SCHOOLS REPORT UAE: WHAT MADE THE NEWS FOR SCHOOLS, PARENTS AND STUDENTS IN EDUCATION THIS WEEK?

The Schools Report brings you the SchoolsCompared.com official Weekly Briefing on the Hottest News in Education.

Every Friday we bring you the latest stories in education in the UAE and around the world in the last 7 days. Here’s what’s been happening this week…

This Week in Education. UAE Education News. First. Every Friday. Only from SchoolsCompared.com.

GCSE Plan B tests are up to heads, says Ofqual

Headteachers should use their “own judgement” over whether they need to continue collecting evidence for teacher-assessed grades (TAGs) in case exams are cancelled again this summer, the chief regulator has told school leaders.

In a letter sent to UK heads this week, Dr Jo Saxton wrote that exam contingencies should “help rather than hinder” students’ preparation for GCSE and A-level exams this summer.

She added:

“I encourage you to trust your judgement about whether you have sufficient evidence.”

In previous comments on exam preparations last month, she said there were no plans to “switch off” the Plan B exam contingency measures in case exams have to be cancelled for the third year running because of Covid.

In the speech to the Sixth Form Colleges Association conference in January, Dr Saxton added she was aware that some teachers would like the contingency plans to be removed, but said “the need to collect evidence of student performance in case exams don’t take place is important”.

The regulator told schools to carry out mock-style exams throughout the year in case exams are cancelled again in the summer and replaced with TAGs. However, education secretary Nadhim Zahawi has insisted that exams will go ahead as planned this year, despite ongoing disruption to learning in schools caused by the Omicron variant of Covid.

Dr Saxton also wrote to students this week saying the regulator would publish “videos, infographics and other materials” to help those who have missed the experience of sitting a formal exam due to the pandemic “to know what that feels like.”

GCSEs 2022: Ofqual tells heads to ‘use own judgement’ on exams Plan B tests | Tes

IB to repeat dual assessment approach

The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has announced it will use the same dual assessment route for exams this summer in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19.

In a statement on its website, the IB said although it “strongly believes” exams are the best method for assessing students’ learning, it recognises some settings may not be able to sit exams this summer and so past methods used to award results without exams will be required.

“Where this happens, the IB will use processes that we have refined over the course of the pandemic to award grades without exams.”

This process chiefly involves awarding final grades using internal coursework marks and teacher-submitted predicted grades – something that IB has previously said it believes is the best way to achieve a fair outcome for students.

“Our detailed analysis shows that, when examinations cannot be sat, awarding grades using a combination of Internal Assessment coursework marks and teacher submitted predicted grades provides the best estimation of what a student would have achieved if they could sit the exams,” it has said.

Where this happens for this summer’s exam series will depend on what the authorities in any nation decide as to whether or not schools can sit exams, with different nations often taking different decisions depending on the circumstances in that country as exam season approaches.

Exams 2022: IB confirms summer series dual assessment plan I Tes

UAE: Ministry plans to make major changes to education system

The Ministry of Education (MoE) says it is planning to make major changes in the UAE educational system, including enabling school certificates to be obtained online from outside the country, issuing regulations to allow self-education in the country, establishing schools for talented individuals, and expanding vocational schools.

During a presentation on “Innovation and the future of evaluation in the world” at Expo 2020 Dubai, the MoE said it has set 21 goals for the educational process in the country during the next 50 years to ensure that the country’s educational system is among the best in the world.

The presentation included a number of educational goals for the “Next 50”, namely strengthening the continuing education system, promoting moral and positive values, transforming schools into incubators for entrepreneurship, focusing on applied education, and on the disciplines of advanced science and technology, space, engineering, innovation, and medical sciences, health, humanities, and design.

The UAE’s education regulators said in the new system they are looking at increasing the reliance of new educational systems on virtual and augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence, and transforming the role of the teacher to be a “guide.”

UAE: Ministry plans to make major changes to education system – News | Khaleej Times

Students and teachers in England decry ‘virtually useless’ exam previews

Teachers and pupils in England have complained about inconsistencies in the advance information made available to help focus their revision before the summer GCSEs and A-levels, describing it in some cases as “virtually useless”.

School leaders said the information published by exam boards last week about what topics students will be tested on across 300 GCSE, AS and A-level specifications was hugely varied, with modern foreign languages a source of particular concern.

MFL teachers have spoken out on social media and written to exam boards expressing disappointment at the advance information for the MFL writing papers.

One teacher wrote to the AQA exam board: “What is going on? This information is virtually useless, it reads like the contents page of the textbook – ie, virtually every topic is included for Spanish, and most for French. For some reason, though, German has had more material removed.

The advance information is one of a number of measures put in place this year to try to ensure the fairness of exams, which are returning after being cancelled for two years. Other adaptations include a choice of topics in some GCSEs, such as English literature and history, and exam support materials, including formula sheets in maths.

A poll of 2,900 teachers by Teacher Tapp found widespread unhappiness with the advance information. In relation to GCSE languages, nearly three-quarters of those who took part in the poll were dissatisfied – 55% “very dissatisfied”, and 19% “dissatisfied”.

Students and teachers in England decry ‘virtually useless’ exam previews | Exams | The Guardian

Sharjah schools banned from making teachers do admin tasks

Private schools in Sharjah have been banned from making teachers carry out administrative work on top of holding classes and keeping track of students’ learning progress.

The Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) on Monday issued the decision, after some teachers complained about getting burnt out with all the admin work they had to accomplish.

Enas Abbas was one of those who felt ‘overworked’ as she was asked to do tasks that were not part of her duties as a physical education teacher. Speaking to the Khaleej Times, Abbas said:

“I was told to come to the admin office to do some data entry work and other tasks. When I refused to do it, I was asked to resign.

“These unfair practices happen as some school managements claim they could no longer afford to hire more admin staff because of the challenges brought about by the pandemic.”

The new decision, she said, would be a big help for her and other teachers who had been through the same experience.

Ali Al Hosani, director of the SPEA, said the private schools’ managements had been notified about the ban. They were urged to stop requiring teachers to do extra tasks that may affect their classes.

He added that additional duties will impact the distribution of weekly class shares, which are divided among teachers to ensure that all curriculum requirements are covered. Al Hosani said:

“Schools were instructed to properly distribute classes among teachers, and make sure that the lessons are in line with their specialisations and experience. They should also be given enough time to rest and prepare for the school day…

“The SPEA prioritises the role of teachers, and we aim to support and enhance the quality of their life in schools. They should not be burdened with tasks that may affect their educational performance.”

UAE: Schools banned from making teachers do admin tasks – News | Khaleej Times

Dubai pupil, 8, offered dream job – to start in 10 years’ time

An eight-year-old Dubai pupil who applied for a job at a dog day care centre was surprised to receive an offer — to start work in 10 years’ time.

Victor Noël decided he wanted to work for My Second Home after accompanying his mum there to drop off the family’s two year-old Labrador, Sam.

So the little animal-lover sent the boss a letter to try his luck. “I told him if you don’t do anything, nothing is going to come to you,” said his mum, Astrid Verly, 41, from Belgium. “You can write a letter to the boss and ask if you can work there.”

In his letter, Victor, a Grade 3 pupil at Greenfield International School, asked whether he “could work here a long time” as a “dog bringer”.

He handed it over to the receptionist and that was that, until the family got a call from the manager shortly after.

He said they wanted to respond as they were really touched, but he was a bit young right now, and he had to be 18 years old for health and safety reasons.

But they would give him an offer letter and a uniform so he was ready when the time came to start on the strike of his 18th birthday in 2032.

Ms Verly said she was delighted because her son was over the moon with the offer and it taught him a valuable lesson:

“Some kids here in Dubai think everything falls into their hands. I am teaching my kids if you want something you still have to do something for it. It’s not going to just come to you.”

Victor says he is looking forward to taking up his role as a trainee dog handler in 2032.

Dubai pupil, 8, offered dream job – to start in 10 years’ time (thenationalnews.com)

Record number of UAE students apply to UK universities

A record number of students from the UAE have applied to UK universities in 2022, data from admissions service UCAS reveals.

The trend was replicated globally with a record number of international students applying in total, with big increases in applications from China and India. Applications from European Union students continued to decrease.

A UCAS representative said the “UK’s world-class universities and colleges” explained why applications from UAE students were up 17 per cent from 2021 and “rising much quicker than for many other countries outside of the EU”.

To date, 2,950 applications from UAE students have been received by UCAS.

The 17 per cent yearly increase in UAE applications trumps the 11 per cent growth in applications from India and the 12 per cent rise from China.

The 28,930 applicants from China helped to retain the country’s position as the third-biggest market for UK higher education. The number of applicants from India – 8,660 – has almost doubled since 2019.

Record number of UAE students apply to UK universities (thenationalnews.com)

Report by world’s leading school group finds British education “not fit for purpose.”

The report from the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) highlights major flaws in the current British education system that urgently need addressing. Amongst the findings of the report by HMC – which reflects feedback from members of the professional Association of heads of the world’s leading independent schools, which includes many UAE-based head teachers – are multiple conclusions that demand serious education reform.

Some of the key headlines include: the fact that the curriculum is rooted in the past and missing numerous areas that have become critical, including sustainability and multiple areas of technology; community, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity are woefully under-leveraged as core skills; examinations are wholly over emphasised to the detriment of education students in values and skills; the British education system is impacting negatively on the mental and physical health of many children; arbitrary control of grade inflation leaves countless children behind; 96% of school leaders believe that GCSE’s need either reform or abolition.

Read the SchoolsCompared.com verdict and view the report in full: British Education Not Fit for Purpose. HMC Report issues Damning Verdict. – Dubai schools, Abu Dhabi schools, Sharjah schools with fees, ratings and more – SchoolsCompared.com

KHDA releases movie revealing how Dubai schools handled the pandemic

A spine-tingling new documentary revealing behind-the-scenes accounts of how Dubai schools handled the pandemic has been released on the Dubai school regulator, the KHDA’s social media accounts. The series of three-minute video clips illustrate the dramatic moment when the reality of COVID-19 finally struck, schools slammed shut, and school leaders in the UAE had to rally round to find solutions to take care of children’s and parents’ needs and keep the education sector up and running during the pandemic.

It’s an inspiring story of determination, hope through adversity and community spirit. Find out more and watch the video clips: WATCH: Goosebump-inducing, Inspirational, KHDA Movie exposé of how Dubai schools handled the pandemic – Dubai schools, Abu Dhabi schools, Sharjah schools with fees, ratings and more – SchoolsCompared.com

IB chief considers move to online assessment

The director-general of the International Baccalaureate (IB) has said the organisation is looking at how it could bring digital assessment to its Diploma Programme. He told Tes:

“…we have now come to the moment for the IB to move into that area”.

Olli-Pekka Heinonen – who took charge of the IB in May 2021 – said he believes there are benefits to digital assessment that could be incorporated into future changes to the Diploma Programme:

“Digital assessment can open doors to a model that supports learning better than the traditional model…We are trying to create the conditions for us to move to that.”

The IB does already provide digital assessment in its Middle Years Programme (MYP) with optional two-hour exams provided through mixed-mark, on-screen examinations in subjects such as language and literature, geography, history, maths and sciences – something it has done since 2016.

However, Heinonen said he thinks it is “wise of the IB not to rush into this area” for the Diploma Programme to ensure that any decisions it makes are well-thought-out and have real benefits for schools:

“This is an area where it’s very, very important to make ethical, sustainable solutions because with digital assessment you can go badly wrong…

“Because the digital world makes it so easy to measure certain things that might not be at all worth assessing, which would not be supporting learning, which is the aim of assessment. For that reason, we really have to be very conscious of the solutions we are [proposing].”

Heinonen declined to provide any specifics on what this would look like but said that he anticipated more information being revealed in the months ahead.

International Baccalaureate: IB chief weighs up move to online assessment | Tes

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