Ever since the Education Reform Act received the Royal Assent back in 1988, much energy has been expended in improving the outcomes in education. This is displayed in a market-driven model. League tables are the order the day. They are determined on the basis of test and examination results. Annually and with boring regularity, The Sunday Times informs it readers about the 50 to 100 best state primary and secondary schools. It carries out a similar exercise with private schools. These are judged on the basis of – surprise, surprise – test and examination results.
Governors are exhorted to secure value for money in the provision of services. The litmus test is where a school features in the league tables. If the annual expenditure is steep and the test/exam results poor – heaven help the governing body because Ofsted will come down on the school like a ton of bricks. At an increasing number of schools, governing bodies carry out benchmarking exercises on the purchase of goods and services. The aim is to achieve more for less, to buy the maximum number of high-quality goods at the cheapest rates.
So, within the education system, everything that can be measured is being measured. However, the most valuable things in life cannot be measured, cost nothing and are priceless. The air we breathe is free; love is free; freedom is free.
It may surprise some that a similar situation exists in education. How can you measure the ethos of a school? How do you calibrate the satisfaction and feelings of safety that pupils experience in a school? How can we assess the happiness that pupils and staff experience when work is well done? What yardstick can we use to determine the depth of positive influence that a teacher may have over a pupil who was once disaffected but is now highly motivated? Continue reading