Inspection - A Force for Change?

On 21 May 2008, a group of Freemen met to hear a brief history and receive some fascinating insights on inspection by the Master, before debating the issues facing the Inspectorate and its "clients" today. David Taylor's historical overview and his personal perspectives on recent and current inspection regimes - based on his many years as an HMI and subsequent role as a Director at Ofsted - sparked off a lively debate with some trenchant "views from the heart" expressed.

From the appointment of the first two Inspectors for schools in 1839, the Inspectorate evolved to become some 500 strong and covering schools, further education and CNAA approved polytechnics. The HMIs comprised a mixed group, but all with a good track record in education and breadth of experience - providing a mixture of advice, sharing of expertise and aiming at consistency of standards nationwide.

By the late 1980s HMIs were deemed however, to be too much part of the liberal establishment to the then conservative Government and the "benign and benevolent" inspection system was to be replaced by a regime which was to be

. . . . . . . And so OFSTED arrived!

Out went the 500 HMIs to be replaced by private sector inspectors working under contract. Although some 200 of the original HMIs remained, under the leadership first of Sir Stuart (later Lord) Sutherland and then of Chris Woodhead, their role was primarily to train and monitor, and inspection was characterised by

Under the leadership of David Bell, the number of inspectors per visit was reduced and the emphasis has today moved to one of the inspection being more of a "health check", based very much on self-evaluation and with the views of students playing a prominent part in the overall drive towards the school"s self improvement.

Several issues (too numerous to list all) were raised in the subsequent debate, but the most commonly recurring themes included

Overall there seemed to be an undercurrent and general lament for the lost HMI of yesteryear and a regret at the lack of independent advice and support that they provided.

Needless to say, no resolutions were made or revolutions planned, but it was good fun to bounce the views around and all present were grateful for the lead into the debate by David and to fellow freemen for their lively company and contributions.

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EDUCATION IN CHINA AND ITS IMPACT ON UK SCHOOLS

A discussion meeting was held at the University of Westminster on July 11 2008 on the subject of education in China. The meeting was opened by Dilly Tawakkul, who now works with the Financial Services Skills Council leading a high level skills initiative for the industry. Until recently she was with the British Council where she worked on links with China. Barbara Harrison the Chief Executive of the Girls Day School Trust (GDST) then spoke about the links between GDST schools and schools in China. The Upper Warden, Yvonne Burne, chaired the discussion meeting and 18 Freemen were present.

Children in China attend school for 9 years of compulsory education from the age of 6. At age 15 students go on to a senior middle school as a preparation for university or on to vocational college or into employment. Transition to university is at age 18.

Education in China has had a strong central control with a common curriculum in each type of school and common learning materials. Examinations are the main tool for assessment and the achievements of each student are displayed. League tables are also widely used. There is a move at present to devolve more control to local education authorities. There is also now more emphasis in creativity in the curriculum.

The main themes underpinning Chinese education may be summarised as: ancient philosophy, Communist ideology, traditional values, Western influence and the one child policy. Most children in China have six adults who are all focussed on their progress and children are expected to work hard. Parents are closely involved in their child's schooling so there is a commitment to education from the whole family.

The Chinese system is based on the principle of choice although most children are advised to go to their local school. There are selective schools known as 'key schools' and there are examinations for entry to these schools.

Head teachers are expected to be both educationalists and business people as the Government funding is not seen as sufficient. Parents pay for basic equipment. Inspection for standards occurs at three levels: National, Provincial and Town. However, there is little classroom inspection and the main emphasis is on satisfaction surveys.

In 2007 98% of the eligible children were in primary school and the participation rate at university was 22%. Education has been highly valued in China since classical times.

Dilly Tawakkul outlined the activities of the British Council programme for China. The UK is well regarded in China as it is seen as the home of the English language, literature and many scientific innovations and it has world class universities. The programme has included activities such as: language immersion courses, special projects, joint curriculum projects, website teachers' network, and exchange of language assistants.

Barbara Harrison spoke about the international work across the 29 schools in the GDST which focuses on both China and India. The GDST, as part of the strategic plan, encourages an international dimension in their education for all students. Mandarin is now taught in several of their schools and over half of the head teachers have been to China. There is now a plan to set up a middle school in Shanghai for 15-18 year old girls.

Young people in China see themselves as flexible and with a bright future. They work hard and the underlying aim is to be excellent in as many areas as possible. The concept of merit is seen as important and everyone in China is prepared to talk about excellence.

Common work between the UK schools and the Chinese schools has focussed on the relationship between pastoral and academic education and the process of education change.

The teaching in China is rigorous with less room for creativity. Science is often taught in well equipped laboratories with the emphasis on teacher demonstration rather than student participation.

Links with China can be hard work and very time consuming and involve a high level of personal involvement with visits to China. If the right partner schools are found, the links can be very rewarding.

In conclusion it was noted that the key ingredients for a successful school in both the UK and China are hardworking children, dedicated staff and supportive parents.

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EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE PERFORMING ARTS

A discussion meeting was held at the University of Notre Dame on November 11 2008 on the subject of education and training in the performing arts. The discussion was led by Professor Barry Ife the principal of the Guildhall School. For the next five years, Professor Ife has laid out ambitious plans for a new, additional building on the present site, and the achievement of degree- awarding powers by 2012. He has led a wide-ranging re-examination of the opportunities of closer joint working with the Barbican Arts Centre.

Barry Ife opened the evening with a brief description of the work of the Guildhall School. There are three streams of students in the School: 650 in music, 72 in acting, and 75 in the technical theatre stream. In the acting stream there are 2000+ applications for the 24 places each year but numbers are limited by the facilities needed. In the music stream there are about 5 applications for each place but a balance has to be maintained between the different types of instruments. The students come from around 60 countries. There are around 570 members of staff but many of these are part-time. There are also Saturday classes for young musicians.

The Guildhall School was founded in 1880 and moved to its current premises in the Barbican complex in 1977. Degrees have been offered under the auspices of the City University for more than 10 years. This was a change for many staff but is in line with the current funding policy in England. The aim of the School overall is to train and educate the intelligent practitioner. A parallel may be seen with nursing education which has also moved to become a degree subject.

Barry Ife then outlined the two key concerns for the School. The first is funding as the cost of conservatoire education is high and is frequently under review by the Funding Council and the Government. The unit cost is between £10,000 and £30,000 per student per year. The close working with the Barbican Arts Centre is an important way forward on costs. Several support functions such as Finance and HR are shared with the Barbican.

The second is inclusivity. Conservatoires are aiming to find the best students to go on to be the top performers and these high standards mean that they can be seen as elitist. On the drama side any student who applies will get an audition and it is not ecessary to come with a lot of skill already in place. However, on the music side there tends to be more self selection as students must have gained considerable expertise before applying in an instrument or in singing. The Guildhall School places considerable importance on outreach and is a member of a number of networks. These give Guildhall students the opportunity to perform in front of a wide number of audiences including schools.

The following points were made in the discussion:

-    All actors in training have singing lessons and are given practice in musical shows as well as spoken theatre.

-    A high sum is spent on various aspects of therapy. Playing and acting are essentially non-natural activities and attention is given to help students develop this type of work. The students are highly motivated and can need additional help at times.

-    The acting students and musicians tend to work separately although there are instances of cooperative activity.

-    The emphasis for students is on performance so it has been difficult for them to acquire Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) as well. However, there are thoughts about how this might be developed in future.

-    The syllabus for the courses is kept under continual review and develops to ensure that the students can meet the demands of future audiences.

-    The current pressure on independent schools to share facilities with the state sector could be helpful in both music and drama education. There are examples of both state and independent schools participating in the East Anglia network involving the Guildhall School.

-    There can be a high cost to a family to help a student start out on a music route and some schools have bursaries to help in this.

-    The Guildhall has the ambition to offer courses to postgraduate students free of charge. At present all opera singers selected for a post graduate course are offered this for no cost. The Guildhall raises £1.25million each year from various sources to help students.

-    There are 4 conservatoires in the London area and the competition this generates enhances quality which is a key aim of all the conservatoires.

-    It was suggested that there might be a market for conservatoires to educate adults in music appreciation.