Over the coming months these pages will inform you about the position statements of the NPH in some of the key educational areas that are still major causes of concern. A great many primary headteachers still feel strongly about the comparatively low level of primary funding and the disparity of funding not just between educational sectors but also between one local authority compared to another. I do believe, however, that over the years some real gains have been made in this area and primary headteacher associations both locally and nationally can take a lot of credit for these positive, if still somewhat inadequate, improvements.

As well as our position statement on funding we will also be informing you about our position statements regarding the Rose review and the future of the primary curriculum; on SAT’s and assessment issues and also on Ofsted and the new inspection arrangements.

I’ve heard it said by too many heads that they haven’t got the time to join managerial associations and attend headteacher meetings as they’re too busy in their own school. Either these heads have accepted their fate and are happy with it or they are quite content to let others work on their behalf. This is a dangerous and presumptuous stance to take and it also weakens the collective, powerful voice that is at its strongest when unified. If everything in the primary garden was perfect then we could all stay in our schools and enjoy the climate we work in but if there is the need for reasoned debate and challenge in order to deliver beneficial and manageable change then we need such a unified voice to present a well informed and consistent script for the sake of our children and the teachers and staff who teach them.

Having just read the White Paper: “Your child, Your schools, Our future: building a 21st century schools system,” we will need to have our voice heard now more than ever before if we are to introduce these changes in a manageable, deliverable and acceptable fashion.

Some of these changes are stated as “guarantees” for our pupils and their parents and are to be “underpinned by legislation”. Presumably it will be the headteacher who will have to act as the guarantor and face the consequences of legislation if the promises aren’t delivered. Usually a guarantor knows that they have the resources to guarantee what they promise. Will this be the case for school leaders?

If we look at just a few aspects of the White Paper (others we’ll look at in future editions of this newsletter), and limit ourselves for the sake of time, to just some of those which have an impact on the primary child, I believe that most of us would admire the aspirations that are behind the changes. Aspects of the Pupil Guarantee for instance look to support children coming into KS 2 who might struggle to make two levels of progress and these children would be given “one on one” tuition. The children identified as gifted and talented would also receive additional support and all children would receive five hours PE or sport a week in and out of school.

If these promises are to be guaranteed to children surely we as school leaders are to be guaranteed the additional funding, resources and expertise that will be required to keep these promises. I’m not too sure exactly, however, of what we are being asked to guarantee. Are we guaranteeing the ability to give support or are guaranteeing the expected outcome of two levels of progress? Do we know what exactly will be given to each child in order to achieve this? Even with ”one on one” support can a child with multiple learning difficulties be given a guarantee to make two levels of progress? Will all learners in need of support be given the same support?

We might also ask where do we find the time and where do we find the space in our schools to deliver these guarantees? Will children be withdrawn from their lessons if the ”one on one” tuition takes place during the school day? Will children, let alone staff, want to be involved in “one on one” tuition at the end of a strenuous day or during the week-end/holidays? Does work/life balance apply to children as well as adults? If teachers are the tutors after school what happens to the school clubs they might presently be involved in? Will we have some teachers being paid for “one on one” tuition whilst others voluntarily run after school clubs?

When I look at some other areas of the White Paper that effect the primary child and the primary school many similar and worrying questions spring to mind. Areas such as:

• The Parent Guarantee
• Strengthened Home School Agreement
• The Licence to Teach
• School Record Cards
• Accredited School Groups
• Governing bodies strengthened to hold heads and management to account

all will cause school leaders great concern regarding the quality of delivery as all will be linked to the new inspection framework and we are now told that Ofsted “will have a higher bar for school inspection grades.”

There will be many questions to be asked regarding the successful implementation of all of these areas which quite frankly I for one am not too confident I will be satisfied with the replies that will be given. More than ever, therefore, we need a strong, united primary voice to not only ask these and other relevant questions but to demand that we are given wholly satisfactory answers.

I believe that with your support NPH can be this voice for you and for the primary child.