Report January 2013

report

JANUARY 2013

THE MAGAZINE FROM THE ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS & LECTURERS £2.50

Compare and contrast

Report looks at the complexities of learning from other countries’ education systems

Mid-term report Mary Bousted rates Michael Gove’s performance so far ADVICE How to tackle difficult conversations

Winning experience

Report speaks to two members honoured for lifetime achievements JOIN THE DEBATE Comedian Jo Brand on fooling around for fun and fundraising

Outstanding and Beyond 2013

The conference for educators who put learning and development at the heart of what they do.

• Inspiring Keynotes • Outstanding inputs from schools and practitioners who have made a real difference • Workshops and seminars packed with fresh ideas

With a keynote presentation by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, paralympic athlete.

Outstanding inputs from schools and practitioners including: • effective differentiation, marking and feedback • outstanding teaching and learning • thinking skills and improving learning • the creative curriculum

Ricoh Arena, Coventry 15th March 2013

• using 3rd millennium technology for real, motivating learning • improving attainment in maths

“Teachers affect eternity, they can never know the full range of their influence.”

• developing outstanding leadership and much more...

Henry Brooks Adams

Smartees

bookings@smartees.me.uk 0118 9797 551

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www.atl.org.uk

Contents Welcome

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BRAIN LIGHT/ALAMY

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Your ATL 04

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News Including ATL’s response to government plans on performancerelated pay, and results of our independent schools survey Noticeboard Advice, information, events and opportunities to get involved

Help and advice 22

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Disclosure and barring ATL’s legal team on changes to disclosure and barring procedures Contact All the details you need to get in touch with ATL Difficult conversations Tips on broaching and approaching difficult conversations at work

Resources 26

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ATL resources Useful newsletters, publications and factsheets Info directory A selection of free resources for teachers and lecturers Classified advertisements Crossword Your chance to win £50 in Marks & Spencer vouchers

Report is the magazine from the Association of Teachers & Lecturers, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD Telephone: 020 7930 6441 Fax: 020 7930 1359 Email report@atl.org.uk or membership@atl.org.uk Internet www.atl.org.uk Managing editor Victoria Poskitt Editors Alex Tomlin, Charlotte Tamvakis Head of advertising sales Samantha Overton 01603 772520 Advertising sales Lisa Parkinson 01603 772521

Features 10

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A world of ideas Report looks at how we can learn from education around the globe Learning from experience Report meets two lifetime awardwinning ATL members to find out the secrets of their success

Join the debate 14

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Hank Roberts, national president, ATL

Agenda General secretary Mary Bousted offers a mid-term verdict on Secretary of State Michael Gove’s performance ATL in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland Philip Dixon, Mark Langhammer and Keith Robson give views from around the UK Letters ATL members have their say on design and technology’s place in the curriculum, Ofsted and mentoring Calling all experts ATL senior vice president Alison Sherratt on what makes ATL truly member-led Final word Comedian Jo Brand on the education benefits (and fun) of Comic Relief

hope you had a good Christmas break. Looking to the new year ahead, I wonder, as the singer Ian Dury asked, have we got ‘reasons to be cheerful’?

It looks like support for this government’s policies on education and its whole austerity (for us) programme is falling fast. The by-election results before Christmas showed a serious drop in Conservative support and a catastrophic decline for the Liberal Democrats, coming eighth in Rotherham and losing their deposit. Could this be a sign of chickens coming home to roost?

A report by the National Audit Office in November 2012 exposed the monumental expenditure of public money on the academies programme, including a billion-pound overspend.

Yet, as Dr Terry Wrigley and Dr Afroditi Kalambouka’s recent comprehensive research report Academies and Achievement — setting the record straight showed, “academy status does not lead to higher attainment”.

Another publication has revealed some shocking facts, considering we are in a depression the likes of which has not been seen since the 1930s and which is set to get worse. Just how much worse it could get if we do nothing was made clear to me when Mark Langhammer, director of ATL Northern Ireland, sent me his book review of Going South by Larry Elliott, the Guardian’s economics editor, and Dan Atkinson, economics editor at the Mail on Sunday, which predicts dire consequences for Britain’s economy.

Mark highlights the authors’ explanation that Britain has the biggest budget deficit of any G20 economy, while manufacturing has shrivelled to 10% of output.

He also points out the claim that “no democratic country has ever imposed so great a burden on its ordinary citizens for the benefit and protection of that country’s wealthiest elite”.

At the same time, support for the government’s education policy is weakening. What to do now?

Personally, I am reminded of the words of General Foch during the Battle of the Marne during the First World War: “Hard pressed on my right; my left is in retreat.

My centre is yielding. Impossible to manoeuvre.

Situation excellent. I am attacking.”

Report is produced and designed for ATL by Archant Dialogue Ltd, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE. Email: mail@archantdialogue.co.uk Production editor Matt Colley, Managing art editor Nicky Wright, Art director Nick Paul, Managing ad production controller Kay Brown, Publishing director Zoë Francis-Cox, Managing director Mick Hurrell Printed in the UK on FSC-accredited stock. Subscription: Non-members, including libraries, may subscribe at the rate of £16 per year. ATL accepts no liability for any insert, display or classified advertisement included in this publication. While every reasonable care is taken to ensure that all advertisers are reliable and reputable, ATL can give no assurance that they will fulfil their obligation under all circumstances. The views expressed in the articles in Report are the contributors’ own and do not necessarily reflect ATL policy. Official policy statements issued on behalf of the Association are indicated as such. All rights reserved. Material contained in this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without prior permission of ATL.

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your ATL / news

Independent members join the debate many schools are prospering despite challenging times.

However, ATL is concerned that this prosperity is not being shared with staff — you can see more on the survey below.

Mary Bousted, ATL’s general secretary, dissected the political dangers for the independent sector, which she said is caught in a pincer L-R: Matthew Burgess, general secretary of the Independent movement between a government Schools Council, and Malcolm St John-Smith, chair of ATL’s wanting much closer relations Independent and Private Sector Advisory Group between the independent and state sectors, and private equity companies Pay, pensions, equalities, school closures waiting in the wings to run independent and chess were all on the agenda at ATL’s state schools for profit. annual independent schools conference in Matthew Burgess, general secretary London in November. of the Independent Schools Council, ATL president Hank Roberts opened addressed the conference on the role of proceedings with headlines from the 2012 his organisation, and saluted the critical pay and conditions survey of over 1,700 part ATL played in ensuring continued independent members, which found that

membership of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme for those teaching in independent schools. He outlined three further threats to the sector: recession, a hostile political environment and charitable status issues.

In a breakout session, Dr Wanda Wyporska, ATL equalities officer, led a discussion group in which members’ stories showed the slow but steady pace of progress of gender equality.

Another session, ‘Padlocked overnight’, saw members moved by the story of former rep Ian Carter, whose school was closed without notice despite long-standing reassurances from governors. Ian recommended all staff strengthen their positions with collective trade union rights.

Elsewhere, Malcolm Pein, chief executive of the charity Chess in Schools and Communities, made a compelling case for chess to be taught in schools.

A snapshot of the independent sector Long hours and pay freezes are the reality for many members in the independent sector, an ATL survey has found.

More than 1,700 members took part in ATL’s independent sector pay and conditions survey in 2012. It showed that wages have effectively fallen for the 43% of members who received no inflationary cost-of-living increase on their salary this year.

One teacher at a West Sussex senior school said: “In the last five years fees have increased by 17% but my salary has only increased by 7%.”

A teacher at a London junior school said: “Despite fees being one of the highest in the area, the school still thought it fair to freeze staff pay in 2011-12 even though the number of children increased.”

ATL’s survey suggests the money from fee increases is going towards school building works. The more unusual projects include an animal sanctuary, an art gallery and a biomass fuel project.

However, some schools’ building work is more basic. A school in Middlesex is carrying out “repairs to a building as a wall is coming apart”, another school is “mending and patching up a roof ”. One teacher said: “Everything is stretched so tight now that we are not really able to cover basic needs. No spare rooms, no spare staff, no money for anything, rooms in disrepair.” www.atl.org.uk

Meanwhile, 62% of members who took part in the survey said they worked over the Working Time Regulations’ maximum of 48 hours per week, with 20% working more than 60 hours.

In most cases employers will not be in breach of the maximum working week, as weekly hours are calculated over a 17-week period for day schools and a 26-week period for boarding schools, so include periods of holiday.

Not having a proper lunch break was also an increasing problem, and worse still, 11% report that they don’t have a timetabled lunch break of at least 20 minutes — the legal minimum when working more than six hours.

Many said their schools don’t meet good practice standards.

ATL recommends all school staff should have a minimum 40 minutes’ lunch break away from their workstation every day.

ATL believes working excessively long hours is a danger to employees’ health and to pupils, and that employers have a general duty of care for both groups. ATL will vigorously represent members where their health is being put at risk.

The full results of the survey are available to download at: www.atl.org.uk/recentsurveys

January 2013

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This situation cannot go on. People are suffering and careers are being ruined

Stress tops poll Stress is the top health and safety issue in the education sector, according to a recent survey.

Reps were asked to name the main concerns in their sector and to identify the top five in order of importance in the survey of health and safety reps carried out by the TUC. In education, 84% named stress as the most important concern, followed by overwork (61%). Just under half put bullying and harassment third, long hours were cited by 36%, and violence by 24%. This contrasts with an overall figure of 69% of reps finding stress a concern in the workplace, compared to the 2010 figure of 62%.

Jacqui O’Neill, ATL’s member adviser for health and safety, said:

Paralympians make plea Paralympic medallists Ade Adepitan, Sarah Storey and Anne Wafula-Strike took to the Houses of Parliament to highlight the crisis in global education, particularly for disabled children.

Children who are disabled, vulnerable or from an ethnic minority are still being excluded from education in some countries, according to a new report, Equity and Inclusion for All in Education.

Launched at Westminster by the Global Campaign for Education, the report calls on the UK government to have a clear strategy to ensure marginalised children are included.

This would help meet the promise made by world leaders in 2000 that every child would have access to a quality primary education by 2015.

Since then millions of children in Africa, Asia and Latin America have gone to school

for the first time, but the UN says progress has stalled and 61 million youngsters are still without a primary education.

Wheelchair basketball star Ade said: “I was born in Nigeria and find it quite alarming that there are now 10.5 million children in Nigeria alone who don’t go to school. Every child deserves the right to have an education, and be given a chance for a decent future.

And the challenges are even harder for disabled children in the developing world to get to school and succeed. Without education many of them are destined for a life of destitution and poverty.”

This year, over 6,000 schools around the UK have taken part in an Olympic-inspired ‘Send My Friend to School’ campaign organised by the Global Campaign for Education, supported by ATL and other organisations including ActionAid.

ATL welcomes Wales review ATL has welcomed a review of the delivery of education services in Wales but urges a solution that ensures “real improvement”.

The Welsh Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews, announced in November that a review planned for autumn 2013 would be brought forward, saying: “I have given local authorities time and money to get their house in order and the evidence is overwhelming that this has not occurred.”

Responding, Dr Philip Dixon, director ATL Cymru, said: “Some January 2013

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“Unfortunately the survey results only confirm what ATL has long known — that the education sector has become an increasingly stressful place to work. Changes to performance management, increases in the number of observations and the ever-changing Ofsted framework are some of the main reasons quoted by members as making their working lives almost unbearable.

“This situation cannot go on. People are suffering and careers are being ruined. Employers have to realise they have a legal duty to manage stress in the same way as any other health and safety issue.”

The figures are similar to the 2010 results for the education sector, though long hours have become more of an issue, with a six per cent jump up from 30% in the 2010 survey.

If you are interested in becoming a health and safety rep or if you would like more information, email hs@atl.org.uk.

L-R: Paralympic medallists Ade Adepitan, Sarah Storey and Anne Wafula-Strike campaign for education at Westminster

of the possibilities outlined are very radical indeed and could see local authorities lose any say over the delivery of education. Many of our members have reported little or no increase in the level of local authority support over the last year, despite the increased demands being placed upon them.

“While we understand the frustrations expressed, all the evidence shows that the so-called ‘middle tier’ is essential in effective delivery of policy and change. ATL has consistently argued that we need to reduce the number of local authorities in Wales, but we would not want to see them removed altogether. “We need a system that effectively delivers support for schools and teachers in their essential task of educating our young people. If current structures are not doing that, they must be reformed, but we must ensure that what emerges in their place enables real improvement on the ground.” www.atl.org.uk

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Changes to teachers’ pay ATL expects teachers to continue to move up the salary scales despite government proposals to end automatic pay progression in the sector.

The School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), which makes recommendations to the government on teachers’ pay, announced in December that pay for all teachers should be based on an annual appraisals rather than their length of service. Teachers’ pay scales would only be used for reference, with the

exception of maximum and minimum rates.

The government subsequently launched a consultation on the issue, and, subject to this consultation, the changes would come into force in September this year.

Martin Freedman, head of ATL’s pay, conditions and pensions department, said: “There is a danger that some schools will abuse this system and that those short of money could say they can’t afford to give teachers a rise. However,

Free lunches for FE ATL is part of a campaign run by the Association of Colleges calling on the government to extend free meals to 16- to 18-year-olds who are studying at FE and sixth form colleges.

Currently only those students from a disadvantaged background who study at school sixth forms receive free meals at lunchtime. Academies, free schools and university technical colleges also receive funding for free school meals.

Norman Crowther, ATL’s national official for the post-16 sector, said: “It is grossly unfair that these students would receive free lunches if they had stayed in a state-funded school sixth form, an academy, a free school or a university

technical college, but are denied them if they choose to go to an FE or sixth form college.

“A large number of students attending colleges are from financially poor backgrounds and suffer from a lack of resources and basic nutrition. The ‘No free lunch’ campaign’s success would go some way to ensuring all poorer students, wherever they study, get at least one decent, nutritious meal a day so they are better able to reach their potential.”

To sign the petition, see: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/ 31069 . For more information about the campaign, see www.aoc.co.uk/nofreelunch/

FE awards Exeter College in Devon, led by principal and AMiE member Richard Atkins, has been recognised with two national FE awards.

The TES FE Awards 2012 picked up the award for ‘Outstanding leadership in learning and skills’ category for its e-learning partnerships with schools, outstanding practical teaching and its leadership, and was named ‘Outstanding provider of the year’ for its “culture of excellence”, including pastoral care for students and excellent results.

As a dedicated service within the ATL community, TV presen AMiE provides the next step for ATL members ter Atkins at th Fiona Bruce and Ri chard e moving into, or already in, leadership and in Novembe TES FE awards cere mony r management roles.

January 2013

our expectation is that schools will have a proper appraisal system in place that they will apply fairly.

“ATL will watch what happens in schools and will challenge any appraisal system that treats members unfairly with regard to their pay.”

ATL is issuing guidance for members on these proposed changes soon. Check www.atl.org.uk and see the February issue of Report for more details.

EBC debate needed Plans for a new English baccalaureate certificate (EBC) to replace GCSEs are not the right answer, have been rushed through and should be scrapped, according to ATL. In its response to a government consultation on key stage 4 reforms, ATL said that although change is needed to the current qualification system, the EBC qualification will not best serve young people.

Adrian Prandle, policy adviser in ATL’s education policy and research department said: “The evidence for the proposals is extremely weak, and the policy lacks support across and beyond the education sector.

“We are calling for proper debate around the need for, and purpose of, a qualification at 16, along with a proper, specific equalities impact assessment, because we believe the proposals will have a detrimental impact on particular groups of learners.

“The government should not proceed with the EBC. Implementation has not been given enough consideration and it is too rushed.”

You can see ATL’s response to the consultation and more on the key stage 4 reforms at: www.atl.orguk/keystage4reforms

www.atl.org.uk

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your ATL / noticeboard, get involved

Noticeboard Insurance protection ATL members automatically receive insurance protection and cover, including the following, as from 1 January 2013: • Personal accident cover — members are automatically insured for £10,000 against accidental death, permanent total disablement and loss of limbs or eyesight when such accidents occur at or on the way to or from work. A further maximum of £5,000 can be claimed for funeral expenses after a member’s accidental death under the above circumstances, plus £200 for each dependent child at the time of death.

• Loss or damage to, or theft of, property (maximum benefit payable £250) or theft/loss of cash (maximum £150) inside work buildings.

Spectacles are covered anywhere within work grounds, bicycles if locked within work grounds.

School trips are not included. An excess of £25 applies to all claims.

• Malicious damage to motor vehicles within the boundaries of the work establishment (maximum benefit payable £400). Damage caused by another vehicle is not covered, nor is theft of property from the vehicle. An excess of £25 applies.

• Assault — members are covered against absence from work after injury following physical assault by any person at or on the way to or from work; £100 a week is payable for four weeks after the first seven days of absence.

• Dental treatment — if you require dental treatment as a result of assault or an accident at or on the way to or from work, a maximum benefit of £200 is payable. An excess of £25 applies.

• Hospitalisation — members hospitalised due to accidental bodily injury while at work or travelling to or from work are eligible for a payment of £50 per day in hospital after the first 24 hours, up to a maximum of 365 days.

• Coma — any member hospitalised due to accidental bodily injury that results in a continuous unconscious state is eligible for a further £50 per day after the first 24 hours, up to a maximum of 365 days, in addition to the hospitalisation benefit above.

www.atl.org.uk

Peter Smith scholarship As a lasting memorial to former general secretary Peter Smith and his contribution to the work of the union, ATL provides a scholarship scheme in his name from which members can apply for assistance with their personal or professional development.

This scheme is designed to encourage those who would not otherwise be able to participate in their chosen activity and not is designed to fund courses that would otherwise be funded by another organisation.

Scholarships may be granted to ATL members seeking to return to full- or part-time study in areas that will help their professional or personal development. Support is normally limited to cover a maximum period of 12 months and can include short training courses. A number of scholarships will be made each year to members in response to applications.

The deadline for applications for the 2013 scholarship is Friday 19 April 2013 — see www.atl.org.uk/about/peter-smith.asp for more details and an application form.

ATL Wales address ATL’s office in Wales has moved to 9 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff CF10 4BY. See page 23 of this magazine for full details of how to contact ATL.

Travel insurance No matter where you’re headed on holiday this year, ATL’s new travel insurance provides quality worldwide cover at a great price.

You can jet off as many times as you like (up to 31 days per trip), secure in the knowledge that one affordable policy protects you all year round.

See www.atltravelinsurance.co.uk or call 0844 482 9509 (local rate, Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm). ATL Plus Travel Insurance is offered in partnership with Union Income Benefit and Rock Insurance Services and is underwritten by Mapfre Assistance.

ATLdrive prize draw ATLdrive ran a campaign giving ATL members who purchased a car between January and November 2012 the chance to enter a school of their choosing into a prize draw to win £5,000. The winner, chosen at random, was Adam Marks-Saberton from Blandford Forum in Dorset.

Adam chose Okeford Fitzpaine C of E Primary School in north Dorset as the recipient of this prize. For more information on ATLdrive, call 0845 122 6914 or visit www.atldrive.co.uk.

January 2013

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Events for your diary ATL Annual Conference Annual Conference is where ATL’s policy is decided. This year’s Conference will be held in Liverpool from 25-27 March. If you would like to take part, the simplest route is to speak to your branch secretary to see if there are any spaces remaining in your branch’s delegation. Sixty additional places are always reserved for student members, NQ members and standard members who have not attended Conference before.

If your branch delegation is full and you would like to be considered for one of these extra places please email David Kimber at dkimber@atl.org.uk.

January 2013

FE CPD workshop London, Thursday 24 January ATL is hosting a workshop to research the practice of CPD in FE colleges.

Attendees will develop knowledge of CPD practice, an evaluative framework and a research programme via an FE CPD online group.

The workshop is free, will take place in London and is open to ATL members in the FE sector, including members in AMiE, ATL’s leadership section. To book a place or for more information, email Norman Crowther at ncrowther@atl.org.uk.

AMiE Scotland seminar Edinburgh, Wednesday 13 March The next AMiE Scotland seminar will take place in Edinburgh and focuses on the regionalisation of post-16 education. For more information and to book a place, email Danielle Campos at dcampos@amie.atl.org.uk.

www.atl.org.uk

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cover feature / international comparisons

A world of ideas L

earning from others is important for all of us, and nations are no exception. You will most likely have heard politicians of all hues extolling the virtues of a variety of nations from Sweden to Singapore, Finland to the USA, all from which the UK apparently has much to learn.

ATL values shared learning, the benefits of examining others’ experiences and the merits of careful examination of the successes of other countries to improve our education system. However, international comparisons are massively complex because no two education systems are identical.

Here, following on from our look at using evidence in education policy in the November/December issue of Report, we provide a brief overview to begin to examine how much we should look at other countries, what we can learn and how we can learn it.

The UK’s apparent dramatic descent down the OECD’s much-respected PISA tables is one of the driving forces behind the massive changes sweeping the education landscape under the coalition government.

PISA, or Programme for International Student Assessment, tests a sample of students from different countries in maths, reading and science and then ranks them.

The Department for Education (DfE) points to the fact that between 2000 and 2009 England dropped from 7th to 25th in reading, 8th to 27th in mathematics and 4th to 16th in science, surely serious cause for concern?

However, as many education experts have pointed out, these positions do not tell the whole story. Indeed, in October the National

www.atl.org.uk

Statistics Authority criticised the DfE for Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), conducted failing to meet the standards for presentation every five years, in which England was shown of official statistics regarding PISA. to have declined in 2006, and a 2007 Unicef Recently Dr John Jerrim, of the Institute of study into child well-being, which includes Education, questioned why England seemed educational factors, where the UK alarmingly to fall in the PISA tables but fared better over came last of 21 industrialised nations. the last decade compared to other countries But how important are the tables anyway? in the Trends in International Maths and Pasi Sahlberg, a director general in the Finnish Science Study (TIMSS), held every four years Ministry of Education, says: “We prepare since 1995. children to learn how to learn, not how to take He identifies several issues with the PISA a test. We are not much interested in PISA.” studies, which have taken place every three One could argue that Finland, sitting third years since 2000, with the 2012 figures due in the 2009 table, can afford to be blasé about in late 2013. the tables. However, the general consensus In the two most recent surveys of 2006 is that Finland, along with other highand 2009, the UK surveys performing nations like took place in the winter and Canada, No two systems Singapore terms rather than spring is doing many things are identical or summer, giving right. Consequently, all students in these recent are welcoming visitors surveys around five months less schooling. from around the world keen to understand He also raises the fact that 22 more their approach. countries took part in 2009 than in 2000 — But where does one begin to look at an “It is easier to come tenth in a league of 43 area as complicated as a national education than it is in a league of 65” — so one can easily system? “Learning from another country is question how reliable a source of comparisons like learning from another teacher,” says the PISA tables are in the UK’s case.

Andy Hargreaves, Thomas More Brennan The OECD itself says that England’s Chair in Education at the Lynch School of results can only be compared between Education at Boston College in the US and 2006 and 2009 as England’s 2003 sample was co-author of The Global Fourth Way: the judged too small to be representative, while quest for educational excellence. “If you want in 2000 and 2003 weaker maths students to get better as a teacher go and spend time did not take part, giving an artificially high with good teachers, but not just one. You position in those years. may find one does some good things but And other indicators of international they have a different personality, different comparisons are available. Besides TIMSS, classes, different levels of experience. there is also the Progress in International “If you want to learn from other countries,

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January 2013

ISTOCKPHOTO

Looking beyond our own shores to improve our own education system is a growth business, but how much can you really learn from looking at other countries?

Words by Alex Tomlin

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look at a range that are doing well. Initially this will baffle you. Countries will appear quite different. Canada, Singapore and Finland are good examples of that. But ask if there are principles underpinning the success of all of them. And what would they look like in our culture?”

While it is tempting to simply cherry-pick aspects of another country’s system to try at home, that would be to overlook the interconnectedness of every aspect of education. One example is taking the top tier of graduates into teaching as many highperforming nations do, but then if you don’t follow that through as they do and don’t support them or micromanage their work once they start, it is likely to lead to many leaving the profession for one with greater autonomy.

Rather than looking at individual policies that appear successful, Hargreaves suggests looking at what high-performing nations don’t do. The first example is performance-related pay (PRP) based on test scores or exam results, which can cause teachers to focus on pupils on the borders of test scores to the detriment of those at the top or bottom of the class. Singapore does have a sophisticated pay system, but it is based largely on observation of practice and portfolios of work, not results. As Report went to press January 2013

the UK government announced its intention to introduce performance-related pay in schools. See the news story on page 7.

Hargreaves also points out that education policies in high-performing nations do not change significantly with changing governments, whether because there is consensus between political parties on education, or because there is one party that always wins elections. This encourages long-term thinking, something Hargreaves strongly urges the UK to move towards.

He sees teacher training as one example, where all of the top-performing countries have routes into teaching that involve long and rigorous study and deep engagement with practice. Short-term recruitment solutions do not build a long-term teaching workforce.

“Organisations like Teach First in the UK, Teach America and Teach Australia are like a peace corps sent into very demanding urban settings,” believes Hargreaves. “Giving teachers who are smart and work well with children two or three years in the classroom before they move into something else is a stopgap until we can build a system where we take teachers from the top. Teach First does much better on attraction than retention but I believe it’s working to address that. I’d like to see it work with the unions on that.”

The role of unions appears to be another common denominator in the success or otherwise of a nation’s education system.

“Sadly, in middle-performing countries like the US and the UK,” says Hargreaves, “union-government relations are like a bullfight, a dance of death where one is going to be killed at the end.”

Unions in high-performing countries often involve themselves in education policy. The Alberta Teachers’ Association in Canada spends around half its budget on CPD, policy development and educational research, and union and government leaders often stand together advocating the same policy direction, something difficult to imagine in the present-day UK. ATL shares these aspirations. Deputy general secretary Martin Johnson says: “ATL hopes for positive relationships with governments. When they’re right, we say so. For example, we applaud the present government’s frequent references to the overwhelming importance of teachers in classrooms. But unfortunately, the government doesn’t want serious conversations about it, nor does it understand we could make a contribution to improving education, given our members’ experience and expertise.” www.atl.org.uk

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cover feature / international comparisons

Hargreaves says governments need to accept that unions have a duty to look out for their members’ pay and working conditions, but both unions and government should rethink their relationship. “Some governments are keen to eliminate and eviscerate unions. I say it’s time for reform, not removal.”

He cites the Ontario government in Canada, which gave C$20 million to unions to spend on professional development, which changed the balance of what the unions did, bolstering the resources and personnel dedicated to professional development. One consequence is that teachers are heavily involved in creating and developing knowledge for the curriculum rather than just implementing government policy.

Curriculum is another common factor of educational success, with both Finland and Singapore boasting extremely slim curriculum documents laying out standards, concepts and skills, the detail of which is filled in by teachers collaborating within and across local schools.

This balance of national and local involvement is worth noting, says Hargreaves. “Finland and Canada have strong local authorities, very involved in what the schools are doing. Singapore is so small that it’s like one local district. These local bodies are where teachers create and www.atl.org.uk

develop curriculum together in strong cultures of collective responsibility.”

This contrasts with the numbers of academies moving away from local authorities in England, meaning academies are loyal to a national chain like a franchise (“the Kentucky Fried Schooling model” as Hargreaves describes it) rather than to the local community.

While he does not endorse the move to academies in the UK, Hargreaves does believe the DfE deserves some credit for scrapping some SATs, as having a minimum of national testing is another feature of high performers. Finnish teachers use ongoing testing to assess where pupils are in their learning, but separately test a sample of pupils to judge the system as a whole, in the same way that businesses’ quality control processes test a small sample of products rather than everything that comes off the production line.

One area where England has traditionally differed from other countries is the school starting age of four; Finland, conversely, starts formal schooling at seven. Moreover, there are fewer hours in the Finnish school year and their teachers spend less time teaching, yet they maintain their position

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have large gaps between the richest and poorest, and various social problems prevalent in those countries. Finland and Canada do not have such inequalities, while Singapore does, but seeks to compensate for them with a robust benefits system.

Even this very brief view of international comparisons shows the sheer complexity involved in trying to learn from other countries, although the potential benefits suggest it is very much worth making the effort to do so.

ATL’s head of education policy and research Nansi Ellis sums it up, saying: “You can look, you can ask questions, but you can’t say ‘this works here, we’ll take it home with us’. You can’t shop for education policy and practice. Good research will unpick why it works in Finland or Singapore and help us understand if there are aspects of what we do we could think about changing. Then we need to do research over here to see if it would work.”

And if going abroad to learn more is important, who should go? Singapore for one is in the habit of sending practising teachers to countries, even those such as the USA that fare less well in the comparison tables, to bring back what they’ve learned for the

You can look, you can ask questions, but you can’t say ‘this works here, we’ll take it home with us’.

You can’t shop for education policy and practice at the top of comparison tables.

This seems to reflect a fundamental difference in culture between the UK and Finland that goes beyond the education system. Finland offers three years’ parental leave to the UK’s one, with more generous paid leave for the first year. Finland also has a tradition of family support for education, such as frequently reading to their children, so a great deal of informal education takes place outside of school. In contrast, the UK offers structured intervention programmes to boost literacy outside of the home, with an apparent overriding need to get parents back into work quickly after having children.

Another significant cultural difference is that identified in, among other places, The Spirit Level, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, which shows a correlation between societies, such as the UK and USA, which

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whole system. “If you create a learning culture you have all your people going out and learning,” says Hargreaves. “In a command-and-control culture you send people at the top who then control the information and ideas. You won’t progress much as a country if you do that.”

As always, we want to hear from you. Do you think we should care so much about what other countries are doing and where the UK sits in comparison tables? Could the policies that appear to work in the countries that do well in these tables work in this country? Would you welcome the chance to visit another country to learn more about its practice and your own? Let us know your views through the contact details on page 17, on www.facebook.com/atlunion or www.twitter.com/atlunion.

January 2013

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14

join the debate / agenda

Must try harder At the mid-way point of the coalition’s time in government, ATL general secretary Mary Bousted offers her school report on Education Secretary Michael Gove

Mid-term report: Michael Gove We are now halfway through the coalition government’s term of office. Time for a mid-term report then on the head prefect, one Michael Gove. He came into office promising great things for teachers. We were to be freed from petty bureaucracy, freed to teach in innovative and creative ways and, above all, we were to be trusted. No more teaching by numbers dictated by strategies. No more tick-box planning and assessment systems. The teaching profession, under Michael’s stewardship, would rise from the ashes, phoenix-like, to regain its glory days.

What a shining prospect was promised the profession. We are now two years into this coalition government and we ask: what of the reality? Have teachers’ professional lives been transformed? Do we feel trusted and valued and, importantly, involved in developments in education? Let us look at some of the key issues. Here, then, is my mid-term report on Michael Gove.

Teacher professionalism Michael must learn that saying one thing and doing another is not an effective way to forge good relations with the teaching profession.

The fact is that consultation with the profession is a joke (only it’s not funny). The coalition government routinely issues consultations that enquire how their latest bright idea should be implemented rather than whether it should be implemented.

The notice, on the eve of the Olympics, that academies do not need to employ qualified teachers shows Michael’s true attitude — in a stroke he licensed disrespect of the profession. This is an example of Michael’s unfortunate tendency to play politics with education.

Pupils, parents, teachers and lecturers, all working in, and benefiting from, education, deserve much better stewardship of the system than is being shown by Michael.

Curriculum and qualifications Michael does not appear to understand that curriculum and exam reform is a deeply complex business that requires cross-party support and ‘buy-in’ from a wide range of stakeholders, including teachers, employers, subject associations and parents. Rushed, backward-looking proposals, such as the English baccalaureate certificate, ask the wrong questions and, consequently, give the wrong answers.

If Michael does not ask the right questions (the most important of which is, do we need terminal exams at 16 when all students will remain in education and training until they are 18?), then he will get ‘sticking plaster’ solutions. Even the CBI, in its recent education report, warned that it is no good developing an exam at 16 that most pupils will fail. Successful education systems are not built on failure, but on wide definitions of achievement and success. If Michael does not change course on his rushed and botched exam reform he will come a cropper.

Structures not standards Like every Secretary of State for Education before him, Michael came into office promising that he would focus on standards, not structures. However, like all his predecessors, Michael has done the exact opposite. The school system in England has undergone

www.atl.org.uk

a revolution. Michael is a clever man but he appears to have some strange beliefs — one of which is that naming a school an academy means that it will be transformed.

Michael should learn that academies, like all schools, are a mixed bag. No less an authority than the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has concluded in its latest report that it is too early to judge the success or otherwise of the academies programme, while, at the same time, mildly observing that the Department for Education has overspent on the academies programme to the tune of £1 billion, and noting that this level of extra expenditure is simply not sustainable.

Michael must learn that he cannot bully primary schools into becoming academies. For many, this is simply not a practical or desirable option as they want to stay a part of the local authority family of schools.

In the meantime, however, the lords of chaos misrule. Local authorities are castigated by Ofsted for not doing enough to raise school standards when they have no power to intervene in academies. Deprived of resources, including personnel, local authorities struggle to support schools that need help. Guarantees that should be there for all parents and children are being downgraded. And there is a crisis looming in school places that local authorities could deal with, but their hands are tied. They cannot build and run new schools. They have to wait for a free school provider to enter the fray. This is no way to provide universal state education.

To conclude I am sure that Michael did not intend to disappoint and disaffect education professionals who were prepared, when he came to office, to give him a chance. Unfortunately, Michael’s routine condemnation of teachers, his denigration of English education standards and his cavalier disregard of evidence, combined with frenetic and constant change, has left teachers, lecturers and support staff exhausted and exasperated. Michael needs to learn that if he continues to stop his ears to the voice of the experienced professional they, in turn, will ignore him.

January 2013

join the debate / Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

Wales Dr Philip Dixon

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Making a more equal society is a far more difficult task than bashing schools

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Education policy has been affected by PISA fever

International comparisons have become all the rage with Britain’s politicians.

They seemingly provide useful ammunition for those who have already decided that ‘something must be done’ about educational standards. In Wales, as elsewhere, there was an outbreak of PISA fever in 2010, which has greatly affected the future direction of education policy.

The delights of banding and branding are a direct result of that PISA fever.

The PISA methodology and its outcomes are worthy of respect. Only ‘flat-earthers’ would deny that. But it’s the use that PISA is put to by politicians — often ignoring the clear warnings of the PISA people themselves — that gives cause for concern.

International comparisons have to be very wary of comparing unlike with unlike. It would be a very foolish commentator who would argue that the societal differences between countries were of no consequence.

Finland is far more socially equal than the UK, for instance, and perhaps we should be striving far more energetically to end social stratification in the UK — but then making a more equal society is a far more difficult task than bashing schools.

There are also other comparisons that we should keep in mind when we study the data, and there are traps for the unwary. One of my favourites is the fact that Italian children study almost twice as many hours of maths as their Finnish counterparts, but that Italian results are mediocre in the extreme. That’s a caution to politicians who are obsessed with the idea that ‘more, more, more’ is the answer.

International comparison can be beneficial in helping the rest to learn from the best, but comparisons made have to be robust and command respect.

January 2013

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Northern Ireland Mark Langhammer Statistics from the schools inspectorate show a major split between advantaged and disadvantaged areas More and more teachers are contacting the union fraught with worry about inspections. In my experience, the inspectorate was one of the most reflective parts of the education service, but there seems little doubt inspection is received differently today. The perception is that a bad inspection can close a school, or at least start a parental stampede seeking alternative choices.

The hyper-accountability within the school performance policy, ‘Every school a good school’, encourages a ‘name and shame’ culture.

There is a social bias to inspection as well.

I recently received some statistics from the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI). The inspectorate grades schools in six categories from ‘outstanding’ to ‘unsatisfactory’. If it really took account of the disadvantages that schools

face, you’d find schools in each social band showing broadly the same inspection grade ranges, system-wide.

What we actually find is that schools with the most advantaged pupil intake band are twice as likely to get an ‘outstanding’ or ‘very good’ inspection grade than those from the least advantaged — and that schools from the least advantaged social band are four times more likely to receive an ‘inadequate’ or ‘unsatisfactory’ grade than those from the most advantaged intake band. This represents a shocking social bias in inspection grades, showing that inspections are largely reduced to reading test and exam scores.

These recent Northern Ireland revelations mirror recent findings by the RSA and Ofsted into the characteristics of satisfactory schools in England; that social class is the key determining factor in educational attainment, and by a factor of 10 above any other.

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Inspections are largely reduced to judging on test and exam scores

Scotland Keith Robson Finland’s influence is being felt in Scotland VisitFinland.com has not had to work hard to receive delegations from educators over the past few years.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning took a study trip there, followed by members of the Donaldson review team. The traffic is not one-way, as earlier this year the respected Finnish academic Pasi Sahlberg spoke to a captivated audience at a meeting in the Scottish Parliament.

There is much to be admired about the Finnish education system. Children don’t start formal schooling until much later than in the UK; teachers are respected and trusted; and the inspectorate was abolished, with inspections being handed over to the schools.

The Finnish model has been held up as the

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beacon of virtue by educators and politicians (of all political hues) alike over the past few years.

The influence of the Finnish model can be seen in the recent report from the National Partnership Group on taking forward the recommendations from Teaching Scotland’s Future.

There are many elements of the Finnish system that ATL would be only too pleased to see replicated across the UK. Interestingly, however, what has started to creep out of Finland are reports of a decline in standards (although Sir Alex Ferguson would tell you how difficult it is to be top of the league table season after season) and a rise in difficult behaviour from pupils who are becoming increasingly demotivated. There is clearly much to be learnt from the Finnish model but, like everything in life, perfection is hard to achieve.

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The Finnish model has been held up as the beacon of virtue by educators and politicians

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join the debate / letters

17

Send your letters to: Report, ATL, 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD or email report@atl.org.uk.

The views expressed in the letters printed in Report do not necessarily reflect ATL policy or opinion.

STAR LETTER

Design for life In his March 2011 Budget speech, George Osborne said: “We want the words ‘made in Britain’, ‘created in Britain’, ‘designed in Britain’, ‘invented in Britain’ to drive our nation forward.” So, apart from the rather chilling phrase ‘best designed by government’, why don’t the words ‘technology’, ‘creative’, ‘practical’, ‘design’ or ‘manufacture’ feature in Michael Gove’s ‘Reforming key stage 4 qualifications’ consultation paper?

Some worrying clues about the future for design and technology have come to light over the last few months. David Cameron, speaking at the Conservative Party conference, described the kind of education that he had at his “posh school” (his words), and added: “I want every child to have that kind of education.”

More recently, the government has published details of the financial incentives available to trainee teachers to help them pay for their training. Design and technology is no longer a priority subject and trainee teachers will be faced with £9,000 course fees in addition to their living costs; they won’t get a penny from the government.

On the other hand, if you want to train as a Latin teacher you are in luck, because Latin is now a priority subject and you can claim a £9,000 bursary. Surely this is taking ‘posh school’ education too far? Headteachers across the country will be drawing up plans to convert design and technology rooms to English baccalaureate certificate classrooms (or perhaps even Latin rooms).

Ironically, the quality of design and technology work achieved by pupils in this country is envied around the world. When Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, received his knighthood for services to design, he said: “I am very aware that I’m the product of growing up in England and the tradition of designing and making.”

Surely the talent to invent, to design and to make has to be nurtured somewhere in our secondary curriculum?

T O’Rourke, Bath

WIN

T O’Rourke wins £100 in book tokens. If you want to voice your opinion on any issues raised in Report or any other aspect of education, please send letters to the address above, including your phone number. One star letter will be chosen every issue to win the book tokens.

More than meets the eye Your recent article ‘A vital relationship’ (Report, November/December 2012) could not have appeared at a more opportune time. My school takes on PGCE and BEd students, and I am currently enrolled on a PGCert course to better understand their needs. I am senior teacher/literacy coordinator and I also help with observations of students in other schools for our local university.

Your article raised a few interesting points and I will be looking at some of them during my course. The issue of initial trust is vital, and then there is January 2013

the issue of time. In a small school such as mine, there is no set-aside time — it all comes out of breaks, after-school or PPA time — so the commitment we must make is huge.

One fear I have is that teachers are becoming ‘deprofessionalised’, as there is certainly an element of ‘just go and watch and you will be a teacher’. There is so much more to teaching than watching a teacher teach; we must not let the university portion of ITT be dropped. The time to read, reflect and learn away from the chalk face is vital.

P Hack, Tyne and Wear

Ofsted: raising standards?

I found myself nodding along in agreement to the views expressed in ‘Ofsted requires improvement’ (Report, September 2012), particularly the eminently sensible notion that our own colleagues are better judges of our teaching than inspectors who can most kindly be described as ‘out of practice’ in classroom matters.

However, while a system of peer review could inject some much-needed realism into the inspection process, it is also important that the profession is seen to be accountable by the parents and the community it serves.

While I believe the vast majority of teachers would challenge colleagues where necessary, it is essential that the system is not open to accusations of teachers simply looking after themselves.

I notice with amusement Ofsted’s proud boast that it “raises standards” and “improves lives”. It may be that some pupils’ performances are boosted by the school’s drive to achieve the Holy Grail of an outstanding rating, but I believe many more are disrupted by being taught by teachers stressed under the pressure of inspections, and whose lives are certainly not improved by being subjected to such punitive and high-stakes scrutiny.

It is my fond wish that chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw would listen to accounts such as this and make changes to enable both accountability and support. However, I rather fear that, like his patron Mr Gove in Westminster, Sir Michael is of the opinion that teachers should be seen and not heard.

J Hyde, Lancashire

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profile / award winners

Learning from experience Two ATL members have been honoured with lifetime achievement awards.

Charlotte Tamvakis asks them about the secrets of their success

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TL members James Thomas, geography teacher, head of sixth form and assistant head at The Woodroffe Comprehensive School in Lyme Regis, Dorset, and Hugh Chambers, assistant head at Sir Thomas Boteler Church of England High School in Warrington, Cheshire, have both been recognised with a Ted Wragg Teaching Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Teachers in regions around the UK receive this award annually for their outstanding results, vision, inspirational teaching and commitment to their learning and development. Report asks about everything from their tips for new teachers to the future of the profession.

Why did you go into teaching?

Hugh Chambers: In the pre-internet days with limited TV, school was the centre of your life. Teachers were the people I aspired to be like. During my degree I spent a year in France as an English language assistant; I had to think on my feet and I found I was doing okay, and thought maybe this was something I could do when I went home. By the end of my PGCE I was hooked. I liked the feeling of being able to make a difference. One of the things that’s kept me here my whole career is that each time I thought I would have to move to take my career further, there has been a career opening and a new challenge.

James Thomas: After university I didn’t want to go into employment so I applied for teacher training, and then for research, but I didn’t get the funding. So I thought I’d better get a job. I picked up the TES and there was one job by the sea, a one-year temporary job in Lyme Regis. The rest is history. It’s been a vocation. I didn’t realise I’d be so good at it or enjoy it so much. I thought I’d get my probationary year out of the way and go and see the world, but I’ve enjoyed it so much and I’ve had opportunities for promotion.

What tips on classroom practice could you give fellow members?

HC: Engage students actively — learner-led learning, not only in lessons but in terms of student voice. I say, ‘look, we have 20 lessons left, this would be my plan but will it make you ready for the exam?’; portraying yourself as a team where you’re the coach and they’re the players, rather than setting yourself up as the obstacle to learning.

Another key factor is relationships. Don’t walk past one of your students without trying to find something to say to them. In the www.atl.org.uk

classroom, I’ll say ‘you’re not really finding this easy, what it is that you’re struggling with? Let’s sort this out together’. Turn a class around to your way of thinking through cooperation, one student at a time.

JT: Standards are important; in the way people talk to you and you talk to people there needs to be a mutual respect. Make sure pupils know where the boundaries are, and boundaries will be different with different students and different lessons. Students like boundaries and want you to be fair. Show an interest in what they’re doing outside as well as inside the classroom. Make sure instructions are explicit.

If you’ve got bad behaviour, look at yourself and ask why that person behaved like that. There’s usually a reason. With the very worst behaviour it has probably been the way I’ve approached something.

And you can’t teach without humour and enthusiasm for your subject. You also need to understand, or try to, even though it’s frustrating at times, how students think. Reflective practice is also important; sometimes we don’t take enough time to reflect on why something’s happened, or why it’s gone well.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in the classroom?

HC: In response to a staffing problem, I recently started teaching design and technology. It was at the same time exhilarating and extremely challenging. During my career as a whole, it was probably letting go of primarily being a classroom teacher and becoming a senior leader. At one point I was in a leadership role and head of languages, which often gives rise to conflicts of interest.

JT: Changes in curriculum have never worried me because you can always adapt. You need to change, the geography curriculum has changed, there’s always the opportunity to teach the bits you want.

The biggest challenge has got to be technology; accepting and understanding, and trying to deal with, the distractions of social media, of opportunities, the bombardment from different organisations. You’re competing against so many distractions, yet the expectations are so much greater.

What do you think are the biggest challenges schools face at the moment?

HC: Our school is probably typical; however enthusiastic you are about the profession and the place you work, financial constraints are always there. For example, the transport budget had been reduced January 2013

19

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I don’t think they respect or give teachers enough credit that we’re doing the right thing

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Hugh Chambers

and we had to question whether or not we could take students out to sports fixtures in the year of the Olympics. And the weight of admin tasks for teachers who are teaching full time is becoming onerous.

JT: Government intervention and austerity measures, and constantly interfering. I don’t think they respect or give teachers enough credit that we’re doing the right thing. It’s been a constant throughout my 37 years, but particularly over the last three or four. Often it’s an urban model they’ve devised and that just doesn’t work in rural areas. The diploma was a classic example; we did the creative media diploma, a terrific course, but to expect us to collaborate across 30 miles and county boundaries was impossible. Then it was shelved.

You invest all that time and money and energy, and a new government comes in and says the diplomas are gone.

What’s been the biggest change you’ve seen in education?

HC: In 1977 the number of teachers working in the classroom used to far outweigh the number of support staff, but now they are in the minority. How on earth did we do without all these people — teaching assistants, cover supervisors, technicians, people who deal with finances? We also introduced vertical tutoring three years ago; we try to mobilise almost every adult in the school to become assistant tutors. We have an assistant caretaker who was so successful he has his own form. It means when we are doing GCSE counselling, each form has two adults and only four Year 11 students to work with.

JT: When I started, teaching was so didactic; now with new strategies such as assessment for learning and engaging pupils, huge progress has been made. You need to be so open minded as an older teacher and accept the younger ones coming in, and learn from them. Some of the new staff coming in over the last 10 years have been so well trained, and they’re doing a super job and have a passion, interest and expertise we can learn from.

What advice would you give to someone starting out in the profession?

HC: I would emphasise how rewarding it is, despite the pressures.

Be patient and resilient enough to get through the initial difficulties.

Lean on others’ expertise as much as possible and don’t try to find all of the answers yourself. Watch the top classroom practitioners in your school and judge yourself against them, not against some unachievable standard. Be ambitious but realistic. Also, don’t try to be somebody else; develop your own style.

JT: Always remain positive, look on the bright side. It’s very easy to become bogged down by difficulties, to be negative about what you’ve got to do. If you’ve told a pupil off, try and praise someone January 2013

James Thomas

afterwards. Don’t listen to the media stories of doom and gloom, and avoid the teaching soaps on TV; life isn’t like that.

What advice would you give to a trainee teacher and a mentor?

HC: For a mentor, strike the right balance between monitoring and supporting. Have regular contact. If your mentee wants to ask you something, they will have worked out you’re busy and you need to try to find the time. Set targets that are realistic for their career stage, deal with them as individuals, always be encouraging. Be a safety net — tell them ‘you can do this, you don’t need me, but if you get stuck I’m there to help you’. Create an environment where it’s okay to get things wrong as long as you learn from your mistakes.

For trainees, remember your mentor is managing your induction to the profession as well as the school, and will hold you to account.

The worst-case scenario is an NQT in danger of not passing the term, let alone the year, who pretends everything is fine. Let us know sooner rather than later if there’s a problem so we can support you.

JT: Be prepared; plan for the long and short term; be reflective; give specific instructions; set boundaries. The biggest mistake trainees make is not giving students time to think and answer. Even if there’s a little bit of silence, try to encourage that answer out of them, and always try to give a positive when they’re answering.

Mentors have got to model for trainees; don’t tell them to do something without showing them what you mean and how it can be done well. And encourage them to put themselves in the students’ shoes.

Do you have a message to government?

HC: There are a lot of good teachers about. We need to get to the point that there is a meeting of minds from both sides and a mutual understanding about where we’re going and what we’re trying to achieve.

Teachers do genuinely have the skills and motivation to equip young people to move forward, and if we can be supported in our work, and if ATL is allowed to be our representative and is listened to, then we have a chance of achieving that. If our voices can’t be heard through our representative then it might be a more difficult job.

JT: Give time for change and make sure you’ve done your research and that it applies across the board, to rural as well as urban areas, and to the whole range of students. One model doesn’t fit all. There’s often a knee-jerk reaction without doing the background research, looking at the logistics, thinking things out.

We are incredibly adaptable people, but sometimes we are called upon to adapt and change without the information or the time to absorb and plan. www.atl.org.uk

Schools Broadband Suite 4, Dalesway House, Ilkley, Leeds LS29 9LA t. 01133 222 333 e. info@schoolsbroadband.co.uk w. www.schoolsbroadband.co.uk Schools Broadband is a specialist division of Talk Straight

feature / getting involved

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Calling all experts Report asks Alison Sherratt how she ended up as ATL’s president-to-be and why ‘ordinary’ members like her should get involved

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here are people that have come down the route I have saying ‘I’m going to be the president of ATL’, but I’m not like that. I’m just an ordinary teacher in an ordinary job in West Yorkshire.”

Alison Sherratt, ATL’s senior vice president, is a working primary school teacher who, this autumn, will take over as ATL’s president for 2013-14. She believes ATL members’ knowledge is the driving force behind the union’s policies and activities.

The self-confessed “Conference groupie” is an example of these beliefs in action. At last year’s ATL Conference, the reception class teacher spoke to members about computer games; a motion that had started life one lunchtime in her school’s playground.

“More than six months on, and I’m still being asked about this by the press,” she explains. “It came from just playing with the children. One of my pupils was flinging himself out of a toy car window in the playground and it turned out he’d seen the latest version of Grand Theft Auto, which has an ‘18’ certificate.

“It became apparent the children were playing much more aggressive games in the playground. And so I started talking about it with people in the staffroom, and then I talked about it to people in my branch, and from there it became a resolution that Bradford branch took to Conference, which is leading to a research report and policy paper to raise awareness of the impact of computer games on children.”

This organic passing-on of concerns, issues and knowledge by members, for members, is crucial, Alison believes. “I don’t think they realise the impact they can have when they give their opinion on something. Members’ expertise is vital,” she explains. “Their experiences can end up being researched by ATL and lead to policy and guidance for all members.”

January 2013

How ATL works: the different components that make up your member-led union

Members

Health and safety reps, workplace reps, learning reps Branch/branch committee /branch officers: branch secretary, branch president, branch treasurer

As well as lending this Alison went on to expertise by attending and take on a committee role National Executive contributing to ATL’s Annual in her branch before ending Conference, members can also up on the road to president.

ATL officers be coopted on to a specialist task “People don’t realise that being and president group, which is a group of active in the branch isn’t a huge members set up to develop ATL’s commitment. It’s their expertise policy on a particular issue. That that is so important; it’s so useful. policy, often expressed in a position “I was made to feel part of the statement, is used to inform ATL’s branch and I got more involved and campaigns and negotiations with the represented ATL on some early years government. committees locally. I was president of Involvement can range from simply the branch when the branch secretary taking part in an ATL survey to, like Alison, suggested I join ATL’s Executive getting more active and becoming an ATL Committee.” After various roles on the rep. “As the only member at my school for Executive, Alison stood in ATL’s officer a long time, I sort of became the rep by elections for junior vice president and default,” she says. “I went to a branch she takes over as president in September. meeting as we needed to find out how a “Whenever I think about what I’m doing, redundancy coming up was going to affect I always see it as being by the members, us, so I turned up at an ATL meeting and for the members — they’re the experts,” it happened to be an AGM. says Alison. “I’m very proud that our union “After that I would bring things back to is member-led.” school that I’d learned about and I started to get the confidence to go up to people in To find out how you can get involved in ATL school and ask them if they had thought see www.atl.org.uk/getinvolved. For more of joining ATL. Being a rep in a school information on ATL’s national officers, see doesn’t need to be that big a commitment; www.atl.org.uk/about/national-officers.asp. a lot of it is just about being there and being If you are interested in attending ATL’s able to point them in the right direction.

Annual Conference, see the ‘Noticeboard’ “And actually, I saw being a rep like CPD. section of this magazine on page 8.

I learnt so much, I found out about what ATL provides a range of training the union can do. And sometimes you’re courses for new and existing reps; bringing information back to school before see www.atl.org.uk/learning-zone/ the headteacher even knows about it.” reps-courses/courses-for-reps.asp. www.atl.org.uk

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help and advice / legal

Disclosure and barring After a review of the vetting and CRB regime, several changes have come into effect. ATL solicitor Jayne Phillips explains

I

n February 2011 the coalition government announced its review of the vetting and barring scheme and the criminal records regime. Its aim was to reduce the number of people falling within the scope of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and improve the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) process.

Changes have now been made to the criminal records and barring arrangements with effect from September 2012.

In December 2012 the work of the CRB and ISA merged to create the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). For clarity, ISA and CRB will be referred to under their previous titles in this article.

Major changes from September 2012 are: • a new definition of ‘regulated activity’ • repeal of ‘controlled activity’ rule • repeal of ‘registration’ and ‘continuous monitoring’ rules • repeal of ‘additional information’ rule • a minimum age of 16 at which someone can apply for a CRB check • a more rigorous ‘relevancy’ test for when the police release information held locally on an enhanced CRB check.

Aspects that are not changing are: • appropriate referrals must be made to the ISA • a person barred by the ISA cannot be engaged in regulated activity

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• everybody within the pre-September 2012 definition of regulated activity will remain eligible for enhanced CRB checks, whether or not they fall within the postSeptember 2012 definition.

provide information directly to employers; for example, if it is necessary for crime prevention or to prevent harm to others.

Before September 2012 the police disclosed information on an enhanced CRB certificate if it ‘might be relevant’ and ought Changes to the ISA to be disclosed. Now the relevancy test The difficulty with both systems is means they should include information if maintaining the balance between measures they ‘reasonably believe [it] to be relevant’ that are proportionate while, at the same and consider that it ought to be disclosed. time, ensuring they continue to provide Further guidance on this has been issued effective protection for those who need it. and eight principles should be applied by Only time will tell whether this is achieved the chief officer when completing the with the new system. enhanced disclosure.

Looking at the changes in a bit more How much the new guidelines change detail, firstly, a new definition of things is open to debate. ATL suspects regulated activity will see a scaling back many chief officers will err on the side of to focus on work that involves close and caution and disclose information that it unsupervised contact with vulnerable may not be strictly necessary to disclose. groups including children. The vast The measure of what is relevant remains majority of ATL members will still be highly subjective. covered by the scheme.

If information is included on an The controlled activity category has enhanced CRB certificate and the applicant been repealed. It covered those who had does not think it should be, they will now less contact with vulnerable people, such be able to ask the Independent Monitor as people who dealt (IM) to review it. The with medical records.

IM can ask the CRB to The measure of Some people may still issue a new certificate be eligible for a CRB what is relevant remains either without the check, depending on information or with highly subjective the role. amendments to it.

The original idea of This is a much simpler registration and continuous monitoring process than a judicial review as the way has been repealed, having never come into to challenge an enhanced CRB disclosure. force. The original plan was that anyone How successful they will be will also be working with vulnerable groups would interesting. Much will depend on how need to register with the vetting and robust the IM is. barring scheme and be continuously Another change, in early 2013, will see monitored for any new criminal record an update service introduced that will information, but this no longer applies. allow an individual to apply for a criminal record check once and then, if they need Changes to CRB checks a similar check again, reuse their existing The provision of additional information certificate, with their organisation rule has been repealed. This would have checking online to see if it is still up to enabled the police to provide sensitive date. An updated factsheet on the DBS information to the organisation and not the will be available soon at www.atl.org.uk/ individual, separate to the enhanced CRB. factsheets. Government information is The government says the police may still available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ choose to use common-law powers to disclosure-and-barring.

‘‘

’’

January 2013

help and advice / contact

23

Help and advice If you need help with matters related to your employment, your first point of contact should be your school or college ATL rep, or your AMiE regional officer if you are a leadership member. You can also contact your local ATL branch for advice and support. If they are unable to help, contact ATL using these details:

Membership enquiries 020 7782 1602

General enquiries 020 7930 6441

Monday to Friday, 5-7.30pm during term time. ATL’s regional officials are available to speak to you about work problems.

Email: info@atl.org.uk Website: www.atl.org.uk London: 7 Northumberland Street, London WC2N 5RD. Belfast: 16 West Bank Drive, Belfast BT3 9LA. Tel: 028 9078 2020. Email: ni@atl.org.uk Cardiff: 9 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff CF10 4BY. Tel: 029 2046 5000.

Email: cymru@atl.org.uk Edinburgh: CBC House, 24 Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG. Tel: 0131 272 2748.

Email: scotland@atl.org.uk AMiE members: 35 The Point, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 7QU. Contact your AMiE regional officer (contact details at www.amie.uk.com) or call the employment helpline 01858 464171.

Email: helpline@amie.atl.org.uk

Email: membership@atl.org.uk

Pension enquiries 020 7782 1600 Out of office hours helpline 020 7782 1612 Personal injury claims 0800 083 7285 Call Morrish Solicitors LLP, ATL’s appointed solicitors, or go to www.atlinjuryclaims.org.uk. This service is open to members and their families, subject to the rules of the scheme.

ATL should be your first port of call in the event of work-related issues. If you feel you need emotional support, Teacher Support Network is a group of independent charities and a social enterprise that provides emotional support to staff in the education sector and their families. Their support lines are available 24 hours a day:

If you are not a member of ATL and would like to join, please contact us on 0845 057 7000 (lo-call) Remember to pass your copy of Report to colleagues who may be interested in it!

UK: 08000 562 561 Wales: 08000 855 088 Email: support@teachersupport.info Text: 07909 341229

Terms of ATL’s support are outlined in our members’ charter, available via www.atl.org.uk. When emailing ATL from home, please include either your membership number or home postcode to help us deal with your enquiry more efficiently.

January 2013

www.atl.org.uk

24

help and advice / guide

Difficult conversations It is good to talk when times get tough, says David Webb from work expert Acas

K

eeping conflict to a minimum is essential in any workplace, and schools and colleges are no exception.

Whatever your role, difficult conversations can arise with colleagues, pupils, parents or management, and knowing how to prepare for them can be crucial.

One of the most testing of skills is one all of us face in our working lives at some point: facing up to a problem with a colleague, talking things through and coming up with a solution everyone can accept.

Challenging conversations can be necessary for many reasons; for example, in managing the impact of change at school or to tackle performance issues in the classroom. They could be between a department head and a teacher, a teacher and a teaching assistant, or a teacher and a parent over a child’s behaviour.

These types of conversations are often about sensitive matters that are likely to cause additional problems unless they are dealt with. Even so, it is not unusual for those concerned to try to avoid having them in the vain hope the issue will solve itself.

The truth is these situations almost never sort themselves out and will most likely get worse if not addressed.

The first question is how do you even start such a conversation? To be candid, that first sense of foreboding is not unfounded. The golden rule is to never have the conversation on the spur of the moment. It is essential you prepare. A challenging conversation handled

badly can make matters worse, whereas getting it right should at the very least contain the problem and start dialogue towards a solution.

It is generally the role of the senior person in the work relationship to instigate the conversation. However, grasping the principles of having challenging conversations, and how to use them constructively in practice, should help you, whatever your situation.

This checklist should help you prepare for a meeting.

Before the meeting Do your homework: • Note the points you want to get across and the outcome you are seeking.

• Note examples that illustrate your points.

• Arrange a private room — the meeting is confidential.

At the meeting Set the right tone: • Explain, sensitively and professionally, the purpose of the meeting, keeping calm and staying in control.

• Reassure the other person that the meeting is confidential.

• Stick to the details of the problem and do not make it personal.

State the issues and give your evidence: • Describe the problem in more detail and give examples.

• Explain how it is affecting any individuals involved and the school or college in general.

• Say if you have talked together about the problem before and remind them of the outcome of that conversation.

• Be aware that you could be surprised by a problem being raised that you were not previously aware of. These can be harder to handle.

Ask for an explanation: • Listen carefully to what the other person is saying to see if there are underlying factors.

• Keep an open mind and don’t jump to conclusions.

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• Introduce your questions and explore the issues together.

• Avoid emotive language or getting diverted from the problem, but remain sensitive and show empathy where justified.

Agree a way forward: • Ask the other person for suggestions to resolve the problem.

• Discuss the options.

• Make a decision.

• Arrange a follow-up meeting, if needed.

• Monitor the situation for progress and give feedback and support where needed.

• Document any agreement and make sure both parties have copies. This can be an email just so both parties have the agreement in writing.

Handling the unexpected: • Expect the unexpected — while you can plan what you are going to say, you cannot control how the other person will react.

He or she may become emotional and stop listening.

• He or she may also raise factors affecting his or her work and personal life for the first time.

• In these circumstances, it might be better to adjourn the meeting to give you time to think through the new information, and then resume another time when you are ready.

• Do not rush into decisions.

ATL advises that if during a difficult conversation your manager informs you that he or she is considering taking disciplinary action, you should ask that the meeting be closed and rearranged to allow you to be accompanied by either a colleague or union representative.

David Webb is part of the team at Acas that communicates advice to employers and employees.

Find Acas’ advice on challenging conversations and how to manage them on the Acas website at: www.acas.org.uk/conversations

January 2013

My Li Life fe 4 Schools Free F ree KS2 resources resources ffrom rom The Child Children’s ren’s Society PSHE / Citi zenship and SEAL S Citizenship My Life M Life is i an online li PSHE E and d Citizenship Citiz Citi enship hi teaching teaching hi aged These rresource esource ffor or children children age ed 7–11.

7–11. T hese interactive, interactive, child-friendly stories stories and d activities give give childr en the children support they they need to to de velop and thrive, thrive, and enjoy enjoy develop a positive positive childhood.

It has nine curriculum-linked curriculum-lin nked units on a range range of believe Keeping healthy ttopics opics including What What I belie b ve in; K eeping health y and My friends. My life life includes in ncludes online and do wnloadable activities, case studies, studies, detailed downloadable les son plans and guidance guidanc ce ffor or teachers teachers on ho w tto o lesson how handle sensitiv e subjects. subjectss. sensitive

Try out Unit 1, or reg register gister free at:

www.mylife4schools.org.uk www.mylife4s schools.org.uk to use the full resour resource. rce.

Charity Registration Registration N No. o. 2211 221124 24

A better better childhood. childhoo od. For For every every child.

26

resources / info directory

ATL resources and training Newsletters The Being a Rep newsletter has been sent to all reps and contacts with this issue of Report.

For workplace reps, it leads with a look at what the new curriculum in England could look like and the impact on members.

There is also an update on pensions contributions, SEN reforms and a potential change to working conditions for teachers in England.

For health and safety reps there is news of a

Health and Safety Executive campaign to reduce the numbers of slips, trips and falls in workplaces, new guidance on asbestos management, and details of the law on minimum temperatures in the workplace.

‘You Learn’, for union learning reps, reports on the success of ATL reps in arranging a functional skills course for ATL members, with several other successful courses and events held around the country for teacher members, students

Your CPD with ATL Taking care of behaviour: 28 January, online; 29 April, online; 6 June, York Strategic and operational leadership: 28 January-4 March, online Preparing for retirement: 2 February, Bristol; 2 March, Manchester; 18 May, Nottingham; 6 July, London Understanding leadership and management in education: 5 February, London; 14 June, York Differentiation: practical tools: 12 February, Manchester; 19 June, Bristol

and support staff.

The spring edition of the Independent Schools newsletter has been sent to all members working in the independent sector and leads with the results of ATL’s annual survey of independent schools, which shows many schools succeeding in the recession but not necessarily sharing that success with staff through pay increases.

Also included is a report on the independent schools conference, an update on appraisal procedures and news of the Independent and Private Sector Advisory Group.

Scottish position statement

Playing to learn: 6 March, York Classroom assessment structured, formative, negotiated: 19 March, London Managing teams: 22 March, York; 10 April, London Managing extreme behaviour: 17 April, Bristol Managing change: 22 April-3 June, online Stop teaching me when I am trying to learn: 24 April, London; 22 May, Manchester Practical solutions for dyslexia and dyscalculia in a primary school setting: 16 May, London There is a nominal charge for courses to minimise the number of members not turning up: £40 for all standard members, £20 for standard support members and NQTs. It is our expectation that employers should cover the cost of attending.

ATL believes that teachers, lecturers, leaders and support staff do a highly complex and demanding professional job. Their role is constantly evolving as the skills that society needs change and access to knowledge and information

is transformed. ATL Scotland has produced the position statement Beyond Donaldson et al — the future direction of Scotland, looking at where we want education in Scotland to be and how to get there. It also looks at structural issues such as regional boards, governors and the school calendar.

It can be downloaded from www.atl.org.uk/policies.

Charter for Education The voices of education professionals must be the driving force for educational improvement and development. ATL has produced a charter to articulate these voices and set out the fundamental principles ATL believes are vital for a sustainable education fit for the 21st century.

Included in the charter are ATL’s views of the values and the purpose of education, the foundations of high-quality education, and that high-quality education should be provided through the state.

It can be downloaded from www.atl.org.uk/charterfor education.

Recruitment pack All reps and contacts will receive their January recruitment pack in this month’s magazine, with

flyers for teachers and lecturers, support staff and EOA group affiliates, and students and NQ/ probationers enclosed.

If you haven’t received yours, please contact ATL despatch (details below).

We’ve also enclosed a new-look recruitment poster that focuses on the unrivalled support ATL offers to members.

How to order ATL resources There are a number of ways you can access the range of publications, newsletters and position statements ATL provides: Website: you can download PDFs of most of our publications or place your order using an online form via the ‘Publications & resources’ section of our website at www.atl.org.uk Email: you can email your order using despatch@atl.org.uk (quoting the product code, wherever possible) Telephone: you can phone our publications despatch line on 0845 4500 009 (quoting the product code, wherever possible).

Information directory Our feathered friends

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is encouraging children and teachers to take part in Big Schools’ Birdwatch and take an interest in the birds visiting their school grounds.

The RSPB has produced a

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free teachers’ pack with ideas and information.

Taking just one hour, the birdwatch can be carried out in school, or by visiting a local outdoor space. The activity works across a wide age and ability range, and there is plenty of flexibility for schools to run it as simply as they would like.

Visit www.rspb.org.uk/ schoolswatch for more details.

The story of food A package of free teaching resources telling the story

of where food comes from is available at food and farming education site www.foodafactoflife.org.uk.

Teachers can access new videos, a dozen interactive, easy-to-use PowerPointbased guides to food and

farming, and a range of question-and-answer sheets with marking guides.

The primary school resources help bring together cross-curricular learning through the context of food with an interactive ‘My Farm Visit’ notebook. Secondaryschool teachers can access a whole new food and farming area on the site including editable worksheets and interactive presentations spanning areas from animal health and welfare to the environment and milk production.

January 2013

ANNUAL MATHEMATICS CONFERENCE ‘MATHS FOR REAL’ 2ND - 5TH APRIL 2013 ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL, SHEFFIELD Excellent Professional Development for less than £150 a day (Based on a 4 day full residential £435)

Choose from over 70 brilliant workshop sessions Opening and Closing Plenary, publishers exhibition, networking and social activities

Tel: 01332 346599

www.atm.org.uk/conf13a

28

resources / classified To advertise here please contact Lisa on 01603 772521, or email lisa.parkinson@archantdialogue.co.uk England

Spain

Resources

Caribbean

Isle of Wight Pretty thatched cottage, Calbourne, Isle of Wight, sleeping up to 6.

Available for holiday rental from £395pw 07856 497355 or www.dovecottageiow.co.uk

Barbados Spacious one-bedroom apartment on beautiful west coast. See www.portstcharles.com, apartment 254 overlooking lagoon, beach/sea.

Teachers 60% off quoted price.

Email: margaret975@hotmail.com

Wales

Italy

MID-PEMBROKESHIRE Excellent self-catering cottage/flat, sleeps 4+, from £200pw, 3 nights £150, discount off summer prices.

Tel: 01437 563504

France LOT VALLEY Spacious, luxury gîtes in tranquil setting – each with two en-suite bedrooms. 12m pool.

Beautiful countryside. Great local markets.

Nearby lake with white sandy beach and good restaurant. Kate & Viv Oliver.

Tel: 0033 553 40 29 38 www.lotgites.com Email: vivandkate@lotgites.com

Self-catering in Tuscany Restored medieval house in mountain hamlet near Lucca – sleeps four. Superb views, ideal for walkers, art/history lovers, food/wine enthusiasts. Tel: 01226 753050 email: barmax@globalnet.co.uk or visit www.tuscanyproperties.co.uk

Portugal Algarve Country Cottage near Albufeira for holiday rental. Very quiet location, sleeps 6, private swimming pool.

Email: mike.olga.cornforth@wanadoo.fr

Flamenco Live

"Fabulous Spanish Fiesta. Pupils and staff enjoyed every minute."

Iqra School June 2012

Performance and participation for children of all ages and abilities www.worldmusicspanishforschools.org.uk

Teaching Shakespeare?

‘The perfect introduction to Shakespeare!’

Helen Reynolds, teacher

Recruitment Teachers required to host and teach adults and/or teenagers from Europe, Russia and Japan in their home on total-immersion English language courses or GCSE/A-Level revision courses in maths, science and business/economics. A professional qualification is required, comfortable home and enthusiasm for sharing your language, culture and location. Short summer placements of 2-3 weeks are available and also year-round placement of 1-4 weeks. Good rates.

Tel: 0117 9042483 or Email: info@livingenglish.com

Business opportunities Do something amazing! £500 a month? £500 a week? £500 a day? The choice is yours! For free information call David on: 01462 835132

Shakespeare Comic Books!

Superb Opportunity • For enthusiastic Maths, Science & English teachers (primary/secondary) to help students aged 5-18 in a fun, relaxed & friendly N. London tuition centre.

• Generous rates & flexi hours.

Email CV to: info@afterschoollearning.com or call 020 8440 8586 for details www.afterschoollearning.co.uk

www.atl.org.uk

www.shakespearecomics.com January 2013

29 1

Prize crossword

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3

Down 1 Stand opposite loud expert… (4) 2 …and dear French engraver (6) 3 It’s a carrot designed for a member of the upper classes (10) 4 Form of address to woman who is French graduate and DBE (6) 5 Went in front after throw, and laughed (8) 6 Make heavy demands on one cab? (4) 7 Some of the elite rationalise about being well-educated and well-read people (8) 8 Cluster of people, including Granny? (4) 13 Call on someone — it’s maybe after 6 (5) 15 Blake’s bat left out of team game (10) 16 Amount produced by starting youngsters in English Language Department (5) 18 They cause unexplained faults for Mrs Nigel Medley (8) 19 Date once went wrong — funny story (8) 22 Sorry — he replaces oxygen as aperitif (6) 23 Epic by Virgil? I need a change (6) 24 Deal effectively with Commanding Officer taking physical education (4) 25 Actor’s part in Return of the Time Lords (4) 27 Write one’s name on notice (4)

The winner of the November/December crossword competition will be announced on the ATL website.

Congratulations to Heather Willis, the winner of the October crossword competition.

January 2013

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9

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6 10

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Across 9 Unpleasant consequences following Americanisation of the science of numbers? (9) 10 Line up with some real ignoramuses! (5) 11 Characteristic spirit of an era that those put back to front (5) 12 I design buildings; strangely I teach about reinforced concrete initially, before introduction of timber (9) 13 Wordy poem about personal hygiene problem! (7) 14 Plans for this vital school facility are likely to be shelved! (7) 17, 19 and 20 Perhaps Uni’s grad space shows what girls are made of! (5,3,5) 21 Where surgeons operate on Gielgud in London, for example (7) 22 Poor Ted was right — he has to look after the college food supplies (7) 24 ‘Old King on a Rooftop’ by Wordsworth’s collaborator (9) 26 Joins Sean Connery and Daniel Craig? (5) 28 New plan involves illegal amphetamine — it’s to do with punishment (5) 29 Exciting night out round the stream (9)

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WIN!

One lucky reader will win £50 in Marks & Spencer vouchers. Simply send your completed crossword, with your contact details (incl. telephone number), to: ATL January Competition, Archant Dialogue, Prospect House, Rouen Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR1 1RE. Closing date: 4 February 2013.

If you have an ATL membership number, please include this _________________________________________________________________

Terms & conditions: Please include your full name, address and telephone number. The winner will be picked at random from the correct entries on 4 February 2013. The editor’s decision is final. No purchase is necessary.

The prize is non-transferable. Employees of ATL and Archant are not eligible for the prize draw.

✁

WIN £50 in Markser & Spencrs vouche

Last month’s solution – November/December 2012 Across: 8 Tolerate 9 Durham 10 Arts 11 And 12 Crafts 13 Dimwit 15 Optional 17 Against 19 Adulate 22 Fine-tune 24 Deduce 25 Laptop 27 Sit 28 Busy 29 Rialto 30 Revision Down: 1 Boarding 2 Less 3 Vacant 4 Head boy 5 Educated 6 Aria 7 Mantra 14 Write 16 Oiled 18 Sculptor 20 Tuck shop 21 Leisure 23 Italic 24 Dative 26 Toll 28 Bass

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30

join the debate / final word

Brand loyalty

ILLUSTRATION: PHIL WRIGGLESWORTH

Comedian Jo Brand on the importance of making a fool of yourself and fundraising as a way of bringing a school together

H Jo Brand Jo Brand is a comedian, writer and actress and former psychiatric nurse

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aving managed to make a career out of ‘doing something funny for money’, I guess I was always going to have a special affinity with Red Nose Day. Amazingly, it’s 20 years since I first donned a red nose to raise money for Comic Relief — personal highlights have included parading through Leicester Square dressed as a giant red honker and strutting my stuff as Britney Spears in ‘Let’s Dance for Comic Relief ’. Funniest moment has to be lining up to kiss Dawn French and being called a lesbian by one of Boyzone.

So looking back, it’s been great fun. But what actually inspires me to keep going is having seen at first hand the work that is funded by Comic Relief.

The money raised is used to help change the lives of vulnerable, disadvantaged people living in Africa and across the UK. The stories from Africa often grab the headlines, but for me projects closer to home are just as powerful. To get an insight into the charity’s work, I spent 48 hours

at a women’s refuge and helped to turn scrubland into a safe garden for the children of survivors of domestic violence. Such a simple change, but something that has really improved the lives of those women and children.

As teachers and lecturers, I’m sure it can be easy to succumb to compassion fatigue as you juggle the dayto-day demands of curriculum, assessment, targets and so on. But as a parent, I’m a huge believer in fundraising in schools as a way to help our children learn about the world, appreciate what they’ve got and realise they can change things for the better. By empowering them in this way at a young age, young people are more likely to move forward into adulthood with the self-belief and will to make a difference.

Charities are now increasingly recognising their responsibility to educate as well as fundraise. For Red Nose Day 2013 Comic Relief has produced a range of resources for schools, including curriculum-linked films, posters and lesson plans to help students engage with what it is like to be a teenager living in the slums of Kenya.

As an ex-psychiatric nurse, I’m particularly pleased to see a range of learning materials on the mental health problems that affect one in 10 young people in the UK. As well as being useful and free, resources like these help to ensure that fundraising is really meaningful to students, not just an excuse to wear their own clothes and throw gunk at a teacher.

On a lighter note, fundraising also seems like a great way to bring the whole school community — students and staff — together. A couple of years ago I was asked to judge a talent show in aid of Comic Relief at my own children’s school. My lasting impression of this was the sheer fun had by all — the fantastic atmosphere and everyone’s willingness to come out of their comfort zone for a good cause.

It’s great to watch that Friday evening TV epic feeling that you’ve been part of a huge, national entertainment event.

At the end of the day, that’s why I’ll be making a fool of myself once again for Red Nose Day 2013.

Fundraising helps us appreciate our place in the world, is brilliant fun and really does make a difference. I hope that schools and colleges around the country continue to put it high on their agendas.

Red Nose Day 2013 is on Friday 15 March. You can sign up for a free fundraising pack and download resources at www.rednoseday.com/report.

January 2013