It was so refreshing to revisit one’s belief that we should be offering our children joy in learning, encouraging their creativity and their awareness of the world around and outside school and that they should be listened to (“Our schools have to change”, special report).
As a retired teacher, I was cheering every word, but I did have one reservation. The freewheeling schools that Peter Hyman refers to – his own School 21 and others abroad – could come across as “special”, whereas there are already many schools where the ideals that all dedicated teachers live by are not ignored, despite the constraints forced upon them.
There are many good teachers out there, working for social cohesion and educational excellence. My dream is that we can forget the term “special” and aim for a more integrated state system. Our current system has become fragmented with free schools, faith schools, academies and, of course, private schools. Unfortunately, Mrs May’s pet project of grammar schools will only serve to sustain this division. And the leaning towards the right in politics generally doesn’t augur well for progressive thought at the moment.
Thank you for an article that was like a breath of fresh air and a reminder that we must speak up for what we believe in – a liberal, honest, unconstrained learning environment that values all our children. They are the future. Let them be heard.
Janet Power
Lustleigh
Devon
Concerns that Ofsted focuses solely on data are not new. Peter Hyman’s school, however, seems to prove that data is not the be all and end all for Ofsted. School 21 was inspected in 2014, when it had four year groups and none of the pupils had sat any public tests or examinations, so it had no official data. The school was rated outstanding in all areas.
It is hard to hear Mr Hyman speak of his concerns about “rapid inspections, brutal judgments” and “a them-and-us culture” when his school’s website takes a much more even-handed approach to inspection. I quote: “The rigorous two-day inspection was carried out by three inspectors, led by an experienced HMI who observed lessons, interviewed children, parents, teachers and governors, looked at student work and examined all of our policies and data.”
That sounds like a thorough inspection, taking into account all aspects of the school’s life. Here at Ofsted we are aware that data is only one part of a school’s story – a signpost, not the destination for inspection. Where a school has official data, it can be a useful starting point but, as School 21 proves, it is by no means the whole story.
Sean Harford
National director, Education, Ofsted
Manchester
Unlike the government, Peter Hyman understands that education has a purpose beyond league tables and test scores; he also understands that current educational policies are failing to meet the future needs of our children and the potential for engaging pupils in ways that motivate them to learn the skills and develop the characteristics they will need in adulthood.
That doesn’t mean he necessarily has all the answers. For example, a system in which innovation is the job of free schools and regional schools commissioners is unlikely to achieve the same outcomes as a system led by a clear strategy to maximise and equalise the life chances of our children.
Rescue Our Schools is a parent campaign group, established in response to the government’s education white paper in March 2016. We campaign for a system that is fairly funded, locally accountable and focused on the needs of children rather than league tables.
As parents, we witness the struggles our children have on a daily basis with a curriculum in which test scores matter more than learning and outputs more than wellbeing. We see the toll that current educational policy is taking on their teachers and school leaders.
Emma Bishton, Anne Clarke, Jonny Crawshaw, Madeleine Holt, Issi Nash
Rescue Our Schools
Colchester
