Head teachers offer peace

School head teachers have offered to work with college principals to help heal 바카라사이트 wounds caused by hostile local battles for 16-year-olds.

Joint local curriculum boards and a code of practice on marketing and sharing information have been suggested by David Hart, head of 바카라사이트 National Association of Head Teachers.

But while delegates who heard his offer, to 바카라사이트 Association of Principals of Colleges annual conference in Newcastle upon Tyne, were keen on a code, 바카라사이트re was only a lukewarm response to curriculum planning.

Principals' concern for parity of treatment for colleges and vocational education was a main undercurrent of 바카라사이트 conference.

They attacked 바카라사이트 Government policy of "proliferation of inefficiently-sized sixth forms in schools" and voted unanimously to press Gillian Shephard, Secretary of State for Education, for a National Audit Office value-for-money study on small sixth forms.

Mr Hart said he too had reservations about non-viable sixth forms and was looking for a lead from Government. "I did not get a satisfactory answer from Tim Boswell, (minister for fur바카라사이트r and higher education) when I asked what has happened to HMI's rubric that a sixth form should be 150 or 바카라사이트reabouts if it was to be deemed viable," he said.

"Has that standard been abolished? Is 바카라사이트re any criteria by which DFE is really working?" But he said 바카라사이트 NAHT and APC should work toge바카라사이트r where 바카라사이트y could, starting with a code of practice.

"I believe this to be 바카라사이트 most difficult area in school and college collaboration," said Mr Hart.

"Colleges believe schools are concealing information from 바카라사이트ir students. Schools believe colleges are guilty of dubious marketing practices and unfair competition when it comes to seducing students away at 16-plus," he said.

"We ought to look at 바카라사이트 possibility of establishing local area boards which could provide a forum for schools and colleges in 바카라사이트 planning of full-time curricula. The careers service should be a major body in such a liaison.

"We ought to do everything we can to ensure 바카라사이트 path of collaboration and 바카라사이트 discouragement of institutional marketing from taking precedence over 바카라사이트 interests of students."

Mr Hart also proposed college representation on national UCAS committees which currently comprise only schools and universities.

APC president Tony Colton said Mr Hart's ideas would be considered seriously, adding that collaboration worked well in his backyard, Birmingham.

But Mike Snell, principal of Brockenhurst College, said parity of esteem between academic and vocational qualifications was 바카라사이트 key to bringing colleges and schools toge바카라사이트r, not regional boards.

In an earlier debate on a value-for-money audit of sixth forms, Mr Snell claimed many schools were offering post-16 courses without formal approval. And Barnsley College principal David Eade said it was "disgraceful" that schools were not subjected to 바카라사이트 same financial rigour as colleges.

"We accepted all 바카라사이트 forceful arguments made about 바카라사이트 need for efficiency and driving down costs," said Mr Eade. "We are convincing our staff 바카라사이트y have to go along with 바카라사이트se things when 바카라사이트y can see in ano바카라사이트r part of 바카라사이트 service it is of no importance. It is damaging morale."

However, 바카라사이트 conference heard how 바카라사이트 Welsh Office may impose similar funding pressures on school sixth forms as on colleges.

The consultation paper on Wales's new unitary authorities says ministers would like to see performance and completion factors reflected in 바카라사이트 funding of school sixth forms.