It is often said that the strength of the STEM workforce is viewed as an indication of a nation’s ability to sustain itself. In 2008, the CBI Education & Skills survey reported that nine out of ten firms employ STEM-skilled people but the skills-shortage in the UK means that over a third of larger employers recruit from overseas. With this year’s crop of graduates facing a shortage of jobs, investing time and funds in increasing the next generation’s ability to compete in the international employment market is essential.

In light of this, the curriculum changes that are expected to be announced in the autumn should allow for greater freedom in the teaching of the STEM-subjects. The prescriptive nature of the current curriculum has long been criticised; set learning objectives demand set teaching techniques and many teachers believe that a little more freedom would allow more room for the sort of teaching that fires pupils’ imaginations. This enthusiasm, particularly in subjects such as maths and science, could help to create the next Brunel or Newton. Someone whose ability to invent and innovate can change the way we live and work. Ensuring that today’s pupils are ready for the jobs of tomorrow – many of which don’t even exist yet - is a vital part of education and, if we do the job right, their skills and abilities could be the bedrock on which the country’s financial security can be built.

The Government’s announcement that over 700 schools due to benefit from the Building Schools for the Future scheme will now no longer receive their architecture and infrastructure makeover was expected by many but met with shocked disappointment by others. While the scheme was dogged with talk of bureaucracy and over-spending it was seen by many as necessary, if not to create inspirational learning environments then certainly to rid England of the crumbling and ill-suited school buildings built during the sixties and seventies.

Many believe that the language of the Government in the 51 days since the election has been leading to moments like yesterday. Talk of the deficit and of the undeliverable spending pledges of the previous Government has highlighted the idea that no-one can escape the forthcoming austerity measures (apart from the NHS – the great behemoth that can help win or lose an election is virtually untouchable). Frontline provision in education will undoubtedly be affected by the £1bn cuts announced yesterday but, as yet, no-one knows exactly what this will mean. Longer time spent in 1970’s prefab temporary classrooms, probably, but what of day-to-day education? What of ICT, teacher’s pay and classroom sizes? These topics have been weapons in the political battlefield for a very long time and it surely can’t be too long before the financial crisis is no longer enough to keep them from raising their heads during PM’s Question Time.

The autumn spending review, the pre-budget report, next year’s budget – these are moments that few sectors will meet without flinching. The difference with education is that parents flinch alongside schools. Mum and dad get involved. Large numbers of voters are riled to take action. To avoid this, the DfE needs to come out with some good news, some sensible policies to reassure mums and dads across the country. The best opportunity for this is the next White Paper. Many think that this will be the Government’s best chance to face off opposition, with announcements of less prescriptive teaching and fewer targets bound to please parents and teachers. That said, it will have to be a pretty special shake-up to overshadow the cuts but one thing this Government has in its favour is the element of surprise - the coalition is a new animal to us so the country seems prepared to wait and see. In the meantime, at least the weather’s looking good.

The area, run by professor Stephen Heppell, hosts groups of pupils showcasing some of their outstanding ideas for making education more interactive and more enjoyable. I think this is a great idea – children will know better than any of us what will make schools - and learning - more engaging for them. Rather than try and guess what works, let’s hear it from the horse’s mouth.

Another less than satisfying memory from my school days was the loneliness I sometimes used to feel. We moved around a fair amount – my father was in the cartoon army – so when I heard of 12-year-old’s James Buckley’s magnificent ‘Look for Loneliness’ resource, I was both intrigued and impressed. James’ idea (a Dragon’s Den winning idea, don’t you know!) is to get children to look out for the more lonely kids and include them more.

The thought of children helping and including one another puts a massive smile on my face. Children have the capacity to surprise us, to step up to the plate and have bigger hearts and ideas than we sometimes think they will. How nice then to see a planned celebration of this with the ‘Cool Schools’ feature area.

Rick

Now I admit that classical music can be an acquired taste but I’m not sure I would see it on a par with writing lines or cleaning graffiti off a wall. In the case of West Park School in Derby, however, it is played at volume during detention and has had the desired effect – detention rates are falling. Pupils do not want to sit in quiet reflection to a soundtrack of Elgar, Mozart, Verdi or Bach, it seems. While I wouldn’t have thought that classical music would be the sort blaring from their MP3 players through their EU-regulation defying headphones, I am surprised it has proven to be a better deterrent than more traditional forms of punishment. Still, if it works, it works – that’s my motto (in terms of education, household DIY and the unusual sartorial pairing of green flairs with my favourite purple shirt). Personally, I’d much prefer to sit and listen to Mozart than the new single of an X Factor winner, but there’s no accounting for taste, I suppose.

The figure of £495m is slightly misleading though. It’s far lower than in 2008, when there was something of a scandal at the amount that schools were sitting on. Also, schools are expected to hold a small reserve for unexpected costs. That said, if the reserve, amounts to more than 5% of the annual income for secondary schools and 8% for primary schools, it is considered excessive. The Government, and parents, want to see today’s children benefit from today’s funding and why not? Prices are lower than ever, there seem to be plenty of discounts and special offers around and innovation is at an all-time high; what better time to purchase educational resources?

Mr Coaker has said that if the surplus is as high in 2011, action will be taken. Some educators are upset by this, viewing it as Government interference in schools’ budgeting. This is familiar refrain for me; I’ve had similar complaints from Mrs Resourceful Rick on many occasions, albeit with different eventual aims. As I point out, in measured tones (I’m resourceful, you see. Not foolhardy) I don’t try to tell her what to spend the money on, just not to spend all of it. Keeping 5% for emergencies is sensible. Go too far and sensible becomes thrifty and children’s education is just too important for thrift.

Now I think this may be slightly optimistic and a little naive; the reason, it is said, that education officials amassed such a hefty bill is that offices are spread around the country and staff are often called to London for meetings. I can’t imagine being as happy cycling from Runcorn to London as I was navigating the pretty country lanes of the south of France, and I’ll be sure to say that to my senior political contact.  But I think they’re on the right track – they have to do something about these travel bills. Shopping around for the best deals would be a start – I can put them in touch with my mother, the original war-child bargain expert. I think there are many minor measures that can be taken before we resort to telling civil servants to get on their bikes. Now I’m off to London – in standard-class – to tell my politician friend exactly that!

Rick

This does not, I thought, bode well. It has been said many times that our school leavers are at a disadvantage in the European recruitment market due to lack of foreign languages but, equally important are the benefits that language learning from an early age gives us; children learn languages more easily at a younger age and that it can open up a whole new dimension for children, contributing to the development of individual intelligence and improving overall results in school.

That said, when I looked into this in a bit more detail, I discovered that, in 2008, the number of primary schools teaching a second language was up from 70 per cent in 2007 and 44 per cent in 2002. So maybe the two reports indicate that, after a considerable rise in the number of language teachers following changes to the curriculum the recruitment drive has tailed off slightly. I’m hoping this is the case – I am naturally optimistic but it has been said that I see the world through rose tinted glasses sometimes. Still, the happy thought of future generations of learners chatting away in French, German, Spanish or Japanese – or at the very least, not mistakenly asking for vegetable-based transport – is enough to keep me smiling.

 Rick

Children are like sponges for information; amazing little energetic sponges with a natural curiosity that lends itself incredibly well to learning. Although the review is right to say that structured lessons can detract from this natural curiosity, it would be a mistake to rule school out until the age of six. The best approach, in my mind, is a combination of playful learning and structure; helping children become accustomed to education but giving them activities which will encourage their thirst for knowledge. Educational playtime and fun lessons using some of the great resources around at the moment, seems like the best of both worlds – come along to the Education Show next year to see what some of our exhibitors are doing. There are some brilliant resources around at the moment that can help strike the balance between fun and learning.

These are the findings from ‘Resourceful Rick’s Review’. Like the Cambridge review but shorter.

Rick

For those keen to hear more about the Education Show, or talk with other fans, I’d encourage you to join the all new Education Show Facebook group, entitled ‘The Education Show 2010’.  It’s the perfect place for everyone to discuss upcoming activity planned for the show, and we’re really keen to hear from you.

During the article, Mr Balls was at pains to make it clear that the cuts would not mean budgetary restrictions for schools – in fact, he even said that there would be modest increases in schools’ budgets over the next three years. Apparently, he has identified a number of ways to save without affecting resources or front line staff. Pooling senior staff, capping pay rises for teaching staff over the next few years and reducing energy bills will save us all a lot of money and help fill the hole in the nation’s wallet, apparently. That all sounds fairly reasonable but I, along with many others, can see some problems with these plans.

Pooling senior staff means that some schools lose their heads (pun intended) and I’m keen to know how a policy like this can be implemented while still taking into account the needs, very different as they are, of schools across the UK. If leadership pooling is only put in place after a period of consultation then I can see this policy causing even more of the dreaded bureaucracy that Mr Balls also spoke of.

Likewise capping pay increases is very problematic. We usually hear about how the shortage of good teaching staff means that class sizes are too large. How are we to attract more teachers if their pay isn’t going to reflect the work that is expected of them? This is particularly an issue if the leadership teams are being reduced.  And finally, reducing energy spending is great in principle but I’m keen to know the details – reading by candlelight? Wearing coats in classrooms? If so much money could be saved by making these simple-sounding steps without affecting the quality of education that we give our children, then this begs the question; why haven’t we done so already? Why did we wait until the country was almost bankrupt? I’m no financial strategist but that seems a bit like closing the stable door after…well, you know the rest.

Anyway, as influential as I am when it comes to public policy, in times like these I could talk until I’m even more blue in the face but cabinet ministers will do what they want to do and the rest of us will have to sit it out and wait for the effects of these changes. And I do think we will see the effects, no matter what Mr Balls says.

Rick