AGE OF TRANSFER IN MERTON SCHOOLS, 6th October 2000

St. Mark’s Church, Wimbledon
On the panel: Jenny Cairns, Director of Education, London Borough of Merton
Chairman: Adrian Barnes
Focus: The implementation of the change of age of transfer in Merton
schools

How can we maintain the improvements in local exam results?

The meeting was to have been held in St. Mark’s Church Hall, but both sets
of keys supplied by the YMCA failed to provide access to the Hall and an
alternative venue was found in a meeting room inside the Church. In view
of the disappointingly small attendance - totalling eleven people, plus the
above - this proved to be a blessing in disguise.

Following the Chairman’s introduction, Jenny Cairns opened the question and
answer session by clarifying her position as professional advisor in
educational matters whose purpose was to put forward recommendations to the Council, any decisions then to be made by the councillors themselves.
The need to raise standards in Merton schools was the driving force behind
five consultation exercises beginning in 1997 towards tier changes, reaching
final approval by the government in June this year (six months after their
own target). There was an unprecedented consensus about principle.

There will be a two year transitional stage:
Building works
Staff redeployment
Training programme for teaching and support staff
Revised admission arrangements

Q. Why were standards lower than elsewhere?
A. The rationalisation of national tests in 1995 made it possible for
the first time not only to compare academic achievements but also to compare
socio-economic groups in boroughs. In those comparable to Merton - of
which the most similar is Brighton and Hove - all those who were doing
better had the two-tier system.

Disadvantages of three-tier system:-
1. Age range 3-8 in first tier. Tests at 7, starting Key Stage 2 in
last year where there is not the same accountability. This situation is
repeated in middle school i.e. starting Key Stage 3 in last year.
2. Children find it difficult to settle and adapt at each change of
school.
3. In middle school, second tier - age range 9 - 12, specialist
subjects (science, languages) taught in last year and headteachers find it
difficult to recruit staff with the confidence, experience and enthusiasm
when they cannot follow through. (This point was confirmed by the
representative present from the Merton Scientific Society who had
experienced the children’s lack of interest in science)
4. High schools, third tier, not operating on level playing fields,
since all surrounding boroughs have two tiers. The Merton children who
move out aged 11 are not going to move back to the borough a year later.
JC emphasised that in all the Ofsted reports, the quality of teaching was
praised, but it was not getting results.

Q. Was the availability in the borough of independent schools a factor?
A. No. Historically the borough had always lost a small percentage,
so that was planned for. It had stayed constant but in the mid-90s there
was an increase of children moving to neighbouring boroughs partly being a
question of where the nearest school was and partly to do with low
standards, i.e. Watermeads. This school is close to Sutton and its
problems are well-known. It was closed and re-started with new staff and
resources and there have been improvements but it will take 2 - 3 years to
work through. Also, Rutlish had problems which have been addressed and it
is now improving and very much more popular with parents. Inevitably
parents of year 6 children were looking at schools outside the borough as an
insurance.

Improvements have meant that standards in the borough had reached
national averages but there is the potential for much more to be achieved.
There is a national problem at Key Stage 3 and Merton is no exception. The
priority is to target children at primary level so that problems are
addressed early enough.

Q. Very pleased to see improvements but (as spokesperson for the Merton
Dyslexia Association) horrified to see the number of special needs children
not able to read and write. Merton must provide special needs units to
address this problem.
A. Homework clubs have been established in public libraries with computers available and tutors to help. A range of strategies had been introduced over the whole curriculum so that the push for national curricular literacy is extended. In this country, literacy and numeracy levels among adults are frightening, one fifth of adults are illiterate or innumerate or both. Merton College and Adult Education Centres offer courses and there are family literacy centres where adults and children may learn together. If there is no support at home, children are very disadvantaged, so it is important to target the very young.

Q. (Merton Scientific Assoc.) The post-war generation of children did
not suffer any particular deprivations so where did we go wrong?
A. There was no clarity about the reasons for going to school. No ‘push’ for every child as an individual. They were paying the price for ‘sloppiness’ at a certain stage. Expectations are very important - ie in mining village no
visible need for literacy, but now that manual jobs are disappearing, other
skills are vital and high expectations even more important.

Q. When leaving school in 1970, jobs were plentiful, there was a general complacency. Also, there is a legacy going back a long way for parents to be kept outside the school gates. Now that parents are being invited to become involved at their children’s schools, this should help with improvements?
A. Still too much of a ‘secret garden’ approach and there is a long way
to go, especially in secondary schools, where the children don’t want their
parents involved either! A Parents’ Newsletter has been launched to try
and inform parents and involve them more in their children’s learning, not
just in fundraising.

Q. (Merton Scientific Assoc.) Pensioners should be nationalized! To be used in schools to sharpen pencils, etc. Old people are accepted better by teenagers. No old person need feel unfulfilled or unwanted.
A. Agreed!

Q. How far are schools looking out for dyslexia and other special needs
in school? Bearing in mind the high proportion of young male offenders who
have been found to be dyslexic.
A. It is essential that teachers at primary level view children as individuals and are systematic about recording every child’s progress. In the past, assumptions were made that children were “not able” and then the expectations were not there. If teachers are not called to account and there are no records then children do slip through the net. It is still dependent on the class teacher. Until recently teachers were not good team players, but they are now more willing to ask for support. There must be clarity about the correct system to employ.

Q. In the past there has been no government support of gifted or talented children, are there any plans to offer this?
A. There is an education development strategy to do more to identify gifted or talented children and to provide extension work. Also, it is recognised that these children can be the most disruptive if their needs are not addressed. Two summer schools for gifted and talented children were provided this summer (as well as summer schools to boost literacy and numeracy). There is more to be done.

Q. Ofsted reported that there were large numbers of gifted children going out of the borough.
A. This is the first year that it’s been possible to pull information out of the reports. One fifth of children leave the borough, 88% of those being gifted.

Q. Are parents choosing selective schools as they are not available in the borough?
A. There is evidence of some children going to selective schools but the majority go to comprehensive schools, so the main issue would seem to be standards.

Q. (High school governor) Another issue is discipline. Will the new facilities be ready for the increase in pupils? Otherwise discipline will get worse.
A. The sixth month delay by government, combined with the new type of funding for secondary schools has created a very tight timescale. Secondary schools are to be funded by consortiums of say, a building society and building contractors in consultation with the board of governors. There will be an increase from the present 840 pupils to 1,200 which will be phased in, so during the first two years there will be some spare capacity in high schools. The building works will be planned to make sure that they are carried out with the minimum disruption to pupils.

Q. (Dyslexia Assoc.) When will the plans and target dates for completion be available? Who is responsible?
A. The nature of private/public funding is totally different to public sector funding. The consortium meet with the governors to decide where and when the building will take place, with targets in mind, and parents will be advised. It is in the interests of the consortium to get things right as the ongoing maintenance is their responsibility. The Council will oversee the contract between themselves and the consortium but only after the consortium are in agreement.

Q. Change to the two tier system will have the support of most parents and a good body of staff but will it mean pre-fabs?
A. Tenders have gone or will go out for primary schools and, as the funding is different so the work will be on target.

Q. When will parents have this programme?
A. Headteachers will keep the parents informed.

Q. Having lived through the changes in the 70s, am worried about the level of disruption. Will all this building work be done during the school holidays?
A. Some work has been done already as primary schools expanded when classes grew to 30. There’s been a lot of planning time for the primary schools but there is concern over secondary school programming because of the different type of funding. The long term benefits of this type of funding are very good but the timescale for their building programme is very tight.

Q. Following on our recent successes in the Olympics, what will be done
to foster sport in schools? Whilst agreeing that keeping proper records is
very important, it is still popular opinion that teachers are too busy form
filling to spare time for extra-curricular activities.
A. There has been a terrific increase in administration. A lot of
imposition from above does bring benefits but staff do have less time and
art, music and sport regrettably have been marginalized. Recently there
has been a big drive by government to reduce administrative procedures and a
recognition that the curriculum needs to be slimmed down to allow for a
range of activities. Personally, I have been working with Merton Music
Foundation to stop it going under.

Q. (Merton Science Assoc.) The community should be linked in some way,
so that more volunteers were introduced and teachers could be spared.
A. This is the way to achieve it but sport is different because
stringent health and safety regulations make it harder to pull in
volunteers. (Merton Science Assoc.: “but they could be trained”)

Q. In the last few years there has been a lot of emphasis in reporting
what government and schools are doing and not much about LEAs, almost as if
they were standing in the way.
A. Local Education authorities can make a difference and this was
validated in the recent report. A lot of outstanding issues had to be
addressed and some have been but there is a long way to go. Relationships
between the LEA and schools are good although they have their ups and downs.

It is worth noting that Ofsted praised the vast majority of schools in
Merton for their excellent pastoral care. Because of this care for children
as individuals and because it is possible to make changes and see
improvements, I feel that I am very fortunate to be doing a very worthwhile
job.

Chairman: which seems a good point at which to end and to thank JC
and all present for coming to the meeting.

Jane Bretton and Gilly Pawson
Ad Hoc Business Support
76 Dora Road
Wimbledon
London SW19 7HH
T 020 8946 5387 F 020 8286 3838 E info@adhocbusiness.co.uk

Back to Archive Page