Education Leader and Manager
December 2012
In this issue 4
Safeguarding
6
Championing equalities
8
The view from Northern Ireland
10
Default suspension
12
College showcase
14
Enhancing Scotland’s educational leadership
Reform of 14–19 qualifications
18
Teacher training shake-up
20
Q&A on employment contracts
AMiE is the leadership section of ATL
Bob Vesey, President, AMiE
In Education Secretary Michael Gove, the Coalition Government has one of its busiest ministers leading the Department for Education.
With marketisation, the reform of institutional structures, governance, funding, the National Curriculum, relationships between schools and local authorities, and qualifications (both academic and vocational), teachers and education leaders have a great deal to do simply to keep up with the changes that are fundamentally altering the education landscape in England. In relation to the reform of the upper secondary curriculum, New Labour, in its early years in power, was more ambitious in considering a wholesale reform of the curriculum and qualification framework for the 14–19 phase.
Proposals for the upper secondary curriculum continued from page 1 Gove does not trust the profession to address the reforms needed in upper secondary education
Ultimately, however, the Blair Government backed away from reform, because of the Prime Minister’s concern to protect the A Level ‘gold standard’ qualification. That concern to defend the A Level remains at the heart of the current Government’s curriculum reform, and gets in the way of effective consideration of the kind of curriculum and qualification framework that will serve the needs of all young people for the future.
The most important issue The DfE consultation on reforming Key Stage 4 qualifications,1 which closes on 10 December 2012, fails to consider the most important issue about any replacement for GCSE, namely: why do we need an expensive set of examinations for most young people at the age of 16, when the participation age is rising to 18?
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The answer is that the successor to GCSE will continue to fulfil the role of providing a selection test for entry to an advanced qualification programme that serves the needs and interests of a minority of the 16–18 age groups, and functions as the selection test for university entry. Given the recent modifications to A Levels, with less modularity, fewer re-sit opportunities and a greater reliance on external assessment, it may be a smaller minority that succeeds at A Level in future. The Government was mistaken (in its recent consultation on A Level reform) not to consider the reform of vocational qualifications for 16–18 year olds at the same time. It is compounding that folly, by focusing on the reform of GCSE separately from its attempt to reform vocational qualifications for the 14–16 age group.
A piecemeal approach However, this piecemeal approach to reform is easier to manage from Gove’s perspective, as picking off elements of reform one step at a time means that it is more difficult for his critics to look at the bigger picture and to challenge the overall strategy.
1 Reforming Key Stage 4 Qualifications, DfE, September 2012 2 Hansard, 17 September 2012, column 653
There are challenges for any leaders, teachers or parents who want to question key elements of Gove’s reforms, as there are strengths in the evidence that he uses to justify the reforms. It is the case that the accountability framework encouraged schools to deliver qualifications that were primarily targeted at boosting league table positions. Employers say that school leavers do not have the skills that they are looking for when they start work. There is almost a consensus that grade inflation has been a feature of GCSE assessment in recent years.
The evidence base justifies a reform of GCSE, but it does not justify the demise of that qualification and its replacement by something designed by ministers that harks back to the elitist qualifications of the 1950s. The Key Stage 4 consultation has to be linked to the GCSE grading fiasco in summer 2012. Changing grade boundaries between the January and summer examinations resulted in a large number of young people having their results downgraded. The root of that issue is a belief on the part of Ofqual and Michael Gove that there should not be a year-on-year improvement in performance. In effect, this amounts to an implied return to a kind of norm-referenced qualification.
A serious potential problem Whether we are considering GCSEs for the remaining years of their life or the English Baccalaureate Certificate (EBC), this presents a serious potential problem both for institutions and for the Government’s accountability and school improvement framework. Institutions have worked hard to improve GCSE performance scores, and Ofsted has used institutional scores as a key indicator in making judgements about school improvement. If Ofqual expects the percentages achieving particular grades in future to be relatively stable from year to year, then schools and Ofsted will need to establish radically different ways of making judgements about quality and performance. That might not be a bad thing, but as the consultation document has little to say on the future accountability framework, we can’t be sure what the impact will be. The consultation is unclear on how the EBC will work in post-16 provision. It suggests that there will be a need to ensure ‘that there will be clear routes, support and incentives for students who are not yet secure in English or mathematics at 16 to continue to study for these qualifications’. It also notes that under current arrangements with GCSE, that a young person ‘who fails to get a D or better in English or mathematics by the end of Key Stage 4 has only … a one in fifty chance of securing a C grade by 19’. What is missing from the consultation is any analysis of why that is the case and how the EBC will address the problem.
Addressing the causes of failure In reality, unless the causes of failure are considered and addressed, it is likely that the new qualification framework will encourage large numbers of young people who do not achieve a full EBC at the age of 16 to repeat the qualification for one or two more years and, for many, with little chance of success.
The consultation document states that: ‘we do not believe that qualifications are best designed by Government’. We can all agree on that, but the rest of the consultation in effect sets out precisely how the Government is ignoring its own view on that and creating the framework for the replacement qualification for the GCSE.
1 There will be an end to the use of tiered assessment.
1 The norm will be 100% external assessment. 1 The use of examination aids will be restricted. 1 The Government itself ‘will set out our broad expectations for the subject content we would consider absolutely essential’. Gove told the House of Commons in September 2012 that: ‘we have the best generation of teachers and headteachers we have ever had’.2 What is clear from this consultation is that, despite that, Gove does not trust the profession to address the reforms needed in upper secondary education. Ironically, in this case, he doesn’t trust the market either, as it is the competition between awarding bodies in a competitive examination market that has led to the development of ‘less demanding examinations’. Thus in the core subjects of English, mathematics, sciences, history, geography and languages, only one awarding organisation will be allowed to offer the EBC. A further concern with the proposed qualification reform relates to the timescale and the kind of support that awarding organisations will be able to offer to schools and colleges offering the new qualifications. Gove is relatively silent on what support will be in place to facilitate this rapid transformation. He is clear, however, that ‘teaching to the test’ should not be encouraged, and this requires ‘limiting materials such as past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports’. In all areas of teaching and learning, feedback is critically important to enable and secure improvement. It is not the range of available support materials that has encouraged ‘teaching to the test’, but the systematic misuse of poorly designed performance measures that have infected the English education system. There is no doubt that Michael Gove and his Coalition colleagues share a genuine concern to raise standards in English education. There must be a question mark, however, about whether his top-down approach to reform, which largely ignores the views of the profession, will turn out to be effective in achieving the improvement he seeks.
News in brief
College improvement strategies How Colleges Improve (Ofsted, September 2012)1 aims to help colleges build on best practice and ensure that the education and training they are providing is at least good or outstanding. The survey examines ‘the key factors that have contributed to sustained high performance or improvement in colleges. It also considers the factors which impede improvement in colleges judged to be satisfactory but not improving or declining and the lessons that can be learnt to help overcome these barriers.’
New guidance on inspection On 1 September, Ofsted began inspecting colleges with a revised Common Inspection Framework for FE and skills. A Handbook for the Inspection of Further Education and Skills from September 20122 explains the new methodology and sets out the criteria that inspectors must consider when making their judgements. Associated resources are also available on the Ofsted wedsite, including an ‘inspection ready’ form to help colleges prepare for short-notice inspections. The key changes are as follows.
1 The period of notice of inspection has been reduced from ‘two to three weeks’ to ‘up to two working days’.
1 All providers that were satisfactory as of 1 September 2012 will be inspected within two years of this date.
1 A provider inspected from September 2012 onwards that receives a grade 3 for its overall effectiveness will be deemed as ‘requires improvement’ and will receive another full inspection 12–18 months later. 1 www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ how-colleges-improve
2 www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/ handbook-for-inspection-of-furthereducation-and-skills-september-2012
‘A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ Winston Churchill
3
Safeguarding
No more room for complacen John Lowe, AMiE Council member
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1 http://media. education.gov. uk/assets/files/ pdf/d/dealing with allegations of abuse october 2012.pdf 2 http://shop. niace.org.uk/ media/catalog/ product/S/a/ SaferPractice_ 1.pdf
If anyone ever thought that concerns about safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from sexual abuse were overstated, or that the champions of strict safeguarding were overzealous, then the allegations about Jimmy Savile’s behaviour must have shaken their complacency. I have written numerous articles in this newsletter about legislation and regulations concerning the vetting of employees and volunteers. AMiE has always regarded the prevention of unsuitable people from gaining unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults as a top priority.
On 25 October 2012, the NSPCC (founded in 1884, so this isn’t a new problem) reported a 60% rise in calls reporting the sexual abuse of children happening now. It had also been contacted 170 times by people not making allegations against Savile, but who were prompted by the publicity about him to discuss with the NSPCC their own experience of being sexually abused as children.
In November, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and others called for a new inquiry into abuse in care homes in North Wales during the 1970s and 1980s. This was investigated by The regulations were a reasonable response to the Waterhouse inquiry 12 years ago, but its concerns sparked off by the Soham murders. scope was restricted and perpetrators of abuse These were terrible crimes, but in some quarters were not pursued. In an immediate response, they were viewed as rare and isolated incidents, the Government established inquiries into the and the regulations for vetting new staff and others thoroughness of the original police investigations in contact with children were seen only in terms and into whether the Waterhouse inquiry was of the bureaucratic necessity to satisfy Ofsted. properly constituted and did its job properly. Now everything has changed. The scale of There was concern expressed at the time that these allegations – and the surfacing of very victims’ allegations were not taken seriously. It is many others not related to Savile – means imperative that we now hear a clear signal from that we really do have to take safeguarding the Government that the culture of complacency very seriously and ensure that our framework will be banished, and that in future we will have a and procedures are tight on every level. very different approach to this important issue. The publicity accorded to the allegations against Savile, and the fact that they have been given immediate credence, has unleashed an avalanche of accounts of abuse. People who have kept quiet for years now trust that they will be believed, if they report abuse by those who exercised power over them.
We really do have to take safeguarding very seriously
Safeguarding: always an AMiE priority
The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (yes, the UK needs such an association in the twenty-first century) has received up to 6,000 calls from alleged victims since the Savile scandal broke.
Too many lives have been blighted by the experience of abuse – abuse that all too often might have been prevented, or at least curtailed. And this brings us to the heart of the matter. Perpetrators of abuse are protected, while the abused children and vulnerable adults are not believed. This is the culture that must be changed, if we are to safeguard effectively those in our care. It is true that false and sometimes malicious allegations are easily made, but the initial presumption must be to take seriously all allegations of abuse.
About AMiE
ncy New DfE guidance
AMiE is the leadership section of ATL. We provide specialist support for leaders and managers in colleges and schools. We have extensive knowledge of issues faced by members, and have developed top-quality services to address these:
In October, the Department for Education revised its statutory guidance to schools, local authorities and FE colleges about dealing with allegations of abuse against teachers and other staff. The guidance1 provides a very balanced approach to this sensitive issue.
1 help and advice through a confidential helpline 1 direct access to AMiE regional officers dedicated
Safer practice
1 publications sharply focused on
The best approach to safeguarding is one that creates an environment in which children and vulnerable adults are not only safe in that setting (school, college, care home), but also learn to keep themselves safe throughout their lives. The most helpful advice I’ve found about creating such an environment is the NIACE publication Safer Practice, Safer Learning (2007).2 The openness about safeguarding that is promoted in this booklet should counter effectively what appears in too many cases to be an institutional tendency to avoid the issue if possible and to cover it up if it surfaces. We need to bring it out into the open and ensure that no one needs to inquire into our institutions in 30 years’ time.
to supporting managers and leaders
1 pensions advice, including information leaflets on important topics such as improving your pension prospects contemporary management issues
1 employment relations leaflets providing advice and guidance from a manager’s point of view
1 CPD courses and seminars specifically for managers and leaders of today and tomorrow
1 education news updates direct to your desktop 1 a leadership council that considers and debates key educational issues and consultations, providing a comprehensive view from a leadership perspective
1 policy influence in political circles 1 good deals on insurance and discounts on many services and products through ATL Plus.
Who can join AMiE? Colleges: AMiE welcomes managers at all levels in further education colleges, sixth form colleges and adult education providers. Schools: We warmly invite school headteachers (including those in academies), deputy headteachers, assistant headteachers, acting headteachers, bursars and business managers to join AMiE. We also have many members in national organisations, training organisations and other areas of the education sector, including higher education.
To join
We are looking for the AMiE rep of 2013. If you feel that your union rep deserves recognition for the work that he or she does on behalf of AMiE members, then please let us know. Last year’s winner and outstanding AMiE rep was Michelle McCaughley, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Belfast Metropolitan College. To nominate your AMiE rep, visit: www.atl.org.uk/repawards The closing date for nominations is Monday, 7 January 2013.
Join AMiE online via our website www.amie.uk.com or by calling 020 7782 1602. For further information, please email membership@atl.org.uk
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Equalities issues
Championing equalities in ed Dr Wanda Wyporska, Equalities Officer, ATL
As always, the education landscape is shifting. 6
1 http://valuing maternity.org 2 www.legislation. gov.uk/ ukpga/2010/15/ section/4 3 www.equality humanrights.com
Each day, fresh consultations and new directives land in the busy in-trays of education leaders and managers. Many of these changes have implications for equalities work and the way we tackle social inequality. Part of my job as ATL’s Equalities Officer is to raise awareness of the impact of various equalities issues, not only in the education sector, but also in society more broadly. This ranges from working on policy areas such as Early Years, childcare and the Equality Act 2010, to developing campaigns on homophobic bullying and domestic violence and abuse. With the support of the excellent ATL Equality and Diversity Committee (of which AMiE President Bob Vesey is a member), I have been able to take up a range of tasks and campaigns. This committee is vital in terms of our equalities work within the organisation, as well as work with external partners.
TUC equalities conferences We can now contribute more effectively to Trades Union Congress equalities conferences. Through our motions to these conferences and to Congress, we help to shape the TUC’s work and to raise awareness of equalities issues in education.
Many of these changes have implications for equalities work and the way we tackle social inequality
I would encourage AMiE members to think about attending these TUC conferences, as they provide excellent continuing professional development opportunities as well as useful insights into equalities issues in a broad context (see the box on page 7 for dates of forthcoming conferences).
Campaigning organisations In the wider world, we are also linking up with other campaigns on issues of concern to members.
Our affiliation to Valuing Maternity1 has already shown benefit, as its latest campaign film is based around the recent case of one ATL member, who won substantial compensation in a prominent pregnancy discrimination case. A core aspect of my job is to make these connections and to ensure that we are able to work with other campaigning organisations and their resources, in order to combat racism, homophobia and violence against women and girls, and deliver in other areas of equalities work.
Equalities impact assessments It’s not just the education world that is changing, however. In theory, all government action should be subject to an equalities impact assessment (EIA), although it’s clear that this is not always happening. However, we should be conducting EIAs in our own minds and assessing how new changes will impact on those with protected characteristics2 and minorities.
Lack of access to the EHRC The Equalities and Human Rights Commission2 (EHRC) has been seriously weakened by government cuts and changes to its duties. As the EHRC loses its funding and independence, we are seeing a severe reduction in the services that individuals once relied on to fight discrimination. The EHRC helpline is now closed and has been replaced by the Equality Advisory Support Service (EASS). This service is not open to the general public, unless they have been referred to it by another organisation. The EASS will not provide legal advice, but will essentially refer these people on. This lack of access to the EHRC, coupled with the introduction of fees to take cases to employment tribunals, is a serious blow to the fight against discrimination.
Changes to the Equality Act The Equality Act 2010 is also subject to change, with several sections about to be reformed. Of concern to the education sector is the repeal of section 40, which covers the employer’s responsibility for third-party harassment. In addition, statutory questionnaires, used in discrimination and equal pay claims, will be axed.
ducation
News in brief
ATL leads the field on equalities issues
Ministerial changes In a move that surprised many, in the September Cabinet reshuffle, John Hayes left his role as Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Education, to become the new Energy Minister. So we say goodbye to John Hayes … … And hello to Matthew Hancock, who was appointed Joint Parliamentary Undersecretary at BIS and the DfE – or FE Minister to you and me. You can sign up for the new minister’s regular emails at: www.matthewhancock.co.uk
LSIS future in doubt Challenges ahead In the context of all these challenges, I was delighted to be appointed to the post of ATL Equalities Officer, because there is much work to be done. I am looking forward to working with AMiE members, to face those challenges and to identify the issues that leaders and managers consider we should be tackling. As a start, I am developing resources for the website, so that there will be a dedicated section on equalities. I shall be contributing regularly to a blog on topical issues and inviting leading campaigners to give us their opinions, as well as inviting the views of our members, including school and college leaders. We will also be increasing our professional development offer with regard to equalities issues, so that in this changing landscape, leaders and managers will be more capable of dealing with equalities issues effectively.
Insiders reading the runes are predicting that the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) will shrink or even close by summer 2013. It is predicted that some of its functions, and presumably some of the funding too, will transfer to the planned Further Education Guild (see below). While LSIS is well regarded in the FE sector, one positive reading of this development is that it may give the sector the opportunity to take control of its own standards, professionalism and improvement support processes.
Further Education Guild planned In October, the Association of Colleges and the Association of Employment and Learning Providers won government approval to take forward proposals for a Further Education Guild. There will be a consultation with the sector on this in the New Year. The Further Education Guild is intended to be the single sector body, with responsibility for professional standards, codes of behaviour and teacher qualifications.
2013 TUC equalities conferences We are looking for AMiE members to attend the TUC equalities conferences in 2013. This can be an excellent CPD experience, as well as an opportunity to hear outstanding UK and international speakers.
Women’s Conference
Wednesday 13– Friday 15 March 2013
Black Workers’ Conference
Friday 12– Sunday 14 April 2013
Disabled Workers’ Conference
Wednesday 22–Thursday 23 May 2013
LGBT Conference
Thursday 27–Friday 28 June 2013 (to be confirmed)
If you would like to attend any of these conferences, please email: dgreen@amie.atl.org.uk
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The view from Northern Ireland
Our schools will only be as good as our teachers John Young
In this guest article* John Young, a former school principal and current school governor in Northern Ireland, critiques the direction of Northern Ireland’s education policy for schools.
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* This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in the Belfast Telegraph on 24 October 2012. It is reproduced here with permission.
Northern Ireland Education Minister John O’Dowd has an ambitious vision for our schools. He has ‘a radical and coherent set of policies’, which will ensure that every pupil will have ‘a high-quality education, which both enriches their lives and grows the economy’ and has committed himself and his department to achieving ‘excellence for all’ so that ‘every school can be not just a good school, but a brilliant school’. The sad truth is that, however ambitious the minister is, his objectives are unlikely to be achieved. There may be some limited shortterm gains, but there will be no transformation. Our school system will not become one of the world’s best, or give our young people the education they need and deserve.
We need a world-class teaching profession with highly qualified members
This is partly because the minister’s vision for education is uninspiring. It repeats what policy-makers around the world have been saying for years: we are falling behind our competitors and not equipping our young people to be economically competitive, so education outcomes must be improved. There is nothing remotely exciting about this vision, nothing to command support. The second reason for expecting the reform programme to fail is that it is based on a model that, in spite of having been applied in many countries, has had little or no success because of the deeply flawed assumptions on which it is based.
John O’Dowd, Minister for Education, Northern Ireland The chief characteristics of this model, all of which can be found in what the minister plans for schools here, are:
1 market-based competition: the assumption is that, if parents have choice, schools will compete for pupils and resources, and their performance will improve
1 high-stakes testing and external
accountability: the assumption is that, if schools are given the autonomy they need to compete, they must be more accountable to external bodies for their performance, those who fail to reach expected standards being punished
1 standardised and centrally prescribed
curricula: the assumption is that, if schools are to be held to account for their performance, there must be a mechanism for measuring it, so that they can be compared
1 a focus on literacy, numeracy and
science: the assumption is that these should be prime targets, with performance in them seen as the main basis on which the performance of schools should be judged.
Competition makes co-operation difficult, high-stakes testing makes teachers riskaverse, and a focus on ‘core subjects’ drives others to the margins. The effect of these policies has been to restrict teachers’ autonomy, subject them to endless intervention and make teaching so unappealing that it cannot attract the best-qualified graduates to do it. That is why they have so consistently failed.
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The third reason for anticipating the reform programme’s failure is that it does not seem to understand that improved outcomes and better standards depend, and are known to depend, above all on what teachers say and do. Research into the world’s best school systems and why they come out on top found that, because the greatest influence on pupils’ achievement is the quality of the teaching they experience, ‘the quality of a school system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers’. If we want a world-class school system, a competitive economy and a cohesive society, we need a world-class teaching profession with highly qualified members, who are expected to take their continuous development seriously and given the resources to do so. Central government needs to set out a clear sense of the goals pupils are expected to achieve, but teachers need to be given the tools and the freedom to decide what content and instruction pupils should have to help them reach these goals. What we need is a school system that enables teachers to have maximum professional autonomy within a collaborative culture – and there is little or no sign of that.
About the author John Young is a former university lecturer and is former Principal of Sullivan Upper School in Holywood, County Down. He is a governor at two very different schools and has worked as a leadership and management adviser to the Regional Training Unit. He chaired the Northern Area Planning Group, reporting to the Minister of Education on the delivery of the Entitlement Framework.
leadership courses 2012–13 The programme of AMiE leadership courses for 2012–13 is now available These include online courses and face-to-face, oneday workshops, as well as opportunities to access discounted learning with our partners: Edge Hill University; and Lighthouse.
These courses may be accredited by Edge Hill University and may count towards an MA qualification.
Lighthouse (www. lighthouse.tv) offers a discount of £30 to ATL/ AMiE members. Its Details of all the courses (along with the relevant online courses include ‘Leading and Managing Staff’ application forms) can be and ‘Managing People, found on the ATL website at: www.atl.org.uk/learningPersonalities and Pressure’. zone/members-courses/ Don’t delay, as places courses-for-members.asp usually fill up quickly.
Employment matters
Default suspension: a neutral act? David Green, Director of Employment Services, AMiE
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1 Crawford v Suffolk Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (2012) EWCA Civ 138 2 Gogay v Hertfordshire County Council (2000) IRLR 70 3 Eastwood v Magnox Electric plc (2005) House of Lords
A Court of Appeal judge has made a particular point of criticising an employer that had immediately suspended staff who were alleged to have committed an assault at work. The case1 concerned NHS workers, who used a form of restraint on a patient that was unauthorised, although viewed by some as no more extreme than other authorised procedures. Taken at face value, the allegation does sound serious, but is the existence of an allegation enough to warrant a suspension? Not necessarily, according to Elias LJ, the judge, who in a footnote to his ruling on the case said: ‘This case raises a matter which causes me some concern. It appears to be the almost automatic response of many employers to allegations of this kind to suspend the employees concerned, and to forbid them from contacting anyone, as soon as a complaint is made, and quite irrespective of the likelihood of the complaint being established.’
In another legal case2 a judge was quite unequivocal about the impact of a suspension, saying: ‘Suspension changes the status quo from work to no work, and inevitably it casts a shadow over the employee’s competence. Of course this does not mean it cannot be done but it is not a neutral act.’
Convenient for the employer As for protecting the parties involved, I doubt very much whether this is a genuine reason. Indeed, our own experience suggests that suspension is used for the convenience of the employer and does nothing for the suspended employee. Indeed, all too often we see suspensions drag on, sometimes for months, even when the investigation has been completed. For the employee, the stress and isolation can have a very negative impact. What’s more, returning to work from any prolonged period of absence presents its own problems; and the longer a person remains on suspension, the more difficult it will be to pick up from where they left off. But what employers in our sector perhaps fail to realise is that their behaviour may be unlawful. If there is no prima facie case to support the suspension, then the action may be a breach of the implied contractual duty of trust and confidence towards the employee.
Elias LJ went on to quote another judge, who in a previous case said: ‘even where there is evidence supporting an investigation, that does not mean suspension is automatically justified. It should not be a knee jerk reaction, and it will be a breach of the duty of trust and confidence towards the employee if it is.’
The default response Employers in our sector fail to realise that their behaviour may be unlawful
These remarks are very significant, because we know only too well that in education, the default response to almost all allegations of misconduct is to suspend the employee. Of course, the suspension is usually followed up by a letter explaining that it is a neutral act and is designed to protect all the parties, including the alleged culprit. But is it? Justice at the heart of AMiE’s employment support
TES FE Award TV presenter Fiona Bruce, Richard Atkins and Chris Jones, Chief Executive Officer & Director General of City & Guilds
AMiE campaigns for better practice In October, the AMiE Council approved a campaign to press for much better practice from employers, and to encourage members who might be unfairly suspended to appeal against the suspension itself. What we want to see is proper consideration before any decision to suspend. In our view, employers should suspend an employee only when there is genuine reason to believe that:
1 there is a significant threat to property or to other staff, students or pupils
1 it is impossible to investigate the allegation if the employee remains at work (for example because they may destroy evidence or attempt to influence witnesses), or
Outstanding success
1 relationships at work have broken down to such a serious extent that suspension is the only option. Specifically, the employer should also establish that there is apparent evidence of the alleged misconduct, and ensure that all alternatives to suspension have been properly considered. Suspension itself should not be unduly long, and where it does extend beyond a few weeks, it should be reviewed.
Raising awareness As things stand today, it is still business as usual in our sector. Throughout the year we have seen members being suspended regardless of the seriousness of their alleged misconduct. It therefore remains to be seen whether greater awareness of the legal cases above will lead to any cultural shift in employer behaviour. We certainly hope so. In the meantime, there is one other legal aspect that employers could bear in mind when they go ahead with a suspension. In law, the very act of suspension is considered separate to any dismissal. This was made clear by the House of Lords in 2005,3 when it confirmed that financial losses flowing from suspension, where an employer has acted unfairly in suspending an employee, can be claimed separately from any claim for unfair dismissal. Would an employer act so hastily, if it thought a claim for damages to reputation might follow an unfair suspension?
Exeter College is certainly on a roll. It received the first outstanding Ofsted grade for teaching and learning for a college for two and a half years, and is now winner of the TES FE Awards for Outstanding Leadership in Learning and Skills, and Outstanding Provider of the Year. Richard Atkins (above, centre), Principal and AMiE Past President, has led his team to success through years of hard work and determination, creating a culture of excellence from the top down, and is thoroughly deserving of these awards. Other TES FE Awards winners were:
1 Julie McLean, City College Plymouth – Lifetime Achievement
1 Peterborough Regional College – Outstanding Finance Team
1 Coleg Gwent – Outstanding Estates Team
1 Pembrokeshire College – Outstanding Human Resources Team
1 HMP Hewell, Worcestershire – Outstanding Employer Engagement
1 Hackney Community College, East London – Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community
1 Bournville College, Birmingham – Outstanding Marketing/ Communications Team
1 BMET Enterprise Academy, Birmingham Metropolitan College – Outstanding Entrepreneurship in Learning and Skills
1 Barking and Dagenham College – Outstanding E-learning Team
1 BSix Brooke House Sixth Form College, Hackney, East London – Outstanding Innovation in Teaching, Training or Learning Provision.
We congratulate all the winners and those nominated for these awards (many of whom are AMiE members). This is an excellent achievement in itself and an acknowledgement of the fantastic and innovative work being undertaken throughout the sector.
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College showcase Authentic hands-on vocational learning
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Innovation in practice Yvonne Fleming, former Leadership and Management Officer, AMiE
One of the key aims of AMiE is constantly to review and improve its services to members. So when it became clear in our 2012 survey that members would appreciate more opportunities for networking and sharing good practice, we took the first steps to make this a reality.
Professionalism and respect are the order of the day in all aspects of college life
The result is that schools and colleges have come forward, willing to open their doors to showcase their organisation’s work and to share their experiences. One such, featured in this article, is Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT), led by its Principal Anthony Bravo, who is an AMiE Council member.
Since then it has expanded into a general FE college, specialising in vocational subjects for some 2,800 students aged 16–18 and for 6,600 learners in the 19+ age range. From the moment you arrive at the modern reception of the main campus, it is clear that under Anthony Bravo’s leadership the college has a vibrant feel, with its newly refurbished atrium and twenty-first-century design. Indeed, despite financial constraints (due to the shelving of the Building Colleges for the Future initiative), this has not stopped Principal Bravo from finding other ways of updating his buildings – from recladding the exterior, to total refurbishment and extension of one area of the college into a very impressive science, technology, engineering and mathematics centre.
‘A stepping stone to employability’
A vibrant feel
This is more than evident in the automotive department, which enjoys sponsorship from major luxury car manufacturers. It even has its own 2CV racing team, which competed in the 2012 Snetterton 24-hour race in Norfolk, coping with four engine changes in order to keep the 35-year-old vehicle in contention.
BCoT, as it is known locally, began its life 65 years ago as a small college supplying apprenticeships for the Thornycroft engineering company.
This department demonstrates the firm commitment of the college to employability skills for all its students.
As the principal puts it, the college is ‘a stepping stone to employability’, be it a job, another course or higher education.
In addition, initiatives such as ‘Chance for a change day’ allow students to review their progress and decide whether the course they are pursuing is really for them.
Developing work-related skills
Likewise, the ‘5/1 model’, whereby following a five-week block of teaching, a week is timetabled so that students can ensure that they are up to date, while working on a particular theme (such as entrepreneurship).
This philosophy is also seen in the directive to students that they must engage in parttime employment or voluntary work. BCoT itself provides many opportunities for this, with its community-based projects.
1 On the curriculum side, for example, students have engaged in projects as diverse as time and motion studies in the local hospital to decorating old people’s homes.
1 The college cafeteria is a prime example of students from the catering department running the show, and there are further practical opportunities in the college restaurant.
1 The hair and beauty provision, with its professional salon and full range of treatments, is another important provider of valuable work experience, as is the construction department, where there are projects linked to solar panel installation and biomass boilers.
1 Those interested in work with small animals also have plenty of practice on site, with opportunities to care for everything from rabbits to spiders.
1 Media students have recently completed a music video for the title track of a debut album, which involved the skills of various departments including art, photography, make-up, as well as filming and acting. There was no shortage of those wishing to hone their skills as production assistants.
High expectations and high achievements This type of approach obviously has huge advantages for the students when they eventually enter the world of work, and the college supports their search with its job shop, careers fair and apprenticeship campaign. This has led to a higher apprenticeship pre-nursing scheme with the local hospital, and to 94% of their learners progressing to employment or other courses. The vibrancy of this approach is matched by a robust structure, which ensures that functional skills are embedded into the work of all curriculum areas, with specialist support at departmental level. Together with individual electronic learning plans, the rigorous use of data and traffic light systems (to ‘red flag’ problems as they occur), has led to a notable improvement in functional skills results, which this year improved by 23%.
All of this good practice contributes to the high expectations and high achievements of the student body. Indeed, those high expectations are clear for all to see – even on the college walls, where students are challenged ‘to excel’.
Every learner must succeed
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Principal Bravo says: ‘Every learner must succeed’. BCoT students know, however, that they are never on their own when taking up this challenge, as individual advice and guidance are always available. Moreover, whether it is acting as guest chef for the day in the cafeteria or joining students in the hair and beauty salon to have his hair dyed green for charity, Principal Bravo ensures that he knows, listens to and understands his community, and he takes pride in their achievements. Students can even gain a free luncheon voucher, if they are prepared to sit down with the principal and contribute to the smooth working and improvement of the college. Professionalism and respect are the order of the day in all aspects of college life. Vibrant, high-achieving and happy schools and colleges do not happen by chance. Many facets are involved, to ensure that a community is working together to achieve their common goals. However, one aspect that research has shown is crucial is strong leadership – and BCoT is very lucky to have that in abundance.
Join our good practice network If any AMiE members in schools or colleges would like to join AMiE’s good practice network, please get in touch with Sara Shaw, Head of AMiE (sshaw@amie.atl.org.uk).
Whether you would like to share a project you are working on, arrange a visit for other members or simply take part in an online forum, AMiE would welcome your input.
The view from Scotland
Enhancing Scotland’s educational leadership Keith Robson, National Official (Scotland), ATL
In 2011, the Scottish Government set up a National Partnership Group (NPG) to report back on how to implement the 50 recommendations from the 2011 Donaldson Report Teaching Scotland’s Future.1
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1 www.scotland. gov.uk/Resource/ Doc/337626/ 0110852.pdf 2 www.scotland. gov.uk/Resource/ 0040/ 00407756.pdf
In November 2012, the Scottish Government gave its response to the NPG’s report.2 The headlines may have been grabbed by the additional £3 million over three years to enable more teachers to learn at Masters level, and diagnostic testing in literacy and numeracy for student teachers, but the report is intended to have a game-changing impact on teacher education in Scotland, ultimately ‘enhancing educational leadership’. The Donaldson Report talked about a reinvigorated definition of teacher professionalism, a theme that has been built on by the NPG.
A National Implementation Board
The proposal for a Scottish College of Educational Leadership may be of most interest to AMiE members
To take forward its recommendations, the NPG suggested that a National Implementation Board be set up in autumn 2012, chaired by an independent appointee with no links to any of the stakeholders but who has an understanding of the demands of the sector. The Scottish Government has subsequently announced that Professor Petra Wend, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen Margaret University, will chair the board. The NPG recommended that teacher and headteacher trade unions should be represented on the board. This is to be welcomed, if the profession is to be successfully engaged in the proposed changes.
Crucially, the NPG also recommended that the board will require funding as well as professional and secretariat support – a sure sign that it means for its proposals to be carried out. Given that the sector has not been standing still since the publication of Donaldson’s original report, some of the NPG’s recommendations will begin sooner rather than later – notably the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s work on ‘Professional Update’.
NPG timetable The NPG has produced a timetable for the recommendations in its report to be enacted. Among the 20 proposals in the timetable are the following. 1 Online resources to support mentoring and coaching were due from Education Scotland by November 2012. 1 Education Scotland’s Framework for Educational Leadership was due in autumn 2012. 1 Education Scotland is to report by June 2013 on its proposals for an agreed framework for accrediting prior learning and the creation of a Scottish Masters of Education. 1 Education Scotland is required to co-ordinate a series of regional events, to increase the level of understanding of the new model of professional learning by the end of March 2013. 1 The Scottish Government is to manage the evaluation of the range of routes into headship, including Scottish Qualification for Headships/Flexible Routes into Headship.
1 Local authorities are to support all aspiring headteachers in accessing a qualification or professional award in educational leadership. Within five years, such a qualification should become a prerequisite for being appointed a headteacher. In addition, local authorities should support existing headteachers who do not currently have a formal leadership qualification, to obtain one. 1 The National Implementation Board will have oversight of a project to scope potential models, including possible funding arrangements, for the establishment of a Scottish College for Educational Leadership.
Union news
What does it all mean for AMiE members? The proposal for a Scottish College of Educational Leadership may be of most interest to AMiE members. It is envisaged that the college will cover all aspects of Scottish education, not just the teaching profession. Unlike its English counterpart, the college is visualised as being a virtual college, and will look at partnership working to deliver on the professional development of Scotland’s educational leaders. The National Implementation Board will act as the interim management board for the college. Inevitably, leaders and managers will be at the forefront of implementing the NPG’s recommendations. Clearly the focus of the document is on the 51,000 teachers who work in the Scottish state maintained sector. How the recommendations are applied within the independent sector – and to teachers registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland working in the FE sector – remains to be seen.
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How can we best support you? You would expect AMiE to support you in your own professional development to successfully engage with the shifting educational landscape. We will certainly explore all options of working in partnership (itself a central theme of the report) to support you as fully as we can. How well we do that will depend in part on your feedback, comments and thoughts on the key issues, and where you believe you need most support. Perhaps as part of its schedule of regional meetings we could persuade Education Scotland to provide a speaker for a members’ event next spring, to discuss the new model of professional learning and the impact of the report’s recommendations? Or we might gauge how we can best support you by conducting a short members’ survey via survey monkey. If we do issue a survey, then please take the time to complete it. Please support your union in supporting your professional development.
Exciting times These are exciting times to be a leader and a manager in Scottish education. We want to be there with you on the journey to enhance Scotland’s educational leadership. Tell us what you think: krobson@atl.org.uk
AMiE’s new recruit We are very pleased to welcome Mark Wright as AMiE’s National Official: Leadership and Management. Mark (above) joined AMiE on 19 November. He takes over from Yvonne Fleming, who left AMiE at the end of September to undertake a research degree. Mark previously worked as Head of Quality and Evaluation at the National College for School Leadership, where he led a range of projects and managed the evaluation team. Mark is a trained coach and mentor, and has worked closely with senior leadership teams, developing an excellent awareness of leadership and management issues in the education sector. On taking up his new post, Mark said: ‘Education is experiencing phenomenal change, and excellent leadership and management is an imperative. The strong, practicebased voice of leaders and managers, developed through vibrant networks, is vital if sector-led improvement is to come into its own and challenge the Government’s preference for top-down initiatives. I’m looking forward to doing what I can to help facilitate this through the work of AMiE.’
Union news
Onwards and upwards Sara Shaw, Head of AMiE
We are here to help As a distinct section within ATL dedicated to supporting and championing leaders and managers across the education sector, AMiE is ideally placed to provide the necessary information, advice and guidance that you need. You are not on your own. We are here to help. Our highly professional and well-regarded team of dedicated regional officers have helped, or are in the process of helping, over 500 members this year alone.
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And we don’t just help members who are in trouble. We provide advice and guidance on management issues over the telephone and through our excellent range of publications. A free copy of Volume 2 of our ‘Nuts and Bolts’ series – Finance: A practical guide – is included with this edition of ELM. It offers practical advice for new managers on the kinds of financial decisions they will need to make, as well as providing the more experienced manager with some helpful tips and an opportunity to reflect on their own practices.
Increase in union membership Not only has recruitment increased by 4.5% since 1 January 2012, but our member retention figures are at an all-time high. This just goes to show that people recognise the importance of belonging to a union in these uncertain times.
Sara Shaw, Head of AMiE
Where has 2012 gone? It seems only yesterday that I was taking up my new position as Head of AMiE – and now it’s almost Christmas. A lot has happened.
People recognise the importance of belonging to a union in these uncertain times
There have been changes to inspection, curriculum, funding and careers advice; there has been post-16 reform in Scotland, and continued growth in academies and free schools; there have been more consultations than I can remember. And more change is on the horizon. Leaders and managers are, and will continue to be, under enormous pressure to perform. It has never been more important to ensure that you have the protection of a trade union that understands the issues you face.
Providing a vital link Working alongside the team of AMiE regional officers, Danielle Campos, Development Officer, has been very successful in appointing 20% more AMiE representatives since she took up her post in June. This means that more and more workplaces have someone in place to provide that vital link to AMiE’s officers, if a problem arises. But do remember, as a member of AMiE you are also free to call the dedicated leadership helpline or your regional officer directly, if you have a problem at work. We have recruited four new regional officers, Hil Mason (Wales), Darren Smith (East Anglia), Steve Cooper (South East) and Louise Scarff (Central), who are providing the same highquality service that their predecessors did. During that recruitment process we took the opportunity to split one region into two, thus reducing travelling time and enabling our officers to spend more time supporting members.
Our newest AMiE recruit is Mark Wright (see also page 15), who has been appointed as National Official: Leadership and Management. He takes over the excellent work that Yvonne Fleming did. Mark will focus on developing: 1 AMiE’s profile in the national press, ensuring that your views and concerns are voiced loud and clear 1 member networks, to inform responses to government consultations and provide evidence to select committees and stakeholder groups 1 a bespoke leadership and management continuing professional development package in terms of both training and publications 1 networking opportunities and support groups, to enable members to share issues of concern, innovative ideas and best practice.
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Mark and I will be visiting as many different schools and colleges as we can over the next 12 months. We would be pleased to receive an invitation from you, if you would like us to visit your workplace, so please do get in touch.
Looking ahead Our plans for 2013 are to continue to provide the excellent support service that you have come to expect, and to raise our profile nationally within the media and among government agencies. We do a lot of work behind the scenes in stakeholder groups, and we will promote this more and raise member engagement around key issues affecting you, your workplace and your students. We will continue to champion leaders and managers, and intend to do this more overtly over the coming months. We will do what we can to help you rise to the challenge of the uncertainty and difficulties you face in your role and the responsibilities you have, and to ensure that you have the information and support you need to deal with whatever comes your way. You can email Sara at: sshaw@amie.atl.org.uk
Season’ s greetings The staff at AMiE and the ELM team wish all members a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.
Teacher training shake-up
New teaching qualifications in FE Bob Vesey, President, AMiE
Following the interim report of the Lingfield Review,1 ministers agreed to revoke the regulations affecting FE teachers in relation to compulsory registration with the Institute for Learning and the recording of CPD.
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1 Professionalism in Further Education: Interim Report of the Independent Review Panel, BIS, 2012 2 Further Education and Skills in England, New Qualifications for Teachers and Trainers, Proposal Document, LSIS, October 2012 3 Professionalism in Further Education: Final Report of the Independent Review Panel, BIS, 2012
The regulations relating to a requirement for minimum teaching qualifications, however, were retained for the academic year 2012/13.
LSIS review Following publication of Lingfield’s interim report, the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) was asked to undertake a review of teaching qualifications in the sector. It subsequently published a detailed consultation document in October, with 19 proposals aimed at reforming the current complex arrangements for teacher training in the sector.2 LSIS has recently completed that consultation exercise on those proposals and we await the results. It is planned, however, that the new qualifications will be available to support the training of FE teachers from September 2013.
Overly complex
Academies are no longer required to appoint qualified teachers
Teacher training arrangements in FE are overly complex. A regulatory requirement to hold a teaching qualification in FE has been in place since 2001. Revised qualifications were introduced in 2007, when teachers and trainers employed by work-based learning and adult education providers were required to be trained. Only four years later, in 2011, Lifelong Learning UK modified the teacher training qualifications and both the 2007 and 2011 versions of the qualifications are in place today.
Current qualifications are at three levels – a preparatory award, a certificate and a diploma – but some components of the qualifications are nested inside others with the resultant criticism that, for students progressing through the levels, duplication and repetition are irritating characteristics of their training. The new qualifications that LSIS proposes are intended to serve the interests and needs of teachers and trainers working in FE colleges, private training providers, local authorities and the third sector. Those gaining the new qualifications will almost certainly hope that they continue to enjoy parity with qualified teacher status (QTS) and therefore facilitate mobility between schools and colleges. However, as Lingfield pointed out in his final report,3 academies are no longer required to appoint qualified teachers. If, as the Government expects, the majority of secondary schools are converted to academies by 2015, parity with QTS will be of limited value.
LSIS proposals LSIS makes four general proposals. These are that:
1 there should be a single qualification at each level
1 the qualifications should be sufficiently flexible to enable a focus on particular learning contexts
1 there should be an end to the nesting of units of qualifications
1 the professional standards developed by Lifelong Learning UK, on which the qualifications are based, should be reviewed. There are proposals to develop education and training qualifications at four levels, Levels 3, 4, 5 and 7. This may appear complicated to those unfamiliar with FE, but many people become involved in training in the sector while working in other fields. An introductory qualification, such as the one proposed at Level 3, is also useful for those who are considering working in education or training, but who are not ready to commit to a larger programme of training and study.
Excellent teaching, a top priority
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In addition to the generic teaching qualifications, there are also detailed proposals for the development of certificate and diploma qualifications for teachers of English, mathematics, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and for teachers of disabled learners.
The market for this training is likely to be shrinking, but it is hard to say by how much until we know whether the regulatory requirement will be maintained, and what the future levels of fees and bursaries will be.
LSIS envisages a rapid timetable for the development of the new qualifications, intending that the guidance will be available by March 2013 for awarding organisations and HE institutions involved in delivery.
A Further Education Guild
Uncertainty Given the size of the task of reviewing the professional standards that inform the proposed qualifications, this looks like a challenging target. In addition, it is not clear whether the Coalition Government will maintain a requirement for teachers to be qualified in the sector. There are other factors that add to the uncertainty around the development of these new qualifications. One significant factor relates to the increasing cost of training and the limited availability of financial support for those wanting to work as teachers or trainers in FE. As we have seen in relation to participation in higher education, increasing fees means lower levels of participation.
The Coalition Government has also decided to go ahead with proposals to create a Further Education Guild. The Guild will be developed through a partnership led by the Association of Colleges and the Association of Employers and Learning Providers. Precisely what the remit of the Guild will turn out to be is not clear, but what is clear is that the Guild ought to enable the FE sector to have oversight of its own professional standards. This should include teacher training and the arrangements for continuing professional development. Against this background and the uncertainty that prevails, this cannot be the best time for awarding organisations and providers to be investing substantial resources in the development of a suite of new teacher training qualifications that might turn out to have limited demand from trainees.
The Government has decided to go ahead with proposals to create a Further Education Guild
Employment matters
Your questions answered
I work at an FE college. My employer has asked me to sign a new contract that will mean I have to work every other Saturday for no extra pay. I already work long hours and feel this is a step too far. I am one of four mangers affected. We have only had one meeting with the principal, who basically dismissed our concerns and told us ‘this is going to happen’. What are my rights?
David Green, Director of Employment Services, AMiE
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The terms of your employment contract can be changed lawfully in the following ways.
1 By mutual consent: there should be proper consultation with you, the employee, and subsequent agreement on the amended terms. In practice, by signing the new contract, you will be agreeing to the change.
1 By changing an incorporated collective agreement: if working patterns such as this were subject to a collective agreement with the recognised unions and incorporated into your contract, then any union-negotiated change would be lawful.
1 By providing for change in the contract itself: you might have a term in your contract that allows for other terms to be changed without consent. In practice, these tend to be limited to specific items, such as your place of work. If your employer simply imposes the change, this will be a breach of contract and you can make a claim for any loss in a county court. However, you need to act early. If you simply work on without protest, then by default you are agreeing to the change. The longer you work to the new contract without complaint, then the less likelihood there is that a claim for breach of contract will succeed. Alternatively, your employer could dismiss you and then re-engage you on the new terms. In theory, you could still say no to the new contract, in which case you would be out of a job. However, the very act of dismissal must be undertaken for a fair reason, using a fair process and with proper notice. Otherwise you would be able to claim unfair dismissal, even if you accepted the re-engagement. Our advice to you, and to anyone else in this situation, is to make contact with your AMiE regional officer as soon as possible. They will take up your case with the employer.
Obituary
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Reg Chapman OBE, 1948–2012 Rosemary Varley, colleague and friend
Reg Chapman, great champion of this Association and indeed of the whole further education sector, died on Thursday, 8 November 2012, following a long battle against cancer. Reg was a former Principal of Blackpool and The Fylde College from 1995 to 2004. With Reg at the helm, the college flourished and thrived, chalking up many notable achievements. In 2001 Reg was awarded the OBE for services to further education. Earlier in his career Reg had been Principal at Oldham College, Vice Principal of Burnley College, and Head of Department at Blackpool and the Fylde from 1982. Following his retirement as Principal of Blackpool and The Fylde College, he continued to work as an education consultant, supporting and guiding many colleges and organisations in the FE sector.
Reg was a devoted family man: husband of Pam, father of Jo and Ali, and grandfather of Holly and Freya. While family and the FE sector were the main passions of Reg’s life, it was characteristic of the man that he threw himself into whatever he did with great enthusiasm. He was a lifelong Rotherham United FC supporter and an active member of Wesham Road Runners. During his association with the latter, he chalked up an impressive set of marathon achievements. A keen cyclist, Reg frequently cycled the 12 miles to college, upon arrival changing out of his cycling gear into a smart business suit. Reg was an active and committed ACM/AMiE member from its earliest days. From the beginning he was a supportive member of the flourishing North West Branch, often welcoming the opportunity to host branch meetings at his college. Reg understood the importance of nurturing good industrial relations in colleges, and felt that ACM shared that important objective. For that reason Reg served many terms of office on the Association’s council, committed both to ACM’s philosophy regarding industrial relations and its emphasis on the primacy of the needs of students. I first met Reg in 1982, when we were both new employees of Blackpool and Fylde College of Further and Higher Education (as it was called in those days).
Obituary continued from page 21 Reg had joined the college as Head of Department, whereas I worked on the HR side as Staffing Officer. Always generous and thoughtful, especially with regard to colleagues’ professional development, it was typical of Reg that our first contact was an invitation from him to attend a session with his students on Statutory Sick Pay. He had rightly deduced that this would be helpful for me in my new role. That meeting set the scene for 30 years of support, advice and friendship from a colleague, a boss and a true friend.
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Reg receiving his award for services to the FE sector
Only eight weeks before his death, Reg and I were sharing and discussing the implications of the Charity Commission’s Code of Governance for the Voluntary and Community Sector. We were both undertaking related but separate assignments: Reg was working with LSIS and the Groundwork Trust, while I was working with the hospice movement. Having worked with Reg for many years at Blackpool and the Fylde, and as fellow members of ACM National Council, there are many rich, wonderful, often comical memories. Of all those memories, one in particular springs to mind. The event was our regular ACM Council meeting in Luton, the year was 1999. The challenge was how to get to Luton from Blackpool easily, while minimising the time out of college. The solution was to hire a plane and fly there! So a party from the North West, including John Mowbray (then ACM General Secretary), Mike Clegg (then Principal of Preston College and ACM President), Reg and myself took to the skies from Blackpool in the smallest Piper Aircraft you have ever seen. The plane was so small that the 6-foot Reg had to crouch down and lie across the back seats of the plane. We flew down using the motorway network for navigation purposes, with just one pilot and open plane windows. (Biggles had nothing on us!) But we got to Luton in an hour and extracted a very stiff Reg from the plane. We parked alongside some swanky small private jets, but our small, single-engine, non-jet plane used household bricks for brakes! The return journey, while scary, was every bit as fast and we were back in time for tea. A memorable experience, and cheaper for ACM than Virgin Rail! ACM stalwarts will recall the ACM Conference ‘People Work for People – The Key Challenge for Education Leaders’. Reg introduced himself as principal, consultant and storyteller. His motivational stories drew from his many different areas of interest: politics, sport and business, as well as education. He would often quote people such as Arsène Wenger, Bill Clinton, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Daniel Goleman in the same sentence.
On his return to Blackpool as Principal in 1995, I was leading on HR at the college, and thus Reg was now my boss. He quickly established himself as an inspirational leader, guiding and influencing the college to many successes. I was proud to be a member of his management team. While Reg’s style was inspirational, I have to say that Monday Senior Management Team meetings ran somewhat more smoothly if Rotherham had won their match on the previous Saturday. Reg will be remembered as an inspirational, honest and honourable man. He was a good friend. He was good company. He gave sound advice. Reg always told it as it was, even if the message was not always appreciated by the recipient. He, quite rightly, earned the respect and trust of the many people he encountered through his work in further education and beyond. I, like many others, will miss Reg for his wisdom and his wit. I will miss the mutual respect we shared, the sharing of ideas and the lunchtime tuna mayonnaise sandwiches. Rest in peace, Reg – a lovely man, a champion of this Association, a fighter for further education, a respected colleague, and a true friend to many.
Contacting AMiE Contact the editor
AMiE office
AMiE members are warmly invited to contribute to this newsletter. The Editor, Nadine Cartner, welcomes all contributions for inclusion in ELM – especially articles about good or innovative teaching and learning or on key policy issues, plus letters or photographs of student activities. If you would like to discuss writing an article, please email: editor@ amie.atl.org.uk Please email all contributions to Julia Pearson, newsletter co-ordinator, at jpearson@amie.atl.org.uk
AMiE 35 The Point Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7QU Tel 01858 461 110 Fax 01858 461 366 www.amie.uk.com
The copy deadline for the next issue is Monday, 14 January 2013.
AMiE regional officers
National helpline Tel 01858 464 171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk Clare Atkinson Office Administrator Tel 01858 411 541 catkinson@amie.atl.org.uk Danielle Campos Development Officer Tel 01858 411 545 dcampos@amie.atl.org.uk David Green Director of Employment Services Tel 01858 411 540 Mobile 07711 929 043 dgreen@amie.atl.org.uk
Julia Pearson Administration Manager Tel 01858 411 542 jpearson@amie.atl.org.uk Sara Shaw Head of AMiE Tel 01858 411 546 Mobile 07545 438 061 sshaw@amie.atl.org.uk Mark Wright National Official: Leadership and Management Tel 020 7782 1530 Mobile 07436 805 330 mwright@amie.atl.org.uk For membership queries, please contact the Membership Department on 020 7782 1602 or email membership@atl.org.uk
Eastern Liz Salisbury Tel 01572 720 467 Mobile 07595 099 617 lsalisbury@amie.atl.org.uk
Central Louise Scarff Tel 01604 810 980 Mobile 07918 741 030 lscarff@amie.atl.org.uk
WALES Hilary Mason Tel 01591 620 700 Mobile 07435 970 063 hmason@amie.atl.org.uk
South East Steve Cooper Tel 01983 856 362 Mobile 07436 549 565 scooper@amie.atl.org.uk
EAST ANGLIA Darren Smith Tel 01502 217 584 Mobile 07570 670 411 dsmith@amie.atl.org.uk
NORTHERN IRELAND Mark Langhammer Tel 02890 782 020 Mobile 07918 195 070 mlanghammer@atl.org.uk
London Kalbinder Herr Tel 01865 765 454 Mobile 07711 929 038 kherr@amie.atl.org.uk
Northern Pauline Rodmell Tel 01204 660 440 Mobile 07711 929 037 prodmell@amie.atl.org.uk
Scotland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man Contact the national helpline: Tel 01858 464 171 helpline@amie.atl.org.uk
South West Rachel Jennings Tel 01752 839 643 Mobile 07738 641 689 rjennings@amie.atl.org.uk
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Mary Bousted, General Secretary, ATL
The Lingfield Review Professionalism in Further Education1 argues that change for the better in the FE sector will be an incremental process that could take many years. 24 1 www.bis.gov.uk/ assets/biscore/ further-educa tion-skills/docs/ p/12-670professionalismin-furthereducation-interim 2 www.lsis.org.uk/ AboutLSIS/ MediaCentre/ NewsArticles/ Pages/Sector helpsshape thefutureteacher andtrainer qualifications. aspx 3 www.education. gov.uk/publicat ions/standard/ publicationDetail/ Page1/DFE00031-2011 4 www.excellence gateway.org.uk/ node/20703 5 shop.niace.org. uk/2012participationsurvey-headlinefindings.html 6 www.bis.gov.uk/ assets/biscore/ further-educationskills/docs/f/111380-furthereducationskills-systemreform-plan 7 http://feweek. co.uk/2012/10/23/ fe-guild-goahead-forassociation-ofcolleges
However, more immediately the review proposes steps that could be taken to support professionalism in the sector. A highly skilled, highly professional workforce is a top priority for all college leaders, who understand its centrality to excellent education for students. But what is not acknowledged, or not fully, is that college managers are already dealing with multiple challenges and demands, including:
1 changes to the funding formulae and inspection framework 1 a new voluntary code of governance Service 1 the Learning and Skills Improvement 2 review of teacher qualifications (with the intention of simplifying and renaming)
1 the introduction of loans for students at Level 4 this year and Level 3 in 2013. And we await the implications of the Wolf Report on vocational education3 and the Commission on Adult Vocational Teaching and Learning.4 All these policies are being implemented, or will reach fruition, over the next 12 months. In today’s very difficult economic climate, with nearly 1 million young people unemployed and 79% of adults saying they will not continue with their ‘further’ education,5 FE college managers have to address challenges on many fronts.
It strikes me that the Lingfield Report is a curate’s egg. AMiE and ATL welcome the rebalancing of lecturers’ pay and conditions after years of increased workloads and required flexibilities. We hope that this will contribute to the environment of reward and recognition that a professional workforce deserves. But then there is the peculiar view of the Lingfield Report that FE could be put within the HE sector (11% of HE teaching is in FE) and lose one of its key functions: to help develop young people’s education and training. The need for FE to deliver the latter is seen as a deficit of state school education which, apparently, will be eradicated as academies and free schools roll out. That FE teaches more 16–18 year olds than schools appears to have been overlooked by the report’s authors. Nor is it the case that the only purpose of FE for young learners is to correct the deficiencies of their school education. Certainly, colleges pride themselves on their inclusivity and their capacity to offer learning opportunities to all young people, whatever their previous level of attainment. But thousands of students with good achievements at Level 2 choose to move on to college for their Level 3 learning because they are attracted by the ethos, the variety of opportunities and the chance to grow up. Many college students, whatever their prior attainment, choose college because it offers them the chance to live their vocational ambitions.
The Coalition Government is encouraging autonomy and freedom in the form of deregulation (Lingfield Review and New Challenges, New Chances6). College leaders will welcome these greater freedoms, and will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that they have the capacity to deliver in this changed environment.
One of the review’s key arguments, that schools fail children and that once the Coalition has sorted out state schooling there will be no need for FE to support young people and develop their skills, is at best naive. At worst, it represents another wrong-headed and deeply divisive agenda. ATL has argued for years that the social and economic context that schools inhabit is crucial to their performance, as is the imposed school curriculum.
Thus, in future, college managers (from the top to the middle) may have to plan staff qualification levels, and engage in extensive negotiations around pay and conditions. This is additional to their core work of managing and supporting staff and ensuring their CPD, and developing and delivering excellent education for young people and adults in a range of modes.
The new Further Education Guild7 will be a cornerstone for these debates. It will be no easy task to develop a coherent vision that suits everybody. This will be a time for AMiE, as the distinctive voice of leaders and managers in FE, working with ATL, the voice of lecturers, to influence that agenda. We foresee a fruitful future for this initiative.
Edited and designed by thingswedo (thingswedo.com). Illustrations by Keith Sparrow. Photograph on page 11 courtesy of TES. Printed by Blackmore Ltd, Shaftesbury. © AMiE 2012. All rights reserved.
The last word