What does Nicky Morgan not seem to understand?

[theluckiest]

Nicky Morgan urges teachers' unions to 'do their bit' www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35899478

No Nicky, teaching is not wonderful at the moment. No, teachers are not just moaning yet again (because that's what we usually do, isn't it?). No, your constant interfering, moving of goalposts and unnecessary 'reforms' are not helping anyone. In fact, you are damaging education irreparably.

Here's an example: the 'more rigorous' testing that you insist all 11 year olds should be put through are actually damaging. They are demoralising teachers but much more importantly, they are seriously damaging children's mental health. Yes, really. The stress these children are being put under is unforgivable this year. As a school we are held to ransom because of these tests (let's be honest, tests that we teachers, parents and schools know are bullshit).

They feel like they have failed already because your 'rigour' is inappropriate, unnecessary and completely pointless. They despise learning this nonsense and I can't blame them. At a time of their lives when learning should be exciting, they are force-fed inaccurate, archaic grammar and given the message that their writing cannot be good enough if it doesn't have a semi-colon.

Sounds crazy doesn't it? Because it is. So forgive me if I don't "Use the tools available to them to build up teachers, promote the profession and tell the story of what a rewarding job teaching really is" at the moment. (how I laughed when I read that one!!)

And don't get me started on academisation....Nicky, take your fingers out of your ears and listen. Before it's too late.

So - two voices in favour, both actually saying 'well not keen actually, but we're stuck with it now...'

Ringing endorsement, huh.

raining that's what the Policy Exchange think tank argued, but was notable by its absence from Nicky Morgan's guest post.

I might have respected her more if she had said 'actually, God knows if the academies thing will work out for the kids but getting rid of the LAs will mean that we can give a few more pensioners a pension boost.'

Pretty why on earth would you set aside the cost of 'setting up'? That money has to come from somewhere.

Crowy

I don't think I have stated 'I am in favour'; I think there is a tendency for a rather hysterical over reaction from teachers to the prospect any government change (I am quite sure that if tomorrow NM announced we were going to exactly replicate Finland's educational model there would be shrieks of protest) and some of my posts are a reaction against this.

However my cynicism does not stem from how wonderful I think academies are but how poor I think LAs are. The last LA school I worked for let me teach without a DBS check and suddenly discovered halfway through the spring term that they didn't have my references. Someone up thread 'shuddered' at the thought of PGCE students who dropped out going into classrooms I don't know what she thinks happens on the PGCE but there is a genuine 'shudder' as to what could have happened in my case. It was last year by the way not some time in the mid 90s.

I have seen utterly shocking incompetence from LAs which clouds my view as much I suppose at those who have seen corruption in academies will have had their view clouded.

I know of an academy that discovered halfway through the year that one of their new teachers wasn't actually qualified as they had claimed to be.

We've all got stories of incompetence. That's what comes of working with humans, not a particular feature of either model.

jelly if the public were united in their objection solely due to the set up costs, I would add my voice to theirs.

All governments invest in ideology.

pretty I would really like for you to be right about the accountability of MATs, I really would.

Can I just say, it is such a lazy reaction to call vocal opinions that are contrary to your own "hysterical", raining. It's dismissive and patronising.

Therefore it rather echoes my earlier post - both LA schools and academies can be excellent or they can be awful.

Do I think there's a strong argument FOR turning schools into academies, no, but bu the same token I don't think there's a powerful one against.

This government claims it doesn't have money to invest in schools. School budgets are being cut dramatically over the next few years.

So where will this money be coming from?

Normally I would agree with you Speaking but I do think teachers get very rant-y and shrieky about a lot of things.

raining - 'hysterical overreaction' does not = measured discussion on the internet, attending protests, or changing jobs. All of those are perfectly proportionate responses to what is happening to teaching.

Of course if anyone objects to that statement they're presumably being ranty and shrieky...

I agree in context of this discussion, with only a few exceptions. However every time something is changed in education it's in the news with 'teachers warning that XYZ will happen' and then it does not.

I do get ranty and shrieky when I'm chasing up coursework, mind ... :)

Perry Beeches, E-ACT, Baverstock, AET, Durand Academy Trust....

No wonder the National Audit Office believe there is an inherent risk of financial irregularities with the academy system.

Source:
www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/public-finances-watchdog-warns-inherent-risk-academies-sector

It would hardly be newsworthy, would it, if a change in education was generally agreed by teachers to be a sensible idea, yeah, let's do that, guys.

As happens all the chuffing time. The media didn't, for example, report that teachers were on the whole perfectly happy to see the back of CAs. No one's interested unless they're either a teacher or in year 10; it's just not a story.

You might also ponder who determines the tone & content of 'the news'.

C'mon raining - you're an English teacher, you've taught media bias, surely?

you might also ponder who determines the tone & content of 'the news'

I do!

but by the same token I don't think there's a powerful one against..

There doesn't need to be one against, it's the status quo.

The arguments have to be made for changing.

I would really like for you to be right about the accountability of MATs, I really would.

The examples held up on this thread and others are reason to be positive. MATs like AET have been issued warning notices and blocked from expansion. Others have had schools removed.
Local Authorities with similar or worse performance cannot be penalised in any way.

It was only 4 years ago that a framework for inspecting LA statutory support to schools was devised and implemented - even now, very little can be done if it's found to be lacking.

There doesn't need to be one against, it's the status quo.The arguments have to be made for changing.

This X 1000.

If you want to spend a vast amount of money-that the government claim not to have-on changing something like this, then you need to have a jolly convincing argument for doing so.

Actually, the more I think of it...significant changes in teaching over my career...English specification & in no special order.

Abolition of year 9 SATs - hailed with delight.
New spec GCSE in 2010 - yep, we liked that.
APP - yes, we embraced that one.
New spec again in 2015 - glad to see the back of CAs, some concern re terminal untiered exams.

& going back to my own school days: I was the last year to do O Levels. The teaching unions, as a pp has already pointed out, were quick to praise Sir Keith Joseph for the introduction of GCSEs.

This characterisation of teachers as 'hysterical' malcontents & enemies of change is untrue & unfair.

Are there examples of LAs taking the piss so spectacularly financially Pretty?

And no, it isn't positive that so many academy trusts have been rumbled for financial irregularities (60 or so were being investigated at last count). It shows that the system is wide open to abuse.

MATs like AET have been issued warning notices and blocked from expansion. Others have had schools removed.

Means bugger all. Issued with a warning letter in September, giving a school another academic year to sort it out... Not quick enough for the kids who are caught in the middle of it.

I am not specifically in favour of academisation - however, logically if hitherto the academies have only taken over the failing schools ( ie that LAs have allowed to fail) then obviously they are starting from an unfavourable position in relation to the thriving schools. So they have a harder task than the LAs, which are just presumably maintaining the standards of the non-failing schools they kept?

Well, my old HT trotted us ('good with outstanding features', heavily oversubscribed) through conversion on the basis that there was money to be grabbed by doing it early before, as he said 'those bastards win the next election & force it on everyone'.

We maintained our 'good with outstanding' next Ofsted.

So no, academies aren't all previously failing schools.