Do any teachers on here support Michael Gove's education policies?

[SummerExhibition]

Just wondering. Everything related to curriculum changes, academies, free schools etc gets a bashing on here and just wondering if there's another side to the argument really.

It depends on the funding. I am all for the early teaching of foreign languages, but he needs properly qualified teachers and I doubt that we have them. Schools could share them.
I think that good schools do the rest already.
We should go back to treating teachers like professionals.

Not sure about these proposals. What happens to SEN children who 'fail'?
From the Telegraph......

"The Government said a shake-up of the assessment structure for five- to 11-year-olds would be introduced to ensure schools are ?identifying those who are falling below national expectations?.

It emerged that the existing system ? which places pupils in different ?levels? during primary education ? will be scrapped altogether.
In its place, the Coalition has pledged to draw up a new grading structure in English, mathematics and science that will ?recognise and reward the highest achievers? as well as picking out those who struggle the most.

For the first time, it may lead to pupils being assigned a ?pass? or ?fail? after being assessed by teachers at the end of each year. In formal end-of-school Sats exams, children may also be given new grades to bring them into line with GCSEs and A-levels.

But teaching unions warned that the reforms failed to take account of the fact that young children develop at different speeds, with fears that summer-born pupils could be left behind."

No. HTH

None that I know.

HTH too.

My dyslexic DS hadn't a hope of doing any of it at the 'right' age-he is not alone.

No.

Frankly, I think he is poorly educated because he has so little idea of the realities of life.

a big fat NO!!! Can't stand the man or any ideas he comes up with.

I feel that he wants to go back to the 1950s in terms of academic education - in terms of teaching and learning for the able children only. Those who are not academically able are just to be chucked by the way side and thrown down the pits....

The man has no idea about education outside of his 'cosy selective old-fashioned experience at school' and expects the same to happen every where no matter, the ability, the day of age, the differing educational theories that have proved to be more than worthwhile and useful in the past 50 years

errrrrrrrrr NO!

Nooooo!!

None that I've ever met.
He seems to work on some kind of insular little world of all children being lovely, bright capable kids with supportive, knowledgable parents. Yup, there are families like that, but there are also a whole heap of families that exist in all sorts of different spheres for all sorts of different complex reasons.

Thanks all. Interested in any other responses. It's interesting isn't it. There doesn't seem to be any polarity of debate. So HOW is he getting away with it??

He is in a position where he can.

Too true exoticfruits. But we do still live in a democracy.

Don't we???

There is a huge list of school reforms that schools have not liked but they go ahead- then (surprise,surprise) they don't work and they are changed! They are imposed without much research and never given much time.
Heads and teachers used to be able to take the ideas that suited them and use them. It had far more chance of working if they were enthusiastic. Lots of the ideas were flawed to begin with.

Every so often he comes out with a reasonable sounding policy (teaching MFL at Primary for example) but his reasoning is always motivated by a desire to turn all education into a weird nostalgia trip. He's determined to ignore all the good practice developed over the last twenty years and refuses to acknowledge the importance of differentiation.

Mainly he annoys me with his attitude towards teachers; the lack of respect and dismissive response to our concerns demonstrates that he has no interest in listening to experienced professionals and wants to turn the education system into one which, while not necessarily excluding the poor, will exclude all those children whose parents do not have sharp elbows and interest in their welfare.

He is scarily stupid and ill informed. He is creating a catastrophe.

Teaching MFL in the primary is excellent -as an idea-it just ignores the fact that we don't have the teachers and it doesn't come with funding. At that age the speaking is important and if you do it with a poor accent you are better not doing it at all.

exoticfruits - agreed. Lots of good fantasies, not so hot on the reality (and will Academies be obliged to follow the new curriculum, I thought it was all about freedom in those places so presumably they can happily ignore him?)

Having googled around a bit I find that his proposals are even attacked by one of his expert panel of educationalists. The more you read about it the more flawed it seems. see here

I tried to reply to this on wednesday but just couldn't put into words just what I think of him and struggle to read about him as I have a strong urge to headbutt the computer when I see a picture of him.

What he says initially is fine, start MFL earlier, teaching poetry even the criticisms of some of the vocational exams earlier in the year except....... that the way he proposes to do it is just crap (sorry should be able to explain myself better but can't be bothered to research - see comment above)
He attacks teachers, ignores experts and makes me wonder if he has ever wandered into a classroom since he left school.
Does he really think primary school teachers don't teach poetry?

He probably thinks they don't. Maybe it also hasn't dawned on him that not every DC has the confidence to stand up in front of 29children and 2 adults-and possibly more-and recite.

I hear you, whathaveiforgottentoday

I had some sympathy with his plans to stop some schools failing middle ability students by putting them in for endless BTech in " less academic" subjects to play the league table game . I thought the idea behind the IB was a good one but it was too narrow. I did like the emphasis on academic subjects which will open up university to more students.

Other than that no, he is trying to recreate his own education, assuming that all children are like him.

No. And nor do any of my teacher-friends.

But then I guess you don't get many Tory-loving teachers in inner-city schools.