Education Review

Vol.17 No.1, 2003

The London challenge

Tim Brighouse

Abstract: In this article Tim Brighouse, Commissioner for London Schools, examines the challenges that schools face when tackling disadvantage and outlines why he believes teachers should feel optimistic about breaking the link between socio-economic disadvantage and educational failure.

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Education Action Zones and Excellence in Cities

David Bell

Abstract: Poverty, deprivation and disadvantage are the decisive factors associated with low standards, low aspirations and social isolation. In this article, David Bell uses the evidence of OFSTED inspections to examine the impact that Education Action Zones and Excellence in Cities have had on raising the educational performance of pupils in areas of social disadvantage.

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Social justice, education and the QCA

Ken Boston

Abstract: A just society seeks equality of educational outcomes in which the range and mean performance scores of minority groups reflect the range and mean performance scores of the whole cohort. Despite the complex interaction of factors which militate against some groups of students achieving equal educational outcomes with others, teachers can and do make a difference. Dr. Boston explains how QCA is doing a lot to help them through the National Curriculum, flexibility at Key Stage 4, vocational skills and qualifications, and support for teachers.

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Children’s centres and social inclusion

Gillian Pugh

Abstract: This article explores the concept of children’s centres, drawing on the experience of setting up the Thomas Coram Centre, and on research into the effectiveness of such centres, looking particularly at their role in promoting social inclusion.

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Towards the development of extended schools: a scoping study

Kay Kinder

Abstract: This article is based on research undertaken by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) in 2002 for the Department for Education and Skills and the National Union of Teachers, examining the extent and efficacy of the "extended school" model in England. The article presents an "audit" of extended school provision and discusses some of the perceived impacts on pupils, their families and the local community.

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Evaluation of the Department for Education and Skills’ Behaviour Improvement Programme

Susan Hallam

Abstract: This article assesses the impact of the DfES’s Behaviour Improvement Scheme (BIP) on pupil behaviour and attendance. It highlights the wide range of interventions adopted by LEAs and looks at the factors that have effected the programme’s success.

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The inequitable impacts of high stakes testing

Wynne Harlen

Abstract: This article explores the impact that summative assessment and testing can have on pupil achievement. It argues that the high stakes attached to testing can have a detrimental effect on pupils’ performance and attitude to learning.

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Tackling conflict and promoting equality

Rhodri Thomas

Abstract: All schools and members of the school community have a role to play in tackling discrimination and promoting equality. Schools should be proactive in this area in order to support students, send out the wider message that discrimination will not be tolerated and prepare all their students for life in a diverse society. This article outlines one school’s experience of tackling racial discrimination.

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Inclusion: concepts, capacity building and the (rocky) road to consensus

Suzanne Mackenzie

Abstract: One of the problems of moving towards a more inclusive system is a lack of shared understanding about what "inclusion" actually means. This article discusses the measures that need to be taken if schools are to implement inclusive practice in education and devise new ways of overcoming barriers to participation and learning.

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Putting children first - How the new Children’s Green Paper sets out reforms for the welfare of children

Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MBE MP

Abstract: Children’s life chances remain unequal with vulnerable children caught in a cycle of poverty and crime. In this article, Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Children, outlines how the reforms proposals in the Children’s Green Paper will help to protect vulnerable children and enable them to lead fulfilled lives.

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Making a difference

John Rowling

Abstract: If schools are to raise standards for all pupils they need to reject the concept of uniformity of provision and instead adapt provision to meet the different needs of pupils. This article examines one school’s attempts to raise performance and close the gap between the highest and lowest achievers.

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Gender – Still an equality issue

Julie Mellor

Abstract: Whilst men and women’s roles in society have changed significantly over the last seventy-five years inequalities still remain. This article details the work that the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is undertaking to challenge gender inequality. It also highlights the role that schools can play in ensuring that all children fulfil their potential.

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Just curriculum work

Pat Thompson

Abstract: This article describes how teacher led change can raise educational standards and re-engage children in their local community. It argues that the National Curriculum needs to be flexible enough to allow for teacher input and to be varied if local circumstances require.

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Prevention before intervention - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of intervention

Rob Long

Abstract: This article examines the factors that can cause children to develop social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in school. It explores how problem-solving skills can be used in the classroom to prevent difficulties that disrupt the learning process.

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Thoughts on the Children’s Green Paper: Every Child Matters.

Alan Parker

Abstract: This article examines the main themes of the Children’s Green Paper, and analyses the positive aspects, as well as the contradictions in policy. It looks at the likely effects of the proposals on local authorities, including the implications of having one officer responsible for both education and children’s services.

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Time, space and teachers’ work

Ken Jones

Abstract: Current education policy has led to a culture of conformity where teaching and learning are subject to increasing regulation. Such an environment has led to schools becoming culturally disconnected from their own communities. Rather than representing and drawing on a rich variety of cultures and experiences, schools have to conform to an external set of norms and values.

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The early catastrophe - The 30 million word gap by age three

Betty Hart and Todd Risley

Abstract: Early intervention programmes do not always forestall the effects of poverty on children’s academic growth. There continues to be a disparity between the vocabulary growth of children from professional families and those from families in poverty. This article details the authors’ attempts to understand how and when differences in development trajectories begin and whether they can be overcome.

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The myths and realities of asylum-seeking and refugee pupils

Nora McKenna

Abstract: This article outlines the difficulties that refugee and asylum seeking children face when trying to access the education system and looks at the important role that schools can play in promoting community cohesion.

Education Review

Vol.16 No.2, 2003

The Government’s plans for a modern profession

David Miliband MP

Abstract: Whilst there are many ways in which the Government is working with teachers the overriding focus of effort and investment is the quality of teaching and the promotion of teaching as a modern, vital, thinking profession. This article examines the key issues that affect the development of modern professionalism and argues that it is only by embracing reform that we can create the teaching profession we need.

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Getting the right literacy and numeracy skills for the 21st century

Alan Wells

Abstract: Despite improvements in literacy and numeracy standards, children continue to leave primary school with inadequate basic skills. Moreover, standards of literacy and numeracy in secondary schools are proving more difficult to shift. In this article Alan Wells draws on his visits to more than 1,000 schools to suggest how teachers might further raise standards. He argues that we need to adopt a reform agenda that builds on the best aspects of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and gets rid of the worst.

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Class sizes and teacher workload: teachers’ views

John Atkins

Abstract: Whilst much research has drawn on teachers’ perceptions of how variations in class size affect their pupils’ attainment and achievement there has been less investigation of how teachers’ own workloads vary with the sizes of the classes they teach. This article examines the complex relationship between the amount of time teachers spend on planning, preparation and assessment and the sizes of the classes they teach. It concludes that smaller class sizes bring more direct benefits to pupils rather than to teachers.

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Redefining the profession – teachers with attitude

Kathy Riley

Abstract: "Is teaching a trade or is it a profession?" This is a question which governments ask around the globe. Drawing on a broad-based GTC study, "What does it take to be a good teacher in the 21st century?" this article examines views about the skills and attributes needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century and asks whether the current policy climate is conducive to their development.

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From pioneers to champions

Richard Stainton

Abstract: This is a teachers’ success story, which provides important lessons about how changes in teaching and learning can be promoted and supported effectively. It also shows how the "hallmarks" agreed at the start of the NUT’sbn pilot professional development programme have proved themselves suitable to remain the guiding principles to underpin the long-term CPD Programme now offered by the NUT to all teachers.

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Education for all – widening access to higher education

Will Straw

Abstract: This article examines the Government’s efforts to widen access to higher education. It argues that, whilst the proposal to widen participation is to be welcomed, the Government’s interpretation of what needs doing is mistaken. It details the outreach work carried out by universities to target state schools and argues that it is the erosion of maintenance grants and the principle of free education, rather than university admission policies, which is contributing to the failure of a shift in the social make up of universities.

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Teacher Leadership and School Improvement

Alma Harris

Abstract: The collaboration and collegiality fostered though teacher leadership has been shown to lead to an enhanced capacity for change and improvement at the school and classroom level. This article emphasises the importance of distributing leadership throughout the school and details the important role that teachers can play in sustaining school improvement.

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National Curriculum Tests

Sean Neill

Abstract: Since the late 1980s governments have put a high priority on raising standards in education, and much of the policy effort in this direction has involved higher levels of inspection, testing, examination reform and the use of the results from these in league tables. As a result, currently children are being tested more frequently than was the case in the past. This article argues that the frequent changes in the assessment regime have made it more difficult for teachers to build up a coherent set of strategies to improve results and have distorted the educational experience of children.

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Teachers and Leaders - NCSL’s part in developing the teaching profession

Heather Du Quesnay

Abstract: This article sets out the role that the National College of School Leadership hopes to play in helping teachers rediscover their confidence, creativity and sense of professional freedom. It details the work that the College is undertaking to meet the development and learning needs of all leaders and argues that leadership does not start arbitrarily when you start a formal leadership role for the first time.

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What role can CPD play in supporting the needs and priorities of future teachers?

Philippa Cordingley

Abstract: This article addresses the nature of the teaching and learning process, the consequences this has for CPD and the potential for particular approaches to CPD to make a practical and strategic contribution to the future of the profession.

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Future perfect

Alan McFadden

Abstract: An increasingly test based culture means that school performance is ascertained by very limited measures. Both the current and previous governments have subscribed to the same wrong-headed idea that the effectiveness of what is put into a school can be evaluated simply by what comes out. "Wrong-headed" because what comes out is being measured solely by the results of external assessment: SATs, GCSEs or AS and A levels. In this article the author examines the effect that this culture is having on both pupils and teachers and sets out his thoughts on how we can raise standards for all pupils.

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Literacy for the future

Sue Palmer

Abstract: Literacy in the future will make higher demands on oracy skills, particularly the ability to speak in a "literate" way. This article looks at how current practice in primary schools may be contributing to, but also inhibiting, the development of such skills. It also considers the effects of changes in primary school staffing policies on the spoken language models available to children.

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Gender stereotyping and primary schools: moving the agenda on

Christine Skelton

Abstract: This article explores how many of the current approaches taken to tackle boys’ under-achievement are unhelpful in breaking down gender stereotypes. It reviews the outcomes of nearly 30 years of equal opportunities policies in schools for pupils and teachers. An alternative approach, based on gender relational theory, is suggested in order to challenge boys’ and girls’ ideas of what it means to be a "proper boy" or "proper girl".

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The needs and priorities of future teachers – a psychological perspective

Jane Phillips

Abstract: In a fast changing world, some future needs and priorities will change dramatically but many will remain precisely as they are today. People have a need for both stability and change. Governors have an interest because governing bodies have both a strategic role and a duty of care to employees at their school. Knowledge of chaos theory and scenario planning can give insights into possible futures. Knowledge of the psychological impact of change can give people the tools they need to embrace beneficial change. If head, staff and governors together take control of their destiny, they can be party to inventing the future for their school.

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Getting the climate right

Gloriana Moorehead

Abstract: This article outlines the benefits of introducing a school management model that encourages genuine participation in school decision-making. Creating an environment where teachers feel valued and able to contribute to the management of their schools will lead to professionally fulfilled staff who give their all for the education of children in their care and gain the job satisfaction needed to remain in their school and within their chosen profession.

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Learning and creativity

Brian Edwards

Abstract: Creativity is a central ingredient and condition of successful teaching and learning. Through creative action we confirm purpose, and develop the skills and critical faculties to continue learning throughout life. This article outlines the work that Gateshead LEA is undertaking to encourage creativity and innovation in its schools and stresses the importance of creating a culture of trust and openness in schools.

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Effects of the General Agreement on Trade in Services on the education systems in Europe

Ulf Fredriksson

Abstract: During spring 2003 the negotiations concerning the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) move into a more intensive phase. Many people think that trade has no link to education policies. Developments related to GATS prove that this is a false assumption - education policy in the future may be increasingly linked to trade policies. This article will outline some thoughts on the likely effects of GATS on the education systems in Europe. In order to do that it is necessary to look at what is meaningfully described as a growing education market.

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A "tight loose" profession or a two tier workforce

Martin Allen

Abstract: The nature of secondary school and the work of secondary teachers will continue to change as the twenty first century progresses. The issue however, is whether the direction that these changes take will be in the interests of teachers and their students. This article argues that we should be extremely critical about key aspects of "modernisation" in secondary education.