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Petitions and activism

To re-join MN after a bit of a sabbatical to ask you to froth a bit and sign this very important education related petition

76 replies

FontSnob · 23/11/2012 21:56

Well, good evening, hope you're all enjoying friday night bum sex and pom bears. I'm back to froth (are any of you still here?).

Please could you sign this petition to make Gove re-think the inclusion of creative subjects in the Ebacc.

//www.baccforthefuture.com

Today we were told today that our entire expressive arts department had been up for the axe, RE and PSHE has gone which is utter lunacy in our multi faith world - way to promote tolerance. We have been 'saved' but are on a much reduced timetable slot and students taking the Ebacc will only be allowed 1 choice from the extensive list of options from the rest of the subject choices, stopping many students from studying what they may actually want to study.

This is what we were expecting the reality of the Ebacc to result in, that isn't making me less angry though.

Some facts:

  • The consultation on the EBacc is open until 10 December 2012


  • The proposed EBacc is not fit for purpose. It will deny children a fully rounded education.


-Subjects are being withdrawn from the curriculum. The IPSOS Mori survey (2012) reported that at key stage 4, drama and performing arts had been dropped in nearly a quarter of schools, 17 per cent had withdrawn art courses and 14 per cent design technology.

-It will harm the economy - our creative industries are world-beaters - they contribute 6% of GDP, employ two million people and export over £16 billion annually.

If i've missed this being posted already i apologise, but i guess it can't hurt to try again!

Thanks all.
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OpheliaPayneAgain · 23/11/2012 22:03

Subjects are not being withdrawn from the curriculum - schools are choosing whether to offer level 4 courses dependent on uptake.

The ebac is not compulsory at KS4.

By your rationale - all tech subjects are liable to be withdrawn - this is highly unlikely - even though they are not ebac subjects.

Frankly I'd save my ire for primary schools who send pupils to secondary unable to red, write or count.

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gordyslovesheep · 23/11/2012 22:03

done

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OpheliaPayneAgain · 23/11/2012 22:03

Slaps m'self @ typo

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FontSnob · 23/11/2012 22:08

Ophelia, I can tell you, for a fact, that the direct consequence of the Ebacc is creative subjects being taken off of the school curriculum. Our ENTIRE department was going to be completely cut from the school. Art, Graphics, Textiles, DT, Food tech, Drama and Music. Gone, not even being offered. We narrowly avoided it, other schools have gone ahead and removed them.

Ebacc is not compulsory BUT it is part of the league tables and therefore is being used as a marker to judge a school, this is leading to increased timetabled time for those subjects, thus taking away time from other subjects.

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OpheliaPayneAgain · 23/11/2012 22:10

Schools chose whether to co-opt into that marker. Blame your governors.

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FontSnob · 23/11/2012 22:10

Again..... 'Subjects are being withdrawn from the curriculum. The IPSOS Mori survey (2012) reported that at key stage 4, drama and performing arts had been dropped in nearly a quarter of schools, 17 per cent had withdrawn art courses and 14 per cent design technology.'

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FontSnob · 23/11/2012 22:11

Of course, but you are wilfully missing the point (or are you in fact Gove in disguise).

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FontSnob · 23/11/2012 22:13

If you read the petition then you will see that we want these subjects to be included alongside the humanities subjects, children need a fully rounded education, to be able to think independently and creatively. The EBacc is narrow and short sighted.

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youngermother1 · 23/11/2012 22:30

Ebacc only covers 5 subjects - most kids take more GCSE's, so why is the school not offering the creative ones?
This is not Ebacc, this is the school offering subjects pupils and parents want - choice is a good thing, trying to save your job in the name of 'education' is wrong

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FontSnob · 23/11/2012 22:52

This is what a lot of schools and more in the future are going to resort to. Pressure from OFSTED and league tables are exactly what they are judged on. Big names in the arts are talking about it and they aren't even involved in education.

Science is going to be a doubled to ensure they cover all it's bases, schools in areas like ours need to ensure they are hitting targets and are doing what they can to get the grades they need to keep OFSTED off their backs. Plus Schools are prime to be turned into an Acadamy If they aren't seen to be succeeding.

It's all adding up to subjects being cut.

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youngermother1 · 24/11/2012 02:27

yes, but these are subjects parents do not value - if they are, then the free schools will offer them and you will be happy. Accept that the majority do not have your values

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OpheliaPayneAgain · 24/11/2012 08:35

As most secondary schools have specialisms it is hardly likely that the local performing arts school is going to cut media, performing arts, music, photogtaphy, fine art is it?

Neither is the local tech specialism going to cut engineering, catering, resistant materials or electronics.

It's down to parental choice, or child choice, what options are favoured.

Schools won't run classes if there is no uptake for a subject.

Pressure from league tables - a parents folly; they demanded them, they scour them to look for performance indicators of a 'good school' with absolutely no understanding of how they are made up. If parents stopped latching onto them as the holy grail and looked at the CVA instead, they would see what a good school is, but, parents don't.

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OliviaMumsnet · 24/11/2012 09:28

Hallo there
Hope you have enjoyed your sabbatical
We have a shiny new petitions topic so we have moved your thread there
ThanksMNHQ

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 10:45

No, most schools do not have a specialism. Not any more, not now that they are turning Acadamy, there is no extra money for specialisms now and why should only a small proportion of children have that open to them just because they live near a school that does happen to value arts. Are you missing the whole sentence about Re and pshe going too? Broad education is being withheld from students. How can anyone see this as okay?

It's shouldn't be about values, it's about being realistic as to what the arts actually provides to society. Do you watch tv, films, wear clothes, enjoy well made things, well designed things, read magazines, read books with illustrations to you children? Why don't patents value the arts when they enjoy all of the things it brings them?

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 10:46

Thanks for moving the thread Olivia. I could actually cry at people's total apathy towards it though.

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 11:02

Lastly. How is it about choice if the students aren't even being offered certain subjects to choose from? Exp arts always has too many students per class in our school with students taking up to three ex arts subjects (which they can no longer do) so it's not about the subject not being wanted.

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youngermother1 · 24/11/2012 11:28

If it is wanted, it will be provided - that is the whole point of academies and free schools. They are not told what to do

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 11:46

That is a very naive view I'm afraid. Or idealistic maybe. Perhaps you should sign. Just to make sure.

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youngermother1 · 24/11/2012 12:18

Why should i sign a petition which forces schools to do something when i believe schools should have the choice to react to the wishes of the parents. The less input a school has from outside the parent body the better

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5madthings · 24/11/2012 12:22

i think.is crap, my eldest is in yr 9 so will take gcse's but my next son is in yr 6 so will be among the first to take the whole set of the new exams and i will be massively concerned if his available choice is so reduced.

will sign and share.

shall also quiz the ht of the high school he will be attending!

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 12:25

??? Please read the petition and the facts and figures because you ate actually missing the entire point of everything that it is about and what I have been saying. Signing the petition is about giving MORE choice. What is happening in schools has NOTHING to do with what parents and students want. It is taking away choice. Patents and students have had NO part in the decision that out particular Academy has decided. They don't even know about it yet!!!

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 12:32

Thanks 5madthings it's making me so cross that our children are being messed about like this.

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 12:33

I think it's massively important for us to know exactly what the schools/academies have planned for the next intake!

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5madthings · 24/11/2012 12:39

i am actually really concerned, especially as my ds2 is essentially a guinea pig for a whole new system that appears ill thought out and rushed through :( i have bern feeling a bit lost with it all, this petition is at least something constructive!!

arts and re etc are important, i did re and christian theology at a level, it had a big ethics component and was actually interesting and very relevant for the history and sociology degree i did.
what about politics and social policy type courses at a level? these all link in and are relevant and necessary for many careers.

arts are suffering in the current climate, cutting these subjects at school is only going to make that worse!

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FontSnob · 24/11/2012 12:50

Well PSHE has been cut from sept in our particular academy and RE too, that's the the dept, not just Gcse level, I'm not sure where the important lessons that students learn about life, tolerance and the multi faith world we live in are going to come from. It's amazingly short sighted and wrong.

For the record youngermum. Signing this petition has nothing to do with me saving my part time job as an outstanding teacher. I'm seriously considering getting out of teaching because I feel so strongly about the awful hatchet job that Gove is intent on doing. So please don't be so rude.

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