A report by a committee of MPs said that parents in England who educated their children at home face widely different levels of official support around the country.
Source: Support for Home Education, Fifth Report (Session 2012–13), HC 559, House of Commons Education Select Committee, TSO
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2012-Dec
An audit report said that the Department for Education had not been sufficiently prepared for the financial implications of its rapid expansion of academy schools, or for the challenge of overseeing and monitoring it. The tenfold increase in the number of schools converting to academies had meant £1 billion in extra costs. The Department needed to build on its efforts to reduce costs and tackle accountability concerns if it were to reduce the risks to value for money.
Source: Managing the Expansion of the Academies Programme, HC 682 (Session 2012–13), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | NAO press release | ATL press release | Labour Party press release | NAHT press release | NUT press release | BBC report | Public Finance report | Telegraph report
Date: 2012-Nov
A study examined local projects designed to prepare for the raised participation age for education/training from 2013. Most local areas had identified priority groups of young people for whom they were targeting activities. These included learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, looked-after children or care leavers, and teenage parents.
Source: Simon Day, Leigh Sandals, Kelly Kettlewell, Claire Easton, and Ben Durbin, The Evaluation of the Raising the Participation Age Locally-Led Delivery Projects (RPA) 2011 to 2012: Case Study findings, Research Report 236, Department for Education | Simon Day, Leigh Sandals, Kelly Kettlewell, Claire Easton, and Ben Durbin, The Evaluation of the Raising the Participation Age Locally-Led Delivery Projects (RPA) 2011 to 2012: Survey findings, Research Report 236b, Department for Education
Links: Report 236 | Report 236b
Date: 2012-Oct
An article examined the 'faith schools debate'. The author said that the continuing existence of a distinctive dual system of educational provision in England, of which the Catholic sector was a paradigm, provided a bulwark against a creeping tide of 'weak pluralism', in which societal attitudes that once championed legislation supporting minority communities now seem to be leaning towards marginalizing or even suppressing the contribution of such groups to the common good.
Source: Andrew Morris, 'Faith schools and the plural society: exploring notions of diversity in school provision in England', Policy Futures in Education, Volume 10 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Oct
The Northern Ireland Executive introduced the Education Bill. The Bill was designed to reform education administration by replacing eight separate education bodies with a single Education and Skills Authority.
Source: Education Bill, Northern Ireland Executive, TSO
Links: Bill | Explanatory notes | NIE press release
Date: 2012-Oct
A think-tank report examined the role of the 'middle tier' in education in England, in the light of the increasing number of academies and free schools that operated outside of local authority control. Contributions from leading practitioners and commentators suggested that a middle tier was needed for the efficient strategic management of the school system, and that local government performed that role well. It was also healthy for democracy, giving local people a say in how their school system was run. There was no support for abolishing the local authority role and replacing it with direct management from Whitehall or with a complex pattern of academy chains.
Source: Laurie Thraves, John Fowler, and Jonathan Carr-West, Should We Shed the Middle Tier?, Local Government Information Unit
Links: Report | NUT press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2012-Sep
A study identified research evidence on commissioning (or public service purchasing) in education, health, and/or social welfare; and investigated the impact of joint commissioning.
Source: Mark Newman, Mukdarut Bangpan, Naira Kalra, Nicholas Mays, Irene Kwan, and Tony Roberts, Commissioning in Health, Education and Social Care: Models, research bibliography and in-depth review of joint commissioning between health and social care agencies, Report 2007, EPPI-Centre (Institute of Education/University of London)
Date: 2012-Sep
An article said that a managerial agenda for change was seeking to amplify the space for marketization and control in the educational sphere in the European Union.
Source: Fatima Antunes, '"Tuning" education for the market in "Europe"? Qualifications, competences and learning outcomes: reform and action on the shop floor', European Educational Research Journal, Volume 11 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Sep
An article examined the involvement of business with the education sector, focusing on the development of the new diploma qualifications as part of 14–19 education reform in England. Diploma development represented an extreme manifestation of employer engagement. Employers were enthusiastic and committed: but it was open to question whether they were stretched beyond their capacity.
Source: Prue Huddleston and Andrea Laczik, 'Successes and challenges of employer engagement: the new diploma qualification', Journal of Education and Work, Volume 25 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the apparent promotion of school autonomy by the coalition government. The power shift was in reality destroying democratically elected local authority provision, and enhancing the power of central government to arbitrary levels. The rhetoric of the all-powerful head teacher in control of the school was contradicted by centrally determined priorities, and by the power of the media to represent the school to its community by performance tables. The autonomy given to schools was essentially operational, notably over admissions and curriculum: but it was constrained by league tables and government control of finance and service delivery contracts.
Source: Trevor Fisher, 'The myth of school autonomy: centralisation as the determinant of English educational politics', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 54 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article called for an urgent transformation of the school system. The system would implode as a result of a growing dislocation between what schools needed to achieve and the inadequate, if not damaging, practices forcefully promoted by increasing numbers of school leaders and politicians. An alternative culture of schooling was needed in which there was much less directed management of students' learning behaviours and far more challenge, and therefore growth.
Source: Geraldine Norman and Mark Moorhouse, 'The Stone Age didn't end because they ran out of stone: why our children can't wait much longer for a functional school system', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 54 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
An article examined the recent progress of 'co-operative schools' in England. Around 300 schools, both primary and secondary, had adopted co-operative values, in terms of governance, pedagogy, and curriculum, and come together as a movement. They had emerged from within a 'fissiparous ecology' of education that had given rise to new schools and networks, including academy schools, converter academies, free schools, trust schools, and specialized schools. These changes had all offered opportunities for co-operative alternatives to be established.
Source: Tom Woodin, 'Co-operative schools: building communities in the 21st century', FORUM: for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education, Volume 54 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Aug
A report called for the Department for Education to be radically slimmed down, and its powers devolved to new regional or sub-regional education commissioners. Government distrust of local authorities had led to excessive centralization that was 'not a rational or sustainable system'. The report set out the case for an educational 'middle tier' in which city mayors and regional or sub-regional authorities appointed commissioners to develop and steer a shared educational strategy.
Source: Robert Hill, The Missing Middle: The case for school commissioners – Developing a system of great schools in England, Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce
Links: Report | RSA press release | NUT press release
Date: 2012-Jul
A think-tank report said that private capital and the profit motive were needed to create widely replicated, low-margin, low-cost methods of education. The coalition government was wrong to exclude profit-making schools from its free schools programme, which might fail as a result.
Source: James Stanfield (ed.), The Profit Motive in Education: Continuing the revolution, Institute of Economic Affairs
Date: 2012-Jul
A commission report examined whether the school system in Scotland was meeting the present and future needs of young people. Scotland's schools offered a good and remarkably even quality of education: but their measured performance was 'not world leading'. Although Scotland had in place policies, such as Curriculum for Excellence, that potentially contained the seeds of significant improvement, it was not clear that it had developed the kind of change processes that would be required to deliver success.
Source: Commission on School Reform: Interim Report, Reform Scotland/Centre for Scottish Public Policy
Links: Report | Reform Scotland press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Jun
Researchers examined how local authorities in England were evolving and adapting their role to meet the needs of a more autonomous education system. They focused on three core responsibilities of the local authority in education: ensuring a sufficient supply of school places, tackling underperformance in schools, and supporting vulnerable children.
Source: Natalie Parish, Andrew Baxter, and Leigh Sandals, Action Research Into the Evolving Role of the Local Authority in Education, Research Report RR224, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Jun
A new book examined how to ensure that all children received the best education and social provision in inclusive school communities. It highlighted the links between early life and educational experiences; constructions of inclusion; an understanding of roles and responsibilities; and the power of agency in relation to inclusive school communities.
Source: Diana Tsokova and Jane Tarr, Diverse Perspectives on Inclusive School Communities, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
A new book examined new forms of governance in the public sector, with a focus on education and the increasingly important role of new philanthropy. It presented a new method for researching governance – network ethnography – that allowed identification of the increasing influence of finance capital and education businesses in policy and public service delivery.
Source: Stephen Ball and Carolina Junemann, Networks, New Governance and Education, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2012-May
The education inspectorate in Wales said that local authorities needed to take action to reduce the number of surplus places in primary and secondary schools across Wales. Surplus places tied up scarce resources that could be used to improve the quality of education for more learners.
Source: How Do Surplus Places Affect the Resources Available for Expenditure on Improving Outcomes for Pupils?, HM Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales
Links: Report | HMCIETW press release | WLGA press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-May
A report said that every single faith school proposed for fast-tracking through the opening process without competition in the previous five years had been approved. This 100 per cent success rate contrasted with the results of other schools trying to open without competition, fewer than one-half of which had been successful. When faith schools had faced competition from non-religious proposals, barely one-third had succeeded. These results revealed a system where religious groups were uniquely and reliably able to avoid allowing local parents the choice of a viable alternative.
Source: Freedom of Information Report on Organisation of Faith Schools in the Maintained Sector, British Humanist Association
Links: Report | BHA press release
Date: 2012-Apr
A report said that many 'free' schools had a negative impact on existing local schools – for example, in areas where there was already a surplus of school places or sufficient places to meet local need. There was also evidence that the views of local authorities were being ignored where they had raised concerns.
Source: Free Schools: A cause for concern – The impact of free schools on neighbouring schools, National Union of Teachers
Links: Report | NUT press release | AAA press release
Date: 2012-Apr
A report highlighted the role of local education authorities in shaping both education policy and its implementation. The authorities had a 'championing' role on behalf of vulnerable groups, and in empowering parents and families to support and challenge their school to improve continuously.
Source: Filling the Gap: The championing role of English councils in education, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers
Links: Report
Date: 2012-Apr
A survey examined the reasons why schools were becoming academies, the extent to which they were using academy freedoms to innovate to improve outcomes, and whether giving schools more autonomy was sufficient to drive innovation and improvement. Many academies were found to be innovating and striving to improve the quality of their education: but few were yet using their new autonomy to change their workforce or educational 'offer' radically.
Source: Dale Bassett, Gareth Lyon, Will Tanner, and Bill Watkin, Plan A+: Unleashing the potential of academies, Reform/The Schools Network
Links: Report | Reform press release | ATL press release | NUT press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Mar
A report said that chains of academies – groups of academies run by the same sponsor or trust as part of an overarching governance arrangement – were becoming an increasingly significant feature of the education landscape in England. This expansion was being driven by schools – or other educational establishments such as further education institutions – sponsoring other schools with the aim of extending their school improvement model and expertise.
Source: Robert Hill, John Dunford, Natalie Parish, Simon Rea, and Leigh Sandals, The Growth of Academy Chains: Implications for leaders and leadership, National College for School Leadership
Links: Report | NCSL press release | ASCL press release | ATL press release | NAHT press release
Date: 2012-Mar
A think-tank report said that the government should set up pilot schemes to test the effectiveness of 'social enterprise' schools. These would initially be located in the most deprived areas of the country, to get round the problem that 'full on profit making' in schools would be 'politically difficult' to introduce immediately. The schools would be set up and run by private companies, with 50 per cent of any surplus being distributed as a dividend to shareholders on an annual basis, while the remaining 50 per cent would have to be reinvested in the school.
Source: Andrew Laird and Justin Wilson, Social Enterprise Schools: A potential profit-sharing model for the state-funded school system, Policy Exchange
Links: Report | Policy Exchange press release | ATL press release | NUT press release | BBC report
Date: 2012-Feb
An article examined the broad features of three versions of localism ('centrally managed', 'laissez-faire', and 'democratic' localism) and their implications for upper secondary education and lifelong learning. It considered the strengths and limitations of the first two models, and suggested that the third had the potential to offer a more equitable way forward.
Source: Ann Hodgson and Ken Spours, 'Three versions of "localism": implications for upper secondary education and lifelong learning in the UK', Journal of Education Policy, Volume 27 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2012-Feb
