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ELECTION-QUESTIONS (Spring 2010) ABOUT SATS, LEAGUE TABLES, OFSTED, CURRICULUM AND MICROMANAGEMENT


1. Will they abandon the KS2 Sats?

Conservatives

    Retain KS2 external tests but may move the testing to Year 7 (and carried out by secondary school teachers).

Labour

    Might replace KS2 external tests for teacher assessment in 2011 (but the teacher assessment procedures put forward look very time demanding).

Lib Dems

    Retain KS2 tests but pare them back and aim to focus on pupil’s needs rather than use them for school accountability.


2. Will they abolish league tables?

    ‘Do any of the parties suggest binning them? No. The Lib Dems have floated the idea of having a separate division for schools with challenging intakes, but the principle of using publicly available data to rank institutions remains.’ (TES editorial 16 April)

    Labour thinks its proposed school report cards might serve instead, but is holding to the idea of one overall grade for the performance of each school.


3. Will they stop Ofsted inspections of schools?

Conservatives

    ‘We’ll reduce the burden of OFSTED inspections and ensure they concentrate on supporting you to do the best possible job. We’ll end the disastrous system of limiting judgements which sees good schools failing inspections for failing to file a form correctly.’ Michael Gove speech April 2010

Labour

    No evidence of intent to change Ofsted.

Lib Dems

    ‘I believe we do need an independent inspectorate. But I am worried that Ofsted is too much the creature of the government; that it is too data-driven; that it is being distracted by the safeguarding agenda; and that the government meddles too much in schools' performance management. We would replace Ofsted with an authority that was independent of government and able to inspect, advise and inform the public debate on standards.’ David Laws, Guardian 23 February 2010


4. Will they change the national curriculum?

Conservatives

    In the first year of government will have a committee of national figures draw up a curriculum of what knowledge is required at what age. This will then be free from ‘political meddling’ and reviewed every five or ten years time. ‘The Curriculum review, however, will focus on WHAT should be taught. We will not return to detailed prescriptions of HOW things are taught.’ (Michael Gove April 2010)

Labour

    Will try again to legislate for the Rose review proposals for primary schools, adding theme-based learning and giving ICT core subject status. No change planned for secondary curriculum.

Lib Dems

    Would scrap the existing curriculum replacing it with a slimmed-down 20-page ‘minimum curriculum guarantee’ specifying the core knowledge needed for pupils between ages seven to 19.


5. Will they stop the attempts by central government to micromanage schools throughout the country?

Conservatives

    The Conservative leader said his party would start making savings by abolishing quangos such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency and cutting back on government initiatives. .. will scrap all the National Strategies and end the stream of government advisers who come in and tell [teachers] how to do the job. (TES 16 April) ‘Set schools and colleges free from direct state control’ (Guardian 14 April) ‘We’ll reduce your bureaucratic burden and the horrendous amounts of forms you have to fill out.’ (Michael Gove speech April 2010)

Labour

    Say that more than 1,000 mediocre ‘schools’ will ‘through mergers and take-overs, become part of an accredited school group by 2015 – a new generation of not-for-profit chains of schools with a proven track record. These will include excellent school leaders from the maintained sector, universities, colleges, faith schools, academy chains and independent schools.’ (Party manifesto)

Lib Dems

    ‘Teachers want to get the best from children but they are held back because of constant government interference which stops them from spending time with their pupils. The Liberal Democrats believe that all schools should be free from meddling politicians to work in creative and interesting ways to make sure every child gets a fair start in life. We will slim down the curriculum and pass an Education Freedom Act banning politicians from getting involved in the day to day running of schools.’ (Party manifesto)


FOOTNOTE: Extract from the exciting educational policies of the Green party

‘Education should be at the heart of communities, and should promote social and emotional well-being, equality, inclusion and responsibility. Schools need more freedom to frame the curriculum around the needs and interests of the young people in the school. There should be an emphasis on pupil-centred learning, which caters for different learning styles, interests and needs. …Let teachers teach – abolish the remaining SATS tests, and give schools and teachers more freedom over the curriculum they teach.’


This page was posted on 19 April 2010. Writing in July it seems worth keeping this page live as a reminder of what the Conservatives and Liberal-Democrats put forward before they were elected. Well at least the Green party got Caroline Lucas into parliament!


For the 'Coherent Strategy for Educational Advance' advocated on this website go to the Home page - click at the top of the navigation bar.

For discussion of SATs go to Why SATs Formal Testing Should Be Abolished

For discussion of Ofsted go to Why Ofsted Inspection of Schools Should Be Abolished

For discussion of National Curriculum go to A National Curriculum Deskills Teachers and Narrows Pupils' Experience

For a discussion of the political background to education go to Political Impact: from the least state-controlled to the most in 22 years