A helping hand for the Minister of Education !!

Dear Minister

Even though there is a lot of flannel , hype and spin about the current state of Education we are all acutely aware that things are pretty poor as illustrated by the standards of functional illiteracy in adults of working age ..... Statements such as every learner counts are laughable when one looks at the actual systems and funding in place to benefit those learners .. As I write this I am listening to Shane Warne speak ... the word.. Spin .. Spin ... Spin is in my head !!

Being a good old boy and something of a great sage (well certainly in the pub I drink in where functional illiteracy is deemed a positive!!) I am actually coming to you with the solution rather than a problem ...

The establishment I work in has just been Ofsted inspected and come away with a glowing report ... To be honest the inspectors hardly saw any of the lessons, didnt see any real selection of the teaching and were hardly in the classroom at all . Whilst we are pleased to have been rated highly .. surely Ofsted have let a lot of students down by actually failing to inspect more vigorously. It then dawned on me that the idea of Ofsted is to drive standards upward yet the real trend is declining standards.... If this was the private sector there would be a lot of heads rolling .... who is actually inspecting Ofsted ???

Not that I am hoping to create another tier of well paid jobs in Education for those who cannot
actually teach themselves for they are the main curse of the education system .... and many other public services to boot !!

I have had the pleasure of teaching alongside a great many colleagues ... many of whom I would class as being far better teachers than me . Personally, I deliver short intensive courses and my success is seen in exam results. From that angle I am doing well but the reality is that I am teaching to an examination and not as an educator. This is what the system wants but I doubt that it is in the best interests of the students. The problem that good and ambitious teachers have, is the fact that they can not self develope and progress their careers if they wish to remain as teachers . The more promotions you gain within the system the more you are removed from the classroom and the education of young people . If you flick through Educatonal supplements all the better paid jobs within the system involve running around with clipboards rather than actually teaching . Basically, good and ambitious teachers either leave the sector or get promoted to roles from which they are actually lost to the classroom ... Solution is simple mate !!! less clipboards and better rewards for those who excel as teachers .....

I am not saying there is no management requirement ... just less of it !!

On a recent short break in Dublin I read an article about the Irish health service which would be able to shelve thousands of jobs without having any direct effect on patients ... says it all really.

Final rant ... the LSC .. it is going soon .. good !! The way they apportion funding is an absolute scandal .... more interested in your ability to write a bid rather than your actual ability to deliver quality, accredited teaching . It will be interesting to see who gets to hold the purse strings next !!

If you read this and have views I would love to hear them
Regards
Shaun