The publication of the Nuffield Review of 14-19 education and training this week has produced fewer headlines than it should. This is, by any standards, an impressive piece of work; it took six years to complete, cost £1m and is a weighty, authoritative tome. I have ordered my copy, but the response from Government thus far has been deafening. Why? Almost certainly it’s because it is saying things which the Government doesn’t want to hear, such as that ‘choice’ in the state sector is a myth and causes more problems not less, that the curriculum is too narrow, that ‘teaching to the test’ has become the norm...and so on - at least if the papers are to be believed!

I shall enjoy reading the review - probably in Thailand - and giving it the time it needs. I hope politicians of all parties will do likewise because it is essential that policy is based upon research. We have got to where we are because research and practitioners have been ignored for far too long. We desperately need much more coherence in the system - how many people know the difference between Trust Schools, Academies or Specialist Schools for instance? Without that overall coherence the division between ‘Good’ Schools and ‘Poor’ Schools can only increase. If a school ends up with the children nobody wants and the teachers nobody wants it’s hardly a surprise if it doesn’t do very well! As I leave the UK educational scene I do hope that a new Government (of whichever complexion) will listen to the profession and seek to build a better, more integrated system.
 

For those of us of a certain age, the last few weeks have reminded us inexorably of 1978/9 and 1996/97; a Government tottering towards the end of its term, its MPs ‘willing to wound yet afraid to strike’ and an Opposition which knows its time is coming. The outcome is certain, the only uncertainty being just how badly Labour will lose! In the recession of 1993, the ruling party in Canada went into a General Election with a majority and emerged with 2 MPs!

In Education change is certainly needed; we are now seeing the results of some of the failings of policy and their long-term effects. The recession has highlighted the dangers of having a National Curriculum which has so badly failed to provide effective Vocational Education. This coming year will undoubtedly see graduate unemployment rise; what price 50% of the cohort going to University now? All of these issues have been highlighted for me by the visit of Godfrey Kiganga from Uganda over the past fortnight. His view from one of the poorest countries is invariably clear and free from jargon. He knows how important Vocational Education is because without practical skills there may be no future for his pupils. There’s no Jobseeker’s allowance in Jinja! Here we greet statements of the obvious as if brought down by Moses from Mt Sinai. Two recent examples are research projects which revealed that children taught badly do worse than children taught well and that a bright child from a deprived background in a poor school will do less well than in a good school! As I have written before, there are plenty of examples of good practice from around the world if we would take notice of them and, indeed, in Independent Schools in the UK if the Government would acknowledge us as a strength rather than an embarrassment. The first thing we must do is create a curriculum which enables all children to see Education as a worthwhile activity, both in itself and as a means to a better future.
 

Dear Parents

The arrival of Spring has been welcome in School and cricket has suddenly appeared in the playground. Of course for our Public Examination candidates the appearance of leaves on the trees means that the rehearsals are over and the performances about to begin! The module results received earlier this month were encouraging and many of the U6 are in a strong position to achieve the results they need to enter some top Universities. The latest Financial Times ‘Top 1000 Schools’ saw JLS placed at 80, which is outstanding. As you know I am sceptical of ‘League Tables’, but if we have to have them then the kind of detailed analysis which the FT undertakes gives their tables validity. I am confident the boys will be successful over the coming months; the staff prepare them very well and there is a strong sense of purpose. Do support them sensitively-they are well aware of what is riding on these exams and too much pressure and stress is counterproductive.

Rehearsals of course have been much in evidence for our musicians and actors. Unusually, the performances will be taking place after the end of term! It is a marvellous opportunity for the boys to be performing with The Black Dyke Band one of the world’s great ensembles. Oklahoma! will be a similarly uplifting experience. For the U6 boys in the cast it represents the end of an era in that they joined JLS at the same time as Miss Gibbs. The whispers from rehearsal and the preview in Assembly indicate that this show will be spectacular even by our high standards. I look forward to seeing many of you at these events which are indicative of the school’s commitment to excellence in all it does.

The Art Department has made excellent use of the new Gallery space with exhibitions running throughout the term. It has brightened up the School considerably and it is good for the boys to see their work displayed so professionally.

The Football Season ended with a Sportsmen’s Dinner at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Similarly there is much to celebrate, not least the marvellous run of the U15 team to the semi-final of the ISFA Sheppard Rensburg Cup. It was a terrific day out for the boys and they acquitted themselves so well, with the game in the balance until the final minute of the game. As Manchester Grammar School won the final 3:0 the boys can take some solace from having pushed them so hard. Of course there was bitter disappointment on the day but also a real sense of achievement. The 1st XI had an excellent second half of the season, with the 3:2 win over UCS a highlight and a 3:3 draw with St Pauls. I enjoy watching all our teams play because there is a palpable sense of enjoyment and an emphasis on developing skills. We like to win but we know that learning to play in the right way will produce the best results eventually. There has been notable success in other sports too. The U16 Badminton team performed well throughout the season and won the Borough Championship and our Archery team regained the Silver Arrow from Harrow. The House Swimming Galas were very competitive too.

To celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Darwin’s birth we had a week of cross-curricular activities in School. The boys responded very positively to all the different tasks and certainly learned a great deal from the experience. It was a good example of the kind of innovative, creative teaching and learning which lies at the heart of a successful School.

Outside of the classroom, in addition to the all the activities mentioned above, boys have been on Duke of Edinburgh Expeditions, Physics trips and lectures including the National Particle Physics Masterclass at Oxford University, UCAS visits, a visit to Hampton Court, theatre trips and had the opportunity to participate in many clubs. During the holiday trips are going to Normandy and the Far East.

Can I conclude with some items of housekeeping. Term begins for ALL pupils on MONDAY 20th APRIL to catch up for the snow days.

Please use the cashless card system in Whites – it helps speed up the service and it prevents too much money being around the School.

Our first block fixture for cricket is against Berkhamsted on 25th April. Replies for the next South Africa tour need to be in as soon as possible.

It has been good to see many of you at Parents’ Evenings through the term; thank you for all your good wishes for the move to Bangkok. Before that however my eldest son is getting married on 17th April so that will keep me busy over the holiday. Enjoy what I hope will be a very spring-like break with your sons.

Yours sincerely

Kevin Riley
 

A new year, a new term and much to consider; it promises to be an interesting year in all sorts of ways!! It was Benjamin Disraeli who famously said: ‘There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.’ I was reminded of that by a thoughtful article by Peter Mortimore in this week’s Guardian; he contrasts the Government’s responses to different international reports such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) and Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) dependent on whether the news for education in the UK is good or bad. I suppose we should not be surprised that politicians ‘spin’ the statistics to their advantage - the recent furore over whether knife crime is going up or down is another example. In education, however, the focus on figures since the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988 and League Tables in 1992 has been, overall, less than beneficial. Last year’s fiasco over the marking of Key Stage 3 tests, their subsequent demise and the resignation of Ken Boston (Head of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) means that July 7th will presumably be already ringed in red on calendars in the Department for Children, Schools and Families. That’s when 600,000 children should receive the results of their Key Stage 2 tests. Another failure in the system then (and it’s a very real possibility) will probably bring the current testing regime to an inglorious end. The Government, to its credit, is now moving forward with different ideas of providing information on schools and their performance to parents and the world at large. It is piloting ‘Report Cards’ for schools, which have been very successful in New York. The hope is to come up with a single grade which will cover a much wider range of indicators than just exam results. It is good that we are looking at other education systems and seeking to learn from them; my time on ICP (International Confederation of Principals) brought home to me how insular we can be. There is plenty of good practice out there in the world if we care to look for it. The key, of course, is to look at all of it, in context, and not be tempted to take the bits we like and ignore the pieces we don’t. It’s absolutely right for schools to be accountable, but we need measures that give the whole picture and create an environment in which schools can improve rather than be consigned to further failure.