http://t.co/ahqTwLY7

A former Labour Education Minister, Lord Adonis, warned against giving ground to Labour critics of the Coalition Government’s “free schools” because they would seize on any concession and “move in for the kill”

Lord Adonis said opponents of the schools such as the journalist Fiona Millar, partner of Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, Alistair Campbell “would stick pins in their eyes” sooner than agree with any aspect of the flagship policy, which switches power from town halls to parents.

When Toby Young asked Andrew Adonis if rather than dealing with his opponents agressively he should enter talks with people such as Fiona Millar, who, like her partner, is a strong supporters of comprehensives. Young reported that Adonis gave him a withering look of contempt and said “they are not interested in constructive dialogue”

“Don’t you get it? If you extend any sort of olive branch they’ll see it a s a sign of weakness and move in for the kill. I dealt with the same people – the Socialist Workers Party, the Anti-Academies Alliance,the NUT – for most of my ministerial career and they would rather stick pins in their eyes than admit they have common ground with someone like you. Their attitude to free schools is the same as to academies: they wont’ rest until every last one has been razed to the ground”

Lord Adonis, former Labour Education Secretary speaking to Toby Young

According to the Belfast Telegraph of Tuesday 13th December,2011

“It is understood the school at the centre of the scandal, which has not been   named, [why not since the school committed a breach of contract?] photocopied the 2009 GL Assessment English and maths papers, later    used as a practice paper to prepare some children for the 2010 transfer test.

Copying the papers was in contravention of the school’s contractual agreement   with the English-based GL, which is responsible for the tests’ content.”

See: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/school-in-breach-of-transfer-test-security-16090244.html#ixzz1gdyP7s2H

Note in the UTV extract the statement from Fintan Murphy of the Catholic Principals Association.

On foot of this story GL Assessment issued a Press Release. Note the claim from GL Assessment that:

If this allegation is substantiated it would constitute a breech of security  and copyright by the school involved

Today, after months of delay, Education Minister, John O’Dowd released the findings of his so-called investigation into the matter of  those given the test in advance of the 2010 PPTC  transfer test. There is no doubt that those who saw the 2009 paper had an advantage. As usual the BBC NI Education Correspondent, Maggie Taggart, entirely missed the fundamentals of this issue and gave the Minister’s nonsense views precedence over the failure to hold to account those responsible for valid and reliable testing. Perhaps parents are failing to appreciate the abject failure of the professionals in education to get to the core of issues involving very serious matters concerning their childrens future. The important message in the BBC report demonstrates the arrogance of the educationalists position.

“A claim that the 2009 test had been leaked could not be investigated because those involved wanted to remain anonymous”

The Daily Telegraph failed to mention CCEA, the Northern Ireland exams body which is also the regulator for Northern Ireland. What confidence can parents, pupils and the public  have in this conflict of interest in the provision of qualifications?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/secondaryeducation/8943291/Exam-boards-could-be-closed-down-over-cheating-revelations.html#disqus_thread

Glenys Stacey said the regulator would be

 “looking in detail at just these   possible conflicts of interests in the provision of qualifications”.

And she outlined a number of sanctions available to Ofqual including pulling   “examinations set for January and for next summer with awarding bodies   providing substitute scripts”.

In February 2009 Stanley Poots was highlighted by PACE for his prominent anti-academic selection views which he made public in an article in the Belfast Telegraph. It may be worthwhile for parents to review the comments below the article since many have expressed increasing concern over the teaching of numeracy and literacy in primary schools. Parents also raise concerns about creeping social selection (parents professional standing and income influencing the teaching professionals re: recommendations on post-primary destination) replacing  valid and reliable academic selection.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/school-principal-slams-dup-over-selection-debate-14193013.html

http://www.larnetimes.co.uk/news/local/mbe_for_dromara_primary_principal_as_he_prepares_for_retirement_1_2361893

BBC Radio Ulster Evening Extra Listen from 37mins

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b016vkxy

BBC Radio Ulster Talkback Listen from 32 mins

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b016vkmd

BBC Radio Good Morning Ulster Listen from 1 hour 8 mins

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b016vk76/Good_Morning_Ulster_11_11_2011/

Education Minister John O’Dowd launched a cynically-timed attack on Northern Ireland’s grammar schools running 11-plus selection tests on the eve of this years first examination. It comes on the back of his recent speech on teacher assessment replacing testing. Unfortunately for Mr O’Dowd PACE have already demonstrated the innacuracies associated with teacher assessment at Key Stage 3. http://paceni.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/northern-ireland%E2%80%99s-key-stage-3-literacy-levels-crash/

When will John O’Dowd learn that the battle to end academic selection has been lost?  Since his DENI withdrew the regulated 11-plus without a replacement in place the vacuum was filled by parents teachers and pupils willing to continue a long tradition of providing an academic education to match pupil needs.

1919 - 2011

Fred Naylor, the co-founder of the Parental Alliance for Choice in Education has died, aged 92.  Fred , who was in charge of the Bath Technical School, which later became Culverhay School, was actively involved in local and national education even after his retirement.

He was born in St Helen’s in Lancashire and after leaving school, went to study chemistry at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

It was while he was there that he met his future wife Marjorie, also a teacher, who died just a month before him, in September at the age of 86.

Fred Naylor taught at a number of schools around the country, including ones in Leeds and in Scotland, before joining the Bath Technical School in 1963.

While he was there he was seconded to work in London, on an educational think tank. It was during this time that the school system in Bath was reformed and went comprehensive, a change Mr Naylor was opposed to, so when his job was re-advertised he did not apply.

Instead, he went to work at Newton Park College, which later became Bath Spa University, and was involved with teacher training.

Mr Naylor and his family lived in Kingsdown, near Box, and throughout his retirement he continued to be interested in the local education system.

He set up the Parental Alliance for Choice in Education (PACE), which campaigned for parents to have more say over schooling, and was also active in the National Grammar Schools Association (NGSA).

His work with these organisations led him to meet many influential politicians, including Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron.

One of Fred Naylor’s many publications had a particular  emphasis on the Northern Ireland  education system. Education for the 21^st Century: Report by the Post Primary Review Body was published in October 2001 at the behest of Martin  McGuinness,  Northern Ireland’s education  minister. Known colloquially as the Burns Report, it  advocates   abolishing Northern Ireland’s grammar and secondary (modern) schools and  setting up a  new ‘collegial system’ of  comprehensive schools without any concern for standards.

The pamphlet, Comprehensive  Ideology: Burns and the Betrayal of Two Communities  was  written in response, though it  is also  relevant to the rest of the UK.

The authors of the Burns  Report have failed to grasp that comprehensivisation has reduced educational  opportunities on the mainland.  Ever  since 1972, when research  by  the National Foundation for Educational  Research (NFER)   showed that  comprehensivisation  was a handicap to  raising  standards, the destruction of  selective schools has been pursued for ideological, not educational,  reasons.

The Burns Report  is riddled with incoherences and omissions,  not least the remarkable achievements of secondary (modern) schools.  Fred Naylor uses quotations from  supporters of comprehensivisation to show how  illiberal they are and how they are undermining the Human Rights of parents.  His analysis demonstrates that the ‘comprehensive principle’ is designed, not  to protect and preserve different cultures, but to destroy them.

It is timely that the warnings provided by Fred Naylor and PACE are available to counter the cynical efforts of Sinn Fein Education Ministers determined to remove parental rights in education.

Comprehensive Ideology costs £4.00 including postage  from 18 Westlands Grove, York YO31 1EF.

Read the full story here: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-2011647/Britain-MUST-bring-grammar-schools-risk-generation-fails-life.html

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland the Education Minister, John O’Dowd, ploughs ahead with the Sinn Fein agenda to remove grammar school choice from parents and pupils. This campaign is carried out in the name of equality; equality of outcome or results, not equality of opportunity. Mr O’Dowd is currently presiding over a Department of Education riven with expensive failures but suggests that his strategy has the welfare of all children in mind.  Nonsense.