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| Can Welsh schools make up for ‘lost decade’ to climb in Pisa league? | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Heather Nicholas, headteacher of Ferndale community school, is matter of fact about the difficulties her pupils face growing up in a deprived part of Wales. “I think every child should own a book,” she says. One book may not sound like much but it is in Maerdy, a former coalmining village along the main road that snakes up the Rhondda Fach valley, where a good house can be had for less than £30,000. | Heather Nicholas, headteacher of Ferndale community school, is matter of fact about the difficulties her pupils face growing up in a deprived part of Wales. “I think every child should own a book,” she says. One book may not sound like much but it is in Maerdy, a former coalmining village along the main road that snakes up the Rhondda Fach valley, where a good house can be had for less than £30,000. |
| Ferndale has a lot riding on it. Local government spending cuts saw the school take over running the local library and swimming pool, to keep them open. And Nicholas is about to meet officials to discuss what more the school can do when the area’s generous EU funding disappears, post-Brexit. | Ferndale has a lot riding on it. Local government spending cuts saw the school take over running the local library and swimming pool, to keep them open. And Nicholas is about to meet officials to discuss what more the school can do when the area’s generous EU funding disappears, post-Brexit. |
| But right now Ferndale carries even more weight for Wales’s educational reputation, as one of the schools chosen to take part in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which tests core skills in maths, literacy and science. | But right now Ferndale carries even more weight for Wales’s educational reputation, as one of the schools chosen to take part in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which tests core skills in maths, literacy and science. |
| Last year Ferndale’s 15-year-olds sat the Pisa exams alongside half a million of their peers in 72 countries. The results will be published on 6 December. | Last year Ferndale’s 15-year-olds sat the Pisa exams alongside half a million of their peers in 72 countries. The results will be published on 6 December. |
| Governments worldwide use Pisa as the litmus test for their schools. It was Pisa that highlighted Finland’s remarkable success within Europe, and then Shanghai’s table-topping performance as a sign of China’s development. | Governments worldwide use Pisa as the litmus test for their schools. It was Pisa that highlighted Finland’s remarkable success within Europe, and then Shanghai’s table-topping performance as a sign of China’s development. |
| In Wales there is concern about the latest set of results. While England’s and Scotland’s scores have been largely static, although slipping down international rankings because of new participants, Wales has seen its scores decline over the past decade, compounded by poor recent A-level results. | In Wales there is concern about the latest set of results. While England’s and Scotland’s scores have been largely static, although slipping down international rankings because of new participants, Wales has seen its scores decline over the past decade, compounded by poor recent A-level results. |
| Philip Dixon, a former director of the ATL Cymru teaching union, says Wales’s poor Pisa results upended many assumptions about the world-class quality of its education system since devolution. “Pisa isn’t perfect, but for all its faults it gives a reality check to governments. Being a small country, and not having a lot of checks and balances, we were a bit cocooned,” Dixon says. “When the first lot of Pisa results landed in 2007, there was consternation. And then when the second set arrived in 2010, which showed not only that we still weren’t remotely near the best but that we were actually going backwards, that caused a tremendous shock.” | Philip Dixon, a former director of the ATL Cymru teaching union, says Wales’s poor Pisa results upended many assumptions about the world-class quality of its education system since devolution. “Pisa isn’t perfect, but for all its faults it gives a reality check to governments. Being a small country, and not having a lot of checks and balances, we were a bit cocooned,” Dixon says. “When the first lot of Pisa results landed in 2007, there was consternation. And then when the second set arrived in 2010, which showed not only that we still weren’t remotely near the best but that we were actually going backwards, that caused a tremendous shock.” |
| According to Dixon – who has just published a book on the subject entitled Testing Times – the cause was a “lost decade”, in which Wales failed to upgrade its teaching or introduce prescriptive strategies for teaching such as those seen in Scotland or England. | According to Dixon – who has just published a book on the subject entitled Testing Times – the cause was a “lost decade”, in which Wales failed to upgrade its teaching or introduce prescriptive strategies for teaching such as those seen in Scotland or England. |
| The successive poor Pisa results set off alarms among policymakers in Cardiff, spearheaded by Leighton Andrews, Wales’s minister for education from 2009 to 2013. “There were two options really,” says Andrews. “One was to go into denial; the other was to say: this has got to be a turning point. And we obviously took the latter course.” He recalls the Pisa results published in 2010: “It became the trigger for our school improvement programme, which kicked off in early 2011.” | The successive poor Pisa results set off alarms among policymakers in Cardiff, spearheaded by Leighton Andrews, Wales’s minister for education from 2009 to 2013. “There were two options really,” says Andrews. “One was to go into denial; the other was to say: this has got to be a turning point. And we obviously took the latter course.” He recalls the Pisa results published in 2010: “It became the trigger for our school improvement programme, which kicked off in early 2011.” |
| First came banding, ranking schools into five levels of effectiveness, followed by new numeracy and literacy tests and frameworks, a new master’s degree for newly qualified teachers, and efforts to amalgamate the 22 disparate and sometimes tiny local authorities responsible for school improvement. | First came banding, ranking schools into five levels of effectiveness, followed by new numeracy and literacy tests and frameworks, a new master’s degree for newly qualified teachers, and efforts to amalgamate the 22 disparate and sometimes tiny local authorities responsible for school improvement. |
| The 2013 results, published in 2014, saw Wales again lose ground in science and, in particular, maths, where its Pisa score fell further behind Scotland and England and slipped to 43rd in the international standings. | The 2013 results, published in 2014, saw Wales again lose ground in science and, in particular, maths, where its Pisa score fell further behind Scotland and England and slipped to 43rd in the international standings. |
| But Andrews says the reforms introduced since 2011 have not yet had time to take hold, and so won’t be reflected in the latest set of results. “The key question is whether you allow the policies you’ve introduced to continue and to embed, or whether you twist and turn every time there is a problem,” he says. | But Andrews says the reforms introduced since 2011 have not yet had time to take hold, and so won’t be reflected in the latest set of results. “The key question is whether you allow the policies you’ve introduced to continue and to embed, or whether you twist and turn every time there is a problem,” he says. |
| Kirsty Williams, Wales’s current education minister, has been in the job only since May, and is the lone Liberal Democrat in Cardiff’s Labour-dominated government. But she agrees that the earlier reforms need more time to take effect – including the introduction of the pupil deprivation grant she championed, which funds schools directly for disadvantaged children, similar to the pupil premium in England. | Kirsty Williams, Wales’s current education minister, has been in the job only since May, and is the lone Liberal Democrat in Cardiff’s Labour-dominated government. But she agrees that the earlier reforms need more time to take effect – including the introduction of the pupil deprivation grant she championed, which funds schools directly for disadvantaged children, similar to the pupil premium in England. |
| Whatever this year’s Pisa results, Williams argues there is widespread support in Wales for reforming its education system, and points out the improvement in GCSE results seen this year. “I believe we are in a better position than we have been in a long time. I think things are on the up in Wales – I detect an absolute commitment from parents, from educators, from our higher education institutions. It’s a national mission. | Whatever this year’s Pisa results, Williams argues there is widespread support in Wales for reforming its education system, and points out the improvement in GCSE results seen this year. “I believe we are in a better position than we have been in a long time. I think things are on the up in Wales – I detect an absolute commitment from parents, from educators, from our higher education institutions. It’s a national mission. |
| “There’s a recognition that after all these years of devolution there’s a disappointment that Welsh education isn’t where we would want it to be. But there is a new sense of purpose, a collective understanding of what we need to do to move forward. There are some outstanding teachers, but we need make sure that quality is consistent no matter where you live in Wales, or what your background is.” | “There’s a recognition that after all these years of devolution there’s a disappointment that Welsh education isn’t where we would want it to be. But there is a new sense of purpose, a collective understanding of what we need to do to move forward. There are some outstanding teachers, but we need make sure that quality is consistent no matter where you live in Wales, or what your background is.” |
| Williams’s sense of a national mission is shared by Heather Nicholas at Ferndale. “The honest truth is, we’ve not been doing well in Pisa. But I think it’s generated a surge of support for improving the education process, and I think Kirsty Williams will find life a bit easier than Leighton Andrews when he first started, in that she’s pushing at an open door now. | Williams’s sense of a national mission is shared by Heather Nicholas at Ferndale. “The honest truth is, we’ve not been doing well in Pisa. But I think it’s generated a surge of support for improving the education process, and I think Kirsty Williams will find life a bit easier than Leighton Andrews when he first started, in that she’s pushing at an open door now. |
| “I liaise with a lot of heads, and there are gripes and groans because it is quite high pressure and it’s long hours. But there is a feeling that everyone is in it together,” says Nicholas. | “I liaise with a lot of heads, and there are gripes and groans because it is quite high pressure and it’s long hours. But there is a feeling that everyone is in it together,” says Nicholas. |
| In Maerdy, where the town’s terraced houses can hide the deprivation behind their doors, that support often comes through the school. Nicholas talks of home visits, “with loving parents and a loving family but really deprived. Concrete floors, no white goods, no heating, children topping and tailing in beds. It’s like the 1940s. It’s much more commonplace than you would know.” | In Maerdy, where the town’s terraced houses can hide the deprivation behind their doors, that support often comes through the school. Nicholas talks of home visits, “with loving parents and a loving family but really deprived. Concrete floors, no white goods, no heating, children topping and tailing in beds. It’s like the 1940s. It’s much more commonplace than you would know.” |
| The foyer of the school has a large photo of a coalmine. The caption reads: “Mardy Colliery – the last pit in the Rhondda (sunk 1875, closed 21 December 1990)”. It’s a grim reminder for a school in an area with high long-term unemployment, where 40% of its pupils receive free school meals and a substantial number have been in care. | The foyer of the school has a large photo of a coalmine. The caption reads: “Mardy Colliery – the last pit in the Rhondda (sunk 1875, closed 21 December 1990)”. It’s a grim reminder for a school in an area with high long-term unemployment, where 40% of its pupils receive free school meals and a substantial number have been in care. |
| But while the mines are long gone, Ferndale has set to work polishing diamonds. Elsewhere in the foyer are happier news clippings that speak of record-breaking exam results and new achievements. | But while the mines are long gone, Ferndale has set to work polishing diamonds. Elsewhere in the foyer are happier news clippings that speak of record-breaking exam results and new achievements. |
| Since Nicholas took over as head five years ago, she and her staff have taken Ferndale from the bottom of the Welsh government’s five bands to the top. In summer 2016 the school celebrated 55% of its pupils getting five good GCSE passes, including English or Welsh and maths, compared with just 22% in 2010. A new system of discipline has seen exclusions fall and attendance rise, year on year. | Since Nicholas took over as head five years ago, she and her staff have taken Ferndale from the bottom of the Welsh government’s five bands to the top. In summer 2016 the school celebrated 55% of its pupils getting five good GCSE passes, including English or Welsh and maths, compared with just 22% in 2010. A new system of discipline has seen exclusions fall and attendance rise, year on year. |
| Now the school is buzzing thanks to a partnership with Google, bringing Silicon Valley technology to the Rhondda valleys, and it is soon to be the subject of a BBC documentary. | Now the school is buzzing thanks to a partnership with Google, bringing Silicon Valley technology to the Rhondda valleys, and it is soon to be the subject of a BBC documentary. |
| One of Nicholas’s innovations has been a “Ferndale promise”: no matter what a child’s background, says Nicholas, “by the time they have left this school, they will have had a residential visit, they will have travelled abroad, if they want to”. In return, pupils are expected to raise funds through sponsorship, or take part in tasks around school such as collecting litter. The promise extends to making sure every pupil has school uniform, and if they don’t have a book, the school makes sure they are given one. It also runs two children’s centres, engages parents and holds classes for adult learners. | One of Nicholas’s innovations has been a “Ferndale promise”: no matter what a child’s background, says Nicholas, “by the time they have left this school, they will have had a residential visit, they will have travelled abroad, if they want to”. In return, pupils are expected to raise funds through sponsorship, or take part in tasks around school such as collecting litter. The promise extends to making sure every pupil has school uniform, and if they don’t have a book, the school makes sure they are given one. It also runs two children’s centres, engages parents and holds classes for adult learners. |
| One overlooked detail from the last Pisa report was that pupils in Wales reported being happier than other parts of the UK. “If you picked any child out here and asked: ‘what’s the best thing about this school?’, even the most grumpy, most truculent, if pressed, would say it’s the sense of family, of care,” Nicholas says. | One overlooked detail from the last Pisa report was that pupils in Wales reported being happier than other parts of the UK. “If you picked any child out here and asked: ‘what’s the best thing about this school?’, even the most grumpy, most truculent, if pressed, would say it’s the sense of family, of care,” Nicholas says. |
| What is Pisa? (No, not that Pisa) | What is Pisa? (No, not that Pisa) |
| The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) is a set of test results published every three years by the OECD, with the aim of evaluating different education systems. Students aged 15 in randomly selected schools are tested on reading, maths and science. The results are widely reported and pored over across the world. The last Pisa results, assessing students in 65 countries, were published in 2013 and focused on maths. This year’s results, expected on 6 December, will focus on science. | The Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) is a set of test results published every three years by the OECD, with the aim of evaluating different education systems. Students aged 15 in randomly selected schools are tested on reading, maths and science. The results are widely reported and pored over across the world. The last Pisa results, assessing students in 65 countries, were published in 2013 and focused on maths. This year’s results, expected on 6 December, will focus on science. |
| The tests have become increasingly controversial. Some experts argue they encourage countries to engage in short-term fixes and to focus on a narrow curriculum and more standardised testing to climb the rankings. “Lack of progress on Pisa has led to declarations of crisis and ‘Pisa shock’ in many countries,” wrote a panel of academics from around the world in an open letter to Andreas Schleicher, director of education for the OECD, in 2014. | The tests have become increasingly controversial. Some experts argue they encourage countries to engage in short-term fixes and to focus on a narrow curriculum and more standardised testing to climb the rankings. “Lack of progress on Pisa has led to declarations of crisis and ‘Pisa shock’ in many countries,” wrote a panel of academics from around the world in an open letter to Andreas Schleicher, director of education for the OECD, in 2014. |
| Others have complained it is not right to compare systems using average scores from random schools, and also that cultural differences make the tests unfair. French students, for example, are reportedly reluctant to guess multiple choice responses, preferring to leave a question blank – even though by guessing they would have had a 25% chance of being right. | Others have complained it is not right to compare systems using average scores from random schools, and also that cultural differences make the tests unfair. French students, for example, are reportedly reluctant to guess multiple choice responses, preferring to leave a question blank – even though by guessing they would have had a 25% chance of being right. |
| In addition, questions translated into different languages can be easily misinterpreted. There has also been criticism of Pisa, along with other international comparisons, for excluding children with disabilities. | In addition, questions translated into different languages can be easily misinterpreted. There has also been criticism of Pisa, along with other international comparisons, for excluding children with disabilities. |
| Top performers in the last Pisa tables were Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Finland has been a consistent high performer since the tests began, though it slipped in the last round. | Top performers in the last Pisa tables were Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Finland has been a consistent high performer since the tests began, though it slipped in the last round. |
| The UK’s results have been less than stellar. In the last round (tested in 2012 and reported in 2013) England was 21st out of 65 for science, 23rd for reading and 26th for maths. The UK as a whole came 26th in maths, 20th in science and 23rd in reading. In maths, Scotland ranked slightly higher than England. Northern Ireland was seven places further down the table and Wales was 12th from the bottom, 17 places behind England. In 2013, the then education secretary, Michael Gove, blamed the previous Labour governments. | The UK’s results have been less than stellar. In the last round (tested in 2012 and reported in 2013) England was 21st out of 65 for science, 23rd for reading and 26th for maths. The UK as a whole came 26th in maths, 20th in science and 23rd in reading. In maths, Scotland ranked slightly higher than England. Northern Ireland was seven places further down the table and Wales was 12th from the bottom, 17 places behind England. In 2013, the then education secretary, Michael Gove, blamed the previous Labour governments. |