Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Letters to the Grauniad today. I've reproduced the first one in full. The other two are worth reading too.

In its response to the staffing crisis in schools (Combine classes in case of Covid staff shortages, DfE tells teachers in England, 2 January), there’s one resource that the government has yet to tap into – the inspectorate. If Ofsted is not going to inspect “secondary schools or colleges in the first week of term”, why not deploy the inspectors to teach in them, and why not for as long as the health crisis affects staffing levels? Instead of telling teachers that their provision is “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”, the inspectors could lead by example and show staff how “outstanding” teaching can be done.


There are clearly not enough inspectors to fill all the vacancies that will be caused by the pandemic, but Ofsted has around 1,800 employees across eight regions, most of whom could be redeployed to where the need is greatest, in those schools and colleges serving the most deprived communities. This policy would cost nothing, it would be hugely beneficial to those institutions and pupils in improving the quality of their education, and it would also act as a useful means of updating inspectors about the challenges of working in them.

Politicians are forever claiming that they don’t have a magic wand to solve complex problems, but this measure is the closest they are likely to get to a partial solution that could be enacted immediately.

What’s not to like?
Frank Coffield
Emeritus professor of education, UCL Institute of Education

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2 ... ing-crisis

And of course they all have up-to-date background checks, unlike retired teachers, ex-teachers and random winos.

Cyclist wrote: ↑Tue Jan 04, 2022 10:08 am Letters to the Grauniad today. I've reproduced the first one in full. The other two are worth reading too.

In its response to the staffing crisis in schools (Combine classes in case of Covid staff shortages, DfE tells teachers in England, 2 January), there’s one resource that the government has yet to tap into – the inspectorate. If Ofsted is not going to inspect “secondary schools or colleges in the first week of term”, why not deploy the inspectors to teach in them, and why not for as long as the health crisis affects staffing levels? Instead of telling teachers that their provision is “inadequate” or “requiring improvement”, the inspectors could lead by example and show staff how “outstanding” teaching can be done.


There are clearly not enough inspectors to fill all the vacancies that will be caused by the pandemic, but Ofsted has around 1,800 employees across eight regions, most of whom could be redeployed to where the need is greatest, in those schools and colleges serving the most deprived communities. This policy would cost nothing, it would be hugely beneficial to those institutions and pupils in improving the quality of their education, and it would also act as a useful means of updating inspectors about the challenges of working in them.

Politicians are forever claiming that they don’t have a magic wand to solve complex problems, but this measure is the closest they are likely to get to a partial solution that could be enacted immediately.

What’s not to like?
Frank Coffield
Emeritus professor of education, UCL Institute of Education

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2 ... ing-crisis

Echoes of the 1942/3 Red Army disbanding its corps of commissars and re-deploying them as second lieutenants in infantry platoons.

Letter to the Guardian:

You report that Nadhim Zahawi plans to encourage former teachers to help fill the gaps left by staff shortages (Omicron leads many UK schools to close early for Christmas, 16 December). How will that encouragement read? Might I suggest:

“Dear former teacher, we have made such a complete mess of protecting our vulnerable children and adults in schools, with no masks, distancing, air filtration or adequate ventilation, that many teachers are now absent from school suffering from Covid after repeated exposure to both the Delta and Omicron variants. Please would you, as a former teacher, sacrifice your own health to replace them, even though you probably left the job you loved because of our government’s educational mismanagement and contempt for your professionalism since 2010?

“We are especially appealing to retired teachers, as you are of course especially vulnerable to this coronavirus and have probably tried hard to keep yourself safe and healthy for the last two years, not even seeing your grandchildren as much as you would wish. You will be on a zero-hours contract, through an outsourced agency that will take more than half of what the school pays you. We can guarantee that teaching is nothing like the profession you left; you will not be expected to care about the mental health of vulnerable children, but you will be blamed for their attainment in exams failing to reach Ofsted’s arbitrary standards.”

I am sure Mr Zahawi will be inundated with applications.
Doreen Worthington
Lincoln

How about the underemployed Toby Young and his even less employed pal Dom Cumings.

There was a time when they showed a great interest in education, knew all about it..



CORRECTION: That should read "great interest in monetizing eduction".

Do you think either of them could pass a CRB/DBS check?

I suspect Gove might have a problem too...

If I saw them near my kids I'd swing at them and do time I swear etc.

You'd be in a queue.

There is a good article by Warwick Mansell today about how a number of academy trusts have done very well financially out of the Covid pandemic. The Outwood Grange Trust that runs the school which at has increased it's reserves to from £23m to £32m. not bad for a Trust that only runs 30 schools. We also appear to have acquired two new directors.

Outwood Grange has disclosed that Alistair Brownlee, the double Olympic champion triathlete, became a director of the trust on New Year’s Day.

Also becoming an Outwood director on that day was Lord Mann, the former Labour MP for Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire who was appointed as the government’s antisemitism adviser in 2019.

Whilst having somebody like Alistair Brownlee on board is clearly a good PR move what really is the point of Lord Mann?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59908786

Covid in schools: 'Fresh air will help stop the spread'

Well yes. Ventilation *will* help. Just keep the classroom windows open. Ok, so it's January. To keep the children warm you'll have to turn the heating up to eleven. Bills? What about 'em? We put three and sixpence in your budget last year. Don't tell us you've already spent it!

Exactly.

But applies only in schools which have properly opening windows...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60405521

Teachers being told how to do their jobs lest they unconsciously wokify da yoot

Zahawi is a deeply worrying SofS. I can't decide if he is stupid, evil or both.

Both.

Nobody would object to teachers keeping their personal political opinions to themselves. We'd rightly recoil at the idea of BNP members in the classroom. But this is so clearly not about neutrality or fairness, but about "our version is best".

Also, what riles me is that in many of the cases of "woke history" or "cancelling the past", it's most certainly not been about erasing history or shying away from facts. Indeed, more often than not it's been about presenting all the facts, and not just the airbrushed Hallmark version.

If anyone is guilty of retreating from reality and taking comfort in simplistic myths, it's the Tories and co.

And really, what is so controversial about "In the past many British people grew rich from enslaving and exploiting people in other lands. However, social pressure, events, and changing attitudes led to people disavowing these methods and looking to make amends. There's still a way to go but we're determined to not go back to the bad old ways."?

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 2:00 pm ... we're determined to not go back to the bad old ways."

I think I see where the Tories have a problem

Students who lack English and maths GCSEs, or two A-levels at grade E, would not qualify for a student loan in England, under new plans.

Ministers will set out details for new minimum university entry requirements, on Thursday, as part of a shake-up.

There will also be a a consultation on plans to limit the number of university places available in England.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60491719

The comments contain the usual selection of scoffing, but then I spotted this one in particular;

How true is this, I wonder?

I imagine a quick skim through whatever the modern equivalent of the UKAS handbook is could turn up the finer points on GCSE /equivalent minimums for literacy and numeracy.

I'm willing to bet good money that this is another "Policy" no different to the de facto status quo, cobbled into an act of government because it's an easy way to pretend to do something. See also Cameron in the "bash a burglar" days.

I don’t have a GCSE in English or Maths (I do have the equivalent in maths) but that’s what happens when it takes til the second year of University to be diagnosed with Dyslexia.

This is throwing plenty of kids on the scrap heap in my view, I’m proud I got myself there and proud I completed my degree and I know an earlier diagnosis would have meant a better than 2:2 degree but I’m still proud that once everything in place I was able to raise my final year to a 2:1 level to compensate for the border line pass in my second.

BTEC was vital for me in computing (hence I completed the maths equivalent).

But that’s the thing, you don’t need a C in English for programming as for Universities accepting all in sundry I’ve seen those English tests and how they respond if they fail. Yes some international students don’t have fluent English but that market isn’t going to get shut down under these plans. In fact that kind of market probably gets worse. This is trying to reduce the funding in education no doubt for an increase in fees that’s pretty much what will happen. They were told 9k fees at the thresholds they set meant mass amounts of none payment especially in degree areas that are low paid (nursing anyone) and they did it and they are now instead of trying to look at a cost effective way of reducing the black hole let’s just cut students future opportunities.

As for apprenticeships I’ve yet to see the funding or range of choice made in that, T Levels seem set up to fail.

This country needs a different government and sharpish.

Boiler wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:35 pm

Students who lack English and maths GCSEs, or two A-levels at grade E, would not qualify for a student loan in England, under new plans.

Ministers will set out details for new minimum university entry requirements, on Thursday, as part of a shake-up.

There will also be a a consultation on plans to limit the number of university places available in England.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-60491719

The comments contain the usual selection of scoffing, but then I spotted this one in particular;


Screenshot 2022-02-23 at 13-35-12 No English and maths GCSE, no university student loan, plans say.png

How true is this, I wonder?

Universities are increasingly run as businesses in the sense profit is a consideration. It's not necessarily undermining academic standards but frankly the underlying attitude and approach doesn't always help.

Price of everything/value of nothing thinking ultimately placed unis in this position, but so too has widening access, which is undoubtedly a good thing.