Report Launch: Better Schools – The Future of the Country
Author – Tim Clark
It was a great privilege to be invited to write a report for the College Green Group, a Westminster strategy and communications group, on improving English schools. My report is attached below. It looks at ten aspects of schooling and makes forty-two recommendations. All, except for a handful, will cost the Treasury little or nothing; many can be introduced straight away, and all can be introduced before the next general election.
In a nutshell, the report argues that we can raise standards by empowering “teachers to teach and pupils to learn.” This means tackling issues such as teacher workload and pupil behaviour, as well as offering appropriate courses at Key Stage 4 (14–16) and giving teachers legal clarity on issues such as pupil self-identification. The report is not written from any philosophy of education point of view (except from one of practical experience and a firm belief that all youngsters can achieve, but not in the same way) nor from any political point of view. Neither is it an overt attempt to win votes, although there is a clear recognition that there are over one million votes in English schools (just over half a million teachers and just under half a million support staff).
Over the past forty years, practically every aspect of schooling has changed – curriculum, teaching styles, examinations, inspections, the legal status of schools, and funding, which has gone up and up – but despite all the change (and money), do we have a schooling system that is the envy of the world or one that is totally fit for purpose? This report is about raising standards, not in terms of some narrow metric or league table, but about genuine raising standards and achievement across the board.
The first issue to tackle is the emerging national teacher retention and recruitment crisis. No school can be better than its teachers. Last year, 44,000 teachers (or 9% of the total) left the profession; today, four weeks before the end of term, the TES website advertised 713 secondary maths vacancies, 688 English vacancies, and 692 science vacancies, all of which will have to be filled from outside the current workforce since we are beyond the resignation date of May 31st. Most of the report is aimed at tackling this issue, while accepting that money for pay rises is limited. That said, for many teachers, money is not the issue: it is tackling the wider issues that will create an environment in which all can flourish, pupils and teachers – the success of the latter dictating the success of the former. We need all involved in schools – teachers, Heads, MATS, and policy setters in Westminster – to work together to create the culture and environment that empowers “teachers to teach and pupils to learn”.
About the Author:
Tim Clark is a highly experienced and successful educational consultant and trainer with thirty-two years of teaching experience, including eighteen years as the Head of two different schools.
Contact Tim for staff, SLT and governor training, coaching and consultancy.
Tim is also the Political Director of the Conservative Friends of Education.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Conservative Friends of Education or the Conservative Party. The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice or endorsement by Conservative Friends of Education.
