Angry Hebs - A self portrait!

In the style of Picasso, obviously.
In my SP I have coloured my hair all of the colours I am considering dying it on 20th July when we break up for summer. I am favouring bright purple (have bought it already) but am also considering blue/black or bright red. We'll see how I am taken on the day!

Angry? Moi? Mais Oui!

Further to an announcement a couple of weeks ago, made in the press, relating to how students are to be assessed, another 'announcement' was slipped in by a supporting QUANGO this week, which verifies the intention to replace all forms of assessment for students (modular exams, coursework) with one final, terminal exam. Back to the days of intensive cramming, a 6 week exam season, high degrees of stress for already stressed 16 year olds and no option for staff in schools to use the feedback from modular exams and coursework for their students to support their learning and to help them to make better progress. Back to 1 chance and that's your lot, kids. Progression onto further education restrained until resits are completed.

My point is actually about students. We have students who sit 'early entry' for some subjects, particularly Maths and English. This is to support them, not us. When a student sits an exam, the exam boards provide us with detailed analysis of individual and group performance on each question in the exam. This allows us to identify if an individual has a particular area of weakness, or if there is a strand within the course that needs further teaching because the students have not performed well on it during the exam. By being able to intensively target specific areas of weakness, we can then prepare students better. Many of our students in the last few years have missed the magic "C" on the first, sometimes the second attempt. On the third, they usually get it and more often than not, surpass it. Confidently, and because THEY have learned and understood the content of the course.

I think that it is dangerous to have an education system that is driven by the political system of the day. I know my views are shared. Cross party leadership would be infinitely preferable. Consultation that is openly requested would also be great. The internet is fabulous, but it has left schools having to trawl official websites for updates, consultation documents, press releases etc etc, that are usually not notified to schools. Things slip under the radar, or when you want to find them, you can't.

Please note, I am not commenting specifically on the current political powers that be. That would be wrong. I am commenting on a system that has been flawed for at least the 16 years I have been in teaching and that has deteriorated.

Last year, it was announced that schools were to be given greater flexibility and control. I confess, I laughed. Heartily. Because when you work in a school, you know that this is not true.

Rhetoric proclaims that "teaching should be a respected profession" and that it needs to be valued. If that's the case, then some trust in the profession's ability to do the best for the students in our care should be given. We are stifled and restricted by statute, guidance and external targets. We don't want a return to corporal punishment and varying curriculum. We would like to know that we can make decisions about what is best for our students without having them over-ruled, thrown back or dismissed as though we don't know a thing.

Schools plan years in advance. We are already considering the curriculum for students in our lowest year groups and trying to plan ahead, to ensure that we provide the highest quality education for them, with the right staff, the right curriculum with the intention of sending them out into the world ready to continue their education and to contribute to society. Sadly, we plan ahead with a great degree of guesswork, because we don't know what the external measures will be from year to year, never mind in a few years time.

For example, Months of planning last year for a New National Curriculum, hours spent by colleagues writing new schemes of work were wasted when the new Government announced that it did not intend to implement the new curriculum as it was the brainchild of the previous government - this announcement was made shortly after they came into power.

For example (2) - the senior students who sat their exams in May/June 2010 were externally measured (for the school) in January 2011 against a measure called the English Baccalaureate. When was this measure announced? It was snuck into an already existing document (I have the two copies!) in November 2010 - 5 months after the students had sat their exams and left the school.

It is impossible. It is unfair on school leadership. In turn, it becomes overwhelmingly burdensome on an already hard working profession when they invest time and energy to developing resources and planning, to have the rug pulled or the direction of the road changed in the blink of an eye.

Some consistency. Some common sense. An understanding that schools are working with young human beings, who are more than just sausages to be moulded into a standardised shape and size at the end of their time in the system. More importantly, an understanding that changes take time, need to be considered and, in terms of impact upon students, can only be really measured over a few years. I wonder about the students in the system now, who have been subjected to ever changing rules...what message does that send to them?