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Jayne Dowle: Chaos on cards as schools are forced to make the grade
THE Government's new move to shake up schools smacks of desperation. From where I'm sitting, awaiting my son's first SATs results, the idea of "report cards" looks like a dangerous gimmick. I'm going to take some persuading that it will do more than add bureaucracy, confuse parents and pupils and send teachers over the brink.
I'm not convinced that it is anything other than blatant electioneering, designed to make Schools Secretary Ed Balls – and the Government – look like they are tackling education before the General Election.
If it goes ahead, it is sure to be rushed through without proper debate in a truncated parliamentary term. And it begs a major question – if Labour has been in power for 12 years and not managed to get education right yet, what hope do they have of fixing it in 12 short months?
I was discussing this subject with my son's teacher last week. She is emerging from the hell that is administering SATs tests for her class of seven-year-olds.
However, I think the prospect of being hurled into "report cards" will finish her off under a pile of paperwork.
This initiative, to be introduced in a White Paper next week, will rank schools from A-F, so each school ends up with one overall grade. The measures used are likely to include discipline, emotional well-being, attendance, take-up of school meals, the number of children doing the recommended weekly two hours of PE and exam results.
So, have I got this right? In the interests of showing the broadest possible picture of what a school is capable of, report cards will narrow the verdict down to one single letter. Surely that goes completely against the grain of the holistic and inclusive approach of modern state education? It is as bad as a pass or fail in the 11-plus marking out a child for life.
Apparently, every parent is going to be issued with a four-page report document, outlining the school's achievements. But the only thing we will remember is that great big letter. What do you recall about your O-levels, GCSEs or A-levels? It isn't the encouraging comments teachers made on your coursework. It's the final verdict. Anything less than an A, B or C and parents will pull their kids out faster than you can say "sink school".
Think about the money this will cost to implement. Then think about the stalled Building Schools For The Future programme, floundering because there is nothing left in the pot to pay for it.
Ofsted admits that it has "no idea" who will be responsible for grading the schools. So that's another few millions spent on sorting a way of actually carrying out the job. It is odds on that it will end up an administrative disaster. But if the Government gets the timing right, that won't be until after the General Election.
And talk about a kick in the teeth for teachers. This just gives parents another stick to beat them with. Parents and pupils may be asked to contribute their views to the reports, but such feedback
is almost always seized upon as a chance to have a gripe.
When a questionnaire lands on a teacher's desk asking them to rate their class in terms of their ability to control their feelings, those who have pulled out all the stops to improve SATs results will think they have laboured in vain.
Those who have sweated under the relentless scrutiny of an Ofsted inspection will wonder whether all those sleepless nights were worth it. I can't imagine that this idea is going to do much for teacher retention.
I don't care how many kids chuck a beanbag round the hall every Tuesday. If the Government wants to help parents judge schools, this is the kind of thing they should be looking at. Does each class have a proper, permanent teacher? Has the teacher got the respect of the pupils? Does the school communicate effectively with parents, via website, email and text?
Does the school secretary pass on messages, or sit filing her nails and moaning? Is there scope for veering off-curriculum, giving teachers the chance to inspire pupils with sheer enthusiasm about their specialist subject? And is there a transparent management system in place, which allows parents clear opportunities to spot the flaws before they become endemic failures?
These are the things we really want to know about our schools. Sorry, Ed Balls, you must do better. It's as simple as ABC.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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