Cambridge University says new curriculum will be damaging to children

[squeezedatbothends]

Last week, Cambridge University, the CBI and business leaders, and loads of teachers were in the papers accusing Michael Gove of pressing ahead with changes without using evidence and research. Now some MPs and teachers are calling for the creation of a separate body which would look at teaching and curriculum through evidence and be separate from politics. There's also a petition for parents to ask Michael Gove to consider the research when putting the curriculum in place. It's on //www.thinking-about-education.co.uk -I signed it but there are only 700 parents on there. I can't believe that there are only 700 people who are worried. Watch the video on //www.goveversusreality.com if you're not sure!

[learnandsay]

The video is just a random selection of soundbites. It's not an argument. People may hate Mr Gove but that doesn't mean the curriculum is wrong.

[Elibean]

I have to agree with Cambridge, tbh. Mr Gove could do with listening to teachers, and anyone who knows about child development - at least where EYFS is concerned.

[squeezedatbothends]

And all the history experts who are saying that he is ruining history. And Debra Myhill who is saying that the grammar test is flawed - taking a word like 'singing' for example and insisting it's a verb when in the right context it can also be a noun or adjective...could go on, but really the list is too long. Oh and Oxford university who have done an analysis of the exam system and have condemned his proposed changes (which, ironically he says he is making for the benefit of universities....)

[learnandsay]

It's a debate. For every academic touted as having this or that opinion another is touted as having the opposite opinion.

[marchgrove]

squeezedatbothends I totally agree with you. I have signed all the petitions, written to my MP, my councillors, and keep spreading the word.He has PROVED he knows nothing about education by the way even OFSTED are told to report. And OFSTED seem to know very little abouot education as well.
When I was a teacher and a student had put in a lot of effort, I started by praising what has been done well, and then I made suggestions on improvement.
Ofsted starts by saying YOU are INADEQUATE. Your school is failing in these areas, and then several bullet points down mentions quite a lot of good things - almost reluctantly.
What impact do these differing approaches have on the recipients of these comments? Which will motivate the recipient to do better, feel positive, feel they want to continue and get better?
My dd's school just got an ''inadequate from ofsted and it is seriously so not justified. Believe me.

[squeezedatbothends]

It all just leads to fear and inertia. And it's often the schools who are clever with data who do well. I just wish parents had better access to the facts. It's shocking what the government gets away with in touting false statistics. They were quoting a viewers survey on UK Gold as 'research' the other day!

[Elibean]

Although, just a word in support of some Ofsted inspectors....we just had them in, and they were fair and supportive, and didn't try and wrong foot us. I actually quite liked them

And when I got on my grrr-Gove-grrrr soap box, they nodded and grinned and said 'we couldn't possibly comment'

[marchgrove]

"it's often the schools who are clever with data who do well"

So right. Honesty just doesn't pay. My dd's school got inadequate only on the basis of KS1 stats - which apparently are in-house stats anyway. I think they believed that the KS2, where they deliver results well above national average and the good behaviour and happy atmosphere would be taken into consideration. But no.

When I worked in a challenging school in Islington, the pressure to deliver results and keep the OFSTED at bay was huge. I witnessed active cheating. One support teacher even regularly wrote her students coursework for them. English teachers would give it back in disbelief, saying this was just not the student's work, but eventually accepted some dumbed down version. Others gave more than a passing tip in exams. School management cast a blind eye. It kept Ofsted at bay.

Interestingly now it has been observed that poorer pupils do less well in more leafy affluent areas where schools 'coast on results from middle class pupils' (again, ofsted judges by results). The reason they do less well because up to now teachers haven't had to 'help' the weaker students to the point of cheating. This is how these students perform if they are not given any special 'help'.

The DFE and Ofsted just promote dishonesty in our education system. It devalues the achievements of all those children who really can do it for themselves, and makes exam results increasingly meaningless.