What do you think of the Education White Paper?

[Shamster]

Our head went through the key points at last nights staff meeting and the effect was pretty depressing. Sounds stupid but two of us almost started crying! Just wondered if anyone has read it for themselves, rather than picking up whichever bits each paper decides to highlight according to their leanings. If you have; what do you think?

I would be looking at phonics - how many sounds they can read and write - if they can decode words for reading and if they can segment words for spelling.
I think it's important to recognise difficulties early and get support ASAP. I don't think we need to diagnose just identify early who is at risk and act on it. Good teaching benefits all children whether they have a diagnosis or not.

We have an ongoing record of the the sounds that they can read and write that starts in reception and follows them up to Year 1. I think it's important to know where all childre are. But pinpoint specific difficulties early on obviously helps.

I'm a bit about the reading test at age 6 - some of my family are in Canada, and there they don't even START reading until nearly (or actually) 7, but yet by age 11 they have overtaken UK children in standards. It's a much later start, but this doesn't translate to slower development.

I rather think that the purpose of the 'reading test' at age 6 is not to screen the children (surely a good school will have identified their strugglers much earlier than that?) but to check that children are being thoroughly/effectively taught letter/sound correspondences and decoding and blending.

How this will work in practice, or if it will work at all, I have no idea.

maizie, I wrote you a reply further down about the music stuff, it may have got lost in the further replies on this thread.

My feeling about the white paper is that it is both prescriptive and vague. It is very dictatorial, whilst pretending to give freedoms to schools, and I do worry a lot about the 'free schools' and academies - I don't think that is the way to go at all with schools. Looking at the children's school, they are not a high flying school academically, but they are amazing at other things (performing arts etc) which they take out to other schools, training other teachers, including children from other schools in their activities etc. Children do fine academically, but they more importantly imo (for a primary school) LOVE school, and it has a wonderful atmosphere, and a nurturing ethos. None of those things are measured by league tables and Ofsteds.

I did read your reply, LB, and found it very interesting. Thanks. I'm tempted to continue the discussion, but don't want to derail this thread again!

I was looking at one particular part of the White Paper this morning, about the way that vocational 'GCSE equivalents' have vastly inflated the number of high graded GCSEs that children can get. This, in the Govt's eyes is a Bad Thing (and I tend to agree to a certain extent).

But if they make it difficult to achieve 'good' result this way in future it will appear that education (i.e teachers) is failing under the current regime. Creating a rod for their own backs perhaps, as few people are going to relate falling GCSE pass rates with the removal of 'micky mouse' passes in a few year's time when 'GCSE Pass Rates Falling' is all over the media.

And all the push for Academies is on very shaky ground, Of all the academies created over the past few years their results show that they are just as likely to fail as they are to be wildly successful (and I bet that the successful ones have been using lots of BTECs and GNVQs to bump up their results..)

Very poorly thought out, but very Conservative. I wonder how much Civil Service 'Blue Sky Thinking' input there is in it?

The fact that children are happy are mentioned in Ofsted reports, isn't it usually one of the first things mentioned in the report.

ie from Dcs school ofsted

"Students' personal development and well-being are good. Students are thoughtful, supportive of each other and show respect and consideration for others. As a result, they feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Their behaviour is good; a feature strongly endorsed by parents, and attendance is also good. Sixth form students are actively involved in supporting younger students and those who are more vulnerable. "

It does get a mention, but doesn't seem to affect the 'grading' the school gets. And I think pastoral care is being removed from Ofsted's remit under the white paper.

That's what I understoood too LilyBolero. If this is the case then it's a shame. Happy children enjoying school is a very important thing and something that has often been commented on when we have visitors, Ofsted or otherwise. We're very proud of our happy children!

But do you honestly think they will be less happy because Ofsted will no longer be measuring it?

I think it's a huge relief for schools!

We are immensely proud of our school, too. We think we are unique and the pupils are extremely well looked after and highly thought of (for the most part..). But it might only take one pupil to tell Ofsted that the school is sh*te and they can't wait to leave, for their judgements to be affected.

mrz, I trust our school not to stop having a happy ethos. The school is really improving academically, but the happiness is what makes it what it is, and for that to be disregarded by Ofsted is very wrong - surely the point of a school inspection is to provide some sort of qualitative and quantative assessment of a school, and it is all being reduced to facts and figures. Hard on schools where children thrive pastorally, but have a mixed intake, and broadly average results.

Ofsted will have access to the happiness index, broken down by area. They will already know if your children are happy or not. It would be a bloody waste of time asking them if they're happy if the gvmt has spent £2m on a survey.

Oh yes, the happiness survey.

You mean you don't already use the Leuven's scale