Labour government

[Philandbill]

We all know that there's not going to be an increase in funding but are we hopeful the policies around education will be better?

I'm not going to miss Gillian Keegan and the awful legacy of the Gove years is still with us.

Honestly don't think there would be a good outcome regardless of who won. Both parties are truly awful.

Please, please keep BTECs Don't just offer t levels.

I'd like a review of the primary curriculum, I don't think that it's appropriate for lots of children.

@Philandbill totally agree. So much content to cram in.

I wonder if they will change the Ofsted wordings , or even, overhaul the whole sh*t show?

Schools need more money to pay wages and pay portability needs to come back. It's a scandal that experience teachers, when they need to move jobs, are actually sliding back down the pay scale as schools don't want to / can't pay UPS. It's not like we're well paid anyway!!
Also more TAs and better pay for them - they're increasingly vital for dealing with SEND learners.
I would also like to see much of the pointless assessment scrapped.
Finally, I really don't agree with the VAT being levied on private schools,
That's what I would like to happen under Labour!

I agree about a review of the primary curriculum. Getting rid of the grammar SAT for starters and properly valuing the foundation subjects.
An increase in budgets to pay for last years unfunded pay rises and the increased pension contributions.
I'd like to see a review of SEN, why numbers are rapidly increasing and what can be done to support schools with it.
A look at teacher work load (not just writing an unachievable list of things we shouldn't be doing , whilst not providing funding for anyone else to do them).

I really hope things change for the better-the new Ed Sec seems to genuinely have some good ideas. What I’m hoping for, to begin with that won’t cost money, is…

1. massive reform of Ofsted-removing the single word judgement and any links to forced-academisation and job losses. It needs to be more of a friendly, but critical audit. I don’t want it to be changed to a format where each area of the school gets a one word judgement and hope this isn’t what their ‘report card’ will look like. If a school ends up split into categories each with a rating, eg SEN: inadequate, this will 100% blame the Senco (who receives no TLR/extra pay for doing the job, no budget to make a difference and isn’t SLT, which is the case in many primaries) then who would want that responsibility? Deep dives in primary should be scrapped again for the same reason.
2. Cut 1/3 out of the primary curriculum.
3. publish the pay recommendations which GK has had sitting on her desk.

Then look at workload. What can realistically be cut to make the job more tolerable.

And SEND funding.

This

@Shinyandnew1 excellent points.
Whatever she is like at least she's not Gove. His name has the same effect on me that Margaret Thatcher's did on my grandmother. and that wasn't good...

All of this!

I gave my resignation in just before the election was called and I’m leaving teaching but if it changes, I’ll come back.

As a parent too, I really hope the primary curriculum changes and is slimmed down. It lacks the opportunity for joy and in the moment learning, which should be the foundations of primary.

I’m feeling hopeful but Rome wasn’t built in a day and currently our country is quite literally a cesspit.

The problem with any new government, is that when they say they want a world class education system, I'm cynical in thinking that this always means that they want world class results to brag about to get one over on the opposition and the rest of the world - "We have the best arithmetic results in the world". The world is all about data nowadays, who is higher than the other, and I can't see this changing. That always means pressure, and more workload. Labour will still want results.

Could I be wrong, with OFSTED removed, "non-academic" children allowed to do more vocational learning, teachers trusted to teach, marking with different colour pens removed and the curriculum slimmed down? I highly doubt it. The only thing that the Labour government might do, is put in more money and resources, which ofcourse is always welcome.