Just a “quickie” to let you all know so that it is in the public domain that I have this week asked for copies of any responses from Ofqual to letters from any of the Maths subject associations dated between June last year and April this year under the Freedom of Information Act. 16 days left to reply!! I’m telling you in the spirit of openness and honesty.

The reason? To be fair some of the subject associations publish their letters on their sites … others do not and tend to keep it all “hush-hush”. Now is not the time to be all secret squirrel and hide behind closed doors – now is the time to publicly make our opinions known, and stand up and be counted for what we believe in. So what if nothing changes? Personally, I can at least sleep at night knowing that I did something to try to stop us ploughing on regardless. The worst that can happen is that I get a bit of “egg on my face” for being an upstart who dared to voice an opinion … I can live with that! I really have no shame or embarrassment (actually that’s a lie! I am quite a sensitive soul despite the big bravado I put on!)

I want these changes, I really do. I’m actually excited at the idea of what I can do with my year 7s … I have always said that we shouldn’t think about the new GCSE in the context of our current year 11s, but about what a difference we can make with lower years. I want to produce mathematicians that love the subject. I want to excite them. I want them to go on and have happy and productive lives made richer by their love of maths.

So a plea to subject associations, don’t think that any historical importance will make an ounce of difference – it won’t unless you make your opinions publicly known so that we can back you – we have strength in being a subject that has way more teachers than most other subjects … it’s a “numbers” game!. Unless of course it is some of you involved that are also driving through these changes at a pace (aha there is the cynical Mel coming out!). In which case stand up for what you believe in and tell us your thoughts. Many of you within these organisations will no longer be teachers, and don’t take that as an insult .. but ANYONE with an ounce of sense can see that the outcomes have been “preordained”. They have to be … by the time new consultation has closed on the 18^th June, Ofqual then need to analyse the responses and then publish the final technical guidance. Then the exam boards can adapt their papers, submit them to Ofqual, get them reviewed, altered after any further feedback and published. Now ask yourself is that feasible in 12 days before the end of June when Ofqual say SAMs will be published by .. can all that to-ing and fro-ing really be done in 12 days unless it was already “set in stone”?. It’s just paying “Lip service” to the process … don’t think it is anything else.

I refer you to this post (->HERE )  – I mention minutes of JMC meeting (publicly available) where Glenys Stacey said we’d have material by last September … it hasn’t happened. With all this uncertainty and “we want to listen” to your opinions but “we do what we want anyway” style that government bodies seem to have, should it then be any surprise that teachers are leaving in droves when we are working with shifting sands all the time. It’s not just a recent phenomena I know, but at least, for a year, can we stand on firm ground and get these changes right.

I’m putting myself in the shoes of “normal teachers” who are probably feeling a little overwhelmed. Those of you that are ahead of the game will have schemes of work in place and be already teaching according to the new programme of study. I know I do (in fact I may have also have put together some for other “people” but that’s a secret shh!!) and I know for a fact that until we see Sample Assessment Material they may be still need to be updated. We don’t know what the “end game” looks like especially given that the consultation relates to AO3 “problem solving” which suggests there is some differences of opinion as to what problem solving actually is. Purists amongst you will say “well just teach the content” … it isn’t that simple we need to know how far to push students or not as the case may be (the further the better in my opinion for most students!) and time is running out. This is especially true at the “top end” where we need to better prepare students for A level – one of the reasons for these changes is to raise attainment and retention on our post 16 courses (any teacher will tell that you KS4 to KS5 transition is tough!) and if we aren’t going far enough we aren’t addressing the issue. By the time we see SAMs we will have 3 or 4 weeks left of this year (and that is assuming it all goes to plan and the new “new” SAMs are “bob on”!) . It all, in my opinion flies in the face of Nicky Morgan’s workload challenge.

So my parting thoughts .. Its too late for “right – first time” but can we take our time and aim for “right … NEXT TIME!”?

Defer it a year!