Incoming chief inspector of schools says it is a scandal that pressure on schools to perform means some are moving pupils off GCSE courses
Ofsted is to launch a major investigation into schools accused of “gaming the system” by moving out pupils who would drag down their GCSE results, the incoming chief inspector of schools will announce on Friday.
Making her first keynote speech in her new role, Amanda Spielman will say it is “nothing short of a scandal” that schools are entering pupils for non-academic qualifications in order to boost their performance data, because they are under pressure to perform well in league tables.
There is more to a good education than league tables, she will say. “Vitally important though a school’s examination results are, we must not allow curricula to be driven just by Sats, GCSEs and A-levels. It is the substance of education that ultimately creates and changes life chances, not grade stickers from exams,” she is expected to say.
Addressing the annual conference of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) in Birmingham, Spielman will announce a major Ofsted investigation into how well schools are using the curriculum to provide children with a broad education.
She is expected to say that the pressures of accountability are prompting some schools to try to game the system and will highlight the conflict between a headteacher’s desire to give pupils the right education for their future success and the desire to improve the school’s league table position.
“We know that there are some schools that are narrowing the curriculum, using qualifications inappropriately, and moving out pupils who would drag down results,” she will tell the conference. “That is nothing short of a scandal.
“Childhood isn’t deferrable; young people get one opportunity to learn in school and we owe it to them make sure they all get an education that is broad, rich and deep. There is more to a good education than league tables.”
Her speech follows a warning from Ofsted’s national director of education, Sean Harford, that some schools are entering large numbers of pupils for non-academic qualifications, which may not be in the best interests of pupils, simply to enhance their performance data.
School inspectors are also being advised look at whether schools have “off-rolled’’ pupils who might have brought down GCSE results by checking if the number on roll in each year group has decreased significantly by Year 11.
School leaders are likely to welcome the new Ofsted chief’s comments about the pressures of accountability, which is a key concern. The ASCL conference is also likely to focus on growing funding pressures in schools.
A new survey by ASCL reveals that headteachers are being forced to increase class sizes, axe GCSE and A-level courses and cut mental health and special needs support for pupils because of a lack of funds.
School trips, after-school clubs, sports fixtures and summer schools are being cancelled, while school premises are falling into disrepair, IT equipment is out-of-date and schools are unable to buy text books for new GCSE courses, the report claims.
Eight out of 10 respondents (82%) who took part in the survey said they had increased their class sizes in the past year because they had fewer staff. A fifth said there were an extra six to 10 pupils in a class, while some classes exceeded 40 pupils.
More than seven in 10 (72%) of those in schools teaching GCSEs or vocational courses for 14- to 16-year-olds said courses had been dropped in the past 12 months, while in sixth forms 79% said A-level courses were being cut because of funding shortages.
Of those who reported cuts to GCSE courses, 44% said design and technology (DT) had been lost; other casualties were performing arts courses (26%), music (18%), German (18%), art and design options (16%), drama (14%), Spanish (8%) and French (6%). At A-level, again it was DT (41%), followed by music (39%) and German (37%).
The report, published on Friday, paints a bleak picture of the impact of funding pressures on England’s schools and comes after parents and teachers were disappointed by Wednesday’s budget, which prioritised free schools and new grammar schools.
“Over the last six years, we have made significant ‘efficiency savings’ and the school is starting to creak with all staff working to full capacity,” one school leader told ASCL. “Despite this, our projected budget indicates a £1.4m deficit by 2020.”
“The pupils entering this school in 2017 will have a vastly inferior deal,” said another.
“We are moving to bare bones education; if they haven’t been already, all of the components that made education special and enjoyable are being eroded away,” said another.
Teachers are particularly concerned about the loss of pastoral and mental health support in schools as headteachers seek savings – 58% said special needs support had been affected while 50% said mental health support had been reduced.
One school leader told ASCL: “The number of students with complex needs, including mental health conditions, is rising and we have had to cut the provision to support them. This has often only added to their distress and has made it more difficult for them to engage with their learning.”
Malcolm Trobe, the interim general secretary of ASCL, said the survey showed the impossible choices school leaders were having to make.
“Reduced budgets means fewer staff and, with fewer staff, class sizes have to increase. Schools cannot sustain the level of support they provide to pupils, or the range of subject options and enrichment activities.
“The impact on mental health support is particularly worrying at a time when the incidence of mental health problems among young people is rising and local health services are overwhelmed and under-resourced.”
The government says spending on schools is at a record high. But schools say rising costs of national insurance and pensions contributions, as well as the introduction of the apprenticeship levy next month, are eroding budgets.
The National Audit Office, meanwhile, has warned that schools will have to find savings of £3bn by 2019-20.
[“source-theatlantic”]
