The world of schools is constantly changing. With a new government comes new policies and initiatives. Many of the latest proposals could fundamentally affect what schools teach and how. In the next two years there will be a new curriculum, new ways of training teachers and new funding arrangements. Schools will no longer have specialisms, their community facing work will be optional and there may be a move away from personalised learning. All these things could affect opportunities for museums to work with schools.
Hot issues:
Curriculum reform: The Government is revising the national curriculum for a phased in introduction of new programmes of study across 2013 and 2014.
Pupil premium: The pupil premium gives schools more funding for children from low-income homes. Since this is a re-allocation of funding, schools with children from more affluent homes will have reduced budgets.
Academies: The Government is encouraging outstanding schools to become Academies which would mean they were state funded independent schools. As independent schools, they could determine their own curriculum as well as commission all their own services.
Teaching Schools: The Education White Paper outlined government plans for teacher training and introduced the idea of “Teaching Schools” along the lines of Teaching Hospitals.
On-going issues:
The following on-going issues might provide a basis for partnership working with a school:
- Transition: As children move to the next Key Stage or move between schools, there are well documented issues around continuity and progression.
- Boy’s writing: Despite many initiatives, outcomes for boys in literacy still lag behind those of girls. The National Literacy Trust has many articles on this issue.
Websites:
- Department for Education
- The news section of the TES. Full copy is online but it is easier to see the headlines in the paper version.
- The National College for Teaching and Leadership is aimed at Heads and senior management in schools so provides an insight into the hot topics.
- The SSAT (Specialist Schools and Academies Trust) Media Centre and School Leaders sections offer topical insight on secondary education. Their Leading Edge Partnership Programme is a good way to keep up-to-date on current thinking on good practice.
- The Cambridge Primary Review Team have continued their website and are now developing a national network.
- OFSTED: for their news and research
- NFER (National Foundation For Educational Research ): for their research reports
