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Butler Act
Free education for all. "The Butler Act" after Conservative politician R.A. Butler (Barber, 1997). -
GCE O and A levels introduced
General Certificate of Education (GCE) O-levels and A-levels were introduced, replacing the School Certificate and the Higher School Certificate. These were primarily grammar school exams. Some education authorities established their own leaving examinations for youngsters not taking GCEs. -
Crowther Report
Attempted to address the waste of talent and recommended the school leaving age increased to 16. -
Newsom report
Education system again identified that the less advantaged were losing out as a greater proportion of funding was being channelled to grammar schools. -
Ministry of Education renamed Department of Education and Science (DES).
The Ministry of Education was reorganised as the Department of Education and Science (DES). -
Education act
Changed the transfer age that had been enshrined in law since the Butler act. -
Grammar schools and the manifesto
Prior to the 1964 election, Labour Claimed that they would abolish the selection process and within Grammar schools. This proved a popular manifesto and helped give them a narrow (4 seats) victory. -
Circular 10/65
Circular 10/65 stopped short of compelling LEA’s to abolish selection and grammar schools. Between 65-70 many LEA’s abandoned selection but 164 grammar schools remain today (at the moment!) Also introduced middle schools. -
Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE)
New exam introduced in comprehensive and secondary modern schools. -
General election
Labour won a greater majority and despite having a mandate to widen comprehensive education a draft bill took four years to draft by which time the next election along with bill had been lost. A missed opportunity, allowing selective education to continue. -
Plowden report
Bridget Plowden. The 11+ was being abolished. Freeing primary schools from the constraints of having to teach to pass the 11+. Child centred approach. -
General election
Conservatives win a surprise victory. Margaret Thatcher becomes Education Secretary. -
Circular 10/70
Perhaps the first taste of Thatcherism, who as Sec of State for education withdraw the need for LEA’s to become comprehensive. Also, cut free milk – Thatcher, Thatcher, Milk snatcher! -
James report
James Report – reduced the number of student teachers as the birth rate had dipped but with an increase in one year PGCE training places -
School leaving age increased
School leaving age raised to 16 which had been recommended by the Crowther report and again in 1964. -
Sex discrimination act
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Ridge primary school
I started Ridge primary school, I wasn't happy. I new the easy times were over! The school is still open today and I have requested an attachement in Jan 2017. -
Race relations act
along with the sex discrimination act the year before made it illegal to discriminate on ground of race or gender -
The great debate
James Callaghan – the Labour prime minister at the time, speech at Ruskin college started the great debate. Education should be a case of educating to the best of the students ability and for a job of work. Not one over the other. How to motivate students in comprehensive education when only a minority take examinations. -
Warnock report
Mary Warnock, appointed by Margaret Thatcher in 1973. The Handicapped tag was replaced with the concept of special educational needs. The inclusive nature of the report is still enshrined in education today, although today as it was then, funding does not meet all the needs. (1981 SEN Act) -
Waddell report
Waddell Report – recommended that a single exam at 16 replace GCE and CSE – First GCSEs taken in 1988. -
General election
Conservative win election with Margaret Thatcher at the helm. Accelerated the closing down on non-profitable public industries making her government very unpopular. Would not have won second term had it not been for the Falklands conflict, giving her a landslide victory in next election 1983.
Set about weakening the triangle of Government, LEA, school in order to get more governmental control over teachers and the curriculum. -
Longlands school
I started secondary school. Longlands had changed from a secondary modern to a comprehensive school in 1955, prior to the Crowther report (1959) which recommended the increase of school leaving age and the spread of compreshensive education. -
YOPS and YTS
Employment Manpower Services Commission (MSC) not LEAs introduced the Technical & Vocational Education Initiative (TVEI) called Youth Opportunity Programmes (YOPS) and later YTS -
Left Longlands
Left Longlands with 5 CSE grade 1’s and as I did the 16+ got a GCE English C which was one of the certificates I had to show to start this course over 30 years later! I also got a grade 2 CSE in computer studies a relatively new subject in those days. It was another years at college to get maths in order to join the RAF. The school closed in 1992 due to lack of students. -
Stourbridge College
Started Stourbridge college of art and technology passed 3 more GCE O levels including Computer studies and Maths. -
Education act
Two Education acts – a busy year but the second one had much more clout, including the start of banning corporal punishment in maintained schools but not independent schools unless the fees where paid by the state. Provision was made for the appraisal of teachers. -
Joined the RAF
Joined the RAF as an Airfield Radar Technician. Didn’t like the electronics training and soon transferred to an administration course which was only 6 weeks as opposed to 18 months. -
Local government act
Local government act – forbade the promoting of teaching in any maintained school the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship. -
Education reform act
also known as the 'Baker act' after Kenneth Baker – It took more powers away from LEAs and schools and gave them to the sec of state for education. -
GCSE
replaced the GCE and CSE with more course work and less reliance on memorising facts. -
BTEC
School could offer Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) course. Looked at one point that GNVQ and NVQ could be combined, but it was not to be. -
Student loans act
Thatcher’s last education act introduced ‘top-up’ loans paving the way for a reduction in student grants. -
Thatcher out, Major in.
The batten was passed to John Major, for more of the same. -
DfE
Department of education and science (DES) became the Department of Education (DfE) -
OFSTED created
Education (Schools) act created OFSTED (Office for standards in education) -
General election
Major wins general election or Labour lost it. Education used as a political football again with streaming in primary schools and teachers relegated to an instructor instead of a facilitator. -
Dearing review
Recommended NC content reduced, greater choice in KS3 and KS4 should be given greater discretion over humanities. -
DfEE
The DfE was renamed the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) in 1995. -
General election
Blair wins the general election – despite a pre-election promise of the end of selection this did not happen. -
White paper
White paper excellence in school – schools encouraged to become specialist schools, selection on aptitude is still selection. -
Teaching and higher education act
General Teaching council established which allowed the SofS to make regulations for induction periods for teachers and extended the duties of the HM Chief inspector -
Education act
Schools standards and framework act. It appeared the Blair government was actually trying to destroy comprehensive schools. This was very odd as other areas of UK (not England) the comprehensive system was working.
New classifications of schools Community, foundation, voluntary aided and voluntary controlled. Beacon schools (to act as a beacon and raise standards) replaced the failed EAZ experiment. -
HNC day release
Whilst working on DB helpdesk, which restarted my interest in computing. I started a day release HNC in Computer Studies at Gloucestershire college of art and technology (GLOSCAT). Finished in 2001. Which was a tangible reason why I got a job as a COBOL programmer upon promotion. -
Learning and skills act
Introduced city academies – effectively private schools paid for by the state. Similar to charter schools in US and CTC’s from the conservatives. -
DfES
DfEE becomes Department for Education and Skills -
Education act
Education act based on the 2001 white paper achieving success, gave even greater control to the school from the LEA and introduced further religious schools. An embarrassment when it was revealed two state funded schools were teaching creationism as a science. -
Specialist schools
The new SofS, Charles Clarke, was tasked with implementing an increase in specialist schools but was shaken and changed tack slightly when evidence appeared to prove comprehensive education was more effective that selective. Although, as the policy continued, it was thought that he was told to be quiet. -
Children's act
Every child matters – following horrendous death of Victoria Climbie, a more joined up approach between agencies with the child at the centre. -
Higher education act
Remembered for the introducing the idea that universities could charge a variable top-up tuition fee. Unpopular but just managed to squeeze it through. LEA’s now known as LA’s. -
BSF
Building Schools for the future, massive investment as well as PFI -
General election
Blair wins a 3rd term and with it even more extreme policies - all primary and secondary schools would be encouraged to become independent state schools ('trust schools') backed by private sponsors - businesses, charities, faith groups. Despite a large amount of evidence to contrary,(increased costs against poorer performance) Blair still believed in academies and wanted to push ahead with 400 more and additional faith schools. -
DCSF and DIUS (and a warning from Gove)
DfES split into Department for children, schools and famikies (DCSF) and the department for innovation, uni’s and Skill (DIUS). Brown takes over from Blair and labours weakness allows the conservatives to steal the initiative, enter Michael Gove who as shadow sec told teachers that a return to fact based learning was required (the bottom rung of Blooms taxonomy!) -
Ofqual launched
The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is a non-ministerial government department that regulates qualifications, exams and tests in England and vocational qualifications in Northern Ireland. Colloquially and publicly, Ofqual is often referred to as the exam "watchdog". -
Gove's view on education (another warning)
A throwback to the 1950s, promised to destroy the 'educational establishment' responsible for 'dumbing down' schools. He would sideline local authorities, scrap the curriculum agency, sack the worst head teachers, have fewer Ofsted inspections for good schools, encourage competitive sports, and insist on traditional values in the classroom, with former soldiers imposing discipline and pupils expected to wear ties. -
Education and skills act
Raised school / fulltime education age to 18. Apprenticeships etc. Increased concern over SATs tests and the amount of time taken in coaching for them. Not helped by a huge IT problem. -
General election
Coalition government formed between Conservatives and Liberals -
Academies act
Uni tuition fees increase as well as an increase in academies and free schools despite problems with academy chain in Gove’s constituency. It was also revealed that the actual number of schools that had applied to become academies was not in fact 1000 as Gove had claimed but 153 of which 32 actually opened as academies. Gove also wanted less course work in GCSEs. -
DfE (again)
renamed the department, back to DfE. -
Terms and conditions
The government announced it would raise teachers' retirement age, replace the final-salary scheme with career averages, and increase employee contributions. These changes led to inductial action that in my opinion turned the public off to the teacher plight. -
Manchester Metropolitan University
I start distance learning degree the year before the fees go up. My son starts the year after they go up! -
You know when enough is enough
Left the RAF with no regrets and a plan to finish my degree and apply for teacher training. -
The end of the coalition
During the 5 years of the coalition government not one part of education had remained unchanged. Handing over of thousands of school buildings to unqualified people to run schools, NC, fewer vocational courses, fewer and more expensive HE, abolition of teachers to be qualified (academies and free schools) , teachers pay and conditions. The Liberals pay the price as the public could not forgive the u-turn on tuition fees. -
BSc(HONS)
Finished my degree and enrolled upon a PGCE Computer Science course at Wolverhampton University. -
U-turn on academies
Nicky Morgan introduces a concept of forcing schools to become academies, not just failing schools. Is essentially forced to back down. However, she backed the wrong horse in the Conservative leader election and was replaced with Justin Greening. -
Grammar raises its head
A new green paper – increasing what is expected of independent schools and grammar schools are back on the agenda!
