Our schools need a tough reformer (Sunday Times 15.3.09)

They certainly do! We can’t blame all of the current mess on Tony Crosland for ditching grammar schools, as the system he reformed was not fit for purpose either. But despite an increased spend per pupil of 55% in real terms since 1997 (the year I left school), we have not seen the increase in social mobility that was promised. Instead of revelling in the success of increasingly high examination results in the comprehensive sector, GCSEs and AS/A2 are accused of being dumbed down to the point where some of the schools educating the nation’s brightest sparks are rejecting these qualifications altogether. IGCSE, Internation Baccalaureate… these pupils need something more substantial to get their teeth into, and to differentiate them from the increasing number of students achieving 3 As at A2. The new starred A at KS5 will help to differentiate the most able, but will it be enough?

At the other end of the spectrum, a plethora of lower standard Level 2 and 3 courses mean that many can stay in education who previously would not have met the standards required, but do we have enough proof that it is doing young people any good? There are still worrying numbers of students at 16 for whom a C-grade at standard GCSE is unattainable. In order to get them the magic 5 or more A*-C, schools have to enter students for all kinds of alternative courses that have GCSE equivalence. Many students sit BTECs and other vocational qualifications which bump up the A*-C numbers, (apologies to Ken Boston from the QCA but I am not convinced by your statement about equivalence),  and by extension we should expect more students to go on to further training and employment as a result of these additional qualifications. However, numbers of NEETs have not descreased as hoped but look like they are increasing more than ever.

It’s pretty obvious that the current system is failing the students both at the top end and the bottom. There are also thousands of children in communities across the UK who through no fault of their own are educated in schools which are unsatisfactory in both maintained and independent schools (see OFSTED’s annual report) Ofsted pointed out that:

“The gap between the performance of the best and the weakest schools is unacceptable.”

I still feel strongly that the system we currently have needs big reform from a tough reformer. Could Conservative Michael Gove be the next man for the job? The Times calls him a “worthy antagonist for [Ed] Balls”  and explains that:

“the opposition really does have a reforming agenda. It proposes to build on Tony Blair’s belated public service reform programme, especially his plans to provide more variety and excellence in state schools, of which the city academies are a shining example. Parents, charities and private companies will also be encouraged to set up their own schools under the state’s umbrella.”

It sounds very grass roots and community-led: a massive shift away from the control-driven, initiative-loaded system we currently wrestle with. Could it just work, or will it be a swift leap from frying pan to fire?

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