Nick Gibb

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Janet Downs: The consultation didn’t finish until 16 April but schools minister talks as if the National Curriculum is already set in stone

Will there be any additional funding for continuing professional development and classroom resources to support implementing the new National Curriculum? That was the question asked by Tory MP, Craig Whittaker yesterday. But the consultation about the proposed curriculum only finished last week. Surely there hasn’t been sufficient time to read and analyse all the submissions? That didn’t stop schools minister, Elizabeth Truss, ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Tubby - I've no idea why cross-curricular themes were dropped. There was this announcement (sometime in the early 90s I think) about cross-curricular themes being "glue". I was given the dubious title of "i/c cross-curricular themes" and did ......"

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Francis Gilbert: Will the EBacc lead to a narrowing of the curriculum? Ex school minister wants to bring back 1908 exams…

I debated the issue of the English Baccalaureate at the Spectator's schools conference this week with the ex-schools minister Nick Gibb, an Oxford classicist, and Anthony Seldon. The debate was perhaps most notable for the argument I had with Nick Gibb, which I've already blogged about here. The substance of it is worth considering in depth because I believe it ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Francis Gilbert: "Thanks for informing us about this, I'll look into this, and yes, I would be interested in knowing more, I'll email you!..."

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Janet Downs: EBacced down – but it’s time to build a broad consensus about exams and not crow about U turns

Plans for English Baccalaureate Certificates (EBCs) have been abandoned following intense criticism from state and independent schools, business leaders, unions, academics, subject organisations, ex-schools minister Sir Kenneth Baker, Ofqual and the Education Select Committee. Stephen Twigg described the decision as a humiliating climb down for Michael Gove. But ex-schools minister Nick Gibb said the change in policy was a “tweak”. GCSE ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "Benefits of web 2.0 technology: 1. Very, very cheap because you set up the criteria and let it run (with accrediting centeres ben inspected) - see the costing structure of the modern baccalaureate for example. 2. Easy to make it wrap around ......"

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Janet Downs: Out-of-date figures used to support exam reform – not such a “brilliant” speech

“A 2012 survey by the CBI…found that 42% of businesses were not satisfied with the literacy of school leavers who joined them, and 35% were not satisfied with the maths ability of school leavers,” said ex-schools minister, Nick Gibb, in a speech described as “brilliant” by Education Secretary, Michael Gove. But are these figures correct? In 2012, the number of businesses expressing ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Exploring Michael Gove’s Daily Mail rant | Kenichi's Blog: "[...] clear actual levels. Similarly, businesses are clearly not completely satisfied, but it’s improving – in 2011 42% of businesses were concerned about literacy, in 2012 it was down to 35%. [...]..."

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Janet Downs: The Commons EBacc debate – a mixed serving with piquant side dishes

This week’s debate on exam reform went something like this: The first course: a substantial soup served by Stephen Twigg. It contained familiar ingredients: concerns about a narrowed curriculum, the rushed timetable and a lack of consensus seasoned with strong body of opposition. The second course: rather thin gruel from David Laws. It contained a promise that the reformed exams for 16 ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Tubby Isaacs: "A very good point about study without examination. Has Gove any idea what the people who aren't going to do A levels will be doing?..."

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Janet Downs: Harder tests for trainee teachers – should ministers and MPs pass a similar test?

The Government has just announced tougher tests for prospective teachers in order, it says, to raise the status of profession. So would the status of MPs be raised if they, too, were subjected to rigorous tests before taking their seats? This is how ministers, advisers and officials at the Department of Education (DfE) would have done in the following exam: Numeracy Question 1: ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Melissa - thank for alerting me to the TES article. I've given the link below and also the link to a thread on this site which published FullFact's revelations two weeks ago. The DfE hadn't commented when the TES article ......"

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Janet Downs: Statistics watchdog expresses concern about DfE use of the PISA 2000 figures

After a campaign lasting nearly two years, FullFact has seen a letter from Andrew Dilnot, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, which gives concerns about the use by the Department for Education (DfE) of the flawed figures from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests for the UK in 2000. In December 2010, FullFact published its misgivings about a DfE ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Paul Brown: "Thankyou Janet. The bristol paper is quite good at first glance although they are concerned with gcse results. They fit a model which has some of the factors I mentioned plus some others. I'll print it off and read it on ......"

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Janet Downs: Ministers fail comprehension test – cited evidence supporting synthetic phonics doesn’t actually do so.

The teaching of systematic synthetic phonics is “the proven best way to teach early reading”. This was enshrined in the Education White Paper and is constantly repeated by ministers. “Research shows clearly that phonics is the best way to teach young children to read,” said new education minister, Elizabeth Truss, in a written answer to a Conservative MP who must have ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "In coversations around this time I remember discussing but struggling to explain transliterated phonics and the silent way. I found this nice video of it in action today and thought readers might be interested. Essentially in reading using the silent ......"

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Janet Downs: Majority of the 24 free schools that opened in 2011 have a lower proportion of children eligible for free school meals than local average, DfE figures reveal.

The Guardian broke the story in April although it didn’t receive much publicity in other papers: “At least three-quarters of the coalition's flagship free schools have admitted a lower proportion of deprived pupils than is average for their wider neighbourhood.” Only one of six secondary free schools, Kings Science Academy, Bradford, had the same proportion of pupils (23.5%) eligible for free ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Ben Taylor: "How far could a proposed curriculum in a school dissuade applications from certain types of pupil? Probably many children and parents who applied to WLFS wanted something different than what was on offer elsewhere. So for some the curriculum in ......"

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Janet Downs: Gove blames media for not praising English school leaders

Secretary of State, Michael Gove, praised English head teachers at the annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) on Saturday. His admiration of NAHT general secretary Russell Hobby and his colleague Kathy James was so fulsome that Mr Hobby joked later that he thought it was a ruse to make NAHT members distrust him. Mr Gove quoted a ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Rebecca Hanson: "I'm not confident that all the very able and dedicated heads who've had ignorant and bullying Ofsted teams turn up to label them and everything about their schools as being failing while systematically ignoring all the incredible things they have ......"

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