School governors and academies

There does seem to be something wrong with the system. I've just come back from visiting DD. Eldest GS is usually a happy confident young man. But instead the last couple of times we have seen him he has been busy holding back tears and utterly miserable panicking about exams. He is a year off GCSEs or whatever they are called these days. His life seems completely full of exams month after month. It seems the pressure is ridiculous, and apparently he is not the only one feeling like it. DD is in contact with other parents and they dont all go to the same school and she hears story after story, of really bright children refusing to go to school, children self harming, etc. What ever is going on?

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Same as my middle granddaughter, whitewave.
She ended up giving up one of her best subjects because it was taking up far too much time. She was expected to get an A* in it, but all her other subjects were feeling the pressure. She's happier now - or was the last time we spoke.
On top of that, there's the pressure of going to interviews at 6th form college when all the time should be spent on GCSEs.
It's time the schools rebelled against all this top down pressure.

We are in text contact now so he's set up a code as to how he's feeling. 1 for utterly dreadful and 10 for delirious.

He's at a 3 at the moment which seems an improvement on this afternoon. So I feel marginally better.
Exams all week and next, so hopefully after that his rating will rise!!!! Honestly you think you've done your job once your children leave home!

Getting there!!!

Text him with good morning and upbeat message about how good he will feel this afternoon having achieved the thought that he has done his best in the exam, and he texted back saying he rather thought he might be a 4 ?

Lovely message from him last night as I was making fun of Grandad and his pessimism, and he texted back " Grandad could go to the moon and back I love him"

Nicky Morgan on her academy white paper. People have raised interesting issues but she assures us there is widespread support of the idea of making all schools academies - at least on the Tory back benches. Apart from the people on the Tory back benches who have Doubts.
If you think the idea of forcing small schools (many of them Good and Outstanding) to become academies is a daft waste of money, drop a line to your MP folks.

www.bbc.com/news/education-36081555

On our local news tonight a head teacher has resigned citing the narrowing of the curriculum, and the intense pressure being put on schools.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Thanks, Kat.
On www.teachers.org.uk there is an article about a free school company which has links to offshore companies set up in Panama. and the BVI.

"Information derived from the leaked “Panama Papers” shows that Bellevue Education is part owned by a company which was set up by the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. Bellevue Education is one of two companies behind Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET) - a state-funded academy trust that runs free schools in London and the south east.
The Department for Education (DfE) and BPET deny that Bellevue Education has any influence over the running of the free schools. However, the NUT believes that there are still serious questions to be answered about connections between BPET and Bellevue Education. This NUT dossier outlines allegations made against Bellevue Education and provides evidence of the clear link between the company and the academy trust. The DfE must investigate and publish a full report as a matter of urgency. "

This is from the article on the NUT website. More of it on NUT expert view.

Do we really want more free schools or academy chains which can do this?
Health companies take profits out of the NHS; now education to be shortchanged by free school and academy chains.
It's all wrong.

Latest circular from Dept of Ed states that they have made a major error on the KS1 SATs papers, so for this year only schools will not administer these but assessments will be by teacher assessment, as was always the case previously - here is the error www.theguardian.com/education/2016/apr/21/spelling-test-blunder-as-dfe-publishes-upcoming-paper-online - really fills you with confidence in their capabilities doesn't it!

I love the statement in there that SATs are not used to grade schools - hmm. Take it from me, if an OfSted inspector sees a slump in SATs results, that will definitely influence how they grade the school.

Silly me i thought SATs were to track the progress of the school and not the individual kids...
What are they supposed to be for please? I know secondary schools don't give them much credit (the Y6 SATS) because they know the kids were coached hard by the schools and have forgotten half of it by September.

Secondary schools don't trust Year 6 SATS, junior schools don't trust Year 2 SATS. Of course the children are coached for the tests, so much depends on the results!

Not just coaching, there has been both suspected and confirmed cheating. Not by the pupils but by teachers including head teachers.

There is no need for SATs as a tool for teachers to understand the progress of each child's needs and progress - they do that daily as part of their job.

The SATs are purely and simply to grade schools. And they take no account of children with SEN - all are expected to reach the same standard or the school's SATs go down the drain and OfSted are quizzing us all mighty hard. It is an iniquitous system and I am fully behind those parents who intend to keep their children out of school on SATs day.

External tests set at the direction of the DfE are to prove political points.

Many of the aspects of the SPaG tests are new on the "curriculum". It is basically naming of parts and many scholars & pedants are still arguing about the terminology that the DfE has decided upon and whether they are correct. But that does not really matter.. you could call a 'fronted adverbial' a "carryl coolie" and as long as kids spotted whatever they had been taught it was and get a tick it is OK.

It won't make kids better writers. Just better test passers.

On a lighter note re kids and learning - woman I know was out campaigning for the Labour party yesterday and two 8 year olds approached her to ask "was it anything to do with sex". We presume in their confused little minds they might possible associate labour with sex education classes and/or be confusing election with erection.
Less grammar and more sex and politics in the curriculum I say.

On a more serious note....

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Hurrah!
www.theguardian.com/education/2016/may/06/government-backs-down-over-plan-to-make-all-schools-academies

Yup, embarrassing climb down. Maybe hoping to "bury bad news" by announcing this today.

What a U-turn - I'd love to say common sense prevailed- but ....

Hurrah indeed!

Is there anything at all this government hasn't back peddled on? I know of one - that is badger killing. Can't think of much else.

Third UTurn by the education department in a month. Good isn't she?