Michael Gove

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Janet Downs: Moving backwards to the East – but the East is moving on

Once again Mr Gove shows he is moving away from the high-performing countries he admires. He extolled their curricula but was out-of-step with their proposals. He said he had researched international exam systems so that England could have a system which equals the world’s best but his ideas disregard what these countries are doing (see FAQs above). He has praised ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Funnily enought that's exactly the same point I was making to Nick Gibb today at ACME. I asked him how it was that the government had analysed maths curriculums of the best countries in the world - Finland where maths ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Does anyone in the education system actually believe Gove knows anything?

Michael Gove's latest attack on teachers and school governors is unprecedented for an Education Secretary. Sure, we've had Secretaries of State who have enjoyed taking pot shots at the unions and at teachers at times, but Michael Gove's aggressive assaults on the profession are unique, not only in their wide-ranging nature, but also in their wrong-headedness. His latest barrage of ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Thank you for the complement John. I've taken care to distill out the elements of how I worked with Erica to help anyone who is facing a similar situation achieve the same end and that blog is here: http://mathseducationandallthat.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ten-hours-with-erica-recommendations.html The ......"

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Janet Downs: Academies have freedom to force unacceptable conditions of service on teachers – and that’s a good thing, according to Secretary of State

Teachers in local authority (LA) maintained schools are “held back by the terms and conditions, the restrictive practices, which work against children’s welfare,” said Michael Gove. What are these unacceptable “terms and conditions”? Could it be the hours that teachers work? The OECD found that in England working hours in teaching are already “fairly long compared to many other OECD countries”* ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "In Finland it is expected that teachers will also be enthusiastic learners and will therefore be role models for their students to help them also become so. So teachers need time to be able to explore and nurture their wider interests. ......"

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Janet Downs: From praised academic to professor toadying favour with Labour party – this is the fate of experts who fail to give the required answers. What does this tell us about Gove?

In a speech launching the National Curriculum Review Mr Gove said that the expert panel would contain “some of the most innovative and inspiring education academics currently working in this country.” One of these experts was Professor Mary James who was quoted by Stephen Twigg, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, in the House of Commons on 18 June. Mr Twigg ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "It's quite shocking that Gove has denigrated Mary James in this way. She's the President of the British Educational Research Association, BERA, (http://www.bera.ac.uk/) which prides itself upon its scholarship and painstaking analysis of evidence. The trouble is that Gove probably ......"

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Janet Downs: How much more misleading data will Gove and the DfE publish?

Time and again the Local Schools Network has exposed misrepresentation by Secretary of State, Michael Gove, and the Department for Education. Here are ten examples: 1 Academies perform better than other schools – not true. 2 Converter academies drive up standards – evidence doesn’t exist. 3 Maths standards have fallen over 30 years – Gove misled Commons. 4 Standard of food in academies is ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "I wonder if the West London Free School will link to the Spectator article on their website. There are usually links to Young's articles, blogs and so on and the website's doing a splendid job in promoting his book ......"

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Janet Downs: Evidence underpinning Gove’s claim about converter academies driving up standards does not exist, DfE admits

"Academy converters and free schools are helping to drive up standards for all children, particularly the most disadvantaged," Mr Gove told the Education Select Committee on 31 January 2012. On 9th March I submitted a Freedom of Information Request asking for the evidence which underpinned this statement. On 2nd May I received a belated reply. The Department for Education (DfE) appeared ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Allan Beavis: "Quite right Sarah. There is no evidence "yet"? How long do we have to wait for something that has failed in countries that adopted this way before Gove did? The problem Gove has is that those countries which have versions of ......"

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Allan Beavis: Michael Gove welcomes Michelle Rhee, one of America’s most controversial, infamous and questionable school reformers into British school

Michael Gove, in his Spectator speech the other day, said that he had been eager to find out more about educational transformation in other countries including Sweden, Finland, Singapore, Shanghai (not a country, but never mind) Florida and Michelle Rhee's Washington DC. I don’t know whether he has ever invited Finland’s Pasi Sahlberg over to introduce the Finnish model as ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by roslyn: "As a parent I cant believe Michael Goves judgement. Scary. Is he bored of Katherine Birbalsingh or something?..."

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Janet Downs: Gove looks to New Orleans for inspiration – but is the comparison valid?

New Orleans’ schools that survived Hurricane Katrina were closed indefinitely by the City authorities. Many teachers, who had suffered themselves in the disaster, tried to enter schools to clean up but were met by armed guards, TES reports. The state intervened, reopened the schools using the Charter model and sacked all existing teachers who were replaced by young, idealistic college graduates. ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/parent_governor_at_woodside_high..."

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Janet Downs: Scrap GCSEs altogether and have a graduation diploma at 18 – that’s the system in most of the world’s top-performers in international league tables.

Mr Gove wants the English exam system to be as good as the world’s best. He suggests that GCSE should be replaced by a two-tier system similar to the one abolished by the Conservatives twenty-five years ago. He has already said he wants to reform ‘A’ levels. But how common is this two-tier system in the world’s top-performing countries? It isn’t ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Alan Gurbutt: "We need practical skills, but labels vocational and academic are too divisive. Many high status occupations such as medical doctors have vocational content but are considered to be academic, yet the National Minimum Wage for apprentices is only £2.60 per ......"

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Fiona Millar: Gove is the real enemy of promise

I have written my own piece on the subject of Gove's O level plans in the Guardian today, explaining why he is the real "enemy of promise". The Secretary of State likes use this term to  damn his opponents but he is the one who yearns for a system from yesteryear that will entrench failure and cap aspirations. The international ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Ajay: "What were the mechanics of the cootiprurn of science teaching? You are mistaken if you think that the changes in science have been driven by teachers. Science teachers are simply trying their best to impliment the constant flow of ......"

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