2016

APPG for Education addressed by Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner

On Tuesday 6th September, the APPG for Education hosted Sir David Carter, the National Schools Commissioner. Sir David provided the Group with his thoughts on the development of academies policy and an update on the work of Regional Schools Commissioners.

Sir David began by describing his 32 years in schools, as a music teacher, headteacher, Principal of John Cabot City Technology College, and CEO of the Cabot Learning Federation. He described in particular the educational inequality evident in the system during his time as headteacher, which provided the stimulus for the creation of the Cabot Learning Federation. Sir David concluded his opening remarks by outlining the three most important drivers of improvement in school: great teaching, the quality of leadership, and collaboration, before opening the floor to questions.

Danny Kinahan MP, Chair of the APPG for Education, with Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner

Danny Kinahan MP, Chair of the APPG for Education, with Sir David Carter, National Schools Commissioner

In response to a question on the strategic role of larger MATs, Sir David Carter said that, as National Schools Commissioner, he had brought in oversight of larger trusts. He said that the strategic role of larger MATs was to build in system capacity. Danny Kinahan MP, Chair of the APPG for Education, asked about training teachers for leadership. Sir David expressed his belief that leadership development in schools is now better than at any time in the past. The challenge is to incentivise the best leaders to work in the most challenging areas where their skills are most needed.

Greg Watson from GL Assessment shared his observations on the barriers to growth for smaller MATs, highlighting a lack of skills, poor visibility and transparency of opportunities to grow, and the perception of risk in taking on failing schools. He asked how the National Schools Commissioner could help smaller trusts to overcome these barriers. Sir David said that he expected more leadership talent to enter the system from outside the teaching sector in the future. On visibility and transparency, Sir David described the Regional Schools Commissioners’ role in building networks and stressed the importance of building capacity ahead of need.

Nic Dakin MP asked how, practically, the academies system would help schools in his constituency of Scunthorpe. Sir David explained that the central purpose of the system was to improve failing or underperforming schools. The success of the system will be judged not only on whether it can improve schools, but also on how well it prevents those schools from slipping back. Sir David also expressed his hope that the academies system would drive a shift away from school-by-school accountability to a more systemic accountability model.

In response to a question about accountability and parental engagement from Michelle Wildman of PTA UK, Sir David said that every parent should be able to hold the school their child attends to account but that being a parent governor was not the only way to do this. He also related his own experience of meeting parent groups as National Schools Commissioner. Sir David also fielded a question on industry support for academies from Caroline Wright of BESA. He said that industry has an important role in sharing skills and expertise and participating in academy boards.

Laura-Jane Rawlings from Youth Employment UK said that there was an expectation that academies would facilitate a move toward more holistic learning, which has so far not materialised. She asked what the National School Commissioner could do to support a proliferation of more holistic learning. Sir David said that there is still work to be done in that area but gave some examples of what is currently happening. He also stated his belief that academies do have greater capacity to deliver a more holistic learning experience.

Steven Abrahams from Groupcall asked Sir David to expand on an earlier comment about the richness of data available in the current system. Sir David said that there is more data available now than ever before and schools and teachers are better at analysing that data. The challenge is to make sure that teachers are using that data insight to best effect.

 

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Patrick Hayes from BESA relayed some findings from research carried out by a member organisation that found very negative impressions of multi academy trusts amongst teachers and asked how MATs will win over the profession. Sir David said that there is a suspicion that MATs are a vehicle for business but that this will be assuaged as more teachers work in MATs and experience the way they operate first hand.

Steve McCabe MP asked about the justification for single-academy trusts if the system is centred on the benefits of synergy and collaboration. Sir David said that questions have to be asked about the educational viability of single academies if they don’t have access to a wider pool of resources. He did however say that he understood the necessity of single-academy trusts in rural settings and explained that it is possible for them to provide a good quality of education.

Danny Kinahan MP finished with a question about early years provision, before thanking Sir David and those who participated in the Q&A.

Aug 16 2016

APPG launches surveys as part of inquiry into “How well do schools prepare young people for their future careers?”

As part of its ongoing inquiry into “How well do schools prepare young people for their future careers?”, the APPG for Education has published three surveys, for parents and guardians, schools, teachers and educationalists, and employers, respectively.

 

The APPG welcomes responses to these short surveys from any interested party. The information gathered will be used to inform the conclusions reached and recommendations made at the end of the inquiry, alongside written evidence submissions received earlier this summer and round-table discussions taking place in the autumn.

 

To complete the surveys, please click on the most relevant link below. The surveys will close on Friday 30th September.

 

Survey for parents and guardians

Survey for schools, teachers and educationalists

Survey for employers and business people

Apr 22 2016

APPG for Education Inquiry Call for Evidence: Do schools prepare young people for their future careers?

Deadline for submissions: 13th June 2016

In its 2015 Education and Skills Survey, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) found that over half of employers were concerned that in the future there would not be enough people available to fill skilled job roles. The report stated that, “The [education] system must change, with more focus on developing the aptitudes and attributes that set young people up for success in both work and life – which matter much more to employers when recruiting than academic results alone”.

Others, however, take a different approach, suggesting that the balance has swung too far towards skills in recent years, to the detriment of the transmission of knowledge in the classroom. Schools Minister Nick Gibb identified at the Education World Forum earlier this year that the government has “reformed the national curriculum in England to put in much of the subject knowledge that previous governments – under the influence of the 21st century skills movement – had taken out”. He cited Daniel Willingham, professor of cognitive science at the University of Virginia, who “explains how the ‘thinking skills’ most prized by schools and employers are dependent upon background knowledge”.

What value should we place on the need to promote other skills that prepare our children for the future, besides strictly academic ones? Is there a role for teaching skills in the classroom, or should teachers focus on imparting subject knowledge? If this is the case, how can young people acquire the attributes that the CBI and others believe are necessary for the workplace?

This APPG for Education inquiry will examine how well our schools are preparing young people for their future, with a particular focus on their readiness for the workforce.

If we are to develop a more productive workforce that will contribute to our growing economy what does this mean for our schools?  Are young people experiencing the right balance between acquiring the requisite subject knowledge and developing the skills and understanding that will make them employees who creatively enhance the productivity of companies?  Should schools be helping young people to develop soft skills, IT skills and a flair for entrepreneurship? What are the skills, knowledge and understanding that world-class employers look for in the expanding area of apprenticeships? Are we providing our schools with the correct framework and sufficient resources to prepare our young people for the world of work?

We intend to develop a clear set of practical recommendations, so that the inquiry is useful to educationalists and policymakers, parents and young people.

The APPG is keen to engage with a wide range of organisations and individuals including schools, colleges and universities; teachers, lecturers and education professionals; young people and representative bodies; employers and representative bodies; parents and carers; educational publishers and suppliers; and other stakeholder organisations.

Terms of Reference

The Inquiry seeks written evidence in response to the following questions:

 

  1. What should our schools be focusing on in order to prepare young people for the future?
  2. Should schools play a role in developing skills, or should subject knowledge be prioritised?
  3. Who should be responsible for ensuring that young people develop soft, financial and entrepreneurial skills?
  4. Do education providers have the resources to prepare young people for the workforce?
  5. To help the APPG create a practical set of approaches and recommendations:
    1. What example are there of schools and colleges preparing young people well for the workforce?
    2. What examples are there of employer-led initiatives that have had an impact?

In addition, the APPG for Education would welcome details of any relevant research carried out by your organisation which it would be willing to share with the Inquiry.

How to submit evidence

The APPG for Education welcomes evidence in response to the terms of reference from individuals and organisations.  Submissions should include a contact name, contact details and organisational details as appropriate. The deadline for submissions is Monday 13th June 2016.

We would prefer responses to be submitted by email to [email protected] as an attachment in MS Word format.

The final report and its recommendations will be submitted to the Secretaries of State for Education and Business, Innovation and Skills for consideration and response.

 

About the APPG for Education

The APPG for Education explores how maintaining a dialogue between the education sector and Parliament can support improvements in schools and colleges.  The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) provides the Secretariat of the APPG.

Any questions?

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Anna Wolffe, APPG for Education Secretariat, by emailing [email protected] or calling 020 3642 2754.

For updates on the progress of the inquiry please visit www.educationappg.org.uk.

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