GRAMMAR SCHOOLS EXPANSION : “US AND THEM DIVIDE IN EDUCATION” : COMING SOON ? : HERE ALREADY ? – YES! : ENGLAND : SEPT 2016

WITH THANKS TO THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER 8TH 0F SEPT 2016 

EXTRACTS OF A REPORT BY : ANUSHKA ASTHANA

SOCIAL MOBILITY TSAR WARNS OF `US AND THEM` `DIVIDE .

MORE SELECTION WOULD EXACERBATE PROBLEMS , HE SAYS .

CALL TO FOCUS ON TEACHERS AND PARENTS INSTEAD .

GRAMMAR SCHOOLS EXPANSION RISKS DISASTER ,MAY IS WARNED .

THE GOVERNMENT`S SOCIAL MOBILITY TSAR HAS WARNED THAT EXPANDING THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL SYSTEM WOULD BE A DISASTER ,A DAY AFTER IT EMERGED THAT THERESA MAY WAS CONCIDERING THE IDEA .

ALAN MILBURN ,THE FORMER LABOUR CABINET MINISTER WHO CHAIRS THE GOVERNMENT`S SOCIAL MOBILITY COMMISSION ,SAID ENDING THE BAN ON BUILDING NEW SELECTIVE SCHOOLS RISKED CREATING AN “US AND THEM DIVIDE ” WITHIN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM .

HE SAID THAT PUPILS AT ENGLAND`S REMAINING 163 SELECTIVE STATE SCHOOLS WERE FOUR OR FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO HAVE COME FROM INDEPENDENT PREP SCHOOLS THAN FROM THE DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUNDS .

“THIS IS NOT SELECTION EDUCATIONALLY ,IT IS SELECTION SOCIALLY .IF (MORE OF ) THAT IS WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT ,IT WILL NOT PROVIDE A SOCIAL MOBILITY DIVIDEND ,IT WILL BE A SOCIAL MOBILITY DISASTER “. SAID MILBURN .

ON TUESDAY AN OFFICIAL DOCUMENT INDICATING THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS PLANNING TO END THE MORATORIUM WAS PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE HANDS OF A CIVIL SERVANT OUTSIDE DOWNING STREET .

MILBURNS COMMENTS CAME DURING A WIDE  – RANGING INTERVIEW WITH THE GUARDIAN IN WHICH HE CALLED ON MAY TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO CLOSE THE GAP BETWEEN THE WEALTHIEST AND THE POOREST ,AND WARNED OF AN OVERWHELMING AND “FESTERING SENSE OF SOCIAL RESENTMENT “ACROSS BRITAIN .

“THE HISTORY OF OUR CONTINENT TELLS US WHEN A MAJORITY FEEL THEIR AMBITIONS BEING THWARTED AND THAT A MINORITY ARE FORGING AHEAD ,THINGS CAN TURN NASTY “,HE SAID ARGUING THAT THE SCALE OF THE BREXIT VOTE UNDERLINED THE CHALLENGE .MILBURN POINTED OUT THAT OF THE 65 AREAS OF THE COUNTRY HIGHLIGHTED BY HIS COMMISSION AS THE WORST FOR EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROSPECTS ,ONLY THREE VOTED TO REMAIN .

STOP PRESS ………..STOP PRESS …………..STOP PRESS………….SEPTEMBER 9TH 2016

FRONT COVER OF THE  i  NEWSPAPER   :TEACHERS VOW TO BATTLE GRAMMAR SCHOOLS …….MAY GIVES GREEN LIGHT FOR MORE SELECTIVE EDUCATION ,OVERTURNING 19-YEAR-OLD BAN …………..OPPOSITION PARTIES AND TEACHING UNIONS DETERMINED TO FIGHT REGRESSIVE MOVE .

 

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Adult Education Art Workshops At Portchester Community School November 2011

EXPLORE  YOUR  ARTISTIC  SKILLS  !  TRY  SOME  TASTER  DAYS   !  DISCOVER  YOUR  TALENT  !

PAT  CARTER  WILL  BE   THE  ART  TUTOR   FOR  THE  CHINESE  BRUSHWORK  WORKSHOP  THAT  WILL TAKE  PLACE  AT  PORTCHESTER  COMMUNITY  SCHOOL . SHE  IS  ALSO  TEACHING   ANOTHER   ALWAYS  SUCCESSFUL WORKSHOP  OF  DRAWING  AND  PAINTING  FOR  BEGINNERS  WHERE , STUDENTS  CAN  HAVE  FUN  LEARNING   NEW SKILLS  AND  CREATING  BEAUTIFUL  ARTWORK  .

 

DATES :  CHINESE  BRUSHWORK  :  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER  5TH  10AM  –   4PM.

                    DRAWING  AND  PAINTING   FOR  BEGINNERS  :  SATURDAY  NOVEMBER  12TH  10AM  –  4PM.

 

HER  TEACHING ON  THESE  WORKSHOPS  INCLUDES  TECHNIQUES  AND  METHODS  TO  ENABLE  STUDENTS  TO  DEVELOP  THEIR  PRACTICAL  KNOWLEDGE  AND  TO  ACHIEVE  EXCELLENT  RESULTS.

 

FOR  FURTHER  DETAILS  AND  TO  BOOK  A  PLACE ,  TELEPHONE  : PORTCHESTER  ADULT  EDUCATION  :  02392  364399  .

BOTH  WORKSHOPS  WILL  BE  HELD  AT  PORTCHESTER  COMMUNITY  SCHOOL  ,  WHITE  HART  LANE  ,  PORTCHESTER  ,  HANTS  .

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My Students Achieved Great Exam Results Yesterday: Do You Want To Be Next ?

MY  STUDENTS SAY THAT I MAKE LEARNING ACCESSIBLE AND ENJOYABLE FOR THEM. …….ESPECIALLY THE FOLLOWING SUBJECTS………

English Literature and English Language, History, and Art.

I cover all the exam boards, and can help you focus on essay construction and study skills to achieve extra marks that will  make the difference. I teach GCSE, A A/S LEVEL, and DEGREE.

 In English Literature and Language, amongst other things I can show you is what to look for in poetry and how to compare the poems  leading to the writing of an essay.  Find out what is  really in a newspaper or magazine, plus, what to discuss and write about concerning Shakespeare’s work.

In History, the  aspects of, who, what, where, when, and why, are really important to an essay. So is understanding the area of bias. Construction of the essay through the understanding of history is key to good marks. Your opinion can make a real difference.

In Art, discussion and writing about method and process can lead to an insight into your understanding and use of your creative skills. It also makes for a good essay. How art  portfolios are compiled is again key to the evidence that examiners will seek. Learn how to do this.

Everyone has different needs concerning study, I will do my best to tailor something for you. Feedback to your work is, I believe, very important. It supports, motivates, and builds confidence, so when you produce the work I will give you feedback on it so that you can gain these key points.

Interested? Go to my testimonial page then contact me, Pat Carter.

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Oral History: Great Projects To Enhance Your Skills and Knowledge!

Oral History is an empowerment process for people . You can record your history using your perhaps,  hidden skills to record your past and present day life . Peoples history has not always been valued , now is your chance to change this .People have  been enabled to tell their  history, in their way ,relatively recently with  advent of the recording process that was set in motion by the University of Chicago in  America . New technology  meant that the process became availabIe for all to use , enjoy , and to benefit from.

Prior to this, Oral History began centuries ago with  the native shaman or shamankas (wise people) and with  the community  in various societies around the world . Peoples history was passed on by the spoken word and in artistic symbolism  to record and enlighten future generations. It is a vitally important craft.

BUT……….IT CAN BE FUN TOO!

Oral History can be used in a variety of different settings ,some of which are; A funded project, life long learning , schools, instituitions, community, volunteer projects, or…..academic ,to name just a few.

The enjoyment of learning becomes evident when people are shown the skill of recording their life histories  as individuals or in a group. By people  being  taught the skill of interviewing , photography , and art and then placing this in an historical context it provides substantiation of what is being recorded by them .This can be produced as exhibitions or in book form. It can look and sound stunning as it brings to life, memories, and history too.

All age groups can benefit by the  new skills learnt and above all they have a voice . It is an invaluble process for learning ,leisure , enjoyment and making a statement of ones own.

I have taught this process for a number of years and am a member of the Oral History Society of Great Britain. If you or your group are interested in  knowing more about  courses, workshops , and the consultation service that I offer on Oral History and the  Arts then contact me , Pat Carter.

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The Pupil Premium ; Will It Work? Discuss……….

In a recent SENCO Update Sally Copley, the head of Save the Children, has argued that the pupil premium could be the key to breaking the attainment gap but added, “we believe the government should set this at an extra £3,000 for every disadvantaged child. That would double the weighting such children currently receive and give them a much better chance of fulfilling their academic potential.”

The premium will in fact amount to £430 per pupil based on a child eligible for various types of benefit or/and earnings of the parents of less than £16,000 per year. It will cover some 15% of all pupils in maintained schools. The cost of this will be £625 million this year but in the future eligibility will widen and spending will rise to £2.5 billion by 2014/15.

The thinking behind this is that the entitlement to free school meals is a proxy one for households with low incomes. The pupils from these households achieve educational outcomes that are poor. Seventy Five percent of poor children achieve the expected level when leaving primary school, compared to 95% of children of the richest households. Corresponding figures on the achievement of 5 good GCSEs that include English and Maths are those of 20% and 75%.

Therefore, the pupil premium is being put in place due to the lack of a  robust relationship between school resources and the performance of the pupil. In the funding of the pupil there are huge differences. The Schools White Paper focused on 72 secondary schools outside London where funding that was based on  access to central grants, historical models, and local authority policies varied between just below £4k to well over £5.5k.  Such variations do not appear to be reflected in performance. Pupil premium therefore is seen as targeting the funding more closely to the apparent need.

A  Warning By Professionals.

Laren Higgs comments on the pupil premium in  Chidren & Young People  Now when she says that Education professionals are warning that disadvantaged children could be left without vital support in certain parts of the country, as the Department for Education (DfE) have revealed how the pupil premium is set to be distributed across England. The pupil premium will only cover cuts elsewhere in budgets and some disadvantaged students may even be worse off.

Michael Trobe, policy director at the Association  of School and College Leaders, said schools will need “critical mass” of pupil premium children if the cash is to make a difference to the attainment of the most disadvantaged. “A great deal will depend on how many pupil premiums each school gets ,” he explained. “If you’re working on an individual student basis then the money won’t  go very far. On average it would take five to six pupil premiums just to put on an extra one-hour group, once a week. You’d need 30 pupil premiums just to put on one extra hour per week for each of your five year groups. It’s a drop in the ocean in that respect.”

The deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Martin Freedman also argued that most schools will simply “put the pupil premium in the overall pot and use it to offset the cuts they’ve received elsewhere. Unless you’re a school that has turned into an academy recently, your budget has had a real-terms cut this year,” he said. “The government claims this is additional money, but they are being a bit disingenuous. We trust their decisions, however, it is important that there is transparency about how the money is spent. Therefore, we ask schools to report to parents annually about how they have used the pupil premium. The extent to which schools improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils will be covered by the wider accountability system that we are developing.”

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Home Education

More parents are taking their children out of school and educating them at home, using money provided by their Local Authority for Home Schooling. Swindon mother, Liz, decided on Home Schooling for her second son Joshua, after she felt her oldest son was failed by his school due to him having dyslexia. Liz hires a private tutor for 2 hours per week. The rest of the time his education is up to himself, using online education and traditional learning methods. His mother believes he is doing better this way. Joshua is taking some GCSEs two years early. Figures obtained by BBC South (June 7th, 2011) shows in some areas Home Education has risen by 50%. For testimonials on Pat Carter as a Home Tutor please see below and the Testimonial page.

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Oral History

One of my specialisms is Oral History, which is a tool for recording family history, peoples’ history and social history.  To learn more please see the Oral History page.

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