18th April 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
According to the new president of the Directors of Children’s Services, Andrew Webb, the debate over the merit of England’s academy schools is now finished. He believes that the focus now needs to be placed on the content of teaching in schools as opposed to where the children are being taught.
He made these comments during his presidential takeover stating that ‘The education debate surrounding structures and buildings is over’. He believes that the academies’ worth is the wrong debate for the current time and efforts should be concentrated on the needs of children so that teaching can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of any one child. This will aid young people in their desires to meet ever-stretching targets, in particular within the core subjects.
Mr Webb also warned against the risk schools incur from having a narrow focus on league tables. He believes that this reliance on something he termed as ‘a one-dimensional indicator’, can cause schools to become subject to league-tables. These are deemed by the chief to be ‘media-friendly’ as opposed to containing the real facts about a school and the work it does with its pupils to prepare them for a life beyond learning and examinations.
Furthermore, the chief also called for a radical review of the way in which community services can work together in order to aid children who are in care. Although younger children tend to do well in care, those who are teenagers seem to find it more of a struggle. Webb believes that a ‘joined up system’ is required in which alternative methods will be broached to combine care, education and health within the family unit.