New report warns of damaging accountability system for schools
A former Number 10 adviser and education chief at the RSA has warned that English schools are being damaged by common practices that are of little value to students. The Ideal School Exhibition is an essay penned by Julian Astle, which reveals that schools are dicing with students’ futures by scrambling to achieve the best league table results. This essay is a result of Astle’s search for inspiring “mission-led” schools that are bucking a growing trend of schools hollowing out their teaching in a bid to meet the constantly shifting demands of the government’s accountability system. These issues include: Narrowing the curriculum – particularly as pupils approach primary school SATs and GCSEs, when schools increasingly focus their time, energy and resources only on those subjects that will affect their league table position. ‘Teaching-to-the-test’ – the practice whereby schools drill pupils in the tactics and techniques of exam taking, and focus their instruction on the specific demands of the test and the mark scheme. This not only turns young people off learning but which generates superficial, temporary and illusory educational gains. Gaming – particularly the practices of manipulating the admissions and exclusions system to attract high-performing students and remove low-performing pupils. Also of entering large numbers of pupils for easy-to-obtain qualifications of little interest or value to the learner. Julian said: “Having worked at the centre of government, I know that the architects of England’s school accountability system are motivated by the best of intentions: to expose serious under-performance and raise standards. “But as the grip of that system has tightened over the last 25 years, and the catalogue of unintended consequences and perverse incentives has grown ever longer, it is hard to not to conclude that the costs now outweigh the benefits. We have reached that critical point where positive change becomes possible – where the risks of inaction are higher than the risks of reform. “The RSA calls on everyone who recognises the importance of assessment and accountability, but who shares our concerns that the system as currently designed is damaging children’s education, to join the debate about how to reform that system for the better.” To tackle these problems, Astle recommends: Training teachers in the use and misuse of assessment to develop a deeper understanding within the profession of how teaching-to-the-test impedes, rather than supports, learning. Making explicit Ofsted’s emerging role as: the guardian of a broad and balanced curriculum; a counterbalance to the pressures of the DfE’s numbers-based accountability system; and the body mandated and expected to referee the ‘game’, looking not only at what schools achieve, but how they achieve it. Withdrawing the ‘right’ for schools to act as their own admissions authority, and engaging with the RSA’s proposed Commission on School Admissions to ensure that the ‘low road to school improvement’ (manipulating the admissions system rather than improving teaching) is permanently closed. Abolishing the Ofsted ‘outstanding’ category and handing the definition of excellence back to the profession. Ofsted should play a role more akin to the ‘Food Standards Agency’ than ‘restaurant critic’, focusing solely on identifying serious underperformance. As the government and the inspectorate step back, so teachers, coming together through bodies like researchED and the Chartered College of Teaching, should step up, ensuring that research, collaboration and evidence-led practice drive-up standards. Creating a contestable ‘middle-tier’ to ensure that every school – particularly struggling or isolated schools without a high-performing local authority or Multi-Academy Trust behind them – is provided with timely and effective external challenge and support, with middle-tier bodies that cannot demonstrate an ability to maintain or raise standards replaced by ones that can. The publication of The Ideal School Exhibition kick-starts the RSA’s work to unlock the potential of an overworked teaching profession, and to get our schools focused on the pivotal relationship at the heart of teaching: between the teacher, the pupil and the text – the real substance of education. The essay will be launched today [16 November] in central London, with speakers including: David Laws, former schools minister, now executive chairman, Education Policy Institute; Daisy Christodoulou, director of education, No More Marking; Peter Hyman, co-founder and executive headteacher, School 21; Julian Astle, director of creative learning and development, RSA. David Laws, former schools minister and now executive chairman, Education Policy Institute, said: “Anyone who cares about the quality of the education England’s school children are receiving would do well to consider the warnings contained in this thoughtful essay. Ensuring the accountability system creates the right incentives, and drives the right behaviours, is a key priority.” Daisy Christodoulou, education director of No More Marking, added: “Exams are only an indirect measure of academic achievement, which means it is possible for them to be gamed and manipulated in such a way that they lose their original meaning. This report makes some vitally important points about why this is so damaging, and why the pursuit of exam results and accountability metrics therefore has to be informed by an understanding of the curriculum, and of what it means to master a subject.” Read more from QA Education:
LocknCharge to launch new charge and store device, the Putnam 16 Charging Station, at BETT 2018
LocknCharge is committed to making teachers’ lives easier by manufacturing high quality solutions for syncing, charging, transporting, securing and storing iPads, Chromebooks, tablets and other mobile devices. Technology has many advantages in the classroom, but unlike textbooks, devices have to be ‘managed’. LocknCharge helps solve this problem. On stand E190 at BETT, LocknCharge will launch its brand new Putnam 16 Charging Station focusing on convenience, effectiveness, and space saving in the classroom. In collaboration with Putnam City Schools, the Putnam Charging Station was developed by recognising the needs that similar schools face in charging and securing iPad or tablet devices, and working together to solve these in an ‘education specific’ manner. The Putnam is designed to individually store, charge and secure up to 16 iPad or tablet devices. The Putnam comes pre-wired and equipped with 16 perfectly sized MFi approved Lightning cables – an important feature for schools as time is often limited. With a colour-coded LED charging status display for each slot, teachers can easily know if the devices are charging (red) or ready to use (green). With numbered slots, teachers can even assign students a slot, so they know whose devices are charging or being used at a glance. With an integrated mechanical combination lock, there are no keys to worry about either. Plus, the charging station includes a master override key for school administrators in case of forgotten combinations. Another common problem in schools is a lack of space, which is where the Putnam is particularly accommodating. With a small footprint, and lightweight frame, a school can easily mount the unit to the floor, wall or desk to save space. With a pedestal and bracket, they can even stack the charging station to provide additional slots when required for charging devices. James Symons says: “LocknCharge products keep tablets safe, synced and charged, and always ready for use. This makes the management process so much easier for individual teachers and schools, freeing up their time to do what they do best – teach. By working with Putnam City Schools in this way, we have been able to focus on what really works for schools and fits their needs, and we think we have found that with this new product through our journey together.” For more information on LocknCharge, please visit their website at www.lockncharge.com or telephone: +44 (0) 208 441 4107.
Ready-made lesson plans and worksheets
Wand Education is a new teaching platform developed for both primary and secondary schools, that was trialled by West Exe and Cranbrook Schools in Exeter. Wand is an education tool that provides teachers with quick and efficient means to access or edit quality ready-made lesson plans and worksheets. It is adaptable to any type of content and schools can, if they wish, upload their own schemes of learning and power them by Wand. Wand Education is working with a variety of content providers and when launched it will already have high-quality content within it including a phonics, history and geography scheme of learning – the latter two linked to the AQA syllabus for GCSE. Key features of Wand include: • Reuse, edit or create own lesson plans Teachers can reuse and edit premium content, upload their own schemes of learning, search for activities created by other teachers or reliable authors and publishers, or create their own content using 20+ pre-built activity templates, with all lesson plans mapped on learning objectives. • Project or deliver to student groups Teachers can either project a lesson or send it to an entire class, or to a group of students, making it easy for teachers to differentiate instruction according to student ability. • Engaging worksheets Wand Education provides teachers with a worksheet template that replicates the paper-based worksheet, while adding the benefits of the digital technology on top of it. • Get actionable data on student progress 67% of teachers complain on the quality of student progress reports[1], with most tools providing either simplistic or data-heavy reports. Wand Education provides teachers with visual reports on student progress and actionable data that need to be addressed for students to improve their work. Teachers get live overview on student progress, with options to grade and annotate open-ended answers in a similar fashion to the paper-based activities. And they can download a printable report which includes both an aggregated set of analytics with student activity and areas that need to be improved, as well as the actual activities performed by the student, with answers, marking and teacher annotations. For more information on Wand Education’s lesson plans and worksheets, just go to wand.education 1 http://www.teachersknowbest.org/reports/making_data_work
The Perfect Finish: Two Schools Score Dulux Smarter Spaces £10,000 Design Prize
Two lucky schools have been announced as winners of the annual Dulux Smarter Spaces competition and are each set to receive £10,000 worth of colour and design services. Lawley Primary School in Telford and Highdown School & Sixth From Centre in Reading will revitalise their education environments with help from the leading paint manufacturer’s Smarter Spaces team, which puts pupils at the heart of design in schools. As part of their prize, the schools received a surprise visit from the Dulux Dog as well as Matthew Burton, star of TV’s Educating Yorkshire and ambassador for the campaign, to celebrate their win. The initiative promotes the concept of ‘learner-led design’ and the effective use of colour in schools and encourages pupils to be actively involved in the decoration planning process. Lawley Primary School will use the money to transform their entrance hall and main corridor, while Highdown School are set to turn an old technology classroom into an inspiring art and photography studio. The competition was launched as research carried out by Dulux revealed that a staggering two thirds of schools lacked the funding to make basic refurbishment improvements, with an overwhelming majority of teachers and head teachers considering the school environment to affect pupils’ academic life. Schools had to submit a 300-word entry explaining why they should win the £10,000 transformation and how they would make use of the funding. The final winner was chosen by a panel of judges, including Matthew Burton and education expert, Professor Stephen Heppell. Becky Orton, Senior Brand Manager for Dulux Smarter Spaces, comments: “We’re delighted to announce the winners of this year’s competition. We work with schools across the country to design learning spaces that are not only inspiring and stimulating, but also meet the needs of the busy school environment. Our decoration and design packages are tailored to a school’s needs, offering services to suit every budget. We can’t wait to get to work on these projects!” About the scheme The Dulux Smarter Spaces service helps schools get the most out of their environment within their budget and allows teachers and head teachers to focus on running the school. From creating an oasis of calm to building engaging classroom displays or focus walls, the initiative champions a range of ways to make simple additions to learning environments that can make a big difference to learning outcomes. Using Ofsted criteria as a starting point, Dulux Trade identified five areas of focus where the design of the environment can support teaching and learning: to inspire engagement, improve building function, promote wellbeing, improve teaching and learning experience and encourage positive attitudes.
Educating children on the importance of handwashing
Experienced teachers will know the vital importance of handwashing in school. You only have to witness the lightning speed with which a stomach bug can sweep through a school for the message to hit home. Establishing good handwashing habits as a child doesn’t just keep our children healthier, it ensures the next generation of adults have better handwashing habits than us. A staggering 62% of men and 32% of women admit they don’t wash their hands regularly. Think of all the food contamination and germ transmission that could be avoided simply by getting in the habit of regular handwashing as a child. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1 million lives could be saved, along with seeing huge reductions in respiratory infections and diarrheal disease. And this impact could increase in the future, as scientists predict ever more resistant strains of illnesses. It’s imperative that we learn how to limit the spread of disease. But how can teachers go about educating their class on the importance of handwashing? Make it fun All teachers know children absorb information best when it is presented in fun and engaging ways. Simple things like singing a cheery handwashing song can make all the difference. You could also source stories about handwashing, set up sticker reward charts for children to chart their progress and have your class draw pictures about handwashing. Keep it simple Make sure the information you give your class is age-appropriate. Young children will love a basic description about germs and their dangers. You could even create a cartoon germ character – or let the children draw their own. This is a fun and imaginative way to get across that essential knowledge about infection control. Older children can benefit from a more scientific explanation, perhaps incorporated into lessons about biology. Use pictures Colourful images are the ideal thing to make handwashing tips eye-catching. Informative infographics like the one below or posters of the children’s favourite superheroes or book characters washing their hands are easy to find online. Hang them near the washbasins, on the back of toilet doors and in your classroom. The more reminders the better! Teach good handwashing technique Many adults may not realise they are washing their hands incorrectly so establishing proper technique is all-important. Common mistakes include not washing the back of hands and nails and forgetting about the soap. A quick rinse under the taps is not sufficient to kill off germs and bacteria! Teachers need to relay the importance of using soap and rubbing it all over the entire hands for at least 20 seconds before rinsing with clean water. Model behaviour Children learn by watching. And with so many of us failing to wash our hands properly, teachers need to ensure they have learnt the correct technique and use it to model good handwashing practices for their class. Get into a routine Once children get the hang of washing their hands properly, it’s time to set up a regular routine for handwashing. This includes washing hands before and after eating and food preparation, after using the toilet, after sneezing or coughing and after touching class pets. Teachers have the unique opportunity to teach the next generation to be far more hygienic than adults today. Hopefully this will have significantly positive benefits for their health and wellbeing. Image credit: Galleon Supplies
60 Second Histories is One of the Best Online Resources for Teachers in 2017
Squaducation is delighted that its online teaching resource, 60 Second Histories, is included on the list of ‘The 50 best EdTech resources of 2017’. This important list, published by Technology & Innovation magazine, celebrates what truly works in education and what has a particularly positive impact on teaching and learning at secondary school level. Technology & Innovation magazine reports on the products and resources that are making a real difference in schools and classrooms across the country. The team invites manufacturers, developers and innovators to nominate the products and resources they think teachers and schools need to know about, so that they can compile this list that their expert assessors consider to be the very best of what’s on offer. 60 Second Histories is a safe, online history resource for schools. The website contains 260 engaging films which deliver bite-size history facts covering 15 historical eras. The videos are designed to support pupil outcomes, the National Curriculum at Key Stages 2-4 and the pedagogical approach to teaching. The films are provided with a range of teacher support mechanisms including lesson plans, expert support notes and a virtual classroom providing secure sharing for homework. A finalist in the Educational Resource Awards in 2016, Squaducation has continued to improve its ’60 Second Histories’ offering. In order to win a place on the ’50 best EdTech’ list, Squaducation has demonstrated the positive impact 60 Second Histories has on teaching and learning by providing evidence of how it helps with student outcomes. Julie Hicks, Director of Squaducation, said “We are thrilled that our fun, informative video resource has been recognised in such a prestigious list. Film is a powerful tool that helps students retain concepts and ideas. 60 Second Histories uses film to engage students, helping to spark discussion and make learning fun! Research shows that students who have fun while learning recall statistics more easily, experience increased levels of happy hormones which promote learning and stay curious – meaning they keep coming back for more. We are proud that 60 Second Histories is helping schools, teachers and pupils”. 60 Second Histories also saves schools money, as there are 50 free to view films on the website. In addition, it helps teachers to do more with less – as one cost-effective licence provides the whole school with 260 history films. Furthermore, 60 Second Histories saves teachers time, as there are ready-prepared lesson plans and support notes available. Finally, the website helps pupils by providing a virtual classroom where films can be viewed on smartboards, mobiles and tablets. To find out more visit the website: http://squaducation.com/60second-histories
How to Encourage Pupils to Exercise at School.
As a nation we need to encourage our children to exercise more often. With 20% of children leaving primary school, and 25% of high school leavers classed as clinically obese, now is the time to act. Health experts have stated that the childhood obesity epidemic comes from the fact that children spend too much time in front of a screen, and not enough time outdoors engaging in physical activity. Obesity in childhood is not only detrimental to their healthnow, but if allowed to be carried on into adulthood it can cause life threatening diseases such as type two diabetes, certain types of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, in order to take a step in the right direction of tackling childhood obesity we must encourage more children to exercise whilst they are at school. Children spend approximately six hours per day at school. The hours spent at school lie between eight and four, which especially in the winter months is the majority of the daylight hours. This means that it is paramount to a child’s health that they use their time at school to get their daily recommended amount of exercise. Therefore, we have come up with a small list of ways in which children can get their exercise whilst at school, without disturbing the school curriculum. Walking or Cycling to and From School. The simple act of walking or cycling to and from school can increase a child’s health and fitness levels by a significant amount. Walking and cycling are both low impact exercises which can be enjoyed by all. Walking is also a very sociable form of exercise and can be made more fun for younger children with the introduction of walking games. Games such as ‘I Spy’ are not only fun but are also educational and can encourage independence. Allowing children to explore their surroundings will allow them to gain more from this simplistic exercise. Though many working parents may not have enough time in the mornings to walk theiryoung children to school, there are plenty of options available which allow you to add this extra exercise into your child’s day. Many primary schools offer a ‘walking bus’ service. This service is run by adults that work at the school and children are picked up along a traditional bus route. This option not only allows for children to add more exercise into their day but it also encourages social interaction between other children in the school. Children who they may not necessarily normally interact with. The Daily Mile. Another great option available to children, which will increase the amount of exercise that they get throughout the school day, is the Daily Mile. The Daily Mile is a great initiative which encourages all pupils to run, walk or jog for one mile per day. This is a one size fits all activity which means that no matter the child’s age or ability, everyone can get involved. This initiative was set up in 2013 in the UK to improve the fitness levels of children in our primary schools. The Daily Mile was set up as a fun, fitness activity which needs no specialist equipment. This means that every pupil from every school can get involved. This is a non-competitive form of exercise which comes with a whole host of health benefits. Not only does it boast to improve a child’s fitness in just four weeks, but it also is proven to boost confidence and have a positive effect on pupils’ behaviour, mood and concentration. Active Outdoor Play. Young children can often get enough exercise from engaging in active play. Engaging in playground games such as ‘tag’ or ‘chase’ can get pupils’ heart rates elevated which can help to improve a child’s cardiovascular fitness. It is recommended however, that children also use outdoor playground equipment as it encourages a full body workout. Just one hours’ worth of active play on play units or climbing frames during school lunch breaks or play times, will reduce your child’s risk of becoming overweight or obese by a significant amount. Use of playground equipment not only aids in improving childhood fitness, and weight loss, it is also lots of fun too. Encouraging children to exercise is not always easy, however by employing fun and innovative new techniques like exercising through play, helping children to get fit becomes easy. Outdoor Gym Equipment. Another fun way to encourage children to exercise during school hours is to employ the use of an outdoor gym! Outdoor gyms were introduced to the UK in 2011 and have since become a fitness phenomenon. Outdoor gym equipment is not only great for working out and fitness, it is also so much fun too. Children’s Outdoor Fitness equipment is a great way to encourage children to stay fit. These smaller versions of adult gym equipment is suitable for use by children aged four to eleven and is a great way to introduce them to exercise. Outdoor Gym Equipment can be placed at both primary and high schools and can be used during play times, as part of a PE lesson or even for use during after school fitness clubs. The equipment works in a similar way to indoor gym equipment, yet gives pupils a fun and safe way to stay fit and healthy without them even realising. Not only is outdoor gym equipment for schools a fantastic way to encourage more pupils to improve their fitness at schools, it is also a great way to introduce pupils to a fit and healthy lifestyle. By introducing young children to equipment such as this, they are much more likely to carry on exercising in this way after they have finished school and long into adulthood, thus helping to put a stop to the UK’s obesity epidemic. Encouraging children to exercise whilst at school is extremely beneficially to both their health and wellbeing. Children who are fitter and healthier are proven to perform better at school. Children who engage in regular exercise are also proven to have reduced stress,allowing them to concentrate better on classroom work and in tests.
Engaging students in foreign language classrooms
Muriel Huet, Education Consultant and lead educator of ‘Short Film in Language Teaching’ on the FutureLearn platform, talks about how educators can keep students of all abilities engaged in language learning through the medium of film. Motivating and engaging students in language lessons are challenges that educators face every day. How can we keep students engaged in their learning, when young people live in a world with such easy access to the media? The challenge for language educators today The constant challenge faced by teachers is being able to accommodate the needs of a wide range of students’ abilities whilst maintaining a stimulating learning environment. Students work at different paces, have various learning needs and need to be challenged and supported. Having spoken with many educators around the world, teachers are feeling more and more concerned about their students’ behaviour; perhaps we should question why behaviour among students is changing. Societies are evolving as much as children are. We need to adapt to their new needs and not the contrary, and to do so, educators need to look for new ways of keeping students motivated and engaged. The development of existing media forms has helped teachers to overcome some of these challenges, with the internet providing reference to traditional textbook teaching methods. Another difficulty that teachers face is stressing the importance of learning a language to students. Students need to realise that languages are crucial for them to live in the world of today. Using authentic material, such as short films, enables educators to help students access this world and make foreign languages real to them. By seeing the language used in real contexts, while learning about new cultures, students can see the importance of learning one. The benefits of using short films I have been working with short films and cinema for many years, yet I am still discovering new teaching strategies and new ways of using them in my teaching. All our research projects with the BFI (British Film Institute), working with a variety of teachers, have confirmed that short films help students to gain enjoyment from language learning and develop confidence to express themselves in a foreign tongue, whilst learning more about culture. In doing so, these interactive teaching methods help to develop a more creative approach to learning with the ultimate aim of a wider interest in modern foreign languages within the classroom. Beyond language Recently, I have used the French short film ‘Quai de Seine’ from ‘Paris je t’aime’ with a Year 9 class. Through this short film, I have been able to introduce students to certain grammar and linguistic topics linked to the curriculum, but above all, I have introduced my students to another level of thinking. I have raised society issues, looked at multiculturalism in France, and introduced them to some French slang. By giving them the correct support, I was incredibly proud of how much my Year 9 students were able to say about the short film and link it to their own opinions. It demonstrates that motivation can make a huge difference. Students are so engaged that they don’t realise how challenging the exercise can be, and want to explore the language further in order to express some more complex ideas. As they were also exposed to young French people in Paris, they could more easily relate to them and see the importance of learning a language. Short films offer many possibilities when planning linguistic and cultural activities. Innovation in teaching As language teachers, we can no longer separate the conventional disciplines of reading, writing, speaking and listening from what is offered through other media – including sound and visual literacy. Short films allow us to broaden the linguistic and cultural spectrum within each of these areas of study, allowing the students to be more creative and confident in the language they use, while achieving teaching objectives and learning outcomes. The BFI and Into Film’s course: ‘Short Film in Language Teaching’ on the FutureLearn platform, will help teachers around the world to investigate, try out and discuss new and different approaches towards short films. Creativity and innovation in teaching has to evolve alongside societal trends, and short films have the incredible potential to keep promoting language teaching and engage students in their learning.
Closing the gender gap in the classroom
Free online course explores the factors that support girls to reach their full potential Social learning platform, FutureLearn, is today launching a free online course ‘Girls’ Education: Teaching Strategies That Develop Confidence, Resilience and Collaboration’, in partnership with the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST). With gender inequality making headlines worldwide, the four-week course explores ways to support girls in the classroom in order to prepare them for their future lives and careers. The interactive tutorials guide participants through different aspects of pedagogy that develop and promote character traits such as independence, resilience, collaborative working, problem solving and confidence. Designed to help reach as many girls as possible, the course is aimed at those who shape the learning experience for girls in school: teachers, school leaders, school governors and parents. Cathy Walter, Assistant Director of Education at the Girls’ Day School Trust and lead educator of the course, said, “At the Girls’ Day School Trust, we are passionate about our role in preparing girls for life beyond the classroom. The ways we teach can have a profound and positive influence in girls’ self-belief, confidence and character. As experts in girls’ education, we are excited to share all we’ve learnt and to reach as many girls as possible.” Simon Nelson, Chief Executive at FutureLearn, said: “Gender equality is widely discussed in today’s workforce, so it’s critical to address this issue as early as possible by opening up a dialogue in the classroom too. We’re thrilled that the Girls’ Day School Trust shares our ethos of helping everyone to fulfil their potential in a changing world. We hope this course will equip educators and those who influence classroom cultures with the skills to build confidence in girls.” The course will help participants to: Explore strategies that develop character in a way that supports academic success in school and professional success after school, such as a ‘Growth Mindset’ Identify practical in-school opportunities to develop confidence in girls for learning and later life, and consider the need to develop a cognitive vocabulary in girls Develop a rationale and criteria for effective collaborative learning to maximise effectiveness and engagement in girls’ learning Evaluate school-based strategies that can help girls build confidence and respond positively to learning challenges Reflect on, analyse and understand the implications of the course for practical use in the classroom While working through these objectives, participants will reflect on the role that schools play in supporting girls’ long-term achievements and explore the importance of classroom culture and the value of ethos and atmosphere. They will also have the chance to discuss the vital balance between challenging learners and providing them with confidence, as well as the chance to evaluate and discuss aspects of the course with others who contribute towards shaping learning experiences. As with most FutureLearn courses, this course can be taken for free or there is the option to upgrade to receive additional benefits.