IN THIS ISSUE:

Government abolishes national test for 14 year-olds

National Curriculum assessments at age 14 for students in England have been abolished. The educational assessments, known as Sats, will be replaced by a system of assessments by teachers. There will also be a focus on individual tutoring and support for students falling behind at this stage.

Children in England are tested at the following ages:

Age 5: teacher assessment of children's all-round development

Age 7: national tests in English and mathematics marked in school by teachers

Age 11: national tests in English, mathematics and science marked externally and school's results published nationally.

The national tests at age 14 in English, mathematics and science, marked externally, were felt to be unnecessary as students also sit national examinations at age 15 and 16 (GCSEs and A-levels). The government felt that these examinations adequately demonstrate performance at secondary school.

Furthermore, the argument to abolish the test at 14 was strengthened when there were serious delays in marking the test and test results last summer. (The company administering the test lost its contract and a report on what wrong is due this autumn.)

The government has also announced a new system of School Report Cards which will show each school’s academic achievement and students’ well-being. The report cards are based on a system currently in use in New York City, where schools are awarded a grade from A to F (85 percent of the grade reflects educational attainment and progress and the remaining 15 percent is for other factors.)

To find out more, visit the National Curriculum website and read the Department for Children, Schools and Families’ press notice.

(Source: BBC Education News October 14, 2008; Education Guardian October 15, 2008)

New opportunities to address achievement gap

In January the government outlined its White Paper (policy statement) New Opportunities: Fair chances for the future which aims to “break the link between disadvantage and achievement.”

This coordinated program of action builds on the Children’s Plan and details new policies to provide more support for children and families including:

• A new package to help headteachers attract more of the best teachers into challenging schools, including £10,000 ($14,700) for three years’ service.
• An extension of the offer of free early learning and childcare places to 15 percent of the most disadvantaged two year-olds in every Local Authority. This will reach around 23,000 children per year;
• A new package of support to help young people from low income backgrounds get into higher education, including more support for the most able students from the top universities.
• A new employment support program for children leaving care, with an offer of an apprenticeship place for all qualified care leavers and funding for a National Care Advisory Service pilot with nine Local Authorities next year.

For more information, read New Opportunities: Fair chances for the future.

Scotland’s new curriculum

Education ministers in Scotland recently launched the country’s most radical education reform in a generation.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, and Keith Brown, Minister for Schools and Skills, outlined the new Curriculum for Excellence. The new approach aims to achieve continuous learning from ages 3 to 18. Literacy and numeracy are at its heart with all teachers equally responsible for their teaching. There is also an emphasis on cross-curricular teaching.

The reforms aim to help young people become:

• Successful learners with the motivation for learning
• Confident individuals with physical, mental and emotional well-being and self respect
• Responsible citizens with respect for others
• Effective contributors who can communicate, solve problems and be enterprising and creative.

In June, an announcement will also be made on the new qualifications which will replace the current standard grades.

The guidance to the new curriculum, known as Experiences and Outcomes, has been developed, tested and revised in full partnership with a wide range of education experts and through engagement with a wide range of interests such as universities, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and employer organizations.

For more information, visit Curriculum for Excellence at Learning and Teaching Scotland.

(Source: Scottish Government)

A framework for the future of schools in Northern Ireland

The Education Minister in Northern Ireland, Caitríona Ruane, has published Schools for the Future: A Policy for Sustainable Schools. The policy will provide a framework for considering the viability of schools and ensuring a high quality option for all children regardless of where they live.

Schools will be assessed on six criteria:

• strength of links to the community;
• educational experience of children;
• enrolment trends;
• school leadership and management; and
• accessibility and financial position.

Although the Minister has stated that this is not a policy to close small schools, the review of schools will likely result in closures and/or amalgamations. Some schools in Northern Ireland have witnessed dramatically falling enrolment in recent years.

The new Education and Skills Authority (ESA), to be established in 2010, will carry out the review of schools.  It will take over the functions currently carried out by the:

• five Education and Library Boards (ELBs);
• Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment (CCEA ); and
• Regional Training Unit (RTU).

The Department of Education (DE) in Northern Ireland is undergoing internal restructuring. In the future there will be a clear separation between policy formulation and operational delivery. The changes will enable it to:

• focus more effectively on setting the strategic direction for education;
• develop policy;
• set priorities and standards for schools and youth services; and
• ensure the effective and efficient delivery of services by the new Education and Skills Authority (ESA).

(Source: Department of Education Northern Ireland)

The Further Education system – future expectations

The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has published a new policy framework which sets out the structural organization within the further education system.

Further Education Colleges - Models for Success aims to summarize the government's expectations of the future shape of the further education college and provider landscape.

The document gives a history of the Further Education (FE) sector, its current shape and size, other FE providers (such as Sixth Forms in the secondary education sector), and the importance of the FE sector to the government’s longer term economic and social inclusion goals.

The government wants the FE sector to build on its strengths and to go further to:

• Develop innovative and collaborative learning routes
• Listen and respond to the needs of employers
• Reach out to those that are least likely to engage in learning; and
• Offer a wide range of opportunities and resources to their local communities.

General information on FE policy is on the DIUS site.

Universities to offer additional skills training opportunities

The Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) approved a £50 million ($73.5 million*) rescue package to help businesses and unemployed people retrain at universities during the recession.

Known as the Economic Challenge Investment Fund, it will offer the following:

• over 2,000 internships and work placements for new graduates
• short targeted courses
• vouchers for the unemployed for training and help with looking for work.

Higher education institutions have responded with bids to run short-term skills training. HEFCE funding will be matched by the universities.

For more details, read the latest press release from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).

* Current exchange rate: £1 = $1.47.  

(Source: Education Guardian January 21, 2009)