The Importance of Teaching – Schools White Paper, Nov 2010

1. The Importance of Teaching – Schools White Paper, Nov 2010 06 January 2011 David Russell – Director of Curriculum & Behaviour Policy

2. Contents Part 1 – Overview of White Paper Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment & Qualifications Part 3 - Science

3. Part 1 – Overview of White Paper Slides 4-15

4. The context • “.. so many great schools, so many superb teachers and so many outstanding head teachers ..” • but we are failing to keep pace with the world’s best-performing education nations • and the gulf between opportunities for the rich and the poor has grown wider • the single most important lesson is – ‘The Importance of Teaching’

5. The narrative (1) • good teachers delivering good teaching is the single most important factor in giving every child a high quality education • poor behaviour is one of the biggest barriers to attracting and retaining good teachers • once schools have secured good behaviour, they will be able to deliver a challenging curriculum for all pupils

6. The narrative (2) • the best school systems devolve power to schools, and we will give schools the freedom to lead improvement • robust accountability for raising standards and narrowing gaps will sit alongside our plans for increased autonomy • head teachers and teachers are the people who make the difference, so we will give them real freedoms to decide how best to improve their school • the school funding system will be transparent and fair, and will effectively target disadvantaged pupils

7. A philosophical shift

8. Teaching and leadership • raise the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession (2:2) and focus ITT on core teaching skills • national network of Teaching Schools • support for teachers’ professional development, inc. end to 3 hour rule • powers to reward good performance; and address poor performance • free head teachers and teachers from bureaucracy and red tape, cutting duties, processes, guidance

9. Behaviour • clarify and strengthen teachers’ powers – search; same-day detention; use of force • protect teachers from malicious allegations • strengthen head teachers’ authority beyond school gates • support head teachers to take a strong stand against bullying, esp. prejudice-based • reform the exclusion appeals process • trial school responsibility for excluded pupils’ attainment • improve the quality of alternative provision

10. Curriculum, assessment and qualifications • See Part 2 !

11. The new school system • reinstate the freedoms Academies originally had • all schools will be able to become Academies • ensure that the weakest schools are considered for Academy conversion • support collaboration – chains, trusts, federations • support teachers, charities and parent groups to open Free Schools • local authorities strong strategic role – champions for parents, families, vulnerable students; ensuring school places; coordinating fair admissions; can develop own local school improvement strategies

12. Accountability • massive increase in public information on schools • reform performance tables; new measures on deprived pupil progress, and destinations • reform school inspection: Ofsted focus on pupil achievement; quality of teaching; leadership and management; behaviour and safety of pupils • floor standard for primary and secondary schools – escalating minimum expectation • support for underperforming schools, including minimum expectations; intervene where failure entrenched; help schools learn from one another; work with LAs to support underperforming schools • improve governing bodies

13. School improvement • school responsibility for driving improvement • ending duty to appoint SIPs • focus on school to school support – ‘families of schools’ data • NLEs – doubling; and Teaching Schools • Education Endowment Fund • evidence on best practice, materials, improvement services • support for schools below floor standards • test a school financial incentive rewarding collaboration

14. School funding • new Pupil Premium • consultation on clear and fairer funding formula • transparency – on school spending • remove requirement for LA clawback mechanism • end disparity in funding for 16-18 year olds • devolve the maximum funding to schools and realise efficiencies • take forward conclusions of capital spending review • YPLA will become Education Funding Agency

15. In summary, this is about: • empowering teachers • autonomy for schools, accountability to parents and the community • measuring success by international standards • making the funding system fairer, so that poorer children get a better chance to do well • tackling the blockages to good teaching – bad behaviour, prescriptive dogma, endless bureaucracy • the state fundamentally stepping back from the day to day running of schools

16. Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment & Qualifications Slides 17-24

17. Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications Headlines • Review and reform the National Curriculum • Support the teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics and introduce a simple check at 6 • Hold an independent review of assessment at 11 • Encourage schools to offer the “English Baccalaureate” • Focus support on strategic curriculum subjects and give schools space to offer a truly rounded education • Measure our qualifications internationally against the best in world • Reform GCSEs and A Levels • Reform vocational qualifications, following Professor Alison Wolf’s review • Support more people to continue in education or training to 18

18. Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications Themes • Crucial role on international comparison to guide reform • Trusting the professionalism of teachers • Restoring rigour to the curriculum and qualifications • Concentrate on teaching for knowledge and understanding • and not excessive drilling or exam preparation

19. We will review and reform the National Curriculum to focus on essential knowledge and concepts • Reformed National Curriculum will: • return to core entitlement organised around subjects. • slim down - more freedom to teach and design their own curriculum • “Core of knowledge and understand that all children should be expected to acquire…. must not try to cover every conceivable area of human learning” - Academies and Free Schools retain right not to follow; expectation is that more will choose to follow new National Curriculum • Review to be formally launched by Ministers: • to cover both primary and secondary (and link to EYFS review) • focus on international research • Widespread consultation • Aiming to implement from 9/13; new curriculum available from 9/12

20. We will promote systematic synthetic phonics and assessing reading at age six • Clear evidence of the importance of learning to read; and the effectiveness of systematic, synthetic phonics • resources and training to support its teaching • Ofsted judgements will reflect new expectations • reform initial teacher training • Phonics screening check at age 6 – extra help for those struggling We will reform the key stage two tests – the principal measures of progress at primary schools • Concerns about excessive test preparation • Independent review by Lord Bew – rigorous, valid and reliable assessments to ensure schools are properly accountable to parents, pupils and public

21. The English Baccalaureate will encourage schools to offer a broad set of academic subjects at age 16 • Students are expected to pursue a broad range of academic subjects to 16 across most of Europe • “English Baccalaureate” to encourage more students in England to do so • Recognise success with A*-C GCSE or iGCSE in: • English • maths • sciences (2 GCSEs) • language (ancient or modern) • humanities (history or geography) • Only 15% of students achieved this, summer 2009 – only 4% FSM. And more than 230 schools had no students achieving this • We will publish results school-by-school – alongside existing measures; and (in time) provide certificates for individual students

22. We will focus central government support on strategic curriculum subjects • More delegation, and fewer top-down curriculum programmes, but retain support for uptake and achievement in mathematics and the sciences, to: • increase the number of specialist teachers in physics, chemistry and maths and improve the skills of existing teachers in these subjects • support schools offering separate science GCSEs, physics and further maths A level We will ensure all schools are given the resources and space they need to offer a truly rounded education • “Clearing away the clutter” from the curriculum will give teachers the freedom to design lessons and provide experience: • PE – especially, competitive team sports • Sex and relationships education & PSHE • Cultural experiences (music, museums and libraries,…)

23. We will compare ourselves to the best in the world • Participation in PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS to tell us how we are performing • (slipped to 14th in science, to 17th in reading, to 24th in maths) • compulsory for schools to take part (to guarantee we’re involved) • Add securing international comparability of qualification standards to Ofqual objectives • catching and keeping up with the best in the world becomes at least as important as keeping exams the same year-after-year We will reform GCSEs and A levels • We are working with Ofqual to look at: • getting universities fully involved in the development of A Levels • reducing A Level resits (2/3rds – 3/4ths resit at least once) • reversing the “modularisation” of GCSEs (so taken at the end of the course) • greater weight on spelling, punctuation and grammar in GCSEs

24. We will review vocational education • Vocational education long the poor relation of academic education. • Too many young people following poor quality vocational courses because they are easy for schools and colleges to deliver and give them performance tables points – not for their intrinsic value • Professor Alison Wolf reviewing vocational education and qualifications – will report in Spring 2011 • Expansion of the Apprenticeships programme, 16-19 – up to 131,000 in 2010/11 We will support more young people to continue in education to 18 • Confirming the commitment to Raising the Participation Age – to 17 in 2013, and 18 in 2015 • not keen to criminalise young people; want to allow participation to bed in, so enforcement against young people to come in over a longer period

25. Part 3 – Science Slides 26-30

26. The Department for Education will : • Continue specific programmes which have been successful • Commit over £130m to STEM support over the SR period • Announce shortly the STEM allocations in more detail • Stay joined up with BIS

27. The Department for Education will : • Seek to attract more top science and maths graduates to be teachers. • Support Teach First, create Teach Now to build on the Graduate Teacher programme, and seek other ways to improve the quality of the teaching profession. • Reform the rigid national pay and condition rules to give schools greater freedoms to pay good teachers more and deal with poor performance.

28. The Department for Education will : • Create more flexibility in the exam system so that state schools can offer qualifications like the iGCSE • Reform league tables so that schools are able to focus on, and demonstrate, the progress of children of all abilities • Keep external assessment, but will review how key stage 2 tests operate in future.

29. The Department for Education will : • Keep science at the heart of curriculum • Announce the detail of the National Curriculum Review very shortly • Keep working with and listing to stakeholders.

30. Thank you.