There has been considerable debate in society of whether a teacher's role is a purely academic one or whether they have wider pastoral responsibilities in developing the children in a holistic sense so they become better people as well as being more intelligent. In the Government's recent white paper publication much of the proposed changes to education in the UK were focused on academic matters such as the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (DfE 2010). However historical government publications such as the National Curriculum and acts of legalisation like the Education Reform Act 1988 have always had a pastoral orientation: one of the principal aims of the National Curriculum has been to help students to develop socially, morally, spiritually and in a cultural sense as well (DfE 2011). There has long been an academic/pastoral divide in schools according to Lang (2007 pg 314) where the pastoral and academic departments of a school worked remotely rather than in conjunction with each other which would have arguably greater effect on pupil's welfare.
Fleming (2004) suggest that in addition to being a teacher of their subject, teachers are also teachers of children in that they teach them skills which will help them to be a better human being. Such lessons are taught subconsciously by the teacher as part of the hidden curriculum (Martin 1983 pg 128). Teachers have a lot of contact with pupils throughout their time at school: Bandura (1977) argues that this is crucial as he believes that most pupils learn from observing the behaviours of others.
[...] ‘Pastoral care and the role of the form tutor' in Brooks, V., Abbott, I. and Bills, L. (eds.) Preparing to teach in secondary schools: a student's guide to professional issues in secondary education. 2nd edn. Maidenhead: Open University Press. pp. 316-324 Giles, H. & Clair, R. (1979) Language and Social Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell. Martin, J. (1983) ‘What Should We Do with a Hidden Curriculum When We Find One?' in Giroux, E. and Purpel, D. [...]
[...] Great Britain. Department for Further Education (2012) Standards for Qualified Teacher Status. [Online]. Available at: http://www.tda.gov.uk/training-provider/itt/~/media/resources/training- provider/teachers_standards_2012.pdf (Accessed: 16 March 2012). Great Britain. Ofsted (2010) Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education in Schools. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/personal-social-health-and-economic- education-schools (Accessed: 16 March 2012). Great Britain. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1998) Education for Citizenship and the teaching of democracy in Schools. [Online]. Available at: http://www.teachingcitizenship.org.uk/dnloads/crickreport1998.pdf (Accessed: 17 March 2012). Websites BBC (2010) Facebook and Electoral Commission launch voter push. [...]
[...] To what extent do teachers support pupils to become confident individuals and responsible citizens by contributing to the wider life and ethos of the school? There has been considerable debate in society of whether a teacher's role is a purely academic one or whether they have wider pastoral responsibilities in developing the children in a holistic sense so they become better people as well as being more intelligent. In the Government's recent white paper publication much of the proposed changes to education in the UK were focused on academic matters such as the introduction of the English Baccalaureate (DfE 2010). [...]
[...] There seems to be no doubt that teachers can have a role in developing pupils as well rounded individuals as well as improving their subject knowledge. This could be through their role as a form tutor or as a general subject specialist. However, the amount of influence teachers may depend a lot on the set of values and purposes a school has and its ethos (Fleming 2004). This may fluctuate quite heavily: some schools have studiously followed recent pastoral initiatives set out by the Government such as Every Child Matters whilst others might prioritise academic attainment more. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
