Michael Gove claimed on Radio 4 this morning that his plans would get more Free School Meal children into top universities - and quoted figures that this is currently 40 children, down from 45. So what he appears to be saying is that the focus away from Vocational Subjects That Don't Matter To Employers (BTECs etc) will help these 5 children. What about the 100,000s of others from working class families?
They're clearly insignificant. He has a point - children who are not academically gifted or good at reciting historical facts in exams aren't going to play a part in our economy anyhow.
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Thursday 9 September 2010
Is Gove's Notion To Close The Gap Between Rich And Poor Just Disingenuous Rhetoric?
Below is an extract from Michael Gove's very long speech on Monday, if you don't want to read it, he basically wants to bring in an academic baccalaureate and the tone indicates than anything non academic is of no value - i've noted particularly galling bits in CAPS:
'One thing I’m determined to do is publish all the exam data held by the government so that parents, schools and third parties can use web-based applications to create many new and bespoke sorts of tables.
This will mean they’re not dependent on the measures that Government decides to use; and also that there is complete transparency about the qualifications our young people are taking.
But Government still needs key measures of secondary school performance to ensure that the reforms we’re putting in place are having a real impact on performance in our schools and are closing the gap between rich and poor.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS - BEFORE THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER - there’s the opportunity for a real debate about what we, as a nation, should expect of young people at the age of 16. And so what these key measures should be.
I think most people would agree that English and Maths GCSE are an irreducible core that nearly all young people should be expected to achieve at sixteen.
BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS AN ARGUMENT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE A WIDER RANGE OF CORE ACADEMIC GCSES – AN ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE THAT WOULD ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN – ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM LESS PRIVILEGED BACKGROUNDS HAVE A CHANCE TO GAIN A BASE OF KNOWLEDGE – AND A SET OF LIFE CHANCES - TOO OFTEN RESTRICTED TO THE WEALTHY.
So I’m proposing that the Government look at how many young people in each secondary school secure five GOOD GCSEs including: English, Maths, a Science, a Modern or ANCIENT LANGUAGE and a humanity like History or Geography, Art or Music.
Such a broad yet rigorous suite of qualifications would allow students here the chance to secure a school-leaving certificate which shares many of the virtues of the European baccalaureate approach. I am a great admirer of the already existing International Baccalaureate and am determined to support a wider take up of that qualification. But the GCSE is a popular and resilient qualification, well understood by employers, teachers and students.
It seems to me that one of the best ways of capturing the breadth and rigour of the IB while making the most of the strengths of the GCSE is to create special recognition for those students who secure good passes in a balanced range of rigorous qualifications.
An English Bac could incentivise schools and students to follow the courses which best equip them, and us as a nation, to succeed.
I am deeply concerned that fewer and fewer students are studying languages, it not only breeds insularity, it means an integral part of the brain’s learning capacity rusts unused.
I am determined that we step up the number of students studying PROPER SCIENCE SUBJECTS - Asian countries massively outstrip us in the growth of scientific learning and they are already reaping the cultural and economic benefits.
And I am passionately concerned that we introduce more and more young people to the best that has been thought and written - which is why I lament the retreat from history teaching in some of our schools and believe also that we should incentivise deeper knowledge of our shared cultural heritage.(THAT'LL BE KINGS AND QUEENS AND DATES OF BATTLES THEN)
I believe that a change in how we measure and grade schools, to reward those who have pupils who succeed in all these areas, and a special recognition of student achievement with the award of a Baccalaureate certificate to those pupils who secure these passes, could re-invigorate the culture of learning in this country.(HE REALLY IS TAKING THE MICKY NOW)
I’m not suggesting this would or should be the only measure used but I do believe that this is a valid expectation of most young people in the 21st century.
It also would not preclude the study of other GCSEs OUTSIDE OF THIS CORE OR ANY VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS THAT WOULD BE OF GENUINE BENEFIT FOR STUDENT’S PROGRESSION to post-16 education and employment.
But it would dramatically strengthen the position of core academic subjects in our schools and stop the shift to less challenging courses driven by the current perverse accountability system.
And it would align us with the expectations other advanced countries have of their children.
Nearly every other developed country in the world children are assessed in a range of core academic subjects at 15 or 16 even if they are on a "VOCATIONAL" route.'
As much as I try to embrace the good intentions in his New Schools Network and Academies, this still sounds to me like the thinking of someone who has been through the public school system, believes wholeheartedly that this is better, and is trying to find a way to spread this model - even to those who it does not suit at best, and simply cannot achieve at worst?
The Gap, Mr. Gove, is about to get much wider. Was that the (hidden) point all along?
SEE COMMENTS AT : http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/435863.aspx via @TESConnect
'One thing I’m determined to do is publish all the exam data held by the government so that parents, schools and third parties can use web-based applications to create many new and bespoke sorts of tables.
This will mean they’re not dependent on the measures that Government decides to use; and also that there is complete transparency about the qualifications our young people are taking.
But Government still needs key measures of secondary school performance to ensure that the reforms we’re putting in place are having a real impact on performance in our schools and are closing the gap between rich and poor.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS - BEFORE THE PUBLICATION OF THE WHITE PAPER - there’s the opportunity for a real debate about what we, as a nation, should expect of young people at the age of 16. And so what these key measures should be.
I think most people would agree that English and Maths GCSE are an irreducible core that nearly all young people should be expected to achieve at sixteen.
BUT I BELIEVE THERE IS AN ARGUMENT THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE A WIDER RANGE OF CORE ACADEMIC GCSES – AN ENGLISH BACCALAUREATE THAT WOULD ENSURE THAT ALL CHILDREN – ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM LESS PRIVILEGED BACKGROUNDS HAVE A CHANCE TO GAIN A BASE OF KNOWLEDGE – AND A SET OF LIFE CHANCES - TOO OFTEN RESTRICTED TO THE WEALTHY.
So I’m proposing that the Government look at how many young people in each secondary school secure five GOOD GCSEs including: English, Maths, a Science, a Modern or ANCIENT LANGUAGE and a humanity like History or Geography, Art or Music.
Such a broad yet rigorous suite of qualifications would allow students here the chance to secure a school-leaving certificate which shares many of the virtues of the European baccalaureate approach. I am a great admirer of the already existing International Baccalaureate and am determined to support a wider take up of that qualification. But the GCSE is a popular and resilient qualification, well understood by employers, teachers and students.
It seems to me that one of the best ways of capturing the breadth and rigour of the IB while making the most of the strengths of the GCSE is to create special recognition for those students who secure good passes in a balanced range of rigorous qualifications.
An English Bac could incentivise schools and students to follow the courses which best equip them, and us as a nation, to succeed.
I am deeply concerned that fewer and fewer students are studying languages, it not only breeds insularity, it means an integral part of the brain’s learning capacity rusts unused.
I am determined that we step up the number of students studying PROPER SCIENCE SUBJECTS - Asian countries massively outstrip us in the growth of scientific learning and they are already reaping the cultural and economic benefits.
And I am passionately concerned that we introduce more and more young people to the best that has been thought and written - which is why I lament the retreat from history teaching in some of our schools and believe also that we should incentivise deeper knowledge of our shared cultural heritage.(THAT'LL BE KINGS AND QUEENS AND DATES OF BATTLES THEN)
I believe that a change in how we measure and grade schools, to reward those who have pupils who succeed in all these areas, and a special recognition of student achievement with the award of a Baccalaureate certificate to those pupils who secure these passes, could re-invigorate the culture of learning in this country.(HE REALLY IS TAKING THE MICKY NOW)
I’m not suggesting this would or should be the only measure used but I do believe that this is a valid expectation of most young people in the 21st century.
It also would not preclude the study of other GCSEs OUTSIDE OF THIS CORE OR ANY VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS THAT WOULD BE OF GENUINE BENEFIT FOR STUDENT’S PROGRESSION to post-16 education and employment.
But it would dramatically strengthen the position of core academic subjects in our schools and stop the shift to less challenging courses driven by the current perverse accountability system.
And it would align us with the expectations other advanced countries have of their children.
Nearly every other developed country in the world children are assessed in a range of core academic subjects at 15 or 16 even if they are on a "VOCATIONAL" route.'
As much as I try to embrace the good intentions in his New Schools Network and Academies, this still sounds to me like the thinking of someone who has been through the public school system, believes wholeheartedly that this is better, and is trying to find a way to spread this model - even to those who it does not suit at best, and simply cannot achieve at worst?
The Gap, Mr. Gove, is about to get much wider. Was that the (hidden) point all along?
SEE COMMENTS AT : http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/435863.aspx via @TESConnect
How will iPads be used?
On Slashdot this morning news of California schools Swapping Maths Textbooks for iPads
The devices come pre-loaded with a digital version of the text, allowing students to view teaching videos, receive homework assistance and input assignment all without picking up a pen or paper. If the students with iPads turn out to do improve at a faster pace than their peers as expected, the program could soon spread throughout the Golden State."Perhaps there is a market for iPad apps (or HTML5 pages?) that deliver courses. Will be thinking about this one...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)