VALUING OUR CHILDREN, VALUING OUR FUTURE

Danny Kennedy MLA
Ulster Unionist Assemblyman for Newry & Armagh

Addressed to the Irish Association - Saturday 16 November 2002

The Ulster Unionist Party has been working hard over recent months to achieve a sensible and workable system of education for Northern Ireland in the 21st century. We believe that any new system must be fair and equitable to all. It must not be built on elitism, inverted snobbery or old-fashioned political dogma. Above all it must value the aptitudes and abilities of each individual child.

As a Party, we believe the proposals contained in the Burns Report to be seriously flawed. These proposals would not only lead to a deterioration of educational standards but they would also result in a dumbing down of educational choice and diversity across the Province. The proposed creation of a new bureaucratic layer of administration through the creation of Collegiates is also seriously flawed, untried and unworkable.

If implemented, Burns would have a serious and adverse impact on education in Northern Ireland with selection by post-code and the creation of an independent and private school sector becoming real possibilities. In short, we would witness education by chequebook.

The UUP alternative to Burns is based on three principles; sustaining excellence, increasing diversity and extending choice. We believe that parents should be given the maximum possible choice in terms of the type of education they seek for their children and the school that they want them to attend. To provide real choice of this nature there is a need for greater diversity in what schools in the secondary sector provide.

Many parents value an academic education for their children and it is important that academic options continue to be available to children who can clearly benefit from this type of education. However, it is also important that equal recognition is given to vocational and skills-based education and that adequate resources are devoted to developing high standards in these areas.

The Ulster Unionist Party also recognises the absolute need to encourage improvement in the performance of those pupils at the lower end of the attainment range and the importance of broadening and valuing the talents and abilities of all our children.

The ultimate goal of the UUP is that all schools should be viewed as equivalent in the value of education they provide. However, this can and should be achieved without damaging the ethos of existing successful schools.

The Ulster Unionist Party recommendations for the future of education in Northern Ireland include the following:

o The current transfer test is unsustainable in the present form. It should be replaced once satisfactory alternatives have been developed.

o Selection in the long-term should be replaced by parental choice guided by pupil profiles. Part of the profile will require an element of objective external assessment.

o Moves towards parental preference will depend on existing schools developing their own particular ethos based on different curricula and routes through which pupils can develop their potential.

o Close co-operation and flexibility between neighbouring schools on planning and curriculum provision is to be encouraged, but on a less bureaucratic basis than proposed by Burns.

o Post-primary schools should have the common generic name of 'colleges'.

Burns Proposals
There are serious flaws in the way in which the report attempts to translate the general principles which it outlines, into practical action. The basic conclusion is that the problems can only be resolved by moving to a non-selective system that in practice amounts to a comprehensive system of education. The recommended criteria for oversubscribed schools would inevitably lead to selection by post-code. The report places great emphasis on the need to ensure equity between schools and pupils and does so at the expense of not focusing sharply enough on the overall standards presently achieved by our schools and how these might be improved. That lack of real focus on objective standards and any real explanation of how the proposals will raise standards are serious shortfalls.

Turning to the main specific recommendations the following points are relevant.
o It must be accepted that there are significant problems with the transfer tests and there is little support for their continuation in their present form. It would therefore be difficult to argue with the assertion in the Report that the present tests should end.
o The recommendation that academic selection should also end immediately is more problematical. Such an approach is very likely to lead to what would be in effect a system of comprehensive education and it is quite disingenuous of those who support Burns to argue otherwise. The report produces no evidence to support the view that such a system would lead to any overall improvement in standards or indeed that it would result in improvements in performance at the lower end of the attainment spectrum. The experience of the non-selective comprehensive system in GB would suggest that the reverse is in fact true. It would be ironic if Northern Ireland should embark on the establishment of a comprehensive system here when there are clear indications of an attempt to move away from that failed system in GB.
o The Report's suggestion that pupil profiles should be developed is reasonable. What is less reasonable is the suggestion that these profiles should have no meaningful role in the transfer of pupils from primary to secondary education. If the transfer system is to be based on supporting parents to find the most suitable school for their child then post-primary schools are a vital part of that equation and should have access to the profiles at the time of transfer.
o The Report's recommendations on admission criteria show a lack of understanding about how the system is likely to work in practice. A system based on the statutory criteria itemised in the report would inevitably lead to selection on the basis of post-codes. Under the present arrangements the level of over-subscription is limited by the knowledge that some pupils are unlikely to be admitted to popular schools on the basis of their published criteria on academic achievement. It is therefore not correct to argue, as the report does, that distance will come into play only as a last resort tiebreaker. The distance criteria is likely to have to be applied to a significant number of pupils in oversubscribed schools and this will make it very difficult for those living some distance from such schools, particularly in rural areas, to be even considered for admission. In addition there are likely to be problems for such children when they then seek admission to their second choice school. Such an approach could therefore discriminate against two important groups - those living in rural areas who would often find it impossible to move home and low-income families who could not afford to move closer to their preferred school. It is interesting to note that there is now an attempt by the Burns team to distance themselves from the detailed criteria outlined in the report
o It would be sensible if there was closer co-operation between neighbouring schools on planning and curriculum provision. The problem with the Report's recommendations on the establishment of collegiates is that such arrangements would be central to the whole system and its related detailed recommendations. The areas suggested are quite unrealistic in terms of size and composition and the suggested arrangements lack clarity and appear overly bureaucratic. It needs to be stressed that there is absolutely no experience, even internationally, of such arrangements operating successfully even on a pilot basis. One of the central planks of the Report's recommendations would present significant problems and is completely untried and untested. The detailed recommendations are therefore over- ambitious and there are serious risks in taking such a large leap of faith. Bureaucratic arrangements of this complexity are in our view unnecessary to attain a reasonable degree of co-operation between schools in achieving economies of scale and flexibility in transferring pupils.

Informed Parental Preference

We take the view that parental preference is the ideal towards which the education system should work in organising transfer to post primary school. At the same time transfer preferences by families should be guided both by primary schools and by the receiving post-primary schools using pupils profiles. While stressing the importance of family preference this should not compromise the standards and ethos of secondary schools. In particular, schools with an academic curriculum and standards should be permitted to maintain their approach. Since these principles are successfully applied in some European education systems we see no reason why they should not be considered for Northern Ireland. However success depends on the availability of a range of choices which families can view as being of equivalent status and value. At present such choices are not fully available in most areas, and a period of transition will be needed before genuine choices can be offered to families.

Status of Schools
A starting point in any new arrangements must be to tackle the issue of parity of esteem between different schools and school types. In particular many secondary schools feel that grammar schools have a privileged position in terms of finance and the fact that they are guaranteed the best pupils. This has given rise to the feeling in many quarters that grammar schools have an advantage over, and are "better" than other post-primary schools. Often pupils who do not gain admission into what are seen as elite grammar schools have a sense of failure at this early age. It is therefore important that any new arrangements try to ensure that all schools operate on a level playing field in terms of finance the admission of pupils and other operational issues.

This key objective could be achieved by removing the legislative, financial and administrative distinctions that presently exist between grammar schools and other post-primary schools. In this way all schools would enjoy exactly the same equitable financial arrangements, would have the same rights in terms of the admission of pupils and work within the same legislative framework in terms of the exact nature of what they provide. On this basis there would be no distinctions between different schools in the post-primary sector and all schools in that sector would be simply referred to as Colleges. Such an approach, by removing the present distinctions between schools of different types, would help to ensure the same status for all schools. Equally important it would help to remove the present divide between pupils where some are clearly seen as attending grammar school whereas others do not - with the latter group often having a sense of failure at a very young age.

Developing Diversity
One of the key requirements in developing a way forward is that there should be greater diversity of provision made by schools in any area. Under the arrangements outlined in the preceding paragraph each school could develop its own particular ethos. Some would concentrate on academic excellence or on specific areas of academic excellence e.g. science. While this may be largely undertaken by existing grammar schools it would not be their exclusive right to do so. Some existing secondary schools will have the capacity to develop in this way. Other schools may concentrate on providing a good sound general education. Others may concentrate on developing the vocational aspects of their curriculum. Such an arrangement has a number of attractions. In particular it allows for the development of diversity and would help to ensure that in a local area a range of options were open to all pupils. It would also allow for the existence of particular structures that have been shown to work well in different areas - e.g. Craigavon could retain its system and the new concept of bi-lateral schools in the maintained sector in Strabane could continue to be developed. Schools would also have the flexibility to respond to changing curricular needs - for example they could develop a more vocational approach.

Improving Standards
A prime objective in the proposed new arrangements would be to improve standards in all schools and thus increase parental confidence in the whole post-primary school sector. Additional positive steps to support the improvement of standards in those schools facing particular problems of social and education disadvantage might include:
o The continuing need to target additional resources at such schools under the LMS arrangements or special initiatives.
o Relaxing existing curriculum requirements to allow schools to develop other areas of direct practical advantage to particular groups of pupils.
o Examining new ways of actually delivering what is on offer.
o Providing additional support from the Board support services.
o Providing additional school based support from the range of social care agencies.
o Looking at ways in which the senior management team in such schools could be strengthened.
o Looking at imaginative ways in which teacher salary structures might be adapted to allow this group of schools to recruit and retain the most able teachers.
o Encouraging support from stronger neighbouring schools.
o Many of the problems of educational disadvantage arise in primary schools and it would be vital that similar steps are taken to support primary schools where problems are likely to arise.
The establishment of an imaginative support programme along these lines is much more likely to raise standards at all levels than is a dated and doctrinaire approach of simply attempting to introduce a comprehensive system

Cluster Arrangements
As indicated earlier in this paper the detailed collegiate arrangements as outlined in the Burns report are unworkable. However it would be extremely useful to have some mechanism to enable neighbouring schools to liaise with each other to try to ensure that the overall curricular provision in an area is as broad as possible and that needless overlap was reduced. There should also be opportunities for schools to co-operate in terms of making provision for minority subjects and in some cases with the vocational aspects of the curriculum. Neighbouring schools could also co-operate on training and on developing new approaches to how best the curriculum can be delivered. Where there was mutual agreement between neighbouring schools in a sector the level of co-operation might be established on a more formalised basis. There may even be circumstances where such arrangements could be agreed between schools in the controlled sector and those in the integrated sector. Consideration should also be given to having a factor or factors in the proposed common funding arrangements to encourage such co-operation. Any such arrangements would need to be simpler than those suggested for the collegiate arrangements in Burns.

Pupil Profile
The guiding principle underlying the move from primary to post-primary education must be informed parental involvement and choice. To make sensible and realistic choices parents must also have available to them the best possible information about the abilities and aptitudes of their children. The development of pupil profiles is a realistic way of making the necessary information available. An integral part of any system of pupil profiles must be a system of moderation to ensure consistency, and part of the profile may require an element of objective external assessment along the lines of available standardised tests.

The Transfer Procedure
The aim of the proposed new arrangements must try to match pupil's ability and aspirations as closely as possible with what any post-primary school can provide. Parents and primary principals must be involved in the discussions relating to this. So also must the post-primary school or schools to which admission is being sought, and it follows that they should also have access to the pupil profiles and indeed need to be involved in their development. As schools provision develops over time to match parental wishes it will be possible to give precedence to parental choice. It also needs to be made clear to parents that if their child ends up in a school unsuited to his or her needs this may prove unsustainable if the curriculum proves to be too demanding. The arrangements should allow for every effort to be made to reach a consensus on the most suitable secondary school for each pupil taking into account all the factors involved. The role of school principals should be to enable parents to make the appropriate choice first time. The earlier sections of this paper outlined what needs to be done to ensure equal status for all schools; create greater diversity of provision; and improve standards in all schools including in particular those faced with problems of education disadvantage. Once parents have confidence that these arrangements are in place and are confident about the improvement in standards in all schools which will result, it should be possible to resolve the placement of the great majority of pupils on this consensus basis.

Over-Subscribed Schools
Despite every effort being made to reach a consensus on the most suitable school it is inevitable that some schools will be oversubscribed particularly in the interim period until the new arrangements settle down. Such schools will have to apply transparent selection criteria to decide which pupils to admit. It is important to stress that in any new system - including a comprehensive system - there must be some objective basis for dealing with oversubscribed schools and even the Burns report accepted this. The problem with the Burns recommendations on this issue is that they will inevitably lead to pupils being admitted largely on the basis of the distance, which they live, from the school. The very real concerns about this approach are dealt with in an earlier section.

More Flexibility Between Schools
One of the criticisms of the present system is that pupils are locked into either grammar schools or secondary schools at the age of 11 and this is unreasonable. The suggested removal of the distinction between the two sectors will help in this respect. There is also a need for greater flexibility in terms of transfer between different schools particularly in years 8 and 9. Some pupils will inevitable find that after 1 or 2 years the school they attend does not now best meet their needs or they may be struggling to keep pace with what is on offer. Formal arrangements are required to ensure that where there is clearly a mismatch between pupil ability and what the school is providing the pupil can be moved to another school at the instigation of either the pupil or the school. Such arrangements would ensure that there are always opportunities to find the most suitable school for pupils and would further reduce the tensions related to transfer at age eleven. To ensure that schools operated such arrangements in the interests of pupils it may be necessary to consider adjusting the LMS financial arrangements to ensure that schools are not funded for pupils where what is being provided is not suited to their needs.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper accepts that there are significant problems with the present transfer arrangements and makes a number of recommendations about the way forward as alternatives to the flawed recommendations in the Burns Report. One key aspect of the proposals is that informed parental choice, based on all the available information, must be at the centre of the process of transferring pupils from primary to post-primary schools. A second is that genuine diversity of choice between school types must be maintained if these choices are to be meaningful. To work successfully choice and diversity will depend on excellence becoming extended right across the educational spectrum and not being confined solely to the best grammar and secondary schools.

The proposals aimed at ensuring that all schools have equal status represents a significant step towards resolving the present concerns that one group of post-primary schools is perceived to have advantages and privileges over other schools. Similarly proposals to extend parental choice and to increase provision in popular types of school will help alleviate the present feeling of failure of some pupils who do not gain admission to what are seen as elite grammar schools. The paper also stresses the need for greater diversity of education including a greater emphasis on vocational and technological-focused provision to meet the needs of those whose aptitudes are not fully served by existing curricula. Other proposals stress the need to improve standards in all schools and there are a number of practical suggestions about improving standards in those schools facing particular problems of social and educational disadvantage.

It is stressed that maintaining and improving standards requires the continued existence of an academic option. The proposals also have the advantage of providing the necessary flexibility to allow for local solutions to suit local areas and for future developments in the curriculum. They are based upon a recognition that the high standards of academic excellence produced by many of our schools must not be endangered. Instead excellence should be deepened and extended until it applies not to some but to all of our schools.

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