New report from teachers in challenging schools turns heads of policy makers
Teach First teachers call for balanced intakes in schools, an overhaul of league tables, and a new approach to career development support for pupils and their teachers
Today [Monday 23rd November] Teach First Ambassadors launch their second bi-annual policy report researched, written and edited by over 500 Teach First teachers in challenging schools.
The report, Lessons from the Front 2009, draws on quantitative and qualitative research of teachers’ experiences on the ground in some of the UK’s most challenging schools and a selection of the world’s leading businesses, to make a series of policy recommendations focused on enhancing the UK’s response to educational disadvantage.
All else equal, England’s poorest children still underperform in relation to their more affluent peers. Over 1000 teachers trained through Teach First are currently teaching across England to try to help change that reality.
The report, which includes substantial responses to its proposals from Government and Opposition and business advisory firm Deloitte, urges policy makers to apply the principles great teachers use to be effective in their classrooms to every level of the education system by facilitating personalised, collaborative, explorative learning for teachers in an environment where all can succeed.
Core recommendations include:
- A new system of school accountability, which removes the perverse incentives of the current GCSE A*-C rankings. This system would remove overall grades from report cards and requires schools to report their success with pupils taking academic and vocational routes separately.
- Locally-led plans to enhance currently unsatisfactory support for vocational aspirations. This recognises that vocational advice is a neglected area due to the knowledge and experience of most teachers - while 79% of teachers surveyed agreed that they were competent to advise on university choices, only 27% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt they could competently advise those wishing to pursue a vocation on what qualifications and subjects to choose.
- Locally-agreed admissions policies to help all schools achieve a balanced intake. This should be accompanied by an open debate on the benefits and drawbacks of setting and streaming versus mixed ability classes, given the recognised impact of the ‘peer effect’ on pupil learning.
- A Teachers’ Guarantee reiterating that all teachers should receive a minimum of 30 hours for continuing professional development (CPD), and stipulating that approximately a third of CPD time spent on ‘personal continuing professional development’. The report also suggests the development of a voluntary ‘Annual Enquiry Entitlement’ of the sort used by leading businesses such as Google and Amazon.
- The development of more innovative ways for teachers and other professionals to work together, both in continuing professional development and career pathways. These could include collaboration within schools through ‘white space’ time, through ‘teacher-swaps’ between schools, and through the creation of a Flexible Teachers scheme - which would facilitate teachers to work part time across a range of schools or in school and another sector.
Lessons from the Front 2009 was compiled with support and advice from Deloitte’s education practice.
Sarah Connor, Director of Ambassadors at Teach First said:
 “Lessons from the Front blends the practitioner voice with academic rigour to develop recommendations which could have real value in tackling educational disadvantage on the front line: classrooms in challenging schools across the country. We are pleased that policy makers have already taken the report so seriously, and look forward to supporting our Ambassadors to work with them to further develop and, where appropriate, implement their insights. The time and commitment that has gone into developing Lessons from the Front reflects the ongoing engagement of the Teach First Ambassador movement with educational disadvantage – we are proud to be giving them a platform to share their views.”
Please download the following PDFs for further information.
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