On the day Michael Gove sets out his vision of just how free his free schools will be, and the Department for Education announces that there've been 281 bids to open free schools in the second round of applications, former education secretary Estelle Morris admits on film that she's scared of him, and of what he's doing to the school curriculum. He's trying to duplicate his own education for the nation's children, she says. And someone should stop him.
The Times (whose paywall prevents me linking to it) has a piece by Peter Hyman, Tony Blair's former aide, on why he wants to start a free school in a deprived part of London. The Local School Network's Allan Beavis analyses the plan:
"He is a much more palatable face for the free school campaign and a relief from the confusing histrionics of Katharine Birbalsingh and tiresome aggression of Toby Young. But not even his eloquence can persuade us that the basic ideology of aiming for the best education for all is not in any way different to what [maintained] schools also set out to do. And even he falls into the trap of spinning grandiose claims - 'They will have smart uniforms and get good exam grades and a place in a top university'. Maintained schools do not set out to fail their children and many have not."
On Twitter, designer @hannahhabibi raises the issue of teacher qualifications:
"I'm weary of #freeschools. I was recently asked to be an art teacher at a free school, despite having no teaching experience at all."
Everton FC is one of those on the department's list of free school sponsors: it aims to "use the power of sport to engage pupils, aged between 14 and 19, with an alternative learning experience", according to the Liverpool Echo, which adds somewhat bewilderingly:
"The club believes that it would benefit pupils from a wider range of learning styles and approaches to prepare them for the world of work."
Education news from the Guardian and Observer
• Nightmare news for David Willetts: Michael Mansfield, QC, has "consented to an invitation from several members of the senate" to stand as a candidate for the office of Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Mansfield says in a press release:
"Many central values of higher education seem in these times subject to new and untried policies that threaten to inflict major harm: damage to independence of spirit, to research in science and humanities free of overt profit motive, to erudition and critical thinking, cultural creativity, diversity and socially just accessibility at all levels; damage which comes from considering market-forces and personal-investment models as paramount for the future.
I believe that these threatened values are fundamental principles, central to the future prospects of the University of Cambridge and all higher education, and I should welcome the opportunity to represent these principles in holding this office."
• Academics are co-ordinating a mass resignation from the Arts and Humanities Research Council in protest over plans to fund research into David Cameron's "big society".
Organisers of the protest have told the Guardian that more than 30 professors will resign from their posts as peer reviewers for the council in the next fortnight because its chief executive has refused to back down over plans to promote the big society as a topic for humanities research.
• If you've not read it yet, treat yourself to Fielding's blog about the effects of testing and streaming on self-esteem and life chances.
"They don't miss a trick to keep you down and out. They'll invent free schools or Ebacc exams, which you'll fail, because as Chris Woodhead, I'm sorry, Sir Chris Woodhead, once said: 'The middle classes have better genes.' Marvellous."
There's an interesting comment from Michael Rosen on this blog - suggesting that exams are done away with all together:
"I'm in favour of abolishing exams in the form they take at present. These are mostly completely useless at determining what kinds of useful things that people can do. They mostly test for an incredibly narrow row of abilities (eg memory, speed of writing, ability to cheat, mug up the night before, summarise important complex things into over-simplified nonsense and so on.) Most people in most walks of life need all kinds of other skills, aptitudes and knowledge bases."
• Aston University linguistics expert Judith Baxter has found that women are held back from reaching the very highest levels in business because of the difficulties they find in striking the right tone of language during high pressure meetings.
• In these tough economic times, gap years are seen as an expensive luxury many young people can no longer afford. But gap years teach invaluable life skills, argues Aisha Brown Colpani.
Education news from around the web
• Teachers will be trained on the job in the classroom under a radical shake-up of training, the Independent reports. It says Gove is planning to set up 100 teaching schools - designed to do the same job as teaching hospitals - from this September.
"Eventually, between 400 and 500 schools will receive this designation. The idea is to select schools classified as "outstanding" to carry out the task and get them to help neighbouring schools to take on some trainees. Each trainee will be assigned a mentor.
However, teacher trainers are worried the plan may be accompanied by cuts in budgets for teacher training courses - which will still play a role under the new system."
• Onestowatchmedia.com picks up on a story in Cherwell, the Oxford University student paper, claiming that nearly one in six Oxbridge applicants register for the services of Oxbridge Applications, an independent profit-driven company that sells university admission advice. Cherwell says between 5,000 and 6,000 students contact the company each year, while the overall number applying to Oxbridge is around 34,000.
• The Telegraph believes schools sports days to be under threat:
"Schools routinely cancel sports days if it's too wet, too hot, too cold or the field is bumpy. Recently, in the West Midlands, parents were contacted by lawyers offering to seek compensation payments for sports day injuries or sunburn. The result, says Josie Appleton, head of Manifesto, a civil liberties group that fights excessive regulation, 'is that children are leading ever more sanitised, dull, unadventurous lives. They need the reality check of competition'."
• The British Library and Google have announced a partnership to digitise 250,000 out-of-copyright books from the library's collections. Google's Peter Barron says:
"What's powerful about the technology available to us today isn't just its ability to preserve history and culture for posterity, but also its ability to bring it to life in new ways. This public domain material is an important part of the world's heritage and we're proud to be working with the British Library to open it up to millions of people in the UK and abroad."
• Graduate salaries are a lot lower than students expect them to be, the THE reports. A survey of 22,000 new employees by Graduate Prospects shows that only half (53%) are satisfied with what they earn. Three quarters (77%) earning less than £30,000.
Guardian Education Centre seminars for teachers
This half-day conference for primary school teachers will help you inspire students to read with pleasure and maintain the reading habit. Andy Stanton, author of the Mr Gum series, will be joined by Julia Eccleshare, Guardian children's books editor, and reading development experts.
Time: 1 July, 9.15-12.45.
Cost: £48, including refreshments and resources.
Insight into Journalism: investigative and features journalism
This seminar, part of our popular Insight into Journalism series, gives secondary school teachers and college tutors the chance to spend a day at the Guardian. You'll meet specialist journalists from the investigations team, find out from writers what makes a good features article and learn about commissioning, editing and interview techniques.
Time: 8 July, 9.15-4.30.
Cost: £72, including lunch and resources.
Education seminars from Guardian Professional
Distinctiveness and branding in higher education
Higher education institutions will struggle in the marketplace unless they stand out from competitors and make sense to stakeholders. The Guardian's half-day seminar in partnership with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education will explore what it takes to develop and maintain a distinctive brand that attracts students, staff and funders. Participants will hear from experts, examine case studies and have the opportunity to network with peers.
28 June, London.
Making the most of media opportunities to enhance your school's profile
Whether it's sharing good news or handling a crisis, headteachers and school management teams need to be able to handle the media in all of its forms. This one-day seminar in association with the NAHT is essential for new and aspiring heads as well as established school leaders who wish to update their knowledge. It includes a session on social media.
20 September, London.
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