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ASCL Director of Policy Julie McCulloch on ASCL’s 150 years of engagement with policy

"Every year,” the association’s president told conference delegates, “figures show the appalling lack of staff in many schools.” One school, she went on, had been without a senior mathematics teacher for seven years. Another hadn’t been able to recruit a physics teacher for the last four years; another had been without a chemistry teacher for two years. Shortages of maths and science teachers were now generally accepted, but there were other subjects in which the position had rapidly deteriorated – notably English, geography and modern languages. 

Schools were suffering from a constant turnover of staff. One school had only four staff who had been there for more than one year. What was needed, she told the hall, was “a coordinated campaign of recruitment”. 

And the government, unfortunately, wasn’t helping. A recent report had included the view of one correspondent that schools were “breeding grounds for all juvenile delinquency”. “If such notions are widespread,” warned the president, “it is no wonder many people shrink from the thought of teaching as a career.” 

Sounds familiar? With a few linguistic tweaks, this could easily have been an extract from an ASCL president’s speech this year. In fact, it comes from a speech by Nonita Glenday, President of one of ASCL’s predecessor organisations, the Association of Headmistresses, in 1960. 

I’m not sure whether to be heartened or depressed by the fact that the problems we face today have been around for so long. What is wonderful, though, is to see the role that ASCL has played on behalf of our members, in influencing policy and holding policymakers to account throughout our 150-year history. 

Radical thinkers 

The Association of Headmistresses was established in 1874, at a time when some radical thinking about secondary education in England was taking place. Dorothea Beale and Frances Buss, the indomitable founders of the association, gave evidence at several parliamentary commissions – something almost unheard of for women at the time. One commissioner was apparently delighted by this, remarking, “We were all so much struck by their perfect womanliness. Why, there were tears in Miss Buss’ eyes!” 

The commissioners were soon to discover that these ‘perfect women’ held some expert, powerful and sometimes differing views about education, and particularly girls’ education. Asked whether she believed “there is … a distinction between the mental powers of the two classes as to require any wide distinction between the good education given to a girl and that to a boy”, Miss Buss responded tartly, “I am sure girls can learn anything they are taught in an interesting manner, and for which they have a motive to work.” Miss Beale was more circumspect. She was clear that she thought it was “good for boys and girls to have similar tastes that their minds may not be entirely bent in different ways, so that in their after life they should understand and be interested in the same things”. However, she wasn’t entirely convinced that this view should extend to higher education, suggesting, “I have had some boys as pupils in mathematics, and, as far as I can judge from these and the public schools they attended, I do not think that the mathematical powers of women enable them generally (their physical strength I dare say has a great deal to do with it) to go so far in the higher mathematics as boys.” 

By the late 19th century, members of the Association of Headmistresses had started to take up positions as members of commissions, not just as witnesses. Sophie Bryant, who would later become president of the association, was appointed as one of three female members of the Royal Commission on Secondary Education, which produced its final report in 1895. The commissioners highlighted some “considerable strides” that had been made over the previous 30 years but were concerned that “many … schools remained insecure, with some suffering fluctuating pupil numbers and others in a state of decline. This was mainly … due to poverty, but other factors included geographical position, the inefficiency of some headmasters, and growing competition from higher grade schools.” Ongoing social stratification in education meant that “Jude was still likely to remain obscure”. The commissioners recommended a number of improvements to the system, including the provision for more pupils of “a literary type of secondary education … alongside the scientific and technical type”, more “systematic and thorough” training of teachers and the establishment of “a central education authority which, while leaving freedom of action to local bodies, could supervise the general interests of secondary education as a whole”. 

Fluctuating pupil numbers, the impact of poverty, concerns about competition between schools, the place of the arts, the importance of teacher training and discussions about local versus central direction. That really does sound familiar. 

The here and now 

Back in the 21st century, our engagement with policymakers over the last few months has touched on many of those same themes. With thoughts now firmly turned towards the upcoming general election, most likely in late autumn this year, the ASCL policy team has been focusing on fleshing out, and encouraging all parties to adopt, the proposals in our manifesto (www.ascl.org.uk/manifesto). 

We’re particularly positive about the discussions we’ve been having with both Ofsted and the Labour party. On inspection, while there is much still to do, we’re heartened by the constructive conversations we’ve had with Sir Martyn Oliver and his team since he took over as His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI), and the changes he has already begun to make. With Labour, we’re in regular contact about a whole range of issues, including its plans for a new ‘report card’ to replace single-phrase inspection judgements, what the remit of its promised curriculum and assessment review might be and the many challenges currently facing schools and colleges. 

If the polls are to be believed, 2024 will mark the beginning of a new political era. But, as this delve into the past reminds us, discussions about how best to educate the next generation are perennial. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to play a small part in ASCL’s long involvement in this debate. 

With many thanks to ASCL Council member and Assistant Headteacher Rich Atterton for his help in sourcing these stories of ASCL’s influence over the decades 

Julie McCulloch
ASCL Director of Policy
@juliecmcculloch 

ASCL’s profile in the media has remained high throughout the past 150 years. In this issue, we learn about the issues within the world of education back in 1874. 

It might feel as if the issue of school attendance is rarely out of the news these days. It was much the same in 1874 during the journey towards universal education. 

The year 1874 fell between two important pieces of legislation, the Elementary Education Acts of 1870 and 1880. The 1870 Act paved the way for the education of all children, but despite giving school boards the power to make their own bylaws, stopped short of directing them to enforce attendance. 

James Stansfeld MP had been involved with the 1870 Act as part of William Gladstone’s administration. On 9 October 1874 many newspapers reported on his speech at the Working Men’s College: 

“It should be nothing less than this, a universal compulsory system of education, and having obtained that they ought to look forward gradually – he would prefer to say rapidly – to raising the standard of universal education far above the conception of those now most interested in the subject.” 

Those born in 1874 would have been among the first children compelled to go to school, as it was not until the Elementary Education Act 1880 that attendance became compulsory for all children from the ages of five to ten. 

As I write this on the train going to a meeting with the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, I am minded how crucial a role School Leaders Scotland (SLS) plays in Scottish education, and by extension, the role the whole ASCL family plays across the UK. The influence we bring to bear in our different nations is substantial and vital to ensuring school leaders the length and breadth of the country are represented, supported and listened to, as they are the ones who know precisely what is going on in schools and what is required to ensure that young people learn, achieve and prosper. 

In Scotland, we are in the midst of education reform with a plethora of reports whose recommendations are waiting to be enacted. We are keen to see progress on many aspects of the reform programme: the reforming of our national curriculum body, Education Scotland; the hiving off of HM Inspectorate from Education Scotland to once again be an independent body; the renewal of the National Qualifications body; and the reform of the qualifications system as highlighted by Professor Louise Hayward in the 26 recommendations from her group. SLS supports these reforms, but they must be well planned and properly resourced. 

As a school leaders’ association, we will continue to give our considered views and perspective on all things educational. Our new steering groups involving more than 10% of our members will make that easier. Our roadshows to each local authority in Scotland also give us the chance to hear members’ views and learn about  local issues that are important and particular to them. These actions allow us to reflect better on improving the service we provide to our members. 

We are mere striplings, being established only 88 years ago in 1936, compared to ASCL’s 150 years, but across the ASCL family, we build on a great past, we review how we are doing now and we look forward, keen to improve as an organisation in ensuring we speak on behalf of members in supporting our young people as best we can.

Graham Hutton
General Secretary, School Leaders Scotland
@LeadersScotland

Lately, I’ve had one phone call telling me that I can claim insurance for a car accident I didn’t have, another call telling me that I can recover funds stolen from my bank account for a scam that didn’t happen, a WhatsApp message about my daughter’s lost phone, which isn’t lost and an email from my phone provider to say that my direct debit has been frozen when it works perfectly well. 

These attempts at scamming may well be familiar to you. All these are new problems, the likes of which our predecessors – education leaders from 150 years ago – would never even have dreamed of. The question then is how will our young people manage to work out what’s real, what’s fake and, indeed, who to trust? When what looks and sounds like legitimate communications turn out to be fraudulent, where does that leave us? Add into this the plethora of conspiracy theories, fake news and deepfakes, and we now need to work even harder to sift out who and what we can trust. 

It has probably never been more important to teach digital competence and digital literacy in our schools and colleges. We neither want our young people to be paranoid, trusting nothing, nor do we want them to believe everything they see, hear and read. Technical and emotional discernment in the face of the bombardment of falsities can be arrived at if our young people know how and what to look out for. 

In Wales, we have a Digital Competence Strategy, which, as part of the curriculum for statutory aged learners, touches upon these issues. I sincerely hope that it goes far enough in addressing such prevalent problems. 

If, as history shows us, we can be fooled into believing that spaghetti grows on trees, as was the April Fool’s Day trick played on BBC viewers in 1957, our credulity today is stretched past breaking point. 

As the author Oche Otorkpa puts it, “Fake news is like ice, once it comes in contact with the heat of the truth it melts quickly and suddenly evaporates." 

Eithne Hughes
Director of ASCL Cymru
@ASCLCymru 

As ASCL embarks on its 150th anniversary, it’s not easy to look back and analyse education in Northern Ireland over that time given the complexities faced by communities in this part of the world. Northern Ireland has itself only been in existence since 1921, which reflects the instability and flux endured here. 

That being said, no matter what has gone on politically in this place in that time, there is no doubt that one constant has been the excellent education provided by our schools, spearheaded by our school leaders. 

Through wars and conflict, our schools continued to provide outstanding education to the communities they still serve. Through changing policies, rare periods of political stability and extended times of political instability, the experience of school provided a welcome sense of normality for many. The power of education, empowered by exceptional leadership, helped to bring about peace – of that there is no doubt. As I write, we have only just had the Executive restored after two years with none. The education of our children and young people, not to mention the value placed on our staff, has been used as a bargaining chip by politicians and this is not acceptable. 

I am thankful that ASCL Northern Ireland represents a much more collaborative and inclusive membership – school leaders from all contexts with a strong moral purpose who are not afraid to lead. They make difficult decisions every day, they work with colleagues from all sectors and they continue to get the job done in the face of adversity. 

Change is inevitable and, as we look to the future, with the Independent Review of Education findings now in the public domain (see tinyurl.com/yvmfwu4d), we must brace ourselves again.

John Trueman
ASCL Northern Ireland Director
@ASCLNI

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The Elementary Education Act of 1870, also known as the Forster’s Education Act, was established as the founding piece of legislation proactively addressing the provision of education within England and Wales on a national scale. 

Its motivation was to seek education for all children that was free from religious control, compulsory and without financial constraints. 

The Act adopted reforms that permitted public funding for schools and introduced inspections by the Act’s established school boards, ensuring the delivery of a higher quality of education. Additionally, although the 1870 Act did not make schooling compulsory itself, it is deemed to be responsible, together with other education legislation from the 19th century, for driving forward this objective. The growing demand for compulsory school attendance was addressed further by the 1880 Education Act, which alongside combating the prevalent issues concerning child labour, made school attendance compulsory from the ages of five to ten. 

Fast forward to schooling today and compulsory school attendance has now been extended to 18 in the UK, until which time children must be involved, either through education or specific training courses, in compulsory education. 

Although the general direction of education in the 19th century showed advancement away from teachings through religious connections, some specific schools still wished for a continuation of denominational teachings. The 1870 Act resolved these competing interests by giving schools themselves autonomy over their religious teachings, allowing existing religious voluntary schools to remain, while the newly appointed school boards opened schools that were non-denominational. 

The Act can be said to have contributed, at least in part, to a solution to the religious difficulties in English education. It is reported as having initiated what is now known as ‘state education’ in England and the dual system of state, or more strictly, local authority schools alongside a voluntary sector. The Act can be said to have facilitated the advancement of basic schooling to all children, especially for the most deprived members of society, and for education to have subsequently become compulsory by 1880 and eventually free by 1891. 

Over the last 150 years, the school leaving age has gradually increased because of changes in society, evolving laws and opportunities that have been created to ensure that children are equipped to develop the skills required in later life. The school-leaving age of children has changed as follows:

• 1893: 11 years old
• 1899: 12 years old
• 1918: 14 years old
• 1947: 15 years old
• 1972: 16 years old 

More recently, the Education and Skills Act 2008 increased the minimum age at which young people in England can leave learning in England. This required them to continue in education or vocational training to the age of 17 from 2013 and to 18 since 2015. 

In the 19th century, the age increases were driven by a need to improve the skills of the British workforce, maintain competitiveness and prepare children for their newfound voting rights. More recent changes originate from the belief that education/training facilitates the development of skills required in later life and future employment opportunities. 

Ultimately, society needed these reforms, particularly considering that from 1959 to 2011 unemployment was one of society’s biggest issues. In contrast, by 2018, unemployment figures were at one of the all-time lowest and this can be partly credited to keeping children in the education system longer and having the skills best suited for modern-day employment. 

There is a commitment to providing post-16 options to keep children in education longer and we have recently seen the introduction of T levels as an alternative to A levels. We have also seen the requirement for all state-funded secondary schools to provide independent careers guidance to aid pupils making their next important life decision. However, investing in making post-16 options more relevant and accessible, and funding and resourcing schools to provide careers guidance, is integral to ensuring that all children can succeed.

Following the Education Act (1870), the Elementary Education Act 1876 (Sandon’s Act) (1876) compelled parents, for the first time, to send their children to school from the ages of five to ten. As time has passed and the school leaving age has gradually increased, one would expect compulsory school attendance to be simple and undisputed. Yet, more than 150 years on, school attendance remains as challenging as ever. The context has changed, but the issue remains: how do we make sure every child accesses education? 

In the 19th century, taking children out of school was a financial necessity for some families; children could legally be employed before the age of ten, and poorer families couldn’t afford to send their children to school instead of work. Evolving labour laws and enforcement of compulsory school attendance quickly reconciled those competing interests. 

These days, the factors behind attendance issues are wide ranging and deeply entrenched within broader sector issues. Post-pandemic, parents who adopted the role of ‘educator’ at home are now questioning the value of the traditional in-school model. Children who grew up in the pandemic are increasingly suffering from issues around emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA). Today, there is no simple issue, and there are no simple answers. 

With plans to expand a school attendance mentoring scheme and calls for a national register of children not in school, the ambition to overcome attendance challenges is there, however, ultimately, success will depend on re-building trust with parents from the ground up: convincing them, once again, of the value of school attendance and its integral role in a child’s development. How that trust is built in practice is yet to be determined.