The Importance of Teaching

The context

• “.. so many great schools, so many superb teachers and so many outstanding head teachers ..”

• but we are failing to keep pace with the world’s best-performing education nations

• and the gulf between opportunities for the rich and the poor has grown wider

• the single most important lesson is – ‘The Importance of Teaching’

The narrative (1)

• good teachers delivering good teaching is the single most important factor in giving every child a high quality education

• poor behaviour is one of the biggest barriers to attracting and retaining good teachers

• once schools have secured good behaviour, they will be able to deliver a challenging curriculum for all pupils

The narrative (2)

• the best school systems devolve power to schools, and we will give schools the freedom to lead improvement

• robust accountability for raising standards and narrowing gaps will sit alongside our plans for increased autonomy

• head teachers and teachers are the people who make the difference, so we will give them real freedoms to decide how best to improve their school

• the school funding system will be transparent and fair, and will effectively target disadvantaged pupils

Teaching and leadership

• raise the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession and reform Initial Teacher Training

• national network of new Teaching Schools• support for teachers’ professional development,

powers to reward good performance; and address poor performance

• free head teachers and teachers from bureaucracy and red tape

Behaviour

• clarify and strengthen teachers’ powers • protect teachers from false allegations• strengthen head teachers’ authority beyond the

school gates• support head teachers to take a strong stand

against bullying• reform the exclusion appeals process

Curriculum, assessment and qualifications

• improve early numeracy and literacy, and assess reading at age 6

• review assessment & compare ourselves with the best in the world

• introduce English Baccalaureate ensure rigour in academic qualifications & review vocational education

• support all young people to continue in education or training to 18

The new school system

• reinstate the freedoms Academies originally had• all schools will be able to become Academies• ensure that the weakest schools are converted

to Academies • support teachers, charities and parent groups to

open Free Schools• local authorities will have a strong strategic role

Accountability

• school inspection reforms – Ofsted focus• new performance tables • improve governing bodies • underperforming schools, including:

– minimum expectations; intervene where failure entrenched; help schools learn from one another; work with LAs to support underperforming schools

School improvement

• school improvement – school responsibility for driving improvement

• focus on school to school support

• evidence on best practice

• support for schools below floor standards

• ending duty to appoint School Improvement Partners

School funding

• new Pupil Premium

• consultation on clear and fairer funding formula

• end disparity in funding for 16-18 year olds

• devolve the maximum funding to schools and realise efficiencies

• take forward conclusions of capital spending review

The Government State that this is about :

• empowering teachers• autonomy for schools, accountability to parents

and the community• measuring success by international standards• making the funding system fairer, so that poorer

children get a better chance to do well • tackling the blockages to good teaching – bad

behaviour, prescriptive dogma, endless bureaucracy

• the state fundamentally stepping back from the day to day running of schools