It's in the news that some failing primary schools are to be turned into academies. I don't know much about the government's idea of what an academy is, but I thought it should be a centre of excellence for a particular specialism. Not at all suitable for a primary school. (Age 5-11 year olds for those not in UK). A change of name isn't going to sort out problems, and throwing money at these schools, which is probably what is intended, won't work unless accompanied by decent leadership within the schools and from the education dept.
Bureaucracy seems to be rife in the education system, as it is in many other parts of our community. A main reason I'm a casual worker rather than a tutor with the colleges is to avoid a lot of form filling and box ticking nonsense the tutors (and students) have to comply with. My C&G qualification has been superseded, so I'd have to go through the mill again and re-qualify. A motivation for many tutors in the FE sector is to pass on their knowledge of subjects they're expert in. Many have years of commercial experience in their fields. This counts for nothing in the eyes of the bureaucrats - every tutor must have the right bits of paper to show they have done the right courses in their subject. Absolutely right that teachers need to know their subjects, but why is it impossible to assess an individuals level of knowledge rather than force them through a course which is at a far lower level than their current standard.
I'm told by people who have recently completed the PTTLS and DTTLS qualifications in FE teaching that much of the content is given over to political correctness - diversity training, ensuring access for all. It seems the system expects potential teachers all to be bigoted racists who need re-educating, even brainwashing, into thinking the right way.
It's an interesting point that you need to be teaching to go on one of these courses as classroom assessment is a required element. You can't in theory get a job until you're qualified, so can't take the qualification. I applied for my first teaching job while I genuinely thought I had a place on a C&G course. I got the job but lost the place on the course, which put me in a position where I could properly apply to get qualified. If that makes sense to you, it doesn't to me.
Another moan in the FE world is the differentials certain classes of people pay for the courses. If you're not claiming benefits and the course isn't work focussed the fees are pretty hefty. Courses aimed at qualifications to enhance job prospects are often free. Benefits claimants get huge discounts. Pensioners used to be on a par with benefits claimants but now only get a small discount. So the people who pay the most are the same people who are funding the colleges with their tax payments. Plus they can't get the courses they would prefer as many classes are filled with benefits claimants - they have the time to get their applications in, often for multiple courses, the instant registration opens. End result - fees for lesser subsidised students go even higher as the subsidies are not fully reimbursed to the college. Personally I'd like to see the large subsidies limited to one course only. Fees for job focussed courses should be similar to university student loans, repayable when the student gets a job with their shiny new qualification.
A bit more common sense is required all round. There are many people who could teach but are put off by the plethora of bits of paper needed. (Also a few with the bits of paper who really can't teach!) Funding needs to come up the agenda a bit, higher paying students need a bit of priority to get more money into the system and students who are benefiting from gaining qualifications need to make a proper contribution.
A possible solution for the leisure type courses (pottery, art, yoga and c.) is to allow the tutors to run classes on a semi commercial basis. i.e. the tutors run the courses at prices set within college specified boundaries, the college provides premises and such overheads as insurance at reasonable rates. This might also get the college premises used more during the excessive holidays.
The aim of education is to provide people with the opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills. As with any large organisation this simple objective gets overwhelmed by the paperwork, externally set targets and box ticking that goes on.
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