School oversight and getting to the point at last
Predictably, the Government is having to face the question of what to place in the yawning managerial gap between thousands of Academies and the Department for Education. Recent examples of Academies getting into financial trouble, or the school in Haringey refusing to ‘Academise’, highlight the vacuum left by the effective abolition of local education authorities.
There is talk of setting sub-regional schools commissioners as the new middle tier. But as someone who was the sole critical governor of a failing school for two years, I know only too well that under-performing schools often have strong support from pupils, parents and the wider community. In the face of such an alliance a Whitehall appointed civil servant would face major problems of legitimacy.
This is why there has also been talk of elected schools commissioners. This idea has its own problems. We will see what happens in the autumn with elected police commissioners, but given that the commissioners would be mere regulators not actual policy makers there is an obvious danger of weak candidates and low turnouts. More fundamentally, while the police protect us all, isn’t it rather odd having a vote among all electors for a post which is focussed on the concerns of that minority of adults with children in school?
Which brings us back to the council: Michael Gove is apparently dead set against local government having a role in school management, believing that councils failed when they did have this power. But what can the Secretary of State do about the legitimacy deficit?
As the number of Academies that require intervention rises, as it undoubtedly will, the pressure will grow for a departmental answer to this problem. As is often the case when logic meets ideology I predict a compromise. How about school commissioners appointed by Whitehall (so Mr Gove isn’t seen to give control ‘back’ to local authorities) but answerable for ensuring effective oversight of school management both to Whitehall and to local councillors (thus providing local legitimacy).
To some – particularly those who bemoan the abolition of LEAs – such a compromise will seem messy and opaque. Others – and I think I include myself – might come see it as a reasonable way of balancing national strategy, school freedom, and local democratic accountability.
There we are, only 380 words. I have rediscovered the blogger’s greatest virtue; brevity.
Every few weeks on this page I wallow in doubt and self-pity: just enough to elicit some kind words of encouragement from a loyal old friend, a random on-line altruist or my solicitous mother adopting an internet nom de plume. It’s another one of those days
Yesterday I posted the last in a series of pieces on entitlement and obligation. I am a blogger not a scholar, an amateur commentator not a proper intellectual, but roaming across the history of the welfare state, issues in political philosophy and current policy challenges, I thought perhaps I would break new ground.
By yesterday evening the concluding post had received less feedback than any others in the series. Seen now through the piercing eyes of rejection, it seems neither compelling nor original. My intellectual journey was meant to emerge into a newly discovered clearing in a remote jungle, instead I found myself in the local park having walked in contorted circles round a small copse next to the toddlers’ paddling pool.
So – for the time being at least – no more long, involved, multiple post discussions. People are busy, if I can’t get to the point in 500 words I should think of another subject.
Comments
3 Comments on School oversight and getting to the point at last
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Fiona Beddoes-Jones on
Wed, 11th Jan 2012 5:23 pm
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John Putt on
Thu, 12th Jan 2012 11:35 am
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Jonathan Carr-West on
Thu, 12th Jan 2012 2:17 pm
Dear Matthew,
You worry too much! As always your related posts were erudite, thought-provoking, balanced, fair, honest and bang-on-the-money. I personally didn’t respond for the following reasons, none of which have anything to do with the quality of your blogging!
1. It’s a busy time of year, I’m still playing catch-up
2. Whilst I forwarded them on to colleagues, I haven’t yet had a chance to read them in depth myself (I’m saving them as a treat …… after all, the discourse isn’t going to go away, so it’s not time sensitive in that sense)
3. I have a feeling that some of what you say relates to Steven Pinker’s Blank Slate, but I’m not certain as it’s sitting by my desk waiting for me to read it – so I wanted to read that 1st, and then I am much more likely to understand what you’re said and be able to take a multiple perspective approach to it / form my own opinions more cogently
4. Like (possibly) many of your readers I am slightly concerned about submitting a comment in a public forum under my real name and looking like a complete idiot because I’ve misread or misunderstood something fundamental
As I said, 4 quite valid reasons which are nothing to do with you …………
As a final word, can I suggest that your evident angst is a useful thing if it prompts us, your readers, into action, but not a useful thing if it prompts you to future inaction. So thanks for the prompt!
Please keep up the good work as they say!
Best wishes, Fiona
Matthew
Don’t worry about the lack of response & here are – possibly – a few ideas to help.
1. Tweet your posts out there & use relevant #s so for education try #ukedchat, #addcym, #edchat or #finnedchat or the like. Just keep tweeting & your followers with re-tweet and traffic on your blog will increase.
2. Create a Twitter chat about your blogs so that daily or maybe weekly at a certain hour the # will run a chat for others to join in. #rsachat might be good for a starter. I think people on Twitter like the chats as it can be rapid and engaging. People can use their phones/mobile devices as well. They have a focus – #ukedchat is prolific & on a Thursday from 8-9pm. It also has a poll for deciding on the topic.
3. Follow up the twitter chat with a blog post about the chat and this will get those who have tweeted to check it out especially if they get a mention for an interesting tweet.
4. Twitter is not a panacea but it has huge potential for sharing & learning with others.
I agree with the post about academies. I am really concerned about the fragmentation of education in the UK mostly in England though so we do really need to go back to the start on the whole thing.
Hope this helps.
John
In principle government has been committed to local authorities retaining a strong strategic role in education. Gove has said:
“in a more autonomous schools system, local authorities have a crucial role to play” in “championing parents and families, supporting vulnerable families and championing education excellence”.
though in practice there are questions about whether they can perform this role with the available powers e.g. they cannot direct admissions. There are also practical issues around cost and provision of support services in a more diverse system
i wonder though whether setting up alternative structures is the answer? flawed though their record may be councils do have capacity to perform this role and remain for now the only body out their with true democratic accountability (and surely the education of young people is in the interest of the whole community not just parents?)
Reform is difficult of course but just throwing a new layer of bureaucracy into the gap risks over complication ?
We (LGiU) did a quick piece on how this might work last autumn
https://member.lgiu.org.uk/whatwedo/Publications/Pages/schoolsystem.aspx
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