NAHT Cymru Blog http://www.naht.org.uk/nahtcymrublog.rss It's been a back to the future sort of week. First the former chair of the WJEC declared that the Welsh Bac is a piece of 'nonsense', to the uncomprehending annoyance of the pupils, parents, teachers and universities who think it is an entirely welcome development. Then we heard a former senior figure in the schools inspectorate declare that league tables are the way forward and that teachers, parents, local authorities and unions are grimly united in their determination to prevent any improvement in the Welsh education system. Others were quick to hear the noise of a bandwagon clattering by. So we've had noises(off) to the right of us andnoises(off)to the left of us every day since. All of which adds up to a fight, rather than a fix.And surely it's the fix we want? We know a lot about the education system in Wales. We know we've got the best teachers and leaders ever. (The inspectors say so. The Minister says so. I would hazard a guess that pupils and parents, despite inevitable differences of opinion on occasion, know so too). We know too that standards and results are going up every year. We've also got disappointing PISA scores, a significant challenge to drive up literacy and numeracy rates, an obstinately persistent and damaging link between poverty and low attainment, crumbling school buildings and a funding gap. And that needs fixing. It needs fixing by parents, teachers, school leaders, governors, local authorities, the Welsh Government, the inspectorate, the unions. In this, if nothing else, we really are all in it together. And to do it we need to use data about school performance to get everyone to aim to be the top performer; we need to make it possible for teachers to be freed to share what they do best; we need every single stakeholder to support that improvement in word and deed. And we need the resources to make it work. And you'd be hard pressed to find anyone involved in education in Wales who'd disagree with that. What we don't need is the intervention of the 'it-was-all-so-much-better-when-I-was-in-charge' brigade whose remarks only serve to demonise and demoralise the thousands of teachers and leaders who daily put their energy, commitment and passion into educating the young people of Wales. It is not as if those who spend more time talking than doing (amongstwhose number I freely count myself) are queuing up to take up the challenge of standing up to be counted in front of a classroom of children. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=461 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:03:18 GMT 20110523120318 Mon, 23 May 2011 12:03:18 GMT 20110523120318 Mon, 23 May 2011 14:43:50 GMT 201105231424350 I recently heard Jeff Jones, former council leader and local government consultant, described as 'Wales' chief cumudgeon'. Well, he's been at it again. Curmudgeon-ing. This time his target is the Welsh Bac which he claims is no good. This is a particularly odd development since he was chair of the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC) when the qualification was introduced. And the examining body? The WJEC. Jeff Jones says he knew the Bac was broken even then. Just didn't like to mention it presumably. This is out of kilter with what school leaders say about the Bac. It is finding increasing favour with parents, pupils and higher education institutions. It is broader and better than the straight A level model of the past. And even if there are problems with the Bac, we would emphatically support a fix it, don't ditch it approach. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=458 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:29:20 GMT 20110517142920 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:29:20 GMT 20110517142920 Wed, 18 May 2011 15:08:05 GMT 201105181530805 The First Minister has just announced the names of his cabinet members for the coming Assembly term. There was plenty of speculation which is always fun but it isn't really a surprise to discover that Leighton Andrews, AM for the Rhondda has retained the Education and Skills portfolio. He's set out his agenda He's made clear that the entire system must become part of the educational improvement journey (from his own government and department, through local authorities to individual schools and governing bodies). He's said he'll keep it simple. Literacy, numeracy and breaking the poverty/low attainment link are the priorities. NAHT Cymru members have consistently said that they are up for this. Now it's a matter of paving the road to aid the journey. PS: you will tell me when my metaphors become altogether too opaque, won't you... http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=457 Fri, 13 May 2011 12:17:25 GMT 20110513121725 Fri, 13 May 2011 12:17:25 GMT 20110513121725 Fri, 13 May 2011 12:17:25 GMT 2011051312121725 Wales has voted. It was a long, long night on Thursday. It was followed by an even longer day since counting didn't even start in the north until Friday morning, much to the consternation of those of us who seem unable to go to sleep until we've committed the face of every returning officer to memory and the police have been thanked for one last time. The Welsh electors have spoken and a five-year Assembly term has started. Five-years (rather than the usual four) in order to avoid clashing with a fixed-term Westminster election cycle which means a UK-wide poll in 2015, and an Assembly election the following year. The result was: Welsh Labour 30; Welsh Conservatives 14; Plaid Cymru 11; Welsh Liberal Democrats 5. So five-years. And new powers to legislate following the referendum vote back in March. We've been voting a lot in Wales recently. So what are the priorities for education for the coming term? We've said: Funding: We've had commitments to 'closing the gap' and to making sure more funding reaches the front line. Our members heard those commitments and welcomed their unambiguous nature. We'll be keeping a close eye on developments on that front. Training: McKinsey et al tell us that what matters most in schools is the teaching in the classroom and the leadership of the school. Teaching and leading needs to be encouraged, developed and challenged. We don't think we're doing enough on this. We'll want to talk about that. The system: Education is delivered by a system. Schools, local authorities, national government, governors and communities all have their part to play. There's been a lot of talk about streamlining, targeting support and making our system better. What our members are after is high-quality support and challenge from all partners in order to drive up standards and make our system better. Rearranging the chairs is not the answer. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=456 Tue, 10 May 2011 16:34:28 GMT 20110510163428 Tue, 10 May 2011 16:34:28 GMT 20110510163428 Tue, 10 May 2011 16:34:57 GMT 201105101643457 It's election day tomorrow… Education has hotly debated in the run up to the National Assembly elections this year. Whatever the make up of the government after tomorrow, we hope that the focus on education will continue. We want to be part of a debate about the future direction of education policy in Wales that takes the conversation wider than PISA - without for a moment rejecting the messages that must be learned from those results. We know that the Welsh education system is facing a number of challenges – not least a shrinking public service spending pot over the next few years. We also know that we need to do more to improve educational outcomes in Wales overall. What matters at school level is the quality of teaching and leadership. It is by concentrating on teaching and leadership that we can make sure that every child in Wales is given the very best opportunity to flourish. NAHT Cymru published a manifesto which is about making sure that we invest in the skills of those who teach in and lead our schools; provide high-quality, professional support for school leaders to improve practice at individual school level; an intelligent accountability structure that encourages creativity rather than stifling it; a flexible curriculum that really is designed for the benefit of pupils' individual learning; and a pay and conditions system that allows us to find and keep the best teachers and leaders in Welsh schools. In the end, education is delivered by a system. We need that system to be nimble, streamlined and utterly concentrated on what really makes a difference – what happens in our classrooms. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=453 Wed, 04 May 2011 13:31:48 GMT 20110504133148 Wed, 04 May 2011 13:31:48 GMT 20110504133148 Wed, 04 May 2011 14:59:55 GMT 201105041425955 Iwan Guy, Acting Director of NAHT Cymru, discusses the Pisa results. With less than three weeks to go until Christmas, we have received an early present in Wales in the form of the 2009 PISA results. It's not the present we had hoped for. One cannot shy away from the fact that they are disappointing. Now is not the time to try and portion blame for the poor results. It's a time for Wales as a country to pull together and demonstrate that we can educate our pupils well, that we do have excellent teachers and leaders. We have an Assembly Government that engages with the profession. Collectively we need to analyse the results carefully, and look for ways together to improve. This includes professionals, politicians, Local Authorities, governors, parents and pupils. As Professor David Reynolds said on the Radio this morning we can educate our pupils to a high standard, but we must do it consistently across Wales. Perhaps a New Year resolution should be to take a long hard look at what we are doing. Time to enter into honest debate about how we are educating our young people, who are the future of Wales. The Front Line Services review which is now being undertaken in Wales has set a challenge as to how we best deliver education. In the light of the PISA results this is timely. Are we getting value for money from the expenditure on education? Should more of the funding be devolved to schools? Do we need, or can we afford 22 Local Authorities? Are we sharing best practice? The best Christmas present we can give to the young people of Wales is an education system that compares well with the rest of the world, one where we can compete on the international stage, and we can. Last night I had a call from BBC Wales inviting me to comment on the PISA results. I declined until the results were published. The researcher informed me he was a former pupil of mine. He had graduated in English, had studied journalism and was now working for the BBC. I enquired after his sister. She is now a qualified Educational Psychologist working in London. So we must have done something right for these pupils. The challenge is that we do this for all pupils in all schools. Terry Williams, President of NAHT Cymru, had as his Conference theme, “Always Look on the Bright Side”. There is a bright side, our task is to find together the light at the end of the tunnel. Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=408 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:35:26 GMT 20101207163526 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:35:26 GMT 20101207163526 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:42:39 GMT 201012071644239 He is Leighton Andrews, AM for the Rhondda, previously Deputy Minister for Regeneration and co-founder of the pro-devolution 'Yes for Wales' campaign in 1997. We've not met him yet but hope to do so early in the new year. Mr Andrews will be our fourth Minister for Education since 2000, though it should be remembered that the second of the four, Carwyn Jones (now First Minister no less) was only in post for a matter of weeks while a government coalition deal was being negotiated. So on the whole our Education Ministers have the kind of staying power that can only be dreamt of on the other side of Offa's Dyke. What we've heard from our new Minister so far has been welcomed by members. He wants to increase funding for education and make sure that more of the resources in the system reach the front line. We hear he's already been through the various education budget lines with a fine tooth-comb. With 16 months to go before the Assembly elections in May 2011, Mr Andrews is clearly in a hurry to get things done. So are we. We will soon find out whether they're the same things…but initial indications are that the Minister's manifesto – and that of First Minister, Carwyn Jones - do reflect the concerns of our members. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=236 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:52:21 GMT 20091216165221 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:52:21 GMT 20091216165221 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:52:58 GMT 200912161645258 Wales has seen astounding curricular innovation since devolution. The much-praised Foundation Phase for 3-7 year olds has introduced a new way of teaching and learning which was overwhelmingly welcomed by school leaders keen to play their part in creating the new 'questioning little learners of the future' to quote the chair of our primary committee, Pat Clarke. At the other end we had the 14-19 Learning Pathways and the Welsh Bacc, both of which are developing very positively despite concerns about resources, Which left us with what became known colloquially as 'the bit in the middle'. A group was established by the Minister earlier this year to review 8-14 education in Wales (incidentally nobody has been able to explain satisfactorily why the 'middle' starts at 8 years old, rather than 7, when the Foundation Phase ends. Answers on a postcard…) We haven't seen the detail of the work of the group yet - but we soon will. Conferences are planned for the new year to go through the implications. What is clear though is that the disaffection and disengagement of some pupils have figured large in the group's deliberations. That these are factors that begin to affect the life chances of young people at a far younger age that has been traditionally supposed, has long been the view of school leaders. There will be a welcome for that focus. We're also told that 8-14 will now be viewed as a discrete phase of education, 'underpinned by a distinct and coherent education policy' (and presumably inspected as such?) This new focus will we're told will be pursued through the School Effectiveness Framework, the Assembly Government's school improvement structure. We look forward to hearing more in 2010… http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=233 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:41:33 GMT 20091209104133 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:41:33 GMT 20091209104133 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 10:41:43 GMT 2009120910104143 Well, that's not quite right. The First Ministerial part of the job will have to be ratified by a vote at the National Assembly next week - though nobody is expecting that will be a problem. So what we have officially is a new Leader of the Labour Party in Wales (and prospective First Minister). He is Carwyn Jones, Assembly Member for Bridgend and, until yesterday, Counsel General. He was, briefly, in the inter-Jane period (between Jane Davidson and Jane Hutt), Minister for Education. Education is clearly a significant priority for him. Amongst the commitments he has already made are: Education is the route out of poverty and, as a consequence, my government would look to increase education spending by at least 1% above the percentage increase in the block grant we receive from the UK Government to ensure the best outcomes for Welsh children, with a sharp focus on inequalities in education; I want to see the gap in education spending between Wales and England closed and I will seek to initiate this increase from 2011-2012; A re-focusing of educational investment to ensure a greater proportion reaches the frontline; A fully funded Foundation Phase; Schools as community hubs, so that buildings are used out of hours for community and educational activities, including adult education, helping to break the inter-generational poverty cycle; Action to address unnecessary competition between FE colleges and schools, freeing resources to tackle those most likely to become individuals not in education, employment or training; Ending incorporation of FE colleges, with reforms to governance structures to give proper representation to staff, students and communities, and an all-Wales contract for FE lecturers; Continuing support for Welsh medium education at all levels including teacher training, with space for more bilingual schools that reflect parental demand; He also acknowledged that many of these policies can only be introduced by working with teaching unions in Wales. He looks forward to discussing and engaging with organisations like NAHT Cymru to bring his vision to fruition, in the years to come. I think we can say that we look forward to that conversation too - and that we're delighted that education has gained such prominence in policy terms so early in the new Leader's term. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=230 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:53:16 GMT 20091203105316 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:53:16 GMT 20091203105316 Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:53:45 GMT 2009120310105345 Hang on to your Barnett, we're going to do funding… The Welsh Assembly gets its money (aka 'the Welsh Block Grant') from Westminster based on a mechanism known as the Barnett Formula. It is named after its creator Joel, now Lord, Barnett. He came with it in the 70s as a temporary measure. 'Temporary' in funding terms is a bit like 'rarely' is proving to be in education – open to apparently endless interpretation. There have been concerns over many years that this funding formula does not take enough account of need and that it should therefore be amended. NAHT Cymru joined with Sustrans (the sustainable transport charity) and the BMA in Wales to ask that an inquiry be launched into Barnett to test the claims that something was amiss. Many others did the same. In the end we had two inquiries. The Holtham Commission report (July 09) claimed that Wales might be losing up to £300 million a year as a result of the Barnett formula allocation of funding; later in the same month a House of Lords Select Committee found that the formula was 'arbitrary and unfair'. Peter Hain, the Secretary of State for Wales announced last week that he'd struck a deal with the Treasury to the effect that they will find extra money for Wales if funding levels here are unfair compared to regions of England. We're not quite sure what this will mean in practice yet but Gerry Holtham, the author of one of the reports critical of Barnett said 'this is a chink in the wall'. He suggested that we now need to take a crowbar to said chink. B&Q anyone? http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=229 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:54:21 GMT 20091201105421 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:54:21 GMT 20091201105421 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:55:14 GMT 2009120110105514 Last might I went to a parents' evening at my son's school to be told all about the Foundation Phase. I was late because I'd been finishing a presentation for members on the gloomy subject of funding. So I arrived, primed and ready to ask questions. How is the outdoor classroom working? Is the funding sufficient? Have they achieved their ratios? Can they find enough suitably qualified Welsh-speaking support staff? All of them questions I've asked elsewhere but never at my son's school. Did I ask them? No. Not one. Was that because they answered them all before I asked? Partly, but that's not the reason I didn't say a single word. They got me you see. They showed dozens and dozens of pictures of my son and all his friends utterly absorbed in a huge variety of activities. And he's only there for 2.5 hours a day, and he's only been doing that since September. So I sat and watched and pretended I really, really didn't have tears in my eyes. Then they gave me a cup of tea and a biscuit (jammy dodger too) and I went home. Reckon I'll do better next time? http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=226 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:12:01 GMT 20091127111201 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:12:01 GMT 20091127111201 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:12:01 GMT 2009112711111201 I think I may have coined a new verb. It's not particularly pretty but does sums up my activities this morning. An LCO is a Legislative Competence Order, in case you were wondering. And a Legislative Competence Order is the mechanism by which the National Assembly for Wales makes a request for greater powers over matters such as education. Gareth Matthewson (former NAHT President and still a very active member of the Wales Committee thankfully) once gently suggested that I was becoming a wee bit obsessed with LCOs. I fear he may have been right. I think I'll have to set up a support group because I am sure that there are others out there… Anyway, for the first time this morning we went along to give evidence on an LCO to an Assembly Legislation Committee. The National Assembly is making the case for greater power to draft legislation on school governance – most especially to support its 14-19 Learning Pathways collaborative arrangements. Schools, workplaces and further education institutions all over Wales have come together to offer jointly a wider range of courses for pupils and, it is hoped at least, avoid duplication and save some money in the process. A variety of different models have evolved. Member tell us that the majority are working well although there are concerns about what happens after 2013 when additional funding will come to an end. So that's what we told the committee: yes, devolve the powers by all means. It makes sense to have the tools we may need on governance given how very different our education system is becoming compared to that in England whose governance regulations we currently share in large part. But please don't rush to fossilise governance arrangements in legislation. What is evolving now is looking good for the most part but there is a danger of stifling innovation and developing new ways of working if you start saying that everyone must adhere to a single way of doing things. Please do check what's working well and let us keep it before you decide we must all do the same… And that, I discovered is LCO-ing. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=225 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:32:20 GMT 20091126123220 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:32:20 GMT 20091126123220 Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:33:08 GMT 2009112612123308 So I was greeted as I arrived at the BBC just after 6.30 this morning to be interviewed about the Foundation Phase. At that time in the morning a gloomily delivered but meteorologically optimistic opener is pretty good I think. I'm glad because this is the day that NAHT arrives in Cardiff in force. The union's ruling executive is abandoning London and heading down the M4 for its two-day policy bash. Inexplicably the people of Cardiff seem more exercised about the opening of the gigantic new John Lewis shop tomorrow. But back to the Foundation Phase. This is the revolutionary made-in-Wales curriculum for 3-7 year olds. It's a bold and courageous policy of which we are extremely proud. A year in and the early signs are great. NAHT members are reporting that boys are doing better and that children who were disengaged are being switched on by this new way of teaching and learning. Its success though rests in large part on the staffing ratios. 1:8 for 3-5 year olds and 1:15 for 5-7s. When NAHT members came together last week to talk about the Foundation Phase, I thought we were going to talk mainly about how children and teachers were responding to the new curriculum, and some concern about what happens post-7 as youngsters who've been through the Foundation Phase and have become the questioning learners we all want to see, suddenly find themselves in a more traditional classroom set-up. It soon became clear though that members are worried about something nearer at hand. The 1:15 ratio for next year. With all the talk of cuts to come, members are keen to emphasise that ratios are key to the success of a curricular innovation that deserves, and requires continued, sustained support. Please keep a look out for Nicola Porter's Article on the Foundation Phase which we hope to publish on the website later this week. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=188 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:10:39 GMT 20090923101039 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:10:39 GMT 20090923101039 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:44:34 GMT 2009092311114434 'Term has started in earnest...Last week NAHT Cymru held a meeting of the All Wales Budget Training Group, an inelegant name for an increasingly invaluable service. This time the group - made up of members of school budget forums and those with an interest in the Byzantine world of school budget setting - concentrated on 09-10 budget pressures and SLAs. The simple message was - be prepared. Before you attend your next School Budget Forum meeting, study the details of last year's allocations. Then look at what's planned for this. Look carefully, for example, at the teachers' pay bill, UPS and threshold payments, energy costs, recharges and safeguarding. On SLAs, we are responding to members' concerns about how these are operating in some cases. The rules that govern Best Value judgements and the sanctions that apply when a service fails are a particular focus. We are drafting advice on this and will circulate it to branch secretaries next week. Incidentally, if you would like to attend the next All Wales Budget Training Group, please do. The next will be held on 13 November (location Builth Wells/Rhayader area to be confirmed). The meeting is chaired by the redoubtable Pat Clarke of Wrexham who ensures that proper 'work/life balance' is maintained on these occasions... All we ask is that you contact Bev in the office (cymru@naht.org.uk) to confirm your attendance so we can be sure we order plenty of food. http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=180 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:33:18 GMT 20090914123318 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:33:18 GMT 20090914123318 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:33:18 GMT 2009091412123318 I am back at my desk after a week in Brittany. The oysters of Breizh are safe again. The inelegant chunks of bread I managed to hack off a rather stale loaf for lunch are sadly no substitute though. I wonder if the SET catalogue offers a selection of office bread knives? I missed two issues of TES while I was away and have just been catching up on the…highlights. I was heartened by our Minister, Jane Hutt's assurances that she will do all she can to protect front line education services from the most severe effects of the coming spending squeeze. She specifically mentions 'flagship programmes' like the Foundation Phase, 14-19 Leaning Pathways and the Welsh Bac. (Incidentally, almost 2,341 candidates were awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Diploma this year compared with 1,186 in 2008 – a thumping increase in anyone's book). But all the indications are that this year and next (and onwards) will be especially difficult. We must have early indications of what's to come so we can make the case for education nationally and at school budget forums locally. A repeat of the Foundation Phase debacle, or last year's calamitous 7.4% post -16 spending cut after school leaders had arranged provision and staffing will simply not be acceptable. Anna http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=178 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:31:28 GMT 20090910103128 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:31:28 GMT 20090910103128 Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:31:28 GMT 2009091010103128 It is with some trepidation that I embark on my first blog…Readers of our self-styled 'national newspaper', the Western Mail will know that bloggers here, particularly those who comment on our political life, have got themselves into painfully hot water in the blogosphere in recent months. But here goes…It is August and the Welsh establishment has just returned from the National Eisteddfod at which the future of small schools, the possibility of an early referendum on the powers of the National Assembly, and the likely date of the Labour Party leadership contest were the hottest topics. The leadership of the Wales Labour Party, I hasten to add, for those reading outside the jurisdiction of our National Assembly. The scene is set then for an interesting autumn session when schools return, and all this is in addition to the further roll out of the Foundation Phase, the set up and governance of the 14-19 Learning Pathways, the 'review' of the 8-14' curriculum, the new Common Inspection Framework, the School Effectiveness Framework…and swine flu. We hope that the dedicated NAHT Cymru website will keep members in touch with all these developments and provide advice and information more quickly than ever before http://www.naht.org.uk/welcome/comment/blogs/naht-cymru-blog/?blogpost=169 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:18:05 GMT 20090814151805 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:18:05 GMT 20090814151805 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:18:05 GMT 200908141531805