Political Education - Ministerial Response - 17 January 2011

Findings

Comments

1

Key Finding 1:

The  Sub-Panel  was  unclear  about  the  degree  of  quality control  within  the  accountability  structure. It  was  not apparent from discussions with relevant witnesses during the review  that  this  structure  ensured  that  PSHE  was  being delivered  to  the  same  consistent  standard  across  Jersey Schools.

Head teachers and Heads of PSHE are initially responsible for monitoring and evaluating the delivery of the subject. In addition the head teacher of each school is required to monitor and evaluate teaching and learning across all subjects. This is externally validated by the schools Professional Partner and where appropriate external and independent inspectors and this is validated by the professional partner. Heads of PSHE meet on a termly basis with a member of the Schools and Colleges team to discuss all issues in relation to the curriculum.

2

Key Finding 2:

Independent schools have the current freedom to set their own curricula in accordance with relevant policies and the requirement of examination boards.

This is true.

3

Key Finding 3:

The  Sub-Panel  believes  that  the  current  curriculum  for politics  within  PSHE  is  targeted  correctly. The  focus  for primary schools is for issue led discussion on current issues, formalised by a debate in the States Chamber in Year 5. The secondary school curriculum then builds on this experience. However, the Sub-Panel concluded that continuity of Political Education  from  primary  to  secondary  school  was  not  the same across all schools Island wide.

The Minister is pleased that the Sub Panel believes that the current curriculum for politics within PSHE is targeted correctly. It is also recognised that the level of Political Education provided at secondary school level will be dependent on the school's chosen curriculum which is developed to take account of the individual context of each school.

4

Key Finding 4:

Since the 2006 review of PSHE, the Sub-Panel believes that schools  have  been  well  resourced  with  curriculum  and support  materials  to  ensure  successful  and  similar programmes across all schools.

Agreed.

5

Key Finding 5:

The Year 5 States visit and Year 10 Scrutiny exercise are of great benefit to the PSHE programme and it must be ensured that all students are able to benefit from them.

Agreed.

6

Key Finding 6:

The Sub-Panel is supportive of the inclusion of local material in other subjects so that it reinforces the information learnt within the PSHE programme.

Agreed.

7

Key Finding 7:

The review has emphasised that teachers are fundamental to the success of the programme. It is not enough to rely on the curriculum  structure  and  resources  provided  by  the Education,  Sport  and  Culture  Department. A  greater emphasis must be put on training teachers to deliver PSHE, with a particular focus on the local political structure.

The Heads of PSHE across Secondary schools are currently working together to audit the teaching of their subject. The findings of this audit will be used to determine any training needs for PSHE teachers.

8

Key Finding 8:

The Sub-panel was concerned that schools do not have a structured allocation for PSHE post Key Stage 4. The Sub- Panel believes that there needs to be a formal allocation of time in all schools for delivery of information, such as, how to get a social security card and planning for a pension.

The period of compulsory education ends post Key Stage and pupils who continue opt for the courses of study which they wish to pursue. By this stage, the Heads of PSHE believe that pupils should already have been given access to much of this information. Additional support, outside of schools, is provided by Careers Jersey and other specialist services such as Youth Enquiry Service based at La Motte Street.

9

Key Finding 9:

What appears to be absent is a lifelong political/citizenship education strategy, joining primary, secondary, 16-19yr olds and adult education. Although activity is structured in the first two phases, the Sub-Panel questioned whether it is being continued consistently into latter stages of education. The Sub-Panel  believes  it  is  vital  that  a  lifelong  strategy  is developed in co-operation with other States departments, in particular Social Security and Home Affairs.

Political/Citizenship education features as part of the compulsory curriculum for school age pupils. Post compulsory education, pupils choose their courses of study. The focus of any new and extended strategy with other States departments would need to be explored.

10

Key Finding 10:

Politicians  do  not  have  equal  access  to  schools. There seems to be an adhoc approach to schools inviting politicians

In general all politicians can access schools in both a formal and informal basis although it is accepted that time constraints, subject matter and availability of States members will to a large

to speak to students, often based on existing relationships between a number of teachers and politicians. Schools also insist that a lack of time is a barrier.

extent determine the availability of politicians able to speak with students. It is of note that there have been a number occasions when Politicians have been invited to attend schools but have been unable to.

11

Key Finding 11:

The Sub-Panel agreed that the Youth Service should have a different approach to that of schools when educating young people. As such, any political content to their curriculum could  successfully  be  delivered  by  way  of  an  issue  led approach. Evidence,  however,  suggested  that  Youth Workers had not been provided with regular training and up to date resources about the Jersey political system, and as a result,  had  not  been  best  placed  to  facilitate  political discussions with young people.

The Youth Work Curriculum is different from the Schools curriculum. Young people lead on the Youth Work curriculum, so that the issues are relevant to their needs. This issues that dominate tend to be relationships, drugs and sexual health.

In terms of seeking to increase the numbers of young people who register to vote, the Youth Service has developed a poster campaign aimed at encouraging young people to appreciate the benefits and understand the responsibilities of exercising their right to vote.

The Youth Work emphasis is on encouraging and enabling young people to be actively involved in decision making as individuals and with others in the youth projects they attend. This generally does mean that young people accessing the youth project already have the opportunity to explore decision making both personally and politically.

It would complement existing work if youth work staff were able to update their knowledge of the Islands political structures, system and processes and this could be achieved through additional training.

12

Key Finding 12:

The Sub-Panel found that attendance at official hustings by young people had been seen, at previous elections, to be minimal. It therefore believed that students must have the opportunity to attend a well planned and publicised hustings, organized  on  a  school  site,  in  school  time,  at  which  all politicians could attend. Schools must be able to display election  literature  on  site,  and  inform  students  why  it  is important to vote and attend a hustings.

It is true that electoral apathy extends to our young people however much effort is made to make pupils aware of their right to vote and why they should use it. It is well known by the Sub Panel that ESC current policy does not allow for official hustings to be held on school premises during school time. This would not be appropriate because it would impact on the curriculum and could be construed as pupils being compelled, by virtue of their attendance at school, to attend. Although alternative arrangements might be made for pupils who did not wish to attend, this could be disruptive to the school.

The department will however consider in conjunction with all schools how all the candidates election literature could be displayed on site.

13

Key Finding 13:

Evidence showed that young people need to be 16 ¼ before they can vote, due to the registration process.

This is the impact of current arrangements for registration.

14

Key Finding 14:

Discussions  with  different  schools  suggested  that  school councils had not consistently been set up and run across all

The department actively encourages schools as they seek to involve students in the day to day operations of a school. Some schools are more advanced than others in this respect.

schools.

15

Key Finding 15:

It  appeared  that,  in  contrast  to  England,  there  were  no structured channels open to young people for them to feed through their views to politicians.

At  present  young  people  have  the  same  access  to  politicians  as  any  other  adult.  The department is keen to improve channels of communication encouraging young people to have a voice and to this end are seeking to create a Youth forum

16

Key Finding 16:

The  Sub-Panel  found  that  parental  influence  played  a significant role in the formation of interest in politics

Agreed

17

Key Finding 17:

The Structure of government in Jersey is too complex and opaque for people to want to engage with it, especially those who are new to the island.

18

Key Finding 18:

Jersey is lagging behind other jurisdictions when it comes to using social media to engage local people in politics.

19

Key Finding 19:

The Sub-Panel believes that had the student survey been issued as a directive from the Minister for Education, Sport and  Culture,  all  schools  would  have  had  to  take  part, permitting meaningful analysis.

Participation in any survey is down to individual choice therefore it would be wrong to force all schools to take part. The department and schools did take steps to encourage students to participate in the survey.

20

Key Finding 20:

The Sub-Panel found that enthusiasm and knowledge for the political  element  of  PSHE  varied  greatly  from  school  to school, both within the state sector and between the private and state schools. Those in the selective' schools were found to be more engaged in local politics.

The individual context of schools is likely to influence this.

Target date

Recommendations

To

Accept/ Reject

Comments

of action/ completion

1

Recommendation 1:

The Department for Education, Sport and Culture must work more closely with independent schools to ensure that local political  education  forms  part  of  a  structured  PSHE programme,  especially  given  the  proportion  of  pupils attending these schools who could be the decision makers of the future

Reject

The  heads  of  PSHE  of  the  independent  schools work alongside other colleagues and attend termly subject  meetings.  It  is  the  responsibility  of  the governing  body  of  the  independent  schools  to determine  the  content  of  their  PSHE  programme and curriculum.

2

Recommendation 2:

The  Department  for  Education,  Sport  and  Culture  must organise specific training for all teachers delivering political education, by way of an Inset Day and annual refresher courses. There must also be a structured programme for continuous monitoring to ensure standards are met on an ongoing  basis. The  Minister  for  Education,  Sport  and Culture should liaise with his counterparts in Guernsey to discuss their successful programme.

Accept

Following completion of the current curriculum audit the Dept for ESC will offer specific training for PSHE teachers if required.

The professional partners will ensure that PSHE is being delivered in line  with the jersey curriculum document.

The  department  is  keen  to  benefit  from  the experiences of other jurisdictions and already works closely with Guernsey on a number of educational matters.

Summer term 2012.

3

Recommendation 3:

The  Sub-Panel  believes  that  alongside  primary  and secondary education there needs to be a focused attempt to provide  the  opportunity  for  those new  to  Jersey  to learn about  the  system. The  Sub-Panel  recommends,  as  a starting  point,  that  the  Department  for  Social  Security  in conjunction  with  the  States  Greffe  and  Department  for Education,  Sport  and  Culture,  should  provide  information packs to all those who register, whether it be for work or income support. These packs should include information on the political system, culture and history of the island. In addition  to  this,  familiarisation  programmes  should  be encouraged for those new to the island, and open to any other residents.

Privileges  and  Procedures  committee  are  best suited to lead on this matter.

Dec 2011

4

Recommendation 4:

The Department for Education, Sport and Culture must work with politicians to establish a formal protocol for politicians

Reject

It is the responsibility of each individual school to determine when to invite politicians to their school Schools  believe  that  current  arrangements  work

visiting schools throughout the year, whereby all visits are organised centrally through an agreed point of contact. The Department  should  also  mirror  Guernsey's  approach  to providing politicians with supporting materials (lesson plans etc) for their visits into schools. This is to provide a uniform approach to all visits and instil confidence in both schools and politicians

well with politicians being invited in to schools as and when it is deemed appropriate.

5

Recommendation 5:

The  Sub-Panel  recommends  that  Youth  Service Workers should  be  included  in  any  political  education  training organised  by  the  Department  for  Education,  Sport  and Culture and provided with the same resources produced for teachers to support the PSHE programme. This, it believed, would  build  confidence  within  the  Youth  Service  to  lead discussions and answer questions of a political nature.

Accept

The schools and colleges team will share current resources with members of the youth service. Any training programme organised will be offered to the Youth Service officers.

Summer term 2012.

6

Recommendation 6:

The Sub-Panel requests for the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to pay close attention to the logistics for the hustings for students to be organised for the next elections. Further to this, the Sub-Panel request the Minister to ensure that the time and location(s) chosen are appropriate and will encourage students to attend.

Accept

The Minister is prepared to ask schools to make sure students are informed of all electoral matters including the timings of all official hustings prior to this year's elections. In addition the Youth Service will be asked to faciliate a Senatorial hustings for students, outside of school hours.

November 2011.

7

Recommendation 7:

The  Sub-Panel  recommends  that  a  formal  mechanism should be developed for schools to register students and

forward  details  onto  parish halls  in  advance  of  their  16th birthdays.

Reject

Pupils  are  currently  provided  with  the  necessary information on how to register to vote. They can

only do this on or after their 16th birthday. It is the responsibility of individuals to register.

8

Recommendation 8:

The Sub-Panel requests the Minister for Education, Sport and Culture to ensure that all schools have active school councils. Furthermore,  the  Sub-Panel  recommends  that students on school councils receive training, as is currently carried out in Guernsey.

Reject

The  majority  of  schools  do  have  active  school councils. It is the responsibility of the Head teacher of each school how they operate and how the pupils are prepared to take on this role.

9

Recommendation 9:

The Sub-Panel recommends that the Minister for Education, Sport  and  Culture  works,  in  conjunction  with  the  Youth Service,  to  set  up  a  Youth  Council,  to  include representatives from school councils and youth groups. This council  should  mirror  the  States  Assembly,  discussing current topics and giving feedback to politicians

Reject

The Minister is pleased to note that the sub panel support  the  setting  up  of  a  Youth  Forum  which would  include  representatives  of  all  ages  and backgrounds.  Work  is  being  undertaken  to determine how best to engage with young people and  give  them a voice however  it  has  not been proven  that  the  Youth  Forum  should  mirror  the States Assembly.

10

Recommendation 10:

The Sub-Panel also recommends that the Youth Council is supported by an interactive website, for example, HeadsUp (www.headsup.org.uk). This is an interactive tool to enable all young people to get involved in local issues and debates.

Reject

The Minister's priority is to develop a youth Forum aimed at giving young people a voice as well as reinforcing their responsibility within our community. There  are  a  number  of  interactive  web  sites operated  by  a  variety  of  States  departments however present experience is that the success is limited.

11

Recommendation 11:

The  Sub-Panel  recommends  that  the  Privileges  and Procedures Committee oversees the setting up of States sites on both Facebook and Twitter.

This  is  a  matter  for  the  Privileges  and  Procedures Committee.

I  am  aware  that  the  account  Jerseygov'  has  recently been created on Twitter.