Education Articles

Tories plan tougher teacher tests
BBC - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:46:57 GMT

A Conservative government would raise the entry requirements for people wanting to train as teachers in England.

Student grants and loans frozen
BBC - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:11:55 GMT

Student maintenance grants and loans in England will not rise next year, despite an increase in tuition fees, ministers say.

Forced marriage plea to schools
BBC - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:24:54 GMT

New guidelines are being published urging schools to identify signs of forced marriages ahead of the holidays.

Top employers cut graduate jobs
BBC - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:00:52 GMT

The latest survey of 100 top graduate employers shows a 13.5% fall in recruitment during this year.

Poor students 'are outnumbered'
BBC - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:38:03 GMT

Students from the highest economic groups in England are twice as likely to go to university as poorer students, figures show.

Bright students 'shun languages'
BBC - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:12:13 GMT

Fewer higher-achieving pupils are opting for a language GCSE, and overall numbers are also declining, a study suggests.

Teachers facing 'classroom MOTs'
BBC - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:47:04 GMT

The schools' secretary proposes renewable licences for teachers as part of measures in a White Paper for England's schools.

Schools 'may be wasting millions'
BBC - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:47:07 GMT

England's schools could save millions of pounds a year by being more careful, a government watchdog claims.

Low numbers shut French course
BBC - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:34:06 GMT

University applications have been surging, but a university says its language courses only had 39 students wanting a place.

Themed learning
BBC - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:15:11 GMT

International curriculum features treasure and travel

Play together
BBC - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:57:02 GMT

Schools in Wales and Germany share Shakespeare

Uncertain summer
BBC - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:59:41 GMT

What will replace the 11-plus in Northern Ireland?

GCSE quiz
BBC - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:50:21 GMT

How well do you know design and technology?

Primary teaching
BBC - Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:47:28 GMT

National strategies are to go, but what were they?

E-mail us
BBC - Fri, 22 May 2009 12:26:48 GMT

How to contact the BBC News website education team

College bars visitor wearing veil
BBC - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:41:32 GMT

Two pupils and their teacher are asked to remove face veils before visiting a Catholic sixth form college in Lancashire.

Urban primary moves out of town
BBC - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:09:16 GMT

A primary school in south London is to buy accommodation in the home counties where older pupils will spend the week.

Court threat for pupils' parents
BBC - Sun, 28 Jun 2009 10:15:04 GMT

Parents of unruly pupils could be taken to court by teachers under plans to be announced by the government.

NI boys 'first to get swine flu'
BBC - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:56:09 GMT

A six-year-old boy and his younger brother are the first children from Northern Ireland to have swine flu.

Key schools policy to be amended
BBC - Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:51:16 GMT

The government is to abandon the use of centralised national literacy and numeracy strategies in England's primary schools.

Few college buildings go ahead
BBC - Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:57:58 GMT

Only 13 of 144 college building projects placed in limbo after a funding fiasco are to go ahead this year.

'Personality tests' for teachers
BBC - Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:39:39 GMT

Teacher training applicants will have to undergo psychometric tests to assess their suitability for teaching.

Jewish school admissions row
BBC - Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:34:36 GMT

A Jewish school's admissions policy is unlawful because it involves racial discrimination, the Appeal Court has decided.

Fewer young apprenticeships
BBC - Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:24:01 GMT

There are more apprenticeships in England - but a drop in the number of young people starting them, figures show.

'Problems' with 11-14 curriculum
BBC - Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:51:04 GMT

The introduction of the 11-14 curriculum has led to 'emerging problems' in some English schools, inspectors have found.

Strip-search of US girl illegal
BBC - Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:26:11 GMT

The US Supreme Court rules that school staff broke the law by strip-searching a 13-year-old girl for painkillers.

Schools 'need not expel under-7s'
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:12:54 GMT

Schools can avoid excluding very young children through methods to manage behaviour such as biting and swearing, Ofsted says.

Urban poverty and jobless link
BBC - Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:04:39 GMT

Almost a quarter of children in London live in families where nobody has a job, a UK-wide report says.

Vocational exams on the increase
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:13:43 GMT

Some 3.6 million vocational qualifications were awarded last year in the UK, an 11% increase on the previous year.

Decision time: 'cash or students'
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:36:56 GMT

Universities want to increase tuition fees and warn they need to receive increased funding or cut places.

Fewer pupils eating school meals
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:21:38 GMT

Uptake of school meals in secondary schools has dropped sharply since ministers first launched healthy eating policies.

Major problems with tests - claim
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:46:49 GMT

There are fundamental problems with the single level testing that might replace Sats in England, it is reported.

Queen's agrees 103 job cuts plan
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:36:15 GMT

The senate of Queen's University agrees a controversial plan to cut 103 jobs and close its German department.

Hutt defends education funding
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:47:52 GMT

The education minister responds to higher education funding worries and announces a south Wales valleys "virtual university".

Firms urged to give fathers time
BBC - Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:09:13 GMT

Children's Secretary Ed Balls calls on employers to allow fathers to be more involved in their children's lives.

Governors sacked over bonus row
BBC - Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:40:26 GMT

Children's Secretary Ed Balls sacks the governors of a north London secondary school following allegations about bonuses.

BNP teacher ban 'is considered'
BBC - Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:34:43 GMT

A ban on teachers from being members of the British National Party is under consideration, says the government.

Benefits of creative classrooms
BBC - Sat, 23 May 2009 02:23:37 GMT

What became of a 10-year-old report which encouraged children to be creative?

Nature, nurture and exam results
BBC - Fri, 15 May 2009 12:23:06 GMT

The influence of genes and class on achievement

Did Rose review prune enough?
BBC - Sat, 02 May 2009 00:08:31 GMT

Mike Baker steps back in time to reflect on what the future holds for England's primary schools.

Comparing notes
BBC - Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:53:57 GMT

UK and Nigerian teachers on each other's methods

Big choices for school leavers
BBC - Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:54:20 GMT

What does the future hold for school leavers?

Dilemma over science entitlement
BBC - Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:04:30 GMT

Pupils are entitled to be taught separate science GCSEs - but schools do not have to teach them.

Number of pupils is set to soar
BBC - Wed, 13 May 2009 13:08:36 GMT

Class sizes in England have gone up - but the population trend shows things are about to get more challenging.

Pandemic: When schools close
BBC - Tue, 05 May 2009 10:13:59 GMT

In the event of a flu pandemic, who decides?

New bullet points for primaries
BBC - Fri, 01 May 2009 13:15:29 GMT

Primary schools get three focal points - or is it four, or six?

US downturn hits schoolchildren
BBC - Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:45:43 GMT

The prospects of US children whose families become homeless are seriously hampered, as the BBC's Dumeetha Luthra reports.

School Report 'improves literacy'
BBC - Mon, 11 May 2009 14:43:25 GMT

Research carried out by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) indicates that participation in the BBC News project for schools can have a significant impact on literacy.

Make the news in your school
BBC - Mon, 11 May 2009 14:30:14 GMT

What is BBC News School Report?
BBC - Tue, 12 May 2009 17:30:47 GMT

Find out more about the project which motivates secondary students around the UK to make and broadcast their own news.

School links around the globe
BBC - Mon, 11 May 2009 14:38:44 GMT

What is BBC World Class?
BBC - Mon, 11 May 2009 14:38:44 GMT

Help with home and school life
BBC - Mon, 11 May 2009 14:41:59 GMT

Graduate unemployment figures set to rise by 22,000
Education Guardian - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:01:59 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/23650?ns=guardian&pageName=Graduate+unemployment+figures+set+to+rise+sharply%3AArticle%3A1241172&ch=Education&c4=Student+work%2CGraduate+careers%2CRecession+%28UK%29%2CStudents%2CEducation%2CJobs%2CUK+news%2CGraduation&c6=Jessica+Shepherd&c8=1241172&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FStudent+work" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Job prospects for this year's graduates are the same as, if not worse, than in the darkest years of the 1990s recession</p><p>Those leaving university this summer face the toughest jobs market in more than a decade, with up to 22,000 more graduates likely to be unemployed this year compared with last, figures published today show.</p><p>At least one in 10 of this summer's graduates will fail to find a job six months after they leave university, the Higher Education Careers Services Unit (Hecsu) has calculated. This is the equivalent of between 35,000 and 40,000 graduates, out of the 350,000 leaving UK universities after first degrees this year.</p><p>This is a dramatic rise on last year's numbers, figures released today by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) reveal.</p><p>Some 17,990 of last summer's graduates – just over 8% – were still looking for a job six months after they had left university, the data shows. The previous year, 6% of graduates were unemployed six months after leaving university.</p><p>The figures include only students who are looking for jobs, rather than those who opted to continue their studies or travel.</p><p>Graduate salaries are still on the rise, the figures show. Last summer, despite the economy starting to falter, the mean graduate salary rose to £20,500, from £20,000 the year before.</p><p>Some 8% of male graduates were unemployed last year, compared with 5% of female graduates, the Hesa figures show. This compares with 6% and 4%, respectively, the year before.</p><p>Graduates in computer science were among the most likely to be unemployed last year, with 14% failing to secure a job six months after graduation.</p><p>But just 3% of those who had completed dentistry degrees were out of work.</p><p>Four per cent of students who completed postgraduate courses last summer were unemployed, compared with 3% the previous year.</p><p>Charlie Ball, deputy director of research at Hecsu, predicted that this year's graduates face the same, if not worse, job prospects as those who left university in the worst years of the last recession in the 1990s.</p><p>Vacancies for this summer's graduates have been cut by 28% since last year, and of the 20,000 graduates that top employers planned to recruit this year, 5,500 posts have been cancelled or left unfilled.</p><p>The City has been worst hit, with 56% fewer entry-level jobs in investment banks this year.</p><p>However, the accountancy and management consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers said today it still had vacancies for almost 100 graduates this year.</p><p>Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "These figures foretell the crisis awaiting graduates this summer as a result of the recession. Students are racking up thousands of pounds of debt because of fees, and many will be extremely worried at the lack of job prospects when they leave university."</p><p>David Lammy, the universities minister, said: "Today's figures show that even in tough times a degree is a strong investment which stands graduates in good stead for a long and successful career.</p><p>"Employment rates for graduates continue to be higher than for those with lower qualifications, and with research showing that there are jobs available with growth in some areas, graduates should remain positive about their prospects."</p><p>David Willetts, the shadow universities secretary, said: "These figures show yet again that young people are the biggest victims of the recession. The employment rate of graduates was falling even before the recession took hold. We now have record levels of young people not in education, employment or training. Ministers are letting our young people down."</p><p>A Guardian survey last month of 55 of Britain's top universities revealed an avalanche of demand for careers services from jobless students and a big rise in the numbers applying to do postgraduate courses.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/studentwork">Student work</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/graduates">Graduate careers</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/recession">Recession</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/students">Students</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/graduation">Graduation</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Nc0XOcen11S3omP9bANprB9-3ek/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Nc0XOcen11S3omP9bANprB9-3ek/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Nc0XOcen11S3omP9bANprB9-3ek/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Nc0XOcen11S3omP9bANprB9-3ek/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Tories will raise bar for those wishing to teach, says Gove
Education Guardian - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:10:42 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/49299?ns=guardian&pageName=Tories+will+raise+bar+for+those+wishing+to+teach%2C+says+Gove%3AArticle%3A1241183&ch=Education&c4=Teacher+training%2CTeaching%2CPrimary+schools%2CSecondary+schools%2CSchools%2CEducation%2CUK+news%2CEducation+policy%2CMichael+Gove%2CPolitics&c6=Anthea+Lipsett&c8=1241183&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FTeacher+training" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Would-be teachers will need to be better qualified to be accepted for training under Tory plans</p><p>Would-be teachers will need to be better qualified to be accepted for training under Conservative plans to raise school standards announced today.</p><p>The shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said trainee teachers with lower than B-grade GCSEs in English and maths and a 2:2 degree would not receive funding to train under a Tory government.</p><p>At present, teacher trainees are accepted with C-grade GCSEs in English and maths and third-class degrees.</p><p>In a speech to the Institute of Physics today, Gove said the Tories would raise the grades needed to train and abolish the right of trainee teachers to take "infinite resits" in literacy and numeracy tests.</p><p>"We want a new generation of maths and science teachers in primary and secondary school. Good as our teachers are, they must be better," he said.</p><p>"At the moment, trainee teachers can resit the basic literacy and numeracy tests, which are the gateway to the profession, an infinite number of times – 13% had to take the the numeracy test three or more times before passing.</p><p>"We need to have the highest-quality graduates in the classroom, so the practice of multiple resits will end and the tests will be upgraded."</p><p>Teachers entering the profession, particuarly in primary schools, need to have the "level of knowledge required to really stretch" pupils, Gove said.</p><p>"Under a Conservative government, we will raise the bar for primary teachers, so they will need to have B grades at GCSE in English and maths," he said. "The taxpayer will only fund teacher training for those who meet this level."</p><p>He said taxpayers should not fund the 1,200 postgraduate trainees each year who have third-class degrees or worse. "We will make a 2:2 the minimum acceptable degree for a taxpayer-funded PGCE," he said.</p><p>Gove said it was a disgrace that there were no specialist courses for primary teachers in maths, and said the focus of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) would change radically.</p><p>Every publicly funded primary teacher-training institution would have to teach primary teachers specialist courses in phonics and in maths, he said. "It is essential that primary teachers have up-to-date skills in these two fields. This will encourage the growth of specialist primary teachers in English, maths and science, which is exactly what we need to happen and what already happens in expensive prep schools."</p><p>A spokesman for Gove said the moves would cause ructions, but the change was necessary to improve the "calibre and training" of people going into the profession.</p><p>But teaching unions criticised the "arbitrary levels" suggested by Gove. Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Teachers need all-round subject knowledge and pedagogical skills. A focus on one subject in the curriculum would distort children's experience and cut down on the time given to explore all the various aspects of teaching in a primary class.</p><p>"Of course we want to attract people with good degrees, but defining a degree requirement of 2:2 is arbitrary and would potentially exclude many very good teachers."</p><p>Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: "Of course it is important that all teachers have a good understanding of maths and English – we would not quarrel with this. But being a maths genius does not mean you will be any good at teaching children, particularly primary children.</p><p>"There's more to English and maths than phonics and numeracy. Unless primary teachers understand the different ways children learn and develop, so that they know how best to teach each child in their class, any mathematical expertise will be irrelevant."</p><p>She added that there is not time in a typical PCGE course for teachers to become specialists in all the topics they need, so colleges would have to drop a subject to give more time to maths.</p><p>The schools minister, Vernon Coaker, said: "If Michael Gove is serious about raising the quality and status of the teaching profession he would not be opposing our <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jul/01/ed-balls-education-white-paper" title="'licence to teach'">'licence to teach'</a>, which will boost public confidence by matching what happens with other high status professions like doctors and lawyers, and give teachers an entitlement to continuous professional development.</p><p>"The teaching profession has been transformed over the last decade and Ofsted tell us we have the best generation of teachers ever. But we are determined to go further, which is why we are making teaching a master's-level profession.</p><p>"All new teachers are university graduates and we are focusing on making sure all teachers have the skills necessary to be effective in the classroom.</p><p>"With George Osborne confirming this week that the Tories would cut investment in our schools from next year if they win the election, the Tories should explain how many teachers and teaching assistants would be sacked under their planned cuts. They should come clean and tell us that 10% cuts to schools is the equivalent of losing 44,130 teachers, and 34,490 teaching assistants and school support staff."</p><p>According to the TDA, 89% of trainees in 2007-08 had a 2:2 or higher degree. A spokesman said: "Academic qualifications are not the only measure of a good teacher. Someone with a first in physics from Oxford University wouldn't necessarily be the best teacher."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teachertraining">Teacher training</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teaching">Teaching</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/primary-schools">Primary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/secondary-schools">Secondary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/michaelgove">Michael Gove</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TXT7rhP9tYNNPOoIgR5avAyP4xM/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TXT7rhP9tYNNPOoIgR5avAyP4xM/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TXT7rhP9tYNNPOoIgR5avAyP4xM/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TXT7rhP9tYNNPOoIgR5avAyP4xM/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Teachers' code reworded after faith groups object
Education Guardian - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:36:51 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/87819?ns=guardian&pageName=Anti-discrimination+code+for+teachers+reworded+after+faith+groups%27+objec%3AArticle%3A1241025&ch=Education&c4=Teaching%2CSchools%2CFaith+schools%2CEducation%2CPrimary+schools%2CSecondary+schools%2CReligion+%28News%29%2CUK+news&c6=Polly+Curtis&c8=1241025&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FTeaching" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Requirements for teachers to promote diversity removed from new GTCE code of conduct</p><p>The General Teaching Council for England (GTCE) was today accused of watering down a new code of conduct for teachers after faith groups objected to a ruling that would force them to "promote equality and value diversity", including challenging homophobia and supporting homosexuality.</p><p>A briefing document seen by the Guardian reveals substantial changes to a crucial section of the code designed to tackle discrimination in schools. Originally, the section – one of eight principles that teachers must abide by – set out how they should "promote equality and value diversity". That has now been amended to a ruling that they should "demonstrate respect" for diversity and promote equality.</p><p>The National Secular Society said the changes amounted to a significant toning down of the code, which could leave children exposed to discrimination.</p><p>The document, a briefing to council members on the new code, reveals that the changes were made after hundreds of objections were received from faith groups during the consultation process. The groups objected to the requirement of Christian teachers to "promote beliefs and lifestyles at odds with their faith", they say.</p><p>The document concludes: "Principle 4 requires validation against legislation and to address concerns expressed in the consultation."</p><p>The new version of the code, which was formally adopted by the GTCE yesterday, has been radically reworded to take out requirements to "promote" diversity. Teachers no longer have to "proactively challenge" discrimination and are instead simply required to address it. References to the law have been removed and one whole clause, requiring teachers to be "sensitive" to the socio-economic and cultural context in which they are working, has been taken out.</p><p>The GTCE insisted the changes were designed to simplify the code and to comply with legislation, after it received legal advice that suggested the code would be challenged if it attempted to govern values or beliefs, rather than teachers' actions.</p><p>Terry Sanderson, chair of the National Secular Society, said: "It is a disgraceful capitulation to the worst kind of religious agitation and puts children who are gay, transgendered, or even perceived to be effeminate or tomboyish, at risk of bullying, victimisation and further isolation.</p><p>"The GTCE's code was supposed to make vulnerable children safer and happier at school, but these religious bigots have managed to water down the code to the extent that it could become counterproductive."</p><p>Mike Judge, of the Christian Institute, one of the faith groups that responded to the consultation, said: "Good Christian teachers respect individuals and promote equality of opportunity. But there is a real concern that the [first] draft code would go further than this."</p><p>Sarah Stephens, director of policy at the GTCE, insisted that it had not "caved in" to the faith groups' demands, but acknowledged that it had changed the wording to relate only to teachers' actions, and not their values or beliefs.</p><p>She said the code would clearly set out teachers' duties to treat all pupils, parents and colleagues "fairly and with respect" whatever their background, gender, sexual orientation, religion or belief.</p><p>"The draft code has been amended to take account of a wide variety of responses and comments from a range of individuals and organisations, which were used as a body of evidence in the redrafting process. We believe we have developed a test in principle 4 which is consistent with our commitment to and strong record on equalities and which will serve all children well."</p><p>Judy Moorhouse, chair of the GTCE, said: "Our new code is a significant and welcome step forward for the teaching profession. We set out clearly the commitments that teachers make to helping children and young people to learn and to succeed, the way teachers work as a team with other professionals and with parents to meet children's needs, our commitment to developing our own practice throughout our careers, and to supporting each other as colleagues."</p><p>Separately, the National Secular Society yesterday presented legal advice to the government, which argues that the right of faith schools to select a proportion of their teachers according to faith is discriminatory under EU laws and should be repealed in the equalities bill.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teaching">Teaching</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/faithschools">Faith schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/primary-schools">Primary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/secondary-schools">Secondary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/religion">Religion</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/ChLsbUmGZtZul7wcUTZmhtQk6PA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/ChLsbUmGZtZul7wcUTZmhtQk6PA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/ChLsbUmGZtZul7wcUTZmhtQk6PA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/ChLsbUmGZtZul7wcUTZmhtQk6PA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Student grants frozen as tuition fees rise
Education Guardian - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:30:48 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/79294?ns=guardian&pageName=Student+grants+frozen+as+tuition+fees+rise%3AArticle%3A1240666&ch=Education&c4=University+funding%2CEducation+policy%2CTeacher+training%2CStudent+finance+%28Money%29%2CRecession+%28UK%29%2CDavid+Lammy+%28kw%29%2CLabour%2CEducation%2CPolitics%2CBusiness%2CMoney%2CUK+news%2CTuition+fees&c6=Polly+Curtis&c8=1240666&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FUniversity+funding" width="1" height="1" /></div><p><strong></strong>The government is freezing all student grants and loans and cutting financial support for trainee teachers as a result of the recession, it announced today.</p><p>Union leaders said the moves were a "kick in the teeth" after it emerged that tuition fees will also rise by 2.04%, taking the annual charge to £3,290 – nearly £300 more than when fees were introduced in 2006. Grants are to be frozen at £2,906 for the poorest students and loans for living costs are also frozen, while loans to cover tuition fees will rise to cover the increasing fees. Teacher training grants of up to £6,000, which had been universally offered, are to be restricted to people from lower income homes.</p><p>David Lammy, the universities minister, said in a written ministerial statement to parliament: "In these difficult economic times, we are continuing to take difficult decisions in the interests of students, universities and taxpayers alike. We have therefore decided to maintain the current package of maintenance support for full-time students, reflecting the current low inflationary environment."</p><p>It is understood ministers were forced into the decision to free up cash to avoid a cut in the grant as student numbers rise.</p><p>A promise to give university grants to all students who previously received £30-a-week study grants at school has been reversed in favour of means testing.</p><p>Teacher training grants for postgraduates will be cut substantially. Those with household incomes above £34,000 will pay for the majority of their living costs through loans of up to £5,000 instead of grants, adding to the debt mountain for some new graduates. Previously all trainees qualified for non-repayable grants.</p><p>The changes apply to England alone and will come into force in September 2010.</p><p>Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "Students are already racking up thousands of pounds of debt. It appears that the inflation rate is being applied where it suits universities, but not where it will improve student support. These real-terms cuts in student support will be felt in students' pockets."</p><p>The statement to parliament came hours after the government published figures revealing that the proportion of students from the poorest backgrounds is increasing. Some 21% of 18- to 21-year-olds taking degrees last year were from the poorest four socio-economic groups, compared with 18.1% the year before.</p><p>David Willetts, the shadow universities minister, said: "Gordon Brown tried to increase support for students in his first week as prime minister and he's been cutting it back ever since. Students from poorest families will be the victims.</p><p>"The government needs to get on with the fees review and look at ways to offer a better deal for poorer students."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/universityfunding">University funding</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teachertraining">Teacher training</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/student-finance">Student finance</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/recession">Recession</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/david-lammy">David Lammy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/labour">Labour</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/tuition-fees">Tuition fees</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NYLYn_r1mJ8m6dnETFLPt-BUW0Q/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NYLYn_r1mJ8m6dnETFLPt-BUW0Q/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NYLYn_r1mJ8m6dnETFLPt-BUW0Q/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/NYLYn_r1mJ8m6dnETFLPt-BUW0Q/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Mellow yellow pages sculpture
Education Guardian - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:17:15 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/53044?ns=guardian&pageName=Creative+Summer%3A+Lights%2C+camera+...+and+action%21+School+kids+get+to+make+%3AArticle%3A1240338&ch=Education&c4=Creativity+in+the+classroom%2CArts+in+schools%2CEducation%2CSchools%2CPrimary+schools%2CSecondary+schools&c6=Alice+Woolley&c8=1240338&c9=Article&c10=Blogpost&c11=Education&c13=Creative+summer+%28series%29&c25=Mortarboard+blog&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FCreativity+in+the+classroom" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Our Creative Summer project is swelling with news of your creative activities in the classroom, with many ventures helping to nurture the budding film-makers and artists of tomorrow</p><p>From sculptures made of copies of the Yellow Pages to a new and improved Star Trek movie, schools are finding amazing ways to bring creativity into the curriculum. As our Creative Summer project continues, we have some ingenious schemes to report.</p><p>St Felix Middle School in Newmarket has been through challenging times since the building burned down last summer. But, says Tim Brook, the school's creative media director, creativity wasn't burned down with it. The school now operates in portable classrooms ("interesting and hot at the moment"). This term, some of the students came up with a creative project that really took off. Brook explains:</p><blockquote><p>Year 7s spent the week making a spoof sci-fi movie called "Stor Truk". The children went to see Star Trek and developed an action adventure story based on the idea of a supermarket truck that "boldly went where no van has gone before...</p></blockquote><p>The children worked in five film crews. During the week they scripted, storyboarded, performed, filmed and edited their movie. In the course of the week&nbsp;they also:&nbsp;screen tested a cast, built the "captain's bridge", made baseball caps for the rival supermarkets, designed and made posters and stickers, created film trailers and hosted a local Tesco.com van – which starred as the eponymous Stor Truk. <a href="http://magiclantern.blip.tv/file/2303494/">You can watch the movie here</a>.</p><p>At Park Hall school in Castle Bromwich, Solihull, movies also came to life in school. Jenny Lewis, head of media studies, explains:</p><blockquote><p>"It all began a couple of months ago when one of our film club members wrote to <a href="http://www.filmclub.org" title="Filmclub">Filmclub</a> [the network of after-school film clubs], complaining that there were no Godzilla films available to be screened at schools. Lillith Vickerstaff is a major Godzilla fan and has been trying to convince the rest of the members at Park Hall that Godzilla rules.</p><p>Filmclub asked if Park Hall and Lillith would feature in a documentary they were making on the theme of how films can change lives.</p><p>The documentary team and our film club members made the film – in the style of a Japanese monster film. Godzilla attacked the school, 30 year 7 and 8 film club members fled in fear whilst Lillith conquered the monster and celebrated with the rest of the film club by watching a classic Godzilla movie.</p><p>It was a wonderful day and certainly a day the children will always remember. Lillith, the creative spark that got this whole thing happening, said: "When I first found out that I was going to be in the film with Godzilla, I thought I would only need to stand in front of a green screen and do some talking. I didn't realise I would be running around being chased by him. When I got home I was too tired even to tell my mother anything about it and I had blisters on my feet ... but it was a brilliant experience that I will never forget!"</p><p>Lillith attends film club at our school but she has never been able to get the club interested in watching Japanese monster movies until now. She thinks this is because many are in black and white. Her mission to convince people to see Monster films has become a reality and now Filmclub at Park Hall is enjoying Godzilla!"</p></blockquote><p><br />Hamish Wilson, Head of Drama at St Christopher School in Letchworth, tells us about his school's Arts Week, which included: </p><blockquote><p>stage combat, gospel singing, gothic writing, art therapy, street theatre, Cuban dance, commercial song-writing and Yellow Pages sculpture.</p></blockquote><p><br />Meanwhile at Frettenham Primary Partnership school near Norwich, senior teacher Jenni Hammond writes: </p><blockquote><p>A local high school was replacing a lot of its chairs, so we decided to have a sculpture day based on chairs! Each class had its own theme - Class 1 (YR-Y1) used natural materials, Class 2 (Y2/3) had the theme of heroes, Class 3 (Y4/5) based their chairs on the work of Anthony Frost.</p><p>Parents and grandparents came in to work on their chair sculptures with their children and we had a sculpture trail around the grounds the next day open to the community in general. Staff worked on their own chairs too.</p></blockquote><p>Here are some pictures of the amazing chairs. Check out the mermaid, and my personal favourite, the Norwich City Football Club number.</p><p>Ms Hammond points out that Frettenham is creative all through the year and not just in summer, and we know that is the case in very many schools. Keep your pictures and videos coming - please send them to <a href="mailto:creativityintheclassroom@guardian.co.uk">creativityintheclassroom@guardian.co.uk</a>. We'll do more next week.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/creativity-in-the-classroom">Creativity in the classroom</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/artsinschools">Arts in schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/primary-schools">Primary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/secondary-schools">Secondary schools</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/hQiuJjVeQsvw1kdwAZ4VvPgoAqE/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/hQiuJjVeQsvw1kdwAZ4VvPgoAqE/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/hQiuJjVeQsvw1kdwAZ4VvPgoAqE/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/hQiuJjVeQsvw1kdwAZ4VvPgoAqE/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Young Brits at Art: the winners
Education Guardian - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:58:05 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/62945?ns=guardian&pageName=Young+Brits+at+Art%3A+the+winners%3AArticle%3A1241301&ch=Education&c4=Art+and+design+%28Education+subject%29%2CSchools%2CEducation%2CYoung+people+%28Society%29%2CSociety%2CArt+%28visual+arts+only%29%2CArt+and+design%2CUK+news&c6=Alice+Woolley&c8=1241301&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FArt+and+design" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Three young artists won the judges over with their portrayals of life in Britain</p><p>The Equality and Human Rights Commission today announced the winners of its Young Brits at Art competition, in which young people were invited to portray their feelings about their identity.</p><p>The three winners are 11-year-old Georgia Marshall Evangelou, 17-year-old Stephanie Winn – both from London – and 17-year-old Fungai Mutezo from Airdrie.</p><p>Georgia, who attends St Paul's primary school in Winchmore Hill, London, painted herself floating in the bath and wrote: "Here in Britain we are fortunate enough to have the facilities, water and leisure. In other countries people would not have this water, or the time, to do such a thing."</p><p>Stephanie, a student at Gumley House convent school in Hounslow, chose to paint her grandmother, partly to break down stereotypes about older people and to show that there is "much life in her still".</p><p>And Fungai Mutezo's self-portrait, he says, shows him "taking time out from my busy schedule to reflect the direction that my life is heading and what I will be able to put back into society". Fungai is a student at Calverdale High in Airdrie, Scotland.</p><p>From the 1,600 students who entered, a shortlist of 10 was drawn up. The seven other finalists were Michael Kashora, from Lea Manor school, Luton; Jessica Clark from Glenifer high in Paisley, Scotland; Emily Daniel from Ynysawdre comprehensive school, Bridgend, Wales; Millie Wilkinson from Suffolk; Juliette Ndi from Harrow College; and Dwayne Bodkin and Samuel Johnston from Hinwick Hall school in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/artanddesign">Art and design</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/youngpeople">Young people</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/art">Art</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/3YcCx1RHBlQ2s4GlFobISDDz6qo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/3YcCx1RHBlQ2s4GlFobISDDz6qo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/3YcCx1RHBlQ2s4GlFobISDDz6qo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/3YcCx1RHBlQ2s4GlFobISDDz6qo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Independence of academies is being eroded, says head
Education Guardian - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:11:31 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/40795?ns=guardian&pageName=Independence+of+academies+is+being+eroded%2C+says+head%3AArticle%3A1240563&ch=Education&c4=Academies+%28Education%29%2CSchools%2CEducation%2CUK+news%2CEducation+policy%2CPolitics&c6=Jessica+Shepherd&c8=1240563&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FAcademies" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Labour is accused of being less enthusiastic about academies than it was in Adonis's day</p><p>The government is "ambiguous" about its commitment to academy schools, and is eroding their independence by handing over more control to local authorities, MPs were told today by an academy headteacher.</p><p>Academies, set up in 2000 to replace so-called "failing" schools, were given freedom from local authority control. But their autonomy is being eroded because ministers are handing some power over the schools to "under-performing" local authorities, Nick Weller, headteacher of Dixons city academy in Bradford, told MPs on the cross-party Children, Schools and Families select committee.</p><p>"In some towns, there is not a great deal of difference between some of the newer academies and the local authority schools," Weller said after the meeting.</p><p>He told MPs that current education ministers were less committed to academies than their predecessors, such as Lord Adonis.</p><p>Weller said: "There's ambiguity from the top. There is a secretary of state [Ed Balls] who doesn't want to be there and a minister [Vernon Coaker] who has had his doubts about academies.</p><p>"A few years ago, [academies] were believed in very passionately [by the government]. They aren't now and I am not sure this will improve after the general election."</p><p>Weller, a member of the Independent Academies Association, which represents headteachers and chairs of governors at academies, said his academy, which inspectors have described as "outstanding" now had to "take the lead from its local authority, which has not been judged to be as effective".</p><p>Building work and computer resources had to be agreed through the local authority.</p><p>He said: "There's less clarity on what is wanted. The [academy] movement is in danger of falling between two stools. Local authorities are very, very mixed. I think they are holding back educational progress in some areas."</p><p>Academies usually replace schools that have failed children for years and their local authority may have been part of the problem, he said.</p><p>The Conservatives have accused the new schools minister, Vernon Coaker, of opposing academies. Coaker is a member of the National Union of Teachers and the Socialist Education Alliance, both of which oppose academies. Coaker has denied he is against academies and says he does not agree with all NUT and SEA policies.</p><p>The government has said it wants at least 400 academies. The Conservatives have pledged to turn hundreds of comprehensives into academies to make them the "norm" of secondary education.</p><p>Yesterday the schools secretary, Ed Balls, announced proposals for two new academies in Redcar and Cleveland and Halton, and signed funding agreements for two others in Nottingham and Hertfordshire.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "Far from lacking direction, we are accelerating the academies programme. Academies are a key part of our relentless drive to raise standards in deprived areas across the country, and in a relatively short time they have made remarkable progress."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/academies">Academies</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/nWLe8EEEQBMOuGWSViDWrhecYk0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/nWLe8EEEQBMOuGWSViDWrhecYk0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/nWLe8EEEQBMOuGWSViDWrhecYk0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/nWLe8EEEQBMOuGWSViDWrhecYk0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Teachers, doctors and police given guidelines on forced marriage
Education Guardian - Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:11:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/82705?ns=guardian&pageName=Teachers%2C+doctors+and+police+given+guidelines+on+forced+marriage%3AArticle%3A1240887&ch=Society&c4=Communities+%28Society%29%2CPublic+services+policy+%28Society%29%2CSociety%2CSchools%2CEducation%2CPolitics%2CReligion+%28News%29%2CUK+news&c6=Staff+and+agencies&c8=1240887&c9=Article&c10=&c11=Society&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FSociety%2FCommunities" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Summer holiday is peak time for children to be taken to south Asia and forced to marry, says government</p><p>Teachers, doctors and the police were today given guidelines to help them identify and tackle the problem of forced marriage.</p><p>The government advice was issued ahead of the summer holidays, the peak time for families to take girls to south Asia, in particular, and force them to marry.</p><p>Latest figures from the government's Forced Marriage Unit suggest that 70% of cases involve families of Pakistani origin and 11% those from a Bangladeshi background.</p><p>And further research published today by the National Centre for Social Research suggests that more than 5,000 people are at risk of forced marriage each year.</p><p>The organisation estimates that between 5,000 and 8,000 cases of forced marriage were reported in England in 2008 alone. The research also concluded that there was a "lack of understanding" about the problem among some statutory services making the problem more difficult to spot and to tackle.</p><p>The research focused on young people under 18. It was commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in response to a home affairs select committee inquiry in 2008 which called for more research and was used by government to inform today's guidance.</p><p>Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant insisted every school should be looking at the issue, but acknowledged that some may be "uncertain" about cultural sensitivities.</p><p>Asked whether schools were turning a blind eye to the problem, he said: "I'm not sure that's true. But I would say to every school that they should be looking at this."</p><p>Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he added: "It may be possible that some have been uncertain about the cultural issues here.</p><p>"But I should make it absolutely clear there is no culture, and there is no religion, in which forced marriage should be acceptable or indeed is acceptable."</p><p>He also rejected any notion that it was an issue to do with the Islamic faith. "Marriage in every religion has to be freely consented to."</p><p>There have been 770 calls to the Forced Marriage Unit so far this year, a 16% increase on the same period last year.</p><p>But there is concern that many affected youngsters are frightened to come forward and make their situation known until it is too late.</p><p>Bryant said: "The most important thing is to spot the problem before it happens."</p><p>Tell-tale signs can include evidence of self-harm or sudden lack of interest in academic work, he said.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/communities">Communities</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/policy">Public services policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/religion">Religion</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/DbwnXk-T5BvBbP0FKQYww80-ZmA/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/DbwnXk-T5BvBbP0FKQYww80-ZmA/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/DbwnXk-T5BvBbP0FKQYww80-ZmA/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/DbwnXk-T5BvBbP0FKQYww80-ZmA/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Desmond Tutu asks G8 leaders to get world's children into school
Education Guardian - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:04:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/67405?ns=guardian&pageName=Desmond+Tutu+asks+G8+leaders+to+get+world%27s+children+into+school%3AArticle%3A1240021&ch=Education&c4=International+education+news%2CPolitics+%28Education+subject%29%2CPrimary+schools%2CEducation%2CDevelopment+%28Politics%29%2CGordon+Brown%2CPolitics%2CG8+%28News%29%2CWorld+news&c6=Jessica+Shepherd&c8=1240021&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FInternational+education+news" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Nobel laureate implores Gordon Brown and Barack Obama ahead of G8 summit to create new global fund for education by end of year</p><p>Desmond Tutu has "implored" Gordon Brown and other G8 leaders to redouble their efforts to give a basic education to the 75 million children out of school across the world.</p><p>Tutu, a Nobel peace prize winner and former archbishop of Cape Town, has written to Brown, Barack Obama and the other leaders ahead of the G8 summit in Italy next week.</p><p>In his letter, he asks the leaders to "save the world's children from paying with their lives for our financial mistakes" by creating a new global fund for education.</p><p>The fund, which he wants to see established by the end of the year, would reverse a global decline in aid to education in the poorest countries. This in turn would improve health in these countries, Tutu told journalists in a conference call from Washington.</p><p>A child is 40% more likely to live beyond five years old if its mother has had a basic education, he said. At least 700,000 new cases of HIV could be prevented each year if all the children in the world had a classroom to study in, he added.</p><p>His letter, co-written with Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland, and <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/jun/03/interview-muhammad-yunus" title="Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank">Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank</a>, which makes small loans to the poor, makes an "urgent and personal appeal" to G8 leaders to renew their commitment to the world's poorest children.</p><p>"Education is the key to unlocking inter-generational deprivation, as it offers the knowledge people need to live healthy, happy lives," the letterstates.</p><p>"By investing in education, the G8 can leverage huge returns in women's and children's health, nation- and peace-building, and global economic development now and in the future," they write.</p><p>"At this critical time, millions of children are dropping out of school to join the labour market, governments are being forced to cut their education budgets and total aid commitments to basic education are dropping at an alarming rate."</p><p>The letter is particularly directed at Obama, who as part of his presidential campaign pledged at least $2bn (£1.22bn) to set up a global fund for education by 2015. Obama has not yet fulfilled his promise, they said.</p><p>Tutu added: "When President Obama was elected, there was a great deal of excitement in most of the world. Almost everyone believed that we were entering a new era. There was a new surge of hope. Despite this economic downturn, this flame still burns high. People remember what he said in his campaign."</p><p>Tutu described the current state of international aid to education as "doleful". The children out of school across the world were not just "sets of figures, but flesh and bones", he said.</p><p>"The world has reneged on the promises it had made to help those most in need. We are certainly failing the world's most vulnerable children.</p><p>Brown, in particular, must join Obama in giving the world's children "hope that a better life is available to them", Tutu said.</p><p>World leaders pledged in 2000 to help ensure that every child had access to primary education by 2015.</p><p>In March, Brown called for a new international effort to provide a school place for every child in the world.</p><p>In 2007-08, the UK spent £5.3bn on aid to poorer countries. The government says this will rise to £7.9bn by 2010-11. By 2013, Brown has pledged to increase aid to the equivalent of 0.7% of the UK's gross national income, from 0.36% in 2007-08.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/internationaleducationnews">International education news</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/politics">Politics</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/primary-schools">Primary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/development">Development</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/gordon-brown">Gordon Brown</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/g8">G8</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/iJFbvDE5N7IVX9gx0phrrW_XEl4/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/iJFbvDE5N7IVX9gx0phrrW_XEl4/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/iJFbvDE5N7IVX9gx0phrrW_XEl4/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/iJFbvDE5N7IVX9gx0phrrW_XEl4/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Teaching Awards: Mainstream thoughts and poetic licence
Education Guardian - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:01:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/45495?ns=guardian&pageName=Mainstream+thoughts+and+poetic+licence%3AArticle%3A1239245&ch=Education&c4=Teaching+awards%2CTeaching%2CSchools%2CSpecial+educational+needs+%28SEN%29%2CEducation&c6=Judy+Friedberg&c8=1239245&c9=Article&c10=&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FTeaching+awards" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>More awards for teachers who demonstrate winning ways in special needs and technology</p><p>It's gone 1pm and teachers, sponsors and "slebs" are still meandering around the central London venue for the final Teaching Awards regional ceremony. "You can tell the organisers aren't teachers," says a classroom veteran sniffily as she takes her seat. "We'd have had this lot sat down, arms folded, looking straight ahead."</p><p>But once we get going, the ceremony moves like lightning. Guest speaker Sally Gunnell sprints through a lively account of her favourite sports teacher, who spotted Gunnell's talent and set her on the right track, so to speak. But the real stars are the teachers. Kevin Higgins, winner of the special needs award, works in one of the most challenging educational environments in the country, as deputy head at the Eleanor Smith school for children with emotional and behavioural disorders.</p><p>When mainstream schools can no longer cope with their behaviour, children are sent to Eleanor Smith, in Newham, one of the most deprived boroughs in the country. The goal is to return pupils to mainstream schools, but this can be tough. Some schools are wary of taking on these pupils. "Sometimes it's the parents," says Higgins. "They have seen their children start to succeed and they don't want to undo that. But we are good judges of when the time's right, and very few kids ever come back. We celebrate it immensely when pupils do return to mainstream education, so other pupils are clear that is what they'll be doing one day."</p><p>What do Higgins and his colleagues do that other teachers can't? "We have small classes: one teacher, one support worker to each class of about eight. We work very hard at developing our relationship with carers or parents who may have become disillusioned with the educational experience - not only their child's but their own."</p><p>Here's a surprise: the winner of the technology award works not with geeky teens but in an infant school. Dan Lea, from the Gearies infant school in Ilford, says it all began with wanting to improve communication between home and school, "keeping parents informed about what was happening at school and letting children take their learning home - not as homework, just as projects they can sink their teeth into".</p><p>The school caters for children from nursery age to year 2 (aged seven). "Right from when they enter, children are using digital cameras. By year 2 they're doing live blogging and creating their own websites," says Lea. He works with other schools in the borough, too. "We promote child autonomy over learning, so that the children learn what they want to learn about, in the way they want to learn it."</p><p>Don't some teachers find that a threatening concept? "Initially, yes," Lea admits. "At the first meeting with the teacher, we make sure we are within their comfort zone. But we'll introduce one thing that'll be outside that zone. We take it slow. A lot of teachers find it quite scary to start with, but we support them. Once they get into it, they get a huge reward back from the kids."</p><p>One project, on listening to poems, was initiated by pupils. Teachers had to bring a poem they loved to class, then write a poem. The pupils did the same. Next, they went home and surveyed their parents on their attitudes to poetry. And as the project grew, they recorded it (<a href="http://listen2poems.blogspot.com/">http://listen2poems.blogspot.com/</a>). From that, a delightful second blog (<a href="http://pleasurereaders.blogspot.com/">http://pleasurereaders.blogspot.com/</a>) emerged.</p><p>"This was the moment I realised it was working," says Lea. "We were getting mums and dads writing book reviews, children filming themselves reading books, and the love of reading in the classroom just grew." Best of all is Lea's own blog (<a href="http://danlea3.blogspot.com/">http://danlea3.blogspot.com/</a>), which is packed with ideas, downloadable material for teachers, and links to the work his pupils have been doing.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teaching-awards">Teaching awards</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/teaching">Teaching</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/specialeducationneeds">Special educational needs</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4T4_sUpaNf5mM3d-bNOOnEH7rGo/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4T4_sUpaNf5mM3d-bNOOnEH7rGo/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4T4_sUpaNf5mM3d-bNOOnEH7rGo/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4T4_sUpaNf5mM3d-bNOOnEH7rGo/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Schools accused of wasting £1bn a year
Education Guardian - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:37:51 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/7488?ns=guardian&pageName=Schools+accused+of+wasting+%C2%A31bn+every+year%3AArticle%3A1239620&ch=Education&c4=Schools%2CEducation%2CEducation+policy%2CPublic+finance+%28Society%29%2CLabour%2CSociety%2CPolitics%2CUK+news&c6=Polly+Curtis&c8=1239620&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FSchools" width="1" height="1" /></div><p><strong></strong>Billions of pounds pumped into schools by Labour have remained unspent or been wasted on expensive contracts, according to the spending watchdog which accuses ministers of failing to hold headteachers to account for their expenditure.</p><p>The Audit Commission report, published tomorrow, concludes schools are wasting nearly £1bn of public money every year by "hoarding" it in bank accounts and failing to shop around for the best deals on meals, equipment and cleaning. The intervention will add pressure on the government over its spending plans and decision to delay its long-term spending commitments in the comprehensive spending review until after the general election.</p><p>Michael O'Higgins, chairman of the Audit Commission, said: "Schools are not wasting money deliberately, but I don't think the focus has been enough on economy and efficiency. The focus has been the drive to raise standards – that's not incompatible with economy and efficiency, but if you take your eye off the ball you lose that focus."</p><p>It comes as the children's secretary, Ed Balls, prepares to publish a schools white paper setting out plans for an annual report card for schools and a drive to federate high-performing secondaries with lower-performing neighbours.</p><p>The report concludes that despite record increases in funding since 1997, when Labour came to power, headteachers have not put all the money to good use. They could save £415m if they negotiated better contracts for the running of their schools and are also sitting on £530m in "excessive" reserves. There has been a collective failure through the system – from schools right up to government level – to emphasise efficiency, the report will say. "If no one is asking 'could you do this more efficiently, more cheaply?', you're not going to be focused on it," O'Higgins said.</p><p>"Individual schools have taken their eye off the ball. If you've had resources pumped in, you might not be aware of the last 1% you could be saving. Given the tight financial forecasts, they are going to have to [be aware]."</p><p>The report will urge the government to ensure that schools are spending money efficiently.</p><p>It should also consult over methods to redistribute school budgets if it isn't being spent. It could lead to councils clawing back more from headteachers who aren't using all their funds. It suggests that Ofsted should scrutinise schools' finances more closely during inspections.</p><p>O'Higgins also warned that public spending would have to be reduced in the recession. "Budgets are growing more slowly and schools need to start planning for a more austere future. We believe savings could be made without adversely affecting pupils or their education."</p><p>John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "At a time of financial uncertainty, it is sensible to hold more in reserve against the rainy day that we know is to come in 2011."</p><p>Michael Gove, the Tory shadow schools secretary, said his party would make schools "more accountable to parents so that parents get higher standards and value for money".</p><p>Vernon Coaker, the schools minister, said the government expected "local authorities to take action where necessary to ensure … proper value for money."</p><p><strong></strong></p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/public-finance">Public finance</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/labour">Labour</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Wzj7vYjUNAIlBtkQZKDSOhKxrZQ/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Wzj7vYjUNAIlBtkQZKDSOhKxrZQ/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Wzj7vYjUNAIlBtkQZKDSOhKxrZQ/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Wzj7vYjUNAIlBtkQZKDSOhKxrZQ/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Cheshire county council 'wrote off' girl who never went to secondary school
Education Guardian - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:05:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/92754?ns=guardian&pageName=Council+%27wrote+off%27+girl+who+never+went+to+secondary+school%3AArticle%3A1240046&ch=Society&c4=Local+government+%28Society%29%2CMental+health+%28Society%29%2CYoung+people+%28Society%29%2CSocial+exclusion+%28Society%29%2CSecondary+schools%2CEducation%2CSociety%2CUK+news%2CSocial+care+%28Society%29&c6=David+Brindle&c8=1240046&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Society&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FSociety%2FLocal+government" width="1" height="1" /></div><p><strong>The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Thursday 2 July 2009</strong></p><p> We were wrong to say in the article below about a local government ombudsman's ruling on a case of maladministration by the former Cheshire county council that the Cheshire East council said it would co-operate with Chester council and the new Cheshire West authority, created in April, to consider the report. We misunderstood the recent restructuring. Cheshire county council was replaced by two unitary authorities: first, Cheshire East and second, Cheshire West and Chester. The statement by Cheshire East council referred to co-operation with Cheshire West and Chester council.</p><p> <hr size="1" /> </p><p>A girl who lived with her mentally ill mother was "effectively written off" by social workers and never attended secondary school, a local government ombudsman says in a scathing report published today.</p><p>The former Cheshire county council failed "comprehensively and spectacularly" to fulfil its responsibilities to the girl, now aged 20, who was considered bright and eager to learn, according to the ombudsman, Anne Seex.</p><p>In a searing ruling on the case, Seex told the newly formed Cheshire East council to send a senior official to apologise to the woman, pay her £1,500 for her time and trouble in pursuing her complaint, and make available £45,000 for her to put down as a deposit on a home, fund an educational programme or to take in cash when she turns 30.</p><p>"Although she is succeeding in her current chosen career, it is not secure and her lack of education and qualifications may become a major disadvantage for her," Seex said of the woman, identified only as L. "The injustice caused to L by the council's maladministration is long-term and enduring."</p><p>Although she had been on the child protection register from an early age, L had from the age of 12 lived with her mother, whose behaviour was volatile and sometimes violent. On one occasion the mother wrecked her home in search of bodies she believed were hidden there. From Easter 2000, the mother stopped L from completing her last year at primary school and the girl never attended a secondary school. The council arranged some tuition for L at a local library. This was limited to five hours a week, then increased to 10 hours, which Seex's report described as showing a "woefully inadequate" understanding of the council's duties.</p><p>"The strong impression created by the documents I have seen is that the difficulties of dealing with L's mother and L's age meant L was effectively written off by the social work staff who dealt with her case," the report concluded, noting that the girl had five different social workers in a three-year period. "The documents … contain no evidence that the people with parental responsibility for safeguarding L and for promoting her welfare understood the duties and requirements created by law, regulations and statutory guidance; felt compelled to comply; or had any effective route for concerns about failures to do so."</p><p>L, who took a job working with horses and completed a Prince's Trust award, was helped with the complaints procedure by the National Youth Advocacy Service. Elena Fowler, the service's chief executive, said: "NYAS is delighted that advocacy support through the complaints process has [led to] a real victory for the voice of vulnerable children and young people."</p><p>Cheshire East council said it would consider the ombudsman's report in collaboration with Chester council and the Cheshire West authority, created after Cheshire county council's abolition in April.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/localgovernment">Local government</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/mental-health">Mental health</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/youngpeople">Young people</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/socialexclusion">Social exclusion</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/secondary-schools">Secondary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/social-care">Social care</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Y_o-YoT-Ig1h_7dXOgQ1ixsatf0/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Y_o-YoT-Ig1h_7dXOgQ1ixsatf0/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Y_o-YoT-Ig1h_7dXOgQ1ixsatf0/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Y_o-YoT-Ig1h_7dXOgQ1ixsatf0/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Rise in number of pupils with special educational needs
Education Guardian - Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:13 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/26970?ns=guardian&pageName=Rise+in+number+of+pupils+with+special+educational+needs%3AArticle%3A1239834&ch=Education&c4=Special+educational+needs+%28SEN%29%2CPrimary+schools%2CSecondary+schools%2CSchools%2CEducation%2CUK+news&c6=Jessica+Shepherd&c8=1239834&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FSpecial+educational+needs" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Biggest SEN jump is in state secondary schools, figures show</p><p></p><p>Almost 18% of pupils in English schools have special educational needs (SEN), government figures released today show.</p><p>The proportion has steadily grown over the last four years, from 14.9% in 2005 to 17.8% in 2009, according to statistics from the Department for Children, Schools and Families.</p><p>In state secondary schools, the proportion of pupils with SEN has jumped in the past year to 19%, from 17.8% last year.</p><p>In independent and primary schools, the proportion has risen slightly in the last year, from 18.1% to 18.2% in primary schools, and from 9.1% to 9.2% in independent schools.</p><p>But the proportion of pupils who are given a "statement" of special needs – a formal acknowledgment that a child needs extra help – has fallen.</p><p>Some 221,670 children in English schools had statements in January this year, 2.7% of all pupils. This is 1,940 fewer than in January 2008, when 2.8% of pupils had statements.</p><p>In independent schools, the proportion of children with statements has risen slightly, from 1.4% to 1.5% in the last year.</p><p>The figures came ahead of the government's white paper, published later today,which guaranteed parents one-to-one tuition for their child if they fall behind.</p><p>The term "special educational needs" covers children who have learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, Asperger's and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).</p><p>While 23% of boys have special educational needs, the figure for girls is 14%. Some 2.4% of boys have a statement, compared with 0.9% of girls.</p><p>Around 20 in every 1,000 black pupils in primary schools have statements, the figures show. The proportion is 17 in every 1,000 for white pupils and 14 in every 1,000 for Asian pupils.</p><p>In state secondary schools, 20 in every 1,000 white pupils has a statement. The figure is the same for black pupils, but lower for Asian pupils, at 15 in every 1,000 pupils.</p><p>The number of primary schools where at least 50% of pupils have SEN has risen to 104, from 94 last year.</p><p></p><p>The number of secondary schools where 50% or more have SEN has stayed the same, at 46.</p><p>Poor pupils are more likely to have special educational needs. Some 28.4% of pupils with SEN in primaries are eligible for free school meals, the government's benchmark for childhood poverty.</p><p>A quarter of pupils with SEN in secondary schools are eligible for free school meals.</p><p>Some 15.4% of pupils in state primary and secondary schools have difficulties with their speech, language and communication, compared with 14.6% last year.</p><p>Diana Johnson, the schools minister, said: "The number of pupils with statements of SEN is decreasing slowly because far more funding has been delegated to schools to provide earlier and better support for children with special needs.</p><p>"We believe schools are best placed to make decisions about supporting the learning of their pupils with SEN. They can now intervene earlier and more effectively without necessarily having to go through the process of getting a statement from the local authority."</p><p>Lorraine Peterson, chief executive of Nasen (formerly known as the National Association for Special Educational Needs), said: "There has been a reduction in the number of pupils with statements, which is in line with the government's agenda to delegate funding for early intervention identification to mainstream schools. While this reduction is fine, there needs to be a transparent approach to where that funding is going to make sure that SEN pupils benefit.</p><p>"We are pleased to see an increase in the number of pupils identified in early years; clearly, early identification is working."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/specialeducationneeds">Special educational needs</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/primary-schools">Primary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/secondary-schools">Secondary schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/a3dsyf95wx309UVWTF501E6pw-I/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/a3dsyf95wx309UVWTF501E6pw-I/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/a3dsyf95wx309UVWTF501E6pw-I/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/a3dsyf95wx309UVWTF501E6pw-I/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

How the school system should respond to a shrinking budget
Education Guardian - Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:01:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/13775?ns=guardian&pageName=%5BNo+Headline+-+page+id%3A+3789795+article+id%3A+16346843%5D%3AArticle%3A1239241&ch=Education&c4=School+funding%2CSchools%2CEducation+policy%2CPolitics%2CEducation&c6=Michael+Barber&c8=1239241&c9=Article&c10=Comment&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FSchool+funding" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>With public sector budgets under threat, schools face a tense time. Neither the government nor the opposition have made any commitments to education spending beyond 2011, but it is hard to imagine that the 5% annual growth we have seen since 1997 will continue.</p><p>This presents a tremendous challenge. After all, the expectations on our education system, both to provide economic growth and to foster a stable and worthwhile society, are no less than they have ever been. How should our school system respond?</p><p>Until recently, this question was intractable. Although the last 20 years have seen a growing understanding of how to make individual schools more effective, improving whole systems has been a poorly understood process. But this is changing. We are developing globally a comprehensive knowledge base about system reform that lies at the heart of good education systems, good schools, good teaching and good learning. We know what works: it's time to put it into practice.</p><p>Let me highlight a few of the resounding messages I see from education systems across the world. Every system needs to attract talented, well-rounded people into teaching and to train them well at the start of their careers. A focus on the quality of teaching is more important than tinkering with the number of teachers.</p><p>Every system needs to create an environment in schools in which every lesson is a good one, and teaching is - in Michael Fullan's well-chosen word - "deprivatised" so teachers continuously improve their pedagogy. Experimenting on the basis of deep knowledge, continuous professional dialogue and rapid feedback will drive improvement, lead to bottom-up innovation, and enhance professional satisfaction.</p><p>Every system needs to ensure informed, skilled, aspirational, educational leadership at every level. Devolving power and budgets, along with accountability, to schools works. It unlocks the ambition and inspiration of school leaders but, crucially, it provides the opportunity for the evidence-informed, school-led innovation that will ultimately lead systems towards even higher performance.</p><p>Every system needs to be transparent about performance - which requires globally benchmarked standards and good universal testing, as recently put in place in Australia - and to have the means of intervening to remove barriers to success at the level of the student, the classroom, the school and the system. Good data systems are the bedrock of this. If we believe in high standards for every young person, it is essential.</p><p>Above all, the best systems set out to raise standards and to eliminate achievement gaps. They know this is difficult, but they are not deterred.</p><p>If I may unscramble language so nearly brought into disrepute by Donald Rumsfeld, I accept there are "known unknowns" and perhaps "unknown unknowns" about how to achieve the aspirations I have set out. But if we spent five or 10 years implementing these "known knowns", the progress would be astounding.</p><p>So what's stopping us? Erring on the generous side, it should be pointed out that much of this system knowledge is recent and insufficiently understood by leaders around the world. But there are other more serious problems.</p><p>Obsessions with policies that are wrong and expensive, such as continuing marginal reductions in class size or protecting teachers' "rights" to teach as they wish in the citadel of their own classrooms, is widespread. Many still cling to the demonstrably false view that creativity consists of each teacher making it up in the classroom. This is not creativity, it is betrayal.</p><p>Another common flaw: expectations are set too low and, as a consequence, millions of children are written off. Yet another: the capacity of educators to stumble into a false dichotomy and debate it (vigorously and at length to the benefit of no one) is legendary - for example, the widely held but absurd view that because some things can't be measured, we should measure nothing.</p><p>Then there are leaders who reach accommodation with the most powerful lobby groups, ignoring the knowledge we have, because they choose a quiet life ahead of a successful system. Others, more constructively (but not necessarily more effectively), think transformation can be wrought by a series of randomly generated initiatives rather than coherent, whole-system reform.</p><p>Still others, and they are many, understand what they need to do but fail to master the crucial art and science of implementation.</p><p>How do I know that these errors get made? Partly because I see them being made around the world and because, at one time or another, I made most of them myself.</p><p>These are the accumulated barriers to success that we have, perhaps sub-consciously, designed into our systems. Too often they dominate our patterns of thought.</p><p>There are many educators and leaders who simply don't believe that successful change is possible, and academics who use sophisticated statistical techniques to support the view that social background remorselessly determines outcomes, regardless of what education systems do. Along with the former Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who left office after a frustrating year in the 1990s, they cry: "We tried to do better, but everything turned out as usual." The truth is that all too often we have defeated ourselves in our own heads before we've even begun.</p><p>Evidence shows that there are ways of making systems work better. It's difficult, but not impossible, and requires a relentless focus on what works.</p><p>• Sir Michael Barber is an expert partner at McKinsey & Company, a trustee of National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, and former head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit under Tony Blair. He is publishing a paper, Impossible and Necessary: Are You Ready for This, today at <a href="http://www.nesta.org.uk">www.nesta.org.uk</a></p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/school-funding">School funding</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/schools">Schools</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Ig-eeHDkvUYEhu1G4-bmsGwiKD8/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Ig-eeHDkvUYEhu1G4-bmsGwiKD8/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Ig-eeHDkvUYEhu1G4-bmsGwiKD8/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/Ig-eeHDkvUYEhu1G4-bmsGwiKD8/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Poorer students narrow university gap
Education Guardian - Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:24:00 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/66017?ns=guardian&pageName=Poorer+students+narrow+the+university+gap%3AArticle%3A1240342&ch=Education&c4=Access+to+university%2CHigher+education%2CEducation%2CYoung+people+%28Society%29%2CSocial+mobility+%28Society%29%2CPoverty+%28Society%29%2CSociety%2CEducation+policy%2CPolitics%2CUK+news&c6=Anthea+Lipsett&c8=1240342&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FAccess+to+university" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Statistics show that more young people from the bottom four socio-economic groups are taking degree courses</p><p>More young students from poor backgrounds are going to university than ever before, narrowing the gap between rich and poor students' participation rates, new government figures suggest.</p><p>Statistics on <a href="http://www.dius.gov.uk/research_and_analysis" title="full-time young participation by socio-economic class">full-time young participation by socio-economic class</a> released today show the proportion of England's 18- to 20-year-olds from the top three socio-economic classes taking degrees fell to 41.2% in 2007-08, from 45.2% in 2002-03.</p><p>Over the same period, going to university full-time became more common among the bottom four socio-economic groups, with participation rates increasing from 18.1% to 21%.</p><p>However, while the number of poor students has increased, more university places are still taken by affluent young people.</p><p>According to the figures, more than a third of young middle-class males (37.2%) went to university in 2007-08, compared with 17.8% of their poorer peers.</p><p>Affluent young women made up 45.6% of full-time students in 2007-08 – a slight drop on participation rates five years earlier – while 24.5% of women from the lowest four socio-economic groups went to university.</p><p>The figures rank students' class using their home postcode and parents' occupation and are based on data from the Office for National Statistics, the Labour Force Survey and the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR).</p><p>But government statisticians warn that changes to the way the HEIPR is calculated may have increased participation rates "slightly".</p><p>The gap between the numbers of people from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds going to university and their more affluent peers narrowed by seven percentage points between 2002 and 2007, the research found.</p><p>But <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/jun/30/recession-university-places" title="warned">universities have warned</a> that applicants from lower socio-economic groups will be more likely to miss out as places are squeezed this summer.</p><p>While record numbers have applied to go to university this year, the government has restricted the number of extra students universities can take to 10,000.</p><p>Wes Streeting, president of the National Union of Students, said: "We have always supported this government's commitment to widening participation in higher education.</p><p>"The fact that it took six years to increase the number of working class university students by just 3% shows how far we still have to go.</p><p>"This summer the hopes of tens of thousands of applicants will be dashed because the government is seemingly unwilling to expand student numbers to meet the record demand. I have no doubt that those worst affected will be from the very backgrounds this government has sought to attract.</p><p>"A commitment to widening participation becomes meaningless unless it is funded in practice. The government must take urgent action to either expand places or tell the tens of thousands let down what they will be offering as an alternative. Anything less would be an unjustified betrayal of those that the Labour party was established to protect."</p><p>David Lammy, the higher education minister, said: "University should be for everyone and I want to make sure that those with the will and the aptitude to succeed are given every chance possible – regardless of where they live or whether their parents have a degree.</p><p>"That's why I'm pleased to see more people from more disadvantaged backgrounds going into higher education, with the proportion increasing by three percentage points since 2002.</p><p>"This is testimony to the success of schemes such as Aimhigher, which is working in schools and universities across the country to inspire, motivate and encourage young people to go into higher education."</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/accesstouniversity">Access to university</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/higher-education">Higher education</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/youngpeople">Young people</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/socialmobility">Social mobility</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/poverty">Poverty</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/education">Education policy</a></li></ul></div><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our <a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html">Terms & Conditions</a> | <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/feeds">More Feeds</a></div><p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4B3VMESHiW3y4ZySXFpdChpprDk/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4B3VMESHiW3y4ZySXFpdChpprDk/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4B3VMESHiW3y4ZySXFpdChpprDk/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/4B3VMESHiW3y4ZySXFpdChpprDk/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

What students leave behind
Education Guardian - Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:04:27 GMT

Students leave bizarre things behind in their halls of residence when they leave – from flippers to feet<p style="clear:both" /> <p><a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TTEXQKAGrJ8mh4LQaVUggLWJ50k/0/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TTEXQKAGrJ8mh4LQaVUggLWJ50k/0/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a><br/> <a href="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TTEXQKAGrJ8mh4LQaVUggLWJ50k/1/da"><img src="http://feedads.g.doubleclick.net/~at/TTEXQKAGrJ8mh4LQaVUggLWJ50k/1/di" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p>

Oxford tops Guardian's 2010 university league table
Education Guardian - Mon, 11 May 2009 15:02:12 GMT

<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/20141?ns=guardian&pageName=Oxford+tops+Guardian%27s+2010+university+league+table%3AArticle%3A1213852&ch=Education&c4=University+guide%2COxford+University%2CStudents%2CHigher+education%2CEducation%2CUK+news&c6=Anthea+Lipsett&c8=1213852&c9=Article&c10=News&c11=Education&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FEducation%2FUniversity+guide" width="1" height="1" /></div><p>Full <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/universityguide/">Guardian university guide for 2010</a>, along with advice on how to apply to university, fees, and how to get the best from your course</p><p>Oxford University holds on to its position as the UK's leading teaching institution in the Guardian's university league tables, to be published tomorrow.</p><p>The tables provide vital information for students who face the toughest ever competition for university places this year.</p><p>Oxford scores highly on teaching quality, student satisfaction and career prospects.</p><p>It also spends the highest amount per student. Dr John Hood, Oxford's vice-chancellor, warned last month that the university was suffering unsustainable losses because of the cost of teaching its undergraduates.</p><p>Oxford's traditional rival, Cambridge University, retains its second-place ranking, with St Andrews University moving up from fifth spot last year to third place in the 2010 tables.</p><p>Britain's oldest universities still dominate the high rankings this year, with the London School of Economics fifth, Edinburgh seventh, and Imperial College London eighth.</p><p>But universities founded in the 1960s have also made the top 10: Warwick retains fourth position and Loughborough the tenth spot; Bath ranks ninth, up from 13th last year. Sussex has leapt 15 places to 18th, and Herriot-Watt rises from 52nd to 22nd place this year.</p><p>Prof Paul Curran, vice-chancellor of Bournemouth University, which has come top of the post-1992 universities for the second year running, said its 32nd ranking was down to investing in staff.</p><p>"We focused very clearly on academic excellence and investing in academic staff and our performance has improved dramatically.</p><p>"We've recruited 150 new staff over two years and doubled the number of staff who have doctorates, which has improved the student experience.</p><p>"Academic staff who are really enthusiastic about their subject is what we think students want, and the results would indicate that."</p><p>Newer uni