Latest Educational News
'Teach five-year-olds dangers of sexting': Expert warns of children involved in sending explicit images
by Daily Mail, May 17, 2012
. Fears escalating as teenage girls are being expected to send illicit images to young boys
Children as young as five should be taught in school about the risks of ‘sexting’ and online porn, a senior police child protection expert said last night.
Peter Davies, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre, warned that younger children were accessing the web, meaning they could stumble across adult material.
It's the children who are failed by exam fiasco
by Belfast Telegraph, May 17, 2012
Classified as 11 Plus.
The 11-plus. The exam they couldn't kill. Back in 2008 the then Education Minister Martin McGuinness pronounced the 11-plus extinct. It was over, he said. Done with for good. Finito. Consigned to history.
But four years on the Continuity 11-plus is with us still in the form of myriad transfer tests - and education here is saddled with a convoluted, complex system of selection which varies from area to area and school to school.
Students 'see no rise in lectures' despite tuition fee hike
by Telegraph, May 17, 2012
Universities have been accused of ripping off students after figures showed that a sharp rise in tuition fees has failed to translate into more teaching.
A tripling in the cost of a degree under Labour has made almost no difference to the number of lectures and tutorials undergraduates receive, it was revealed.
Third of primary school children 'cannot swim'
by Telegraph, May 17, 2012
Hundreds of thousands of children are being put at risk after leaving primary school unable to swim properly, according to research published today.
Figures show a third of pupils struggle to swim at least 25 metres by the age of 11 – the recommended minimum target set out by the Government.
In some areas, almost three-quarters of children are unable to complete a length of a standard pool, it emerged.
Poor literacy standards tackled in schools by Welsh government plan
by BBC, May 17, 2012
A five-year plan aimed at raising poor literacy standards in Welsh schools has been published.
The National Literacy Programme sets out what the Welsh government will do to improve results and change the way literacy is thought about in schools.
The ambition is for Wales to be among the top 20 nations in the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) by 2015.
Wales lags behind England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in Pisa's league.
MPs say some apprenticeship schemes are of no benefit
by BBC, May 17, 2012
A parliamentary committee has questioned the length and quality of many apprenticeships.
The Committee of Public Accounts said that a fifth of the schemes last six months or less and are of "no real benefit".
But it also praised the increase in apprenticeships, which quadrupled in number in the four years to 2011.
Rise in tuition fees 'did not boost teaching time'
by BBC, May 17, 2012
Students have had no extra teaching time at England's universities since tuition fees trebled, researchers say.
The Higher Education Policy Institute study of 9,000 students found no change in their experiences since fees rose from £1,000 to £3,000 in 2006.
It comes as universities are about to treble fees again to a £9,000 maximum.
Primary schools 'failing to honour swimming obligations'
by BBC, May 17, 2012
A third of children in England cannot swim by the time they leave primary school, according to research from the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).
The research suggests many non-swimmers have never had a school swimming lesson despite its being part of the national curriculum for seven-to-11-year-olds.
The ASA says swimming is the only curriculum subject that saves lives.
Michael Gove pushes for performance pay for teachers
by BBC, May 16, 2012
Teachers' pay in England and Wales could be linked to performance and set at different local levels, under proposals set out by the government.
The Department for Education has submitted the suggestions to the independent pay review board.
Education Secretary Michael Gove says he wants a system that can attract
Head 'bragged of breaking children' at nursery
by Telegraph, May 16, 2012
Headteacher Eirios Hall reduced children as young as four to tears then bragged about ''breaking'' them to shocked colleagues, a tribunal heard.
Hall is said to have mocked, humiliated and violently manhandled pupils at a nursery school in an alleged reign of terror lasting years.
Pupils broke down and cried when they learned Mrs Hall was to take their class, the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) heard today.
She felt so free to intimidate youngsters at school she angrily ordered a six-year-old with a speech impediment to ''talk properly'', it was claimed.
Delay school entry until six, researchers urge
by BBC, May 16, 2012
Schooling in England should not start until the age of six because having formal lessons too early can put bright children off learning, research claims.
Formal lessons should be delayed at least a year, says Dr Richard House, of the Research Centre for Therapeutic Education at Roehampton University.
Dr House is calling on the government to slow down the "premature adultification" of children.
Italian university switches to English
by BBC, May 16, 2012
From opera at La Scala to football at the San Siro stadium, from the catwalks of fashion week to the soaring architecture of the cathedral, Milan is crowded with Italian icons.
Which makes it even more of a cultural earthquake that one of Italy's leading universities - the Politecnico di Milano - is going to switch to the English language.
The university has announced that from 2014 most of its degree courses - including all its graduate courses - will be taught and assessed entirely in English rather than Italian.
Proposal for schools to set own pay
by Yahoo News, May 16, 2012
All schools could be allowed to set their own teachers' pay under controversial proposals published by the Government.
The move could leave schools competing to offer the best salaries to attract the best teachers. But it is likely to spark a fresh row with teaching unions and raise the prospect of strikes.
The proposal, one of the options laid out in the Government's submission to the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB), would mean a complete break-up of the current national pay scheme for teachers. The STRB, which currently deals with pay and conditions for the profession, has been asked by ministers to look into how regional pay could be introduced.
Oxford calling for two Warrington students
by Warrington Guardian, May 16, 2012
Classified as 11 Plus.
TWO Warrington students from The Manchester Grammar school are celebrating after being offered places to study medicine at Oxford University.
Scott Waring, aged 17, from Grappenhall will study in St John’s College in hope of becoming a doctor.
Scott said: “I’m honoured to have secured an offer in the UK’s best university. It is something which will undoubtedly prepare me for my career ahead.”
Teenagers to become money champions
by The Press Association, May 16, 2012
Thousands of teenagers who are not in school or work are being recruited to teach other youngsters how to handle their finances.
A new financial education campaign aims to give young people accurate information on how to deal with money matters.
The scheme is hoping to sign up 5,000 "champions" who will be given training in financial issues and asked to spread their knowledge to others in their peer group.
It is expected that the pool of "champions" will be drawn from youngsters in the 'Neet' category - not in education, employment or training.
Relocating parents with SEN children to receive “personal budget” for provision of services
by Relocate Magazine, May 16, 2012
In what is being touted as the “the biggest reform of SEN for 30 years” the government has announced this week that parents are to be given the power to control personal budgets for their children with severe, profound or multiple health and learning disabilities.
Families relocating with children with special educational needs (SEN) know only too well the challenges of moving to a new area and battling with a new local authority and coping with delays and bureaucracy. The current system has been criticised for being “outdated, slow and complex.”
Fury at plan to cut support for special-needs children
by Independent, May 16, 2012
Teachers and charities say streamlining of system will remove help for many pupils
Charities, teachers' leaders and campaigners yesterday condemned plans that could remove thousands of children from the special-needs register.
Ministers have announced a series of reforms in the belief that too many children at schools in England have been wrongly labelled as having special educational needs (SEN).
Schools 'shun traditional values in race for exam results'
by Telegraph, May 16, 2012
Children are failing to pick up traditional values at school as teachers increasingly prioritise exam results over the development of pupils’ “character”, according to a leading headmaster.
The sheer demands placed on timetables are leaving schools with little opportunity to promote resilience, optimism, courage, generosity, empathy and good manners, it was claimed.
Anthony Seldon, the Master of Wellington College, Berkshire, said old-fashioned values were traditionally passed on to pupils through competitive sport, artistic performances and voluntary work in the local community.
Head 'bragged of breaking children' at nursery
by Telegraph, May 16, 2012
Headteacher Eirios Hall reduced children as young as four to tears then bragged about ''breaking'' them to shocked colleagues, a tribunal heard.
Hall is said to have mocked, humiliated and violently manhandled pupils at a nursery school in an alleged reign of terror lasting years.
Pupils broke down and cried when they learned Mrs Hall was to take their class, the General Teaching Council for Wales (GTCW) heard today.
She felt so free to intimidate youngsters at school she angrily ordered a six-year-old with a speech impediment to ''talk properly'', it was claimed.
Bright children should start school at six, says academic
by Telegraph, May 16, 2012
Formal schooling should be delayed by at least 12 months because an over-emphasis on the three-Rs at an early age can cause significant long-term damage to bright children, according to a leading academic.
Pupils should not be subjected to full classroom tuition until the age of six to off-set the effects of premature “adultification”, it was claimed.
Dr Richard House, a senior lecturer at Roehampton University’s Research Centre for Therapeutic Education, said gifted pupils from relatively affluent backgrounds suffered the most from being pushed “too far, too fast”.
