Members of the country’s school leadership
unions, NAHT and ASCL, have today prepared a letter to parents on behalf of
secondary heads expressing their concern and frustration with the government's
lack of planning and direction for GCSEs.
The secondary heads say the latest announcement of changes
to reporting mechanisms for early GCSE exam entries – just weeks before
students were due to sit them – is the latest in a series of disruptive,
unplanned changes rushed in by the Department for Education that have left
schools and pupils in disarray.
The letter reads:
Dear Parents,
For the third time in the last two years, we have had to
alter our plans for GCSEs because of a sudden announcement from the government.
We know how important these exams are to you and we are frustrated we cannot
focus all our energies on raising results.
Without any notice and with immediate effect, the government
has limited schools' ability to enter students early for GCSEs - after we had
already planned entries for the year. Early entry can serve many good purposes,
including vital 'live' preparation for later exams.
It seems that barely a term goes by without another sudden
change to GCSE examinations. Worst of all, these changes are often made in the
middle of students' courses of study, making it impossible to plan properly or
to focus on learning rather than constant administrative change. They changed
grade boundaries between exam sittings; they dropped the vital skills of
speaking and listening from English mid-course; and now this latest
announcement.
These changes are often timed to coincide with party
conferences or similar events, leading us to fear that students and schools are
just collateral damage in party political squabbles.
Head teachers are ambitious for every child in their school.
They are the first to admit that our education must constantly improve. We have
achieved much - our schools are unrecognisable compared to 10 years ago - but
we have far to go. We see no reason, other than the date of the next election,
why change needs to be rushed without consultation or planning. Ultimately it
is students who suffer.
We wanted to explain to you our position on these reforms:
we believe they are disrupting your children's education and undermining their
hard work. We wanted to let you know that we will continue to help students
navigate the system as best we can. And we wanted to encourage you to contact
politicians and let them know how the changes are affecting you and your
family. Ministers are distant from the front line and the realities of
teaching. They cannot see the confusion and chaos being created; nor do they
have any respect for the views of the profession. They may listen to you.Yours faithfully
Leaders in Secondary Education
Reproduced in full
9th October 2013
Dennis O'Sullivan
As a parent, I whole heartedly support the action that Head Teachers / Teachers are taking against the government and the politically motived changes they are making that are not in our children's interest.
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