28/02/201- Mike Day

28/02/2012- Mike Day Mike Day is a cabinet member for education. He spoke to us about the role of Local Education Authorities, policy and politics. Why is educational policy needed? • It is needed to “guide operational decisions and actions.” • It is the guidelines within education. Who should develop it? This is the argument between Politicians and Practitioners. Politicians: • They are elected to represent the people. • They “hold the purse strings” • They are not subject experts. Practitioners: • They know how it works. • They see it in action. • They are unable to take the wider view. • They cannot get the overall picture. Stake holders are also important in developing educational policy as their engagements leads to the meeting of minds. Where is Educational Policy Developed? • Welsh Government • Local authorities. • School and Governing body level. • UK level. • Where do regional groups fit in? UK levels: • Compulsory school ages. • Teachers pay. • Responsibilities of Local education authorities, parents and schools. Welsh Government: • Welsh medium. • Foundation phase. • No academies, we have free schools. • Higher education tuition fees. • Pupil deprivation grant. Local authorities: • Organisation of the number of schools and places. • Improving standards. • Advice and guidance to schools. • Making arrangements to identify children and young people of the compulsory school age, missing within their area. School and Governing Body Level: • Uniforms. • Start and finishing times. • School Improvement Plan. • Policies on personal and social education, child protection, equal opportunities and Special Educational Needs. Where do regional groups fit in? • We have four in Wales. • SWAMWAC- South West and Mid Wales • Improving schools. How is it developed? You can either borrow ideas or learn ideas. Clear aspirations: • Aspirations are there to raise standards of achievement and attainment. • Improve quality of the learning environment. • Make the best of the resources given. Key Principals: • Stakeholder’s engagement. • Coherence. • Flexibility. • Objectivity. • Cost effectiveness. • Resources. For educational policy to develop in schools we need all the key principals listed above. I really enjoyed Mike Days lecture as he brought up many interesting points about educational policy and I learned a lot from it such as how different groups develop educational policy.