Radio4 More or Less debunks Morgan's claims in her guest post re mass academization

[Abuelita]

Radio4 'More or Less' took up the challenge from a Mumsnet poster to fact check claims made by Nicky Morgan in her recent guest post. The programme wasn't convinced by Morgan's rhetoric. For a summary and a link to the programme see my article here:

www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2016/04/no-evidence-for-academy-success-mumsnet-inspired-check-reveals-empty-rhetoric

caroldecker successful and improving education is already happening in Hampshire. We don't need to change what takes place here. The White Paper will not allow the HCC model to continue. How can that be good for children in Hampshire.

caroldecker If teachers, unions, AN Other, think they know the answer, set up a MAT and prove it. If it works, it will be copied.

Oh dear, your logic seems to have gone out the window there. I would love to see someone put that proposal in front of a Bank or VC as a viable business plan. Yes Mr Bank Manager/Mr VC, I don't think the business model will work so I want to adopt it to see if I am wrong.

Forced academisation has bugger all to do with increased freedom, that's for sure. There is nothing free about forcing schools to academise.

caroldecker: while it's true pupils won't have to resit GCSEs if they don't want to, college funding depends on all full time students who have a grade D GCSE or equivalent in maths and/or English 'must be enrolled on a GCSE or approved IGCSE qualification in maths and/ or English. Stepping stone qualifications will not meet the condition of funding for these students.' Students with an E grade or lower can take stepping stone qualifications. www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding

caroldecker - Prof Machin said in the radio interview that results in early academies had improved, yes, but he also said the quality of intake had risen. It's logical to assume a rise in intake quality would result in a rise in results. The improvement, then, wasn't to do with being an academy except in so far as it seems to have attracted pupils with higher prior achievement.

The number of academies has exploded since those early days. The Education Select Committee said it was time for politicians to stop exaggerating academy success. The National Audit Office found informal interventions such as local support were more effective than formal intervention such as academy conversion. Ofsted has recently criticised seven of the largest academy chains for poor performance. And it's in the primary sector where there are few academies that the proportion of Ofsted good and outstanding judgements has risen NOT the highly-academized secondary sector.

caroldecker: objective evidence, please, for your statement 'UK education is, on average, rubbish, this process is trying to improve it.'

That said, where education in England is letting pupils down is in the excessive emphasis on exam results. The OECD warned about this in 2011 - the excessive focus risked negative consequences such as teaching to the test, shallow learning, 'gaming' and the neglect of other subjects and important skills. Children in the UK, and especially England, are among the most-tested in the world.

Abuelita look at PISA and also the failings for poor black and white boys in particular.

'Ofsted has recently criticised seven of the largest academy chains for poor performance.'

Lauded academy chain to be stripped of schools after finances inquiry

Inquiry lays bare academy chief's lavish spending of school funds

£1.1bn to be spent on converting the remaining schools to academies whose track record of excellence (as seen above) is building a pace, yet they are reducing funding to schools and these cut backs are forcing schools into charging parents to allow their children to eat their own packed lunches.
Schools charging parents up to £1.80 a day for children to eat a packed lunch

It is simply quite Disgraceful. Smoke and mirrors politics to the detriment of our education system.