Do you want what Gove wants for your grandchildren?

Gove is a manipulative and malevolent beast.

On one hand he talk about giving schools /heads more choice, parents more choice (about types of schools available but at the same time is forcing through changes to the system without any evidence that it is wanted by schools or parents or that it will improve things for kids.

Funding is being dramatically reduced, teachers pay and conditions undermined...this will lead to small schools unable to attract more experienced or 'excellent' teachers when they have vacancies.

Academies ..ie schools only accountable to DfES are increasing so local area accountability /needs/ knowledge will not be easy to access to plan places etc in local areas

Curriculum still not agreed..it is to be taught in September!

Of course he knows what he's doing..he is a minister

Around 25 years ago, I was involved, as a governor and political activist, in the fight against grant-maintained schools. At that time, we saw no need for our schools to opt out of the care of the LEA which, in our case, was one of the best. Governors had an annual vote on whether or not to put GM status to a ballot of parents. Where are the parental ballots in this woeful situation imposed from the top by Gove? Is he afraid of a democratic vote? In our authority two schools had ballots, and both parent bodies voted against GM status. Gove persistently lies about the amount of power wielded by LEAs. This has consistently diminished since the 1980s with Local Management of Schools. This was accomplished easily and peacefully with the guiding hand of the LEA. We paid for services like cleaning or opted out if we preferred; we paid for an expert clerk to our governing bodies and as a Chair of Governors I was grateful for the guidance of officers from the HR department of the LEA. Gove is hell bent on sweeping away this infrastructure, in a completely irrational vendetta against LEAs.

I had similar experience as a chair of governors in the eighties, anno. Not the grant maintained stuff, but the helpfulness of the LEA. The LEA maintained the school grounds, including allowing bluebells to flourish on some grass alongside the school drive which, since the employment of florally ignorant contractors have been mown down every year since. I was also extremely glad of LEA input when we had to select a new headteacher. The retiring HT was a hard act to follow and the LEA help in organising and running the process of selecting a new one was invaluable.

maggiemaybe and deedaa: good posts. I agree.

I've always felt that the removal of LEA powers was a completely political act and had nothing to do with actual education.

Now there is some talk of giving the C of E more powers in education - as a secularist, I find this alarming.
I don't find much to admire about the USA, but at least it is illegal to teach specific religions in state schools (i.e. indoctrinate). 'Faith' schools are private and fee-paying.

Three cheers for those teachers in a Croydon school who all resigned because the new Head insists they arrive by 7a.m. every morning. Many teachers seem to arrive early already but by choice I guess & if they don't have young kids to get ready for school. Still, suppose they'll all have to be shoved into breakfast clubs run by women on low wages who have to be there by 6.30am. Why have kids at all? Of course if we didn't then there'd be no need for schools .. or Gove the Cove ...

Gad have you a link ?

I hate our education system now and the drive for every child to reach certain standards, and 5 A-Cs being an absolute minimum. Kids learn at different speeds, have different interests and instincts. This pressure is felt by heads, many of whom then bully staff - just ask the teachers you know and parents are pressuring their children. If Gove had his way childhood would be abolished in favour of bootcamps where 5 year olds would probably be boarded to make sure they work long enough hours.
My daugher is home educating her 2 young sons, and whilst doubtful at first I now totally support the wisdom of her decision.
If the government held a Summer Fair and put Gove in stocks and charged us to throw wet sponges at him we could clear the national debt selling the sponges!

Bluebell: a link
http://metro.co.uk/2013/07/02/mass-walkout-by-teachers-at-croydon-school-over-unrealistic-7am-starts-3866247/
and others if you google mass walk out by staff.

My SiL has been teaching for several years Gadabout he may not start early but for the last couple of weeks he's been working at the school till nearly 10 oclock at night. Not conducive to evenings at home with small children!

I still can't understand why they are so insistent that children shouldn't miss a minute of school (The latest thing was send them to school when they're ill because adults would go into work - something else I don't agree with!) they seem to know so little at the end of it. General Knowledge seems to be a thing of the past, and certainly don't lets waste time on the arts. I read that you need a mark of 20% the get a C grade in chemistry. When I got 24% in my mock GCE chemistry I was asked politely to leave, because that was a definite fail.

There seems to be universal condemnation of Michael Gove on Gransnet. Why? Doesn't anyone acknowledge that the UK has fallen down the global league tables in education? Does everyone think we still have a gold standard here - that we are producing employable youngsters, the envy of the world? Well, some schools are and sadly they are not the ones that Michael Gove is attempting to improve.

The condemnation isn't universal, Sel. It's just that those of us who have a quiet admiration for Gove probably don't think it worth exposing ourselves to the outrage which would greet our views...

Ahhh, OK Ana I'll stand by and wait for the flack

I know that this isn't going to convince the Gove Admiration Society (GAS) but they might like to have a look at this video to see the way in which their hero bends the truth - to put it mildly.

You might be interested in this report in the Telegraph, Sel, which explains that the data from international tests are by no means as clear as the headlines suggest.
www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9841599/International-education-league-tables-are-misleading.html

Actually I would be interested to know how the Gove admirers think that what he has done will contribute to raising standards. Is it:
1. Changing the examination system several times without any clear strategy for what is going to happen in the next few years.
2. Introducing a new national curriculum for this September which has not yet been finalised.
3. Setting up hundreds of academies, which are not performing any better than existing secondary schools (Ofsted data).
4. Setting up Free Schools (none of which has had an outstanding judgement and one of which is already in special measures) with unqualified teachers in areas where there are already many surplus places.
5. Failing to tackle the significant crisis in school places in many other areas (see above.).
6. Demoralizing the teaching profession.
7. Refusing to meet and engage with school leaders.
8. Writing a history curriculum, described by Simon Schama as "like 1066 and All That, but without the jokes".
9. Appearing to believe that the word data is the plural of the word anecdote.
10. Giving every school a signed copy of the Bible.

Not "flak", Sel and Ana, just genuinely interested to hear your evidence of how his policies are raising standards.

What a silly generalisation about not turning out employable youngsters! Perhaps it depends on how you view the purpose of schooling. You can regard schooling as part of a person's education – the part that teaches them how to learn, how to adapt. Or you can regard schooling as a gradgrindish factory attempt to churn out machine tools for employers.

Nice post mamie
Free schools are funnelling off money that should be being used to support boroughs where there is a genuine need for more school places.
TBH his agenda as minister seems to be : to get a headline as often as possible.
Amongst other wild cards played to get his name in the papers he has had a go at school governors and teaching assistants.
I am so glad that I finally bowed out as chair of governors 12 months ago after 10 years as I would by now have pulled all my hair out.

Mamie that's masterly and very comprehensive. I would have added, 'finally destroying local education authorities'. Where do schools go now for support, advice and services? And where is the accountability of education now?

Great thread to read with my morning coffee, it's quite cheered me up to see the (almost) universal dislike of Gove's assault on education and all who sail in her. Totally ideologically driven, nothing evidence based - so depressing.

Gad - thanks. Mamie- respect!!! I shall be using no. 9 from now on in many situations! Come GAS- give us the evidence

I am curious, Sel. You choose to take part in a debate, but regard any views you don't share as 'flak'. Why not simply reply to the points raised?

My question asking what do people want their children to be and how they should be schooled to get there was an attempt to open the debate. Do we want to be successful in the mode of Singapore & China or would we prefer to lose our place in the world and have well rounded & educated people who are not burnt out by their 30s, given that they'll all have to work until they are 70 in the future? It is a real dilemma whatever your political stance. Seeing what I observed in Singapore made my stomach churn. Gove has a very singular style that will draw people to him or against him, again whatever your political affiliation.

Re teaching assistants, didn't they arise from the idea of a previous Tory Ed Minister, John Patten, about having a 'Mum's army' of helpers?

I think literacy, numeracy and ICT are the essential core skills that everyone needs. I think that we had excellent strategies in place which were raising standards in these areas and we should have continued to refine, develop and improve them. I think the National Curriculum was broad and balanced. There was work in progress to make it less restricting and to allow more cross-curricular development; this needed more time, money and resources.
I think we should celebrate and trust our many excellent school leaders, teachers and support staff. I think LEAs should have been allowed to continue to support and challenge less effective schools. I think Ofsted should be free from political interference and should provide a clear system of accountability for evaluating strengths and weaknesses in schools and ensuring improvement. I think every school should be secular and comprehensive.
I think politicians should respect professionals and allow them to do their jobs without constant "reform".
I think every business person who wants to criticise schools should go and work as a teaching assistant for a term.
I think we should recognise the true impact of poverty and unemployment on children and their performance in school.

Mamie - thank you for your complete demolition of the ideologue Gove.