Towards a High Excellence High Equity Education System

Towards a High Excellence, High Equity Education System The Association for Achievement and Improvement through Assessment National Conference Brighton, Tuesday 21 st September 2004 Professor David Hopkins Chief Adviser on School Standards, Df. ES

Policies to Drive School Improvement Intervention in inverse proportion to success Accountability Ambitious Standards High Challenge High Support Access to best practice and quality professional development Devolved responsibility Good data and clear targets

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575 550 525 500 475 450 425 400 375 350 325 300 Belize Morocco Kuwait Iran, Islamic Rep of Argentina Colombia Macedonia, Rep of Turkey Moldova, Rep of Cyprus Norway International Avg. Slovenia Israel Romania Iceland Slovak Republic Greece France Hong Kong SAR Russian Federation Singapore Scotland New Zealand Czech Republic Germany Italy United States Hungary Lithuania Canada (Ontario, Quebec) Latvia Bulgaria England Netherlands Sweden Distribution of Reading Achievement in 9 -10 year olds in 2001 Source: PIRLS 2001 International Report: IEA’s Study of Reading Literacy Achievement in Primary Schools

Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in Key Stage 2 tests 1998 -2004 English 80 Maths Percentage 75 70 65 60 55 50 1998 1999 2000 2001 Test changes in 2003 • Major changes to writing test/markscheme • Significant changes to maths papers 2002 2003 2004

Key Stage 3 Test Results 100 80 English 60 Maths Science 40 ICT* 20 0 2001 %L 5 2001 %L 6 2002 %L 5 2002 %L 6 2003 %L 5 2003 %L 6 2004 target 2007 target * based on teacher assessment

GCSE: Percentage of pupils achieving 5+A*-C grades 54 52. 9 51. 6 52 49. 2 Percentage 50 50 2000 Year 2001 47. 9 48 46. 3 46 45. 1 44 42 40 1997 1998 1999 2002 2003

PISA 2001: Mean Score in Student Performance on the Combined Reading Literacy Scale Finland Canada New Zealand Australia Ireland Korea United Kingdom Japan Sweden Iceland Belgium Austria Norway France United States Denmark Switzerland Spain Czech Republic Italy Germany Hungary Poland Greece Portugal Luxembourg Mexico 300 320 340 360 380 400 420 440 460 480 500 520 540 560 Source: OECD, Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

• Mean performance in reading literacy Towards a High Excellence, High Equity Education System 560 540 • High excellence • Low equity • High excellence • Finland • High equity • U. K. 520 • • Belgium U. S. 500 • Canada • Japan • Spain • Germany • Switzerland • Poland 480 • Korea 460 440 • Low excellence • High equity • Low excellence • Low equity 420 60 80 100 120 140 • 200 – Variance (variance OECD as a whole = 100) Source: OECD (2001) Knowledge and Skills for Life

Achieving the High Excellence, High Equity System National Prescription High Excellence, High Equity Schools Leading Reform a b Personalised Learning c

Real Clarity of Purpose • Personalised learning, enriched curriculum, whole child • Strong institutions committed to excellence and equity • A synchronised system generating its own momentum for reform • The whole enterprise capturing the heads and minds of the nation

Adding value to the learning journey I know what my learning objectives are and feel in control of my learning I get to learn lots of interesting and different subjects I can get a level 4 in English and Maths before I go to secondary school I know what good work looks like and can help myself to learn I know if I need extra help or to be challenged to do better I will get the right support My parents are involved with the school and I feel I belong here I can work well with and learn from many others as well as my teacher I enjoy using ICT and know how it can help my learning I know how I am being assessed and what I need to do to improve my work I can get the job that I want All these …. whatever my background, whatever my abilities, wherever I start from

Personalisation and Personalised Learning Personalisation has the potential to transform public services, but to unlock that potential the idea needs to involve the integration of two key, and contrasting, approaches: • Teachers and educational professionals must deploy their knowledge and skills in a timely and effective way to provide a more differentiated ‘offer’ for the student. • At the same time the system must build up the knowledge and confidence of students (and their parents) to take responsibility for their own learning.

The Five Components of Personalised Learning Assessment for Learning Inner Core Effective Teaching and Learning Curriculum Enrichment and Choice Personalising the School Experience Organising the School for Personalised Learning Beyond the Classroom “We need to engage parents and pupils in a partnership with professional teachers and support staff to deliver tailor made services – to embrace individual choice within as well as between schools and to make it meaningful through public sector reform that gives citizens voice and professional flexibility” (David Miliband, 18 May 2004)

The School as a Personalised Learning Organisation PMDU claim that a school effective at Personalised Learning focuses on: • Focus on leadership and management of teaching and • • • learning CPD including peer observation and coaching Making full use of the Primary / KS 3 Strategies Focusing improvement activity on evidence of performance Making use of workforce reforms and new technologies Networks and collaboration to support school improvement

New Relationship with Schools: Purpose David Miliband, Minister for Schools, 9 January 2004: “a new relationship between Df. ES, LEA and schools that: • strips out clutter and duplication • aligns national and local priorities • releases greater local initiative and energy”.

The Main Changes • SELF-EVALUATION • • • “continuous, searching, objective … how students progress and how core systems are working” INSPECTION “short and focussed review of the fundamentals of a school’s performance and systems …. every 3 years … very short notice” SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PARTNER “credible practitioner … in many cases with current or recent secondary headship experience … a critical friend” SINGLE CONVERSATION “about school’s priorities, targets, support needs…. reduce multiple accountabilities … reengineer Df. ES and LEA programmes” PROFILE “reflecting the breadth and depth of what schools do” DATA “collected once, used many times” COMMUNICATIONS “information that schools need, when they need … Amazon-style online ordering”

System Wide Reform tt o en oll en ho m Sc ove pr pr m IIm Te ac Le hi ar ng ni a ng nd Personalised Learning

Core Principles – System Wide Reform • Be based on clear values – a commitment to the success of • • • every learner Develop a system that is coherent for learners at every level Build front-line capacity by developing power and resources to the local level Establish an intelligent accountability framework Strengthen diversity, collaboration and innovation Develop local and regional capacity for professional support and challenge

PERSONALISED LEARNING Learning Classrooms Learning Schools Learning Systems Assessment for Learning Pupils have personal targets based on data and dialogue involving learners, parents, teachers and mentors Marking policies and schemes of work promote formative assessment Fit for purpose systems are available to collect and make intelligent use of data linking it to teaching and learning Teaching, Learning and ICT Lessons build on the learner’s knowledge and multiple intelligence. Learning skills taught explicitly. ICT enhances creativity, extends opportunities and accommodate different paces ITT and CPD equip staff in schools with the skills to match teaching to the needs of learners Choice of learning goals across the curriculum with minimum entitlements Freedoms and flexibilities within the curriculum explicit and reengineered key stage strategies with tools and materials to support Af. L Enabling Curriculum Choice Enquiry into subjects through self directed project based work Organising the School Personalised ‘tutorial’ where learners discuss progress and learning needs with a consistent adult Pupils and parents have a strong voice and their needs are at the heart of the school Empowered leaders within a culture which enables Professional judgment to be exercised to best meet the needs of every child. Networking and engaging with the community Work inside and outside the classroom valued and developed cohesively Parents and carers proactively involved and the school leasing with local agencies and organisations Infrastructure to support networks and collaborations and the sharing of good practice in place. New wider accountabilities from Every Child Matters.

A Five Year Strategy for Children & Learners Putting people at the heart of public services

The Five Priorities • Supporting the education & welfare of the whole child • Continuing the drive in primary education • Widening choice & increasing achievement in secondary & Further Education • Reducing the historic deficit in adult skills • Sustaining an excellent university sector

Key Principles for Reform • Greater personalisation & choice • Opening up services and new ways of delivery • Freedom & independence • A major commitment to staff development • Partnerships

Primary Education Excellence and Enjoyment for every primary child • The best in the basics • Better teaching & more personalised support for each child whatever their needs • • A richer curriculum Primary consultant leaders Extended schools offering wrap around childcare National system of primary networks

Independent Specialist Schools More choice for parent and pupils; independence for schools • Guaranteed 3 -year budgets for every school from 2006 • Universal specialist schools and greater freedom for all • • secondary schools A ‘new relationship with schools’ 200 Academies by 2010 ‘Foundation Partnerships’ and greater flexibility to combine school, college & work-based training Every secondary school to be refurbished or rebuilt over the next 10 – 15 years

Personalisation and Choice Every young person achieving their full potential • • A smooth transition from primary to secondary Teaching based on knowledge of individual pupils (Af. L) CPD and workforce reform focussed on teaching and learning Better management of behaviour and inclusion, step-change in school attendance with schools at the heart of their communities • Improved vocational & work-based routes (14 -19), with better & earlier employer involvement • Every young person able to develop the skills they need for employment & for life

‘It is teachers who, in the end, will change the world of the school by understanding it. ’ A quotation from Lawrence Stenhouse chosen by some teachers who had worked with him as an inscription for the memorial plaque in the grounds of the University of East Anglia.