Who should teachers vote for in the general election (June 2017)?
We all have a choice to make this week. Whatever your views, the SSAT has provided a helpful summary of member views and a succinct summary you can find in this post: 25 things we’d like to see in a new government.
Do you know who is in charge of education? Are we likely to have a new Secretary of State for Education on 9th June? I think so and I predicted it here on 18th April. I have a sneaky suspicion Michael Gove could make a come back …
- Follow @JustineGreening
- Follow @AngelaRayner
- Follow @JohnPugh2017
What do the main parties have to say in their manifestos about education? The SSAT have also provided a great summary and overview.
In the original post, I’ve picked out my 10 highlights from the SSAT’s list of 25, with my favourite being number 17.
Curriculum and assessment
1. All schools and academies should be required to teach both PSHE and sex and relationships education from KSI-KS5.
2. The government should promote a mental health programme, working cross-sector to ensure all young people enjoy good mental health and have ready access to support when needed.
6. The threshold measure of % of students achieving a strong pass in the Ebacc should be abolished. There should not be a national or school-level target for students entered for the Ebacc.
Quality teaching and leadership
10. There should be new statutory guidance for schools and academies, requiring schools to ring-fence budgets for CPD and staff training, and ensuring a relentless drive to develop teacher quality. Schools should report annually on the effectiveness of their CPD in relation to individual development and student outcomes.
11. The DfE should continue working on a teacher vacancy website to reduce the costs associated with teacher recruitment.
Admissions
14. The government should abandon plans to open new selective schools, ensuring instead a good school place for every child in the system.
Funding
16. MATs should receive all of their academies’ funding centrally and should decide how to distribute it based on need, unlike the current model of ‘top-slicing’. They should justify their allocations each year.
Accountability
17. Ofsted should consult on removing the ‘outstanding’ outcome.
Structures and systems
20. The DfE should commission an independent review of the role of regional school commissioners and headteacher boards – assessing the extent to which the roles are clearly defined, and decisions are transparent and locally accountable.
Policy announcements
25. The DfE should reaffirm its commitment to make no policy announcements which affect school curriculum, assessment or outcome measures midway through a course; nor to make changes to the Ofsted framework or accountability regime midway through the school year. It should publish consultations, and their outcomes, on time.
You can download the above PDF here and the policy manifesto overview here. Follow @SSAT on Twitter.
Teachers, vote carefully for the future of education.
