1/🧵Beware the Catch Up stalking horse
For anyone who has seen how some of the worst practices of the private sector have been imported into education since Gove and Cummings got into the DfE, the awarding of Covid contracts should come as no suprise.
For anyone who has seen how some of the worst practices of the private sector have been imported into education since Gove and Cummings got into the DfE, the awarding of Covid contracts should come as no suprise.
2/ As we hopefully move out of the pandemic through this year the government will have two focuses for education policy.
First is culture wars, they see this as a route to electoral success. It drives division, destroys sensible debate and creates enemies of opposing voices
First is culture wars, they see this as a route to electoral success. It drives division, destroys sensible debate and creates enemies of opposing voices
3/ It also manufactures the outrage required as an excuse for rapid far reaching reforms, throw in disruption of Covid and Brexit and combine it with the governments audacity to lie and misinform its impossible to know how far this lot are willing to go.
4/ We already have the crime bill, much of it shouldn't come as a suprise.
Worth re reading the Tory manifesto, it really should have had more scrutiny.
Worth re reading the Tory manifesto, it really should have had more scrutiny.
https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1370057014978707456?s=19
5/ Already got a taste of the direction they'll go with culture wars in education.
University Free Speech "champion" to fight cancel culture
The RSE guidence with the bizarre bits about BLM, anti capitalism.
Misrepresentation of Decolonising the Curriculum etc
University Free Speech "champion" to fight cancel culture
The RSE guidence with the bizarre bits about BLM, anti capitalism.
Misrepresentation of Decolonising the Curriculum etc
6/ The second focus will be on driving forward the completion of Goves reforms, the removal of all state schools from local authority control.
Acadmies were sold as increasing parental choice, empowering parents and teachers to run schools without state interference...
Acadmies were sold as increasing parental choice, empowering parents and teachers to run schools without state interference...
7/ But the governments final vision is to free schools from the "shackles of local authorities" by ensuing all are taken over by large MATs much bigger and more controlling than LAs, many of which will ignore the wishes of parents and staff
8/ Watch the government develop a narrative that large MATs were the educational heroes of the pandemic.
Greater structure and organisation, use of certain teaching and behaviour policies etc will be cited as the reasons, perhaps they will talk about instilling the right culture
Greater structure and organisation, use of certain teaching and behaviour policies etc will be cited as the reasons, perhaps they will talk about instilling the right culture
9/ There will be no significant evidence to back this up but they will use positive case studies of MATs to compare to the worst represention of LA schools that they can conjure.
"enemies of progress" or an iteration will resurface as they attack pay our and conditions.
"enemies of progress" or an iteration will resurface as they attack pay our and conditions.
10/ Theres going to be a lot of talk of education staff saying "many worked hard" leaving "but a lot didnt" unspoken but clearly implied.
Remote learning, call for safety measures etc will be portrayed as obstructive or lazy for not wanting an extended day, or cuts to holidays
Remote learning, call for safety measures etc will be portrayed as obstructive or lazy for not wanting an extended day, or cuts to holidays
11/ While government says they cant afford pay rises or meaningful increases in funding the client journalists will say we're too lazy to deserve it, they'll say we whinged about safety measures they gaslit us over for more than a year and weren't willing to die like NHS workers
12/ We've already seen evidence of all of this but its going to get worse.
13/ Its easy to see how the war on woke focusing on education helps portray educators as the enemy, helps create the narrative to push through policies they already wanted by undermining opposing voices. Covid hasn't changed their plans, catch up will be the excuse to enable them
14/ The favoured faces and the educational astroturfing network created by Gove, Cummings and the #TuftonStreetHydra lobbyists will come crawling out the woodwork to provide inauthentic support for government policies after being relatively quiet through covid.
15/ Its been noticeable which well followed individuals and organisations with influence on educational thinking have failed to speak up on behalf of those of us at risk on the front lines everyday.
16/ Those who didn't use their platforms to speak up for us in December, didnt call out legal threats to Greenwich, supported a return in January without voicing doubts, didn't call out DfE propoganda..
Those are people you can't trust, they stayed silent while people died.
Those are people you can't trust, they stayed silent while people died.
17/ So the tweet below agitated a fair few people last week. What a combination PTE and Public First, two organisations heavily intertwined with this government.
https://twitter.com/PTE_Campaign/status/1370340935507263495?s=19
18/ Public First are one of the companies close to Cummings that benefitted from covid contract cash, they've had a lot of influence on government policy over the years and individuals involved have benefited from the policies they push
https://twitter.com/nickcorston/status/1370536226500018181?s=19
19/ Same day Simons was celebrating Harris MAT CEOs over £500k salary.
The ends justify the means, but have the ends been gamed?
Offrolling? Put that to one side
Cutting staff wages? Its the market
BTW Harris chew through NQTs
The ends justify the means, but have the ends been gamed?
Offrolling? Put that to one side
Cutting staff wages? Its the market
BTW Harris chew through NQTs
20/Ofsted, RSCs etc the regulators have had revolving doors installed like those in the financial sector. Its musical chairs at the top of education but only the favoured faces are allowed to play.
So the system gets played and contracts get paid to those advocating the policies
So the system gets played and contracts get paid to those advocating the policies
21/ Strange how those less concerned about safety but very worried about educational damage (remember 40,000 days lost?) didn't show the same outrage at thousands of pupils being off rolled.
Particularly the vulnerable and disadvantaged they now care about
amp.theguardian.com/education/2018…
Particularly the vulnerable and disadvantaged they now care about
amp.theguardian.com/education/2018…
22/ Public First, PTE, Inspiration, Ambition, ARK, Agnew, Speilman at Ofsted, De Souza the new Childrens Commisioner.... etc
Overlapping interests pushing policies they benefit from, swapping jobs, the contracts keep going to the same faces
Tangled web⬇️
Overlapping interests pushing policies they benefit from, swapping jobs, the contracts keep going to the same faces
Tangled web⬇️
https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1335175573505761280?s=19
23/ I think a good example of the kind of wheeze we'll see is the NTP, pre covid groups were lobbying for an expansion of the tutoring market, covid has allowed the excuse to throw money at preferred suppliers.
My initial thoughts when it was announced
My initial thoughts when it was announced
https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1273860981521874944?s=19
24/ So how is it turning out, a lot of money, not much impact, but its now a long term plan, a permanent addition which won't have helped during the pandemic.
We could have had safer schools with less disruption from outbreaks for the same cost
We could have had safer schools with less disruption from outbreaks for the same cost
https://twitter.com/SchoolsWeek/status/1370757297274781700?s=19
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