Education Secretary will clearly set out how
the Government will “trust school leaders to get on with
the job” by clarifying who schools are accountable to and
boosting development opportunities for new teachers.
In an address to more than 350 school leaders at the
National Association of Head Teachers’ (NAHT) annual
conference in Liverpool on Friday (4 May), the Secretary of
State will set out plans for a clearer system of
accountability that will let good schools get on with their
job, free from the “spectre” of multiple inspections by
making it clear that “the only people who should go to
schools for inspections are Ofsted”.
Mr Hinds will announce a consultation to replace the
“confusing” system of having both floor and coasting
standards to measure school performance, with a single
measure to trigger support for schools. This will be backed
by a clear statement on when schools convert to academy
status to drive improvement.
In a pledge to the profession, published today, the
Secretary of State will underline his commitment to give
school leaders the confidence to raise standards in their
schools and free up teachers to focus on what really
matters in the classroom.
The Education Secretary is expected to say:
Accountability is vital. Children only get one shot at an
education and we owe them the best…where they are being
let down we need to take action quickly – so no one ends
up left behind.
But what I’ve found from speaking to many of you these
last few months is that there is also real confusion
within the sector… I believe school leaders need complete
clarity on how the accountability system will operate.
I’m clear that Ofsted is the body that can provide an
independent, rounded judgement of a school’s performance.
This means we will not be forcibly turning schools into
academies unless Ofsted has judged it to be Inadequate.
I believe strongly that becoming an academy can bring
enormous benefits to schools. Hundreds of schools every
year voluntarily choose to become academies and I want
this to be a positive choice for more and more schools as
we move forward.
We must also have a system that does more than just deal
with failure… But we will do so in the right way, and
there will be a single, transparent data trigger for
schools to be offered support – which we will consult on.
I intend this to replace the current confusing system of
having both below the floor and coasting standards for
performance…
I have a clear message to schools and their leaders: I
trust you to get on with the job.
There are a record number of teachers working in our
schools – 15,500 more than in 2010 – and increasing numbers
are returning to the profession. Thanks to the efforts of
this talented generation of teachers, alongside the
government’s bold reforms, there are now 1.9 million more
children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010.
To build on this, the Education Secretary will set out
plans to improve early career support and development.
Working with school leaders, new high-quality training
opportunities will be developed to boost career progression
and support the record number of teachers in our schools to
become leaders in their field, including:
- Extending on-the-job training and support for trainee
and new teachers to two years, so they get the best
possible start to their career;
- Creating early career development opportunities for
teachers through a new framework that schools will follow,
developed in partnership with teachers, school leaders and
education experts; and
- Introducing more flexible working practices that will
put the profession on a par with other industries, with a
£5 million fund to help experienced teachers take a
sabbatical.
The Secretary of State will continue:
All of us have a shared goal of making sure teaching
remains an attractive, fulfilling profession.
We will take an unflinching look at the things that
discourage people from going into teaching or make them
consider leaving… and we will also look at how we support
teachers to get better at what they do and hone their
expertise and career progression.
We will be introducing an enhanced offer of support for
new teachers – including extending the induction period
to two years – and we will work with the profession to
develop a new early career content framework that will
set out all the training and mentoring a teacher is
entitled to in those first years.
I want teachers to be able to develop and progress
through clearer career pathways, including for those who
want to stay in the classroom … and I want schools to be
attractive 21st Century workplaces.
Today’s announcements will be backed by the NAHT, as the
Education Secretary’s address marks the beginning of two
days of speeches and debates on the development and
improvement of the teaching profession.
General Secretary of the NAHT, Paul Whiteman, said:
The announcements the Secretary of State is making today
will be widely welcomed by NAHT’s members. Accountability
is an essential part of our publicly funded education
system but it is also one of the main drivers of
workload; a big reason why many talented people leave,
and often a limiting factor on the ambitions of schools.
It’s absolutely right that there should only be one
agency with the remit to inspect schools. Clarity about
the standards that are expected is just what we’ve been
calling for.
Removing the coasting and floor standards will do much to
address the confusion felt by many school leaders. It
will be important that the new support standard is set at
the right level and helps direct rapid, high-quality,
funded support to the schools that need it most.
We have a track record of working with the government on
improvements to the system and we look forward to working
with them to help define the detail behind these new
proposals and to make sure that these joint ambitions are
realised.
The pledges made today follow on from the Secretary of State’s
speech in March, during which he made clear that his
top priority is to ensure teaching remains an attractive
and fulfilling profession, underpinned by a commitment to
tackle unnecessary workload. A myth buster video on school
inspections featuring the Secretary of State and the Chief
Inspector for Schools, Amanda Spielman – launched at the
ASCL conference – has had more than 75,000 views to date.
Today’s announcements build on measures already supporting
teachers’ development and efforts to attract the best and
brightest recruits into the profession, including a
Flexible Working Summit with business and education leaders
to explore how the profession can be more flexible –
including through part time roles – which resulted in a
number of pledges.
In full, the Education Secretary will announce:
- The department’s initial response to the consultation
on Qualified Teacher Status;
- A £5 million fund to support more teachers to take a
sabbatical – such as a year working in industry relevant to
their field – and a research project to introduce more
flexible hours in the profession;
- More detail on the recruitment and retention strategy
announced at the Association of School and College Leaders’
conference in March;
- More support, offered proactively, for schools that are
in danger of failing; and
- The launch of an external advisory group and working
group with teaching unions to help develop the department’s
strategy.
