Evening Standard comment: Tests and standards in London schools

Ofsted says that London has some of the most improved schools in the country, including several in poor areas. Others can improve too but only with a robust approach to reform
11 December 2013
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Today's annual report from education watchdog Ofsted is critical about the poverty of expectation in many English schools, and Sir Michael Wilshaw, head of Ofsted, has practical proposals for reform. He wants formal testing for seven-year-olds, similar to existing tests for 11-year-olds, as well as more demanding testing for 14-year-olds — effectively, the reintroduction of the SATS tests abolished in 2008. Young children’s ability at maths and reading is assessed by their teachers at present, and Sir Michael is doubtful that this system is robust enough. “In getting rid of the tests, we conceded too much ground to vested interests,” he says. “Our education system should be run for the benefit of children and no one else.”

He is right. Schools are meant to serve pupils rather than teachers. There are obvious reasons why teachers’ assessment of seven-year-olds’ skills might be patchy; in some cases, teachers could be covering their own underperformance. Yet it is still not clear that children would be well served by testing them at the age of seven. Schools base their league-table standing on the results. Naturally the temptation can be to teach to the test, and this can disrupt the day-to-day business of teaching and learning. Six-year-olds are already given phonics tests, and the results used to monitor individual progress. Further tests at seven may do harm as much as good.

We should, however, support another of Sir Michael’s recommendations, that struggling schools should not be given advance notice of inspections; at present they have two days to prepare. It is pupils at these schools who would benefit most from surprise inspections. Ofsted says that London has some of the most improved schools in the country, including several in poor areas. Others can improve too but only with a robust approach to reform.

Barclays’ bikes

Perhaps it was the negative publicity this year over cyclists’ deaths in the capital but Barclays’ decision to pull sponsorship of the cycle hire scheme three years early, in 2015, is a blow to the Mayor: this was very much his deal. The move is also bad for London’s cyclists. When the deal was extended in 2011, Barclays envisaged contributing a total of £50 million over eight years — a fraction of the total cost, despite the Mayor’s original promise that the scheme would be fully sponsored. But when Barclays withdraws, it will have provided only half of even that sum.

The bank says it is reviewing its sponsorship strategy. But it is still a curious decision to abandon this highly visible form of publicity when the cost is so small in terms of its advertising budget and the “Boris bikes” are mobile advertising units. And while the numbers of people renting the bikes decreased after the costs of renting doubled, the scheme is still being expanded: there are to be 150 new docking stations south of the river shortly. TfL is now searching for a replacement corporate patron. Sensible companies should be queuing to take Barclays’ place: subsidising London’s rental bikes should create considerable goodwill towards the sponsor. It’s time for other public-spirited companies to come forward.

Bad day for selfies

The OED has acknowledged “selfie” as the most popular new word last year. Yet the status of these photos may not survive the mockery surrounding the one taken by the Danish PM, who pulled David Cameron and Barack Obama into hers. Maybe we need a new selfie etiquette: not at memorial services.

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