Education Reform conference - a parent's view

SPTC Director, Morag Bramwell tells us what she thought of this conference.

Education Reform Conference, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh on Tuesday 19th April 2005

A Parent’s View
I went to a conference today, on “Education Reform” – the Scottish Executive’s response to a series of consultations over recent years. I was the only parent delegate out of a total of 310 (a reflection, I think, of the increasing marginalisation of this disempowered group).

It started with a presentation by Peter Peacock, Scottish Minister for Education, who talked about “listening to professionals”, “liberating teachers”, “rejecting the philosophy that you have to change schools to get a good education” (??), “setting high expectations” and “world class leadership standards”. His exit following his address was as speedy as it was statesman-like, and I was left a little dazed.

Darren McKinnon, PT Maths, Royal High School, then gave us a “personal opinion” of the proposed reforms, along with some useful facts about what happens now, including widespread fast-tracking straight to Intermediate courses from S1 onwards. There was an acknowledgement that parents find today’s array of qualifications difficult to understand, as do some employers, and that teaching staff need to be supported and guided through the reform proposals.

Then Roy Jobson, President of the Association of Directors of Education spoke about the “Schools of Ambition” project. He stressed that “there’s no substitute for good teaching”. For him the biggest issue is “closing the gap” between those who leave with qualifications and those who “achieve very little”. His statement, gleaned from U.S. research, that “factors outwith the school have more influence over achievement than those within” was soundly refuted by the next speaker. The paradoxical statement on which he finished “If a school isn’t ambitious will it ever apply to be a School of Ambition” rather took the wind out of his own sails. Indeed, how do we engage, enthuse and instil a sense of pride and ambition in those teachers who have lost these things? And is the “Schools of Ambition” project the answer?

The last speaker before lunch was a breath of fresh air, coming not from education but from the world of business. Ewan Hunter heads up the Leadership Academy. Mind you, by the time his session was over the Hunter became the hunted with some instant ripostes from teachers to his assertion that Local Authorities and universities should be “working hand-in-hand to equip and develop the teachers so they can equip our children for the 21st century”. His reasonable requests to teacher trainers for data on how much CPD teachers get have resulted in no response. He had also found no system for “fast-tracking” the next generation of leaders in education, either school or Local Authority. He has found a pervasive attitude of unjoined up thinking among related agencies which result in the familiar but unhelpful cry “it’s not my fault”. Let’s hope this doesn’t put him off his mission to head up the 5-year project. A discussion followed on his suggestion that Head Teachers provide a “dignified exit” for untrainable and failing teachers. This was, for him, part of the leadership role, but for the Head Teachers present apparently distasteful.

In the afternoon Maggi Allen (Curriculum Review Group) “reassured” the conference that the whole thrust of the upcoming curriculum changes is based on the findings of the “Great (Education) Debate”. The Scottish Executive is very satisfied that this consultation was adequate, despite the fact that large sectors of teachers and parents in Scotland had no way of feeding into it. The narrowness of this consultation is evidenced by the fact that when making enquiries about how I could add my voice at the time, I was told there was no mechanism for individuals to express an opinion to the Scottish Executive unless they went along to or organised their own debate.

Lunch is the point where, I’m afraid to admit, I was lost. The rest of the conference was laced with jargon to the extent that a post-lunch snooze was becoming inevitable (sorry to participants in Panel discussion).

So, feeling rather sleepy, I left the conference and caught a bus to Haymarket station. I paced the length of platform 4 to get some air and exercise before the long journey north to Inverness. At the very end of the platform I was greeted enthusiastically by four boys ranging in age from 8 to 13 (just about the target group for the Education Reforms). There they were, looking down at me over a high wall and smiling. One of them politely engageed me in conversation with an incomprehensible call such as, “Ay …”. I didn’t know quite how to respond, not knowing what he said, so he tried again: “Did you have a good day at work?”. This gave me a chance to respond and ask them if they liked school. The youngest responds “It’s shite”. I replied, “It can’t be that bad surely?”. The next reply showed an extensive vocabulary - “No honest, believe me, it’s crap” (if you want to know the name of the school he attends, I’ll supply this).

Here’s the real challenge for the educators – how are you going to engage, enthuse and instill a sense of pride in school among these bright but disaffected kids who show themselves quite willing to engage an adult in meaningful conversation at 4o'clock in the afternoon? The potential is there – are these education reforms up to the challenge?

Quotes of the day:

“accessing learning is difficult if you’re illiterate”

“9% leave with no qualifications”

Re teacher shortages: “we’re taking in people who we thought would never be back”

“if the teaching profession was valued then more people would elect it as their career – there’s a marketing job which the profession needs to do.”

“some schools have great courses”

“you cannot lead by hitting people on the head – that’s assault not leadership” (Eisenhower)