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THE PRIMARY REVIEW and the education of primary teachers Robin Alexander University of Cambridge UCET Annual Conference

THE PRIMARY REVIEW and the education of primary teachers Robin Alexander University of Cambridge UCET Annual Conference 9 November 2007. www.primaryreview.org.uk enquiries@primaryreview.org.uk evidence@primaryreview.org.uk . The Primary Review ESSENTIALS. The Review:

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THE PRIMARY REVIEW and the education of primary teachers Robin Alexander University of Cambridge UCET Annual Conference

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  1. THE PRIMARY REVIEW and the education of primary teachers Robin Alexander University of Cambridge UCET Annual Conference 9 November 2007

  2. www.primaryreview.org.uk enquiries@primaryreview.org.uk evidence@primaryreview.org.uk

  3. The Primary Review ESSENTIALS • The Review: • focuses on the statutory primary phase, 4/5-11; • is financially and politically independent; • is grounded in national and international evidence; • seeks views across a wide range of professional, political and public constituencies; • is undertaken by a Cambridge-based central team, supported by 70 research consultants and a 20-strong advisory committee; • combines assessment of current provision with the development of a vision for the future; • yields interim reports and briefings, and a final report containing findings, conclusions and recommendations for future policy and practice.

  4. The Primary ReviewINFRASTRUCTURE (Current total number involved directly in the Review: over 100) Advisory Committee (20) Policy sub-committee Management Group Chair: Gillian Pugh Chair: Gillian Pugh Chair: Hilary Hodgson Members listed on Review website Central team Director of the Primary Review: Robin Alexander Associate Directors: Christine Doddington, Linda Hargreaves, Ruth Kershner Research Associates: David Harrison, Julia Flutter. Administrator: Catrin Darsley Part-time temporary research assistants: 6 Research consultants (70) Listed on website Communications Communications Director: Richard Margrave In conjunction with Cambridge University Press Office and Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Press Office

  5. The Primary ReviewPERSPECTIVES AND THEMES Perspectives Children and childhood Culture, society and the global context Education Core themes Purposes and values Learning and teaching Curriculum and assessment Quality and standards Diversity and inclusion Settings and professionals Contingent themes Parenting, caring and educating Beyond the school Structures and phases Funding and governance

  6. The Primary ReviewEVIDENTIAL STRANDS Submissionsopen to all, written 2. Soundingsregional and national, face-to-face Surveys of published research, commissioned from academic consultants 4. Searches of official data

  7. The Primary ReviewTHE REVIEW MATRIX EVIDENTIAL STRANDS Submissions Soundings Surveys Searches PERSPECTIVES: Children Society Education THEMES: Purposes & values Learning & teaching Curriculum & assessment Quality & standards Diversity & inclusion Settings & professionals Parenting, caring & educating Beyond the school Structures & phases Funding & governance

  8. The Primary ReviewTHE BALANCE OF EVIDENCE Invited opinion - open / non-interactive (SUBMISSIONS) - targeted / interactive (SOUNDINGS) Published empirical data - independent research (SURVEYS) - official data (SEARCHES)

  9. The Primary ReviewEVIDENCE STRAND 1: SUBMISSIONS Number to date: 550 Shortest: Half a page Longest: 330 pages Sources: Children, teachers, TAs, heads, governors, LAs, teacher trainers, researchers, parents, unions, faith groups, public bodies, subject associations, professional associations, organisations outside education …….. Topics: All perspectives and themes, especially learning, assessment, curriculum, values, schools, teachers, diversity, inclusion, policy, funding…

  10. The Primary ReviewEVIDENCE STRAND 2: SOUNDINGS Community soundings- engaging with grass-roots experience and opinion - regional, reflecting geographical and cultural diversity - based on primary schools, but moving into their localities - teachers, parents, children, officials, community figures - hard to reach families as well as regular school users - January - March 2007 National soundings - 1: National organisations - 2: VIP teachers’ group - focus on key issues, problems and dilemmas emerging from the evidence so far - December 2007 - March 2008 Meetings with other stakeholders

  11. The Primary ReviewEVIDENCE STRAND 2: SOUNDINGS - OTHER STAKEHOLDERS Official bodies and agencies: DfES/DCFS Ofsted, QCA, TDA, GTC, NCSL Opposition education shadows Commons Education / CSF Select Committee Downing Street Policy Unit Professional organisations: Teacher unions: ASCL, ATL, NAHT, NASUWT, NPhA, NUT, (PAT) Phase organisations (e.g. PUG, ECF, PLG, SSAT, UCET?) Curriculum organisations (e.g. UKLA) Other enquiries, eg: Good Childhood Enquiry All Party Scientific Research in Learning and Education Group

  12. The Primary ReviewEVIDENCE STRAND 3: RESEARCH SURVEYS Theme 1: Purposes and values 1/1 Aims and values in primary education 1/2 The aims of primary education: England and other countries 1/3 The changing national context of primary education 1/4 The changing global context of primary education Theme 2: Learning and teaching 2/1a Children in primary schools: cognitive development and learning 2/1b Children in primary schools: social development and learning 2/2 Teaching in primary schools: characteristics, changes and conditions for success 2/3 Learning and teaching in primary schools: the curriculum dimension 2/4 Learning and teaching in primary schools: evidence from TLRP Theme 3: Curriculum and assessment 3/1 Curriculum and assessment policy and requirements: England and other countries 3/2 Curriculum, teaching and assessment: the trajectory and impact of national reform 3/3 Curriculum alternatives for primary education 3/4 Assessment alternatives for primary education Theme 4: Quality and standards 4/1 Quality and standards in primary education: national evidence 4/2 Quality and standards in primary education: international evidence 4/3 Monitoring, assuring and maintaining quality in primary education

  13. Theme 5: Diversity and inclusion 5/1 Children in primary education: demography, culture, identity, diversity, inclusion 5/2 Children of primary school age with special needs: identification and provision 5/3 Children and their primary education: pupil voice Theme 6: Settings and professionals 6/1 Primary education: the physical environment 6/2 Primary education: the professional environment 6/3 Teachers and other professionals: training, induction and development 6/4 Teachers and other professionals: workforce management and reform Theme 7: Parenting, caring and educating 7/1 Parenting and caring: culture, demography and change 7/2 Home and school: changing relations and procedures Theme 8: Beyond the school 8/1 Children’s lives outside school and their educational impact 8/2 Education and the wider childhood context: primary schools and other agencies Theme 9: Structures and phases 9/1 The structure and phasing of primary education: England and other countries 9/2 The organisational environment of learning: structure, grouping and transition Theme 10: Funding and governance 10/1 The financing and financial management of primary education 10/2 The governance, administration and control of primary education

  14. The Primary ReviewEVIDENCE STRAND 4: OFFICIAL DATA SEARCHES Data sources - Statutory bodies (DfES, Ofsted, TDA, QCA) plus ONS, OECD and others Main foci - The system as a whole - policy, demography, statistics, standards - Change over time DfES - LA data on staffing, TPRs, funding, initiatives, SEN etc, 1997-2005 - Government Trends data on targets, workforce, pupil attainment - Comparative UK data - School-level demographic data - Achievement data 2000-2006 - Annual statistical releases 1995-2006 - Value for Money Unit analysis of inputs, efficiency & effectiveness - Pupil data via PAT from 1999 - prior attainment, gender, special needs, first language, ethnicity, mobility, deprivation, in care - School census/PLASC pupil, teacher and LA data 1997-2006 Ofsted - Old HMI (to 1994): HMSCI annual reports plus surveys and studies - Ofsted (1994-): HMCI annual reports plus surveys and special studies - School inspection reports and self-evaluations from 1994 - Lesson/subject data from 1994 - PICSI/PANDA and RAISO linking school data to national trends QCA, TDA, OECD - to follow (QCA to include SCAA/NCC/SEAC; TDA to include TTA/CATE)

  15. The Primary Review OUTLINE TIMETABLE PHASE 1: PREPARATION January 2004 - October 2006 PHASE 2: IMPLEMENTATION Launch 13 October 2006 Data collection October 2006 - December 2007 Data analysis March 2007 - March 2008 Reporting Interim reports and briefings October 2007 - March 2008 Final report Winter 2008 PHASE 3: FOLLOW-UP From January 2009

  16. The Primary Review OUTCOMES GENERATING DEBATE Website The submissions process Community and national soundings Official stakeholder dialogues (government, opposition, national agencies, unions) After publication of the interim reports, from October 2007 onwards Media coverage Post-interim reporting debate feeds back as evidence PROVIDING INFORMATION Website Interim reports and briefings Final report Final report supplementary volumes CHANGING POLICY AND PRACTICE Change vs influence: creating a climate of opinion Changing policy Influencing professional thinking and practice Influencing public opinion Immediate action vs longer-term influence Whose education system is it?

  17. The Primary ReviewINTERIM REPORTS: PUBLICATION SCHEDULE All reports, briefings and press releases are at www.primaryreview.org.uk from the day of publication A. REPORTS ON PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS Community Soundings: the Primary Review regional witness sessions - 12.10.07 Submissions received by the Primary Review - 4.1.08 B. COMMISSIONED RESEARCH SURVEYS (published in groups) How well are we doing? Research on standards, quality and assessment- 2.11.07 (research surveys 4/1, 3/1, 4/2) Children’s lives and voices: research on children at home and school- 23.11.07 (research surveys 5/3, 7/1, 8/1, 8/2) Children in primary schools: development, diversity, learning and educational needs- 14.12.07 (research surveys 2/1a, 2/1b, 5/1, 5/2 )

  18. JANUARY TO MARCH 2008: GROUPINGS AND DATES TO BE FINALISED. Aims, values and contexts for primary education (research surveys 1/1, 1/3, 1/4) Structures, aims, curriculum and assessment: international perspectives (research surveys 9/1, 1/2, 3/1, 3/3) Governance, finance, reform and quality assurance (research surveys 10/1, 10.2, 3.2, 4.3) Schools, teachers, training and workforce reform (research surveys 6/1, 6/2, 6/3, 6/4) Learning and teaching: the pedagogy of primary education (research surveys 2/2, 2/3, 2/4, 9/2)

  19. The Primary Review: interim reportsEVIDENCE STRAND 2a: COMMUNITY SOUNDINGS Community soundings: 9 Locations: London (3), North East (1), North West (1), Midlands (1), Yorkshire (1), South East (1), South West (1) Witness sessions: 87 Witnesses: 757 By constituency: Pupils (197) Parents (75) Governors (33) Teachers (72) Teaching assistants and non-teaching staff (60) Senior management team members (22) Head teachers (70) Commmunity representatives (86) Other (139)

  20. The Primary Review: interim reportsCOMMUNITY SOUNDINGS: HEADLINES (Interim report 1: Community Soundings - published 12.10.07) Local differences on specifics, but national consensus on the big issues Positive view of the work of primary schools, but pessimism about the wider educational, national and international contexts Policy: from support to hostility Support: Every Child Matters. Ambivalence: NLS, NNS & PNS. Unease: Centralisation, compliance and loss of autonomy Concern: Rigid curriculum, narrowed by tests; Hostility: KS1/2 SATs. The world in which today’s children are growing up Children and childhood under stress; loss of childhood innocence Parenting in decline and families under pressure Loss of social cohesion, community, mutual respect and concern Values: materialism, individualism, celebrity Plugging the gap: schools as communities Global issues: climate change; international security

  21. The Primary Review: interim reportsCOMMUNITY SOUNDINGS: REGIONAL AND LOCAL ISSUES (Interim report 1: Community Soundings - published 12.10.07) Policy and the achievement gap Selective secondary education Revisiting the three-tier system Parents and families: supporting parents/carers of SEN children Parents and families: reaching the hard to reach Ethnic/religious diversity and national identity Urban schools: children’s safety vs independence Rural schools in an urban system Migration: unreliable statistics; inadequate resourcing; language provision Migrants and travellers: provision and prejudice School intakes: transient pupils in a system premised on stability

  22. The Primary Review: interim reports HOW WELL ARE WE DOING? RESEARCH ON PRIMARY STANDARDS, QUALITY AND ASSESSMENT (Research surveys 3/4, 4/1, 4/2 - published 2.11.07) Mixed messages Stability of the system over time Children’s positive attitudes to primary schooling National data: modest improvements in maths International data: big improvements in maths and science, high comparative standards in reading Limited impact of national strategies on reading standards Gains in reading skills at expense of enjoyment Increases in test-induced stress Narrowing of the curriculum Bigger gap between high and low attainers in England than many other countries

  23. The Primary Review: interim reports HOW WELL ARE WE DOING? (Continued) Low level of dependability of national test data Misleading nature of apparent KS2 improvements, 1995-2000 ‘Standards’ too narrowly defined Thin evidence on international comparative standards NLS/NNS/PNS: value for money? Testing does not of itself ‘drive up’standards School accountability should be based on more than SATs National standards to be monitored through sample surveys rather than SATs More use of teacher assessment in summative assessment Shift overall assessment balance towards AfL: impact on teaching quality and thence standards Tie assessment policy and strategies more closely to research

  24. The Primary Review: interim reportsCHILDREN’S LIVES AND VOICES RESEARCH ON PRIMARY CHILDREN AT HOME AND SCHOOL (Research surveys 5/3, 7/1, 8/1 and 8/2 - published 23.11.07) Childhood. Changing conceptions of children, childhood and children’s needs. Dangers of polarisation: children as victims / threats; as innocent / deficient Parenting. Changing conceptions and demographics of parenting and families: do schools understand? Can they cope? Children’s lives outside school. Their massive impact, for better or worse. Need to understand, respect and build on children’s non-school lives & experiential learning. Children’s rights. Challenge of UNCRC to school power relations and established pedagogy.

  25. The Primary Review: interim reportsCHILDREN’S LIVES AND VOICES (Continued) Scholarisation . Vulnerable children and families: need for early intervention, but dangers of one-size fits all ‘scholarisation’ of childhood, and of belittling or crowding out productive non-school activities. School work not the only work that children do. Life skills. Testing, targets and the narrow curriculum not compatible with the broader life-skill goals of ECM. Inequality. The impact of inequalities, and especially poverty, on children’s education and life prospects. But the risk that some policies/strategies (e.g. admissions, homework, parental involvement) favour the affluent and increase inequality.

  26. The Primary ReviewSOME EMERGING ISSUES FOR PRIMARY INITIAL TRAINING Early days, but ……... The quality of primary ITE: ‘the best teachers / best trained teachers ever’ vs sluggish gains in literacy standards, a narrowing curriculum and an unacceptably wide achievement gap. Are TDA’s admission criteria / Ofsted’s ITT quality criteria set high enough? The purpose of primary ITE: training for compliance vs training for critical judgement and eventual transition to autonomous expertise. The content of primary ITE: what should the beginning teacher know and be able to do? Problem areas: Curriculum beyond the core and (yet again) subject knowledge and the demands of generalist teaching. Curriculum discourse for change, and teachers’ cultural and epistemological understanding. Pedagogy - How far is pedagogical preparation informed by research? The evidential basis of the national strategies vs recent evidence on development, cognition, learning and teaching.

  27. CPD: policy catch-up or engagement with a much broader professional agenda (e.g. evidence emerging from the Primary Review)? The ‘era of informed professional judgement’? Whose information? Whose judgement? Competing versions of ‘expert’ teachers: are ASTs agents of the national strategies or ‘experts’ in the senses used by Berliner, Dreyfus and others?

  28. www.primaryreview.org.uk enquiries@primaryreview.org.uk evidence@primaryreview.org.uk

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